Comments on: Young Adult Fiction Is Not All Doom and Gloom

By: kate

kate — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 01:35:44 +0000

A new teen/YA book out there that is not all doom and gloom but has enough twists and turns to keep it interesting is “Push” by D.P. Davidson. Also, no sex, which many parents don’t want in their teens books.

By: Kitty

Kitty — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 07:39:58 +0000

I worked for Barnes and Noble for almost five years. I can tell you right now, she would not have left empty handed had she come to our store. However, that doesn’t make for good sensationalistic writing. A mother in the middle of a bookstore who can’t find anything for her daughter but dark, depressing books so she leaves empty handed does make for good fiction.

And honestly, I think that’s what it was. Most booksellers worth their salt have a few titles they can recommend, or know a person in the store that would be better able to help the customer. That’s why I think the “mother” in the original article is fiction.

By: BiblioMatsuri

BiblioMatsuri — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 05:10:34 +0000

On Friday June 10th, the local YA librarian mass e-mailed all of the teen volunteers/members of the Teen Reading Club a link to “Darkness Too Visible”, along with some questions about what we ourselves felt was “too dark.” Surprise, surprise, my answer was similar to a few previous comments. Books that deal with serious subjects are hard to read, but useful for the emotional catharsis they can give. As an actual teen reader, I can only speak from my personal experience here. I do read a lot of fantasy and science fiction, often to the exclusion of other genres, but I’m picky. I know what I like, and I stick to it.

Paranormal YA books aren’t all like Twilight – within the “vampire fiction” subset, Cynthia Leitich Smith’s Tantalize trilogy is hardly a classic for the ages, but it’s done well enough that one can ignore a few stretched assumptions. Diana Wynne Jones’ The Merlin Conspiracy is a comedic fantasy with its share of heroes and villains, but (spoiler) it has a pretty happy ending. And I am not ashamed to admit that I cried reading Robin McKinley’s Chalice. Parents reading this, if your kids insist on reading paranormal fiction, go ask a librarian. Go to the local library, talk to whoever’s in charge of the YA section, and go from there. Don’t forget to mention your kid’s age and reading habits. If you don’t know the latter, asking isn’t “being the book police” unless you’re mean about it.

Fads fade. Reading is a great thing. Don’t let a few trashy novels ruin it!

By: Pam

Pam — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 10:53:03 +0000

If you’re looking to read books for teens with problems and healthy ways to overcome, I suggest Melody Carlson. I love Sarah Dessen, too. You feel what the character feels, and Sarah and Melody definitely leave the reader feeling satisfied. I’ve never been disappointed in their books.

By: Lauren Myracle

Lauren Myracle — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 05:20:32 +0000

Yeah! You go, Josie. In fact, if anyone know Amy Freeman, or how to find her address, (or if she exists???), I would HAPPILY send her a copy of Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks. Or even–shocker!–Thirteen!

Cheers, lady!

By: Elevating the status of YA » Indie Reader Houston

Elevating the status of YA » Indie Reader Houston — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 03:16:42 +0000

[...] Young Adult Fiction is Not All Gloom and Doom by Josie Leavitt [...]

By: Kathy

Kathy — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 02:40:35 +0000

As a librarian, I’m coming a little late to this conversation, but I’d like to add my 2 cents. I’ve found that teens (and mothers) don’t always want to ask for help – many times they prefer to look for books by themselves. It’s a difficult trick to offer help before someone gets too frustrated, but not before they’ve had time to explore on their own. That said, I’ve also found that some of my students are prepared for dark books and some are not. I worry that a sheltered teen will stumble on a book that is way too dark for them and still feel compelled ( by peer pressure – or by the belief that, because it’s in my library, it must be OK) to go ahead and check it out to read. I’ve had girls who got dark novels come back rather shell-shocked. For this reason, I try to keep an eye on my kids, but I also feel that I shouldn’t buy a book that is inappropriate for most of my students. It’s admittedly a fuzzy line, but one I’m always conscious of straddling. I appreciate publishers who can provide both dark and light materials – I need both.

By: Stephanie Scott

Stephanie Scott — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 00:30:57 +0000

Just a question, but why not be the crazy book police for your own child? Don’t you want to know what your child is reading? I don’t think anyone else is going to do that for you. I hope you keep talking to your child about books. And try out some contemporary YA! How about Liar’s Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker?

By: Stephanie Scott

Stephanie Scott — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 00:26:18 +0000

The point of many dystopian novels is to mirror aspects of our own world and shed light on issues. Suzanne Collins has spoken extensively on the reason she wrote The Hunger Games, and it is to portray the harshness of war and its effect on children. If you read the book, you see that there is heart, loyalty and sacrifice demonstrated by many of the characters despite their harsh reality. It is not gore and war to be sensational. Collins does an excellent job with a tricky topic.

I cannot vouch for every dystopian novel, but I have personally met authors of the genre, like Julia Karr who wrote XVI. the book is about a government meant to protect young women but the reality is different. She has very thoughtful views on how our current society oversexualizes women. She is writing in RESPONSE to that. It is nuanced, it is not sex for shock value. Again, I encourage you to read it.

Going back to Orwell’s 1984, and I’m sure other books before that, the dystopian genre is often meant to shed light on our own society’s issues. To dismiss it as negative without recognizing any redeeming value is to overlook the entire point of the genre. Good dysptopia ends with the character realizing a positive revelation. You just have to get to the end to see that for yourself.

By: Rachel Seigel

Rachel Seigel — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 18:22:54 +0000

And I seriously wondered how many of those she’d read.
“Shipbreaker” for example is an amazing read, but it is also a dark and frightening book. A Drug-addicted, alcoholic, abusive father, a violent society and a dog-eat-dog civilization are light?