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Monday, May 26, 2008

YA

What I’m Reading: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.

Have you been to the Young Adult section of your local book store lately? I visit mine frequently because I’m privy to a secret.

Wanna know it?

Here it is: Today’s YA section isn’t the YA section of our youth. (My youth was awhile back. I’m climbing the 40 fence. Less than a rung to go.)

Today’s YA books are edgy and creative and likely to appeal as much to adults as to teens.

I have a friend – a fellow book-lover. She runs a book club for girls at my favorite high school. She refuses to select YA books, calling them “mostly lame”. However, she self-admits she hasn’t read many lately, and that’s a shame. Don’t get me wrong – she selects some great books for the girls. But, I think she’s missing even more by refusing to look at the plethora of great writing in the YA section.

Tomorrow or Wednesday I’ll post some new YA that are great – both books I can personally vouch for and ones getting bang up reviews.

In the meantime, how do you feel about YA? Do you have any favorites? If you haven’t read YA in awhile, would you be willing to give it a second chance?

Macy

1 comments:

Terry Odell said...

I used to read all the books my kids read, mostly so I wouldn't keep getting them the same ones from the library. But given my kids are approaching you in age, it's been a long time.

And how "Y" is the "Y" in YA now?

I'd probably give them a shot, but only if they weren't paranormals. I don't care much for that genre at any age level. Too much science in my background, I guess.