Why Adults are Reading Young Adult Novels

It is widely recognized that the best of YA literature can stand up to work by any adult award winner. Some authors, like Mark Zusac of The Book Thief fame, were very successful in the adult market before winning medals in the YA category. 

Often the New York Times Book Review will grant space to YA titles that are considered quality reads.

YA books are designed to hook readers within the first 15 pages; whereas in an adult book, it might take up to 50 pages. 

Quickly learning the emotions and motivations of the protagonist, the plot, and the source of dramatic tension will forge an immediate connection with the reader.  And frankly most adults haven't forgotten the angst and issues of their own teen years and reading about it can be cathartic.

Many adult readers are moms or teachers who are interested in understanding (and discussing) what their teens are reading. 

But quickly they find their own interests for heroic quests, dystopian love triangles and even zombies satiated with the abundant variety on the teen shelves. Of course not all interested parties are parents but word-of-mouth sends friends to a particular favorite series like The Hunger Games or The Twilight Series.

Young Adult Titles to Try

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Set in a post-apocalyptic world in the country where North America once stood, the Hunger Games are an annual televised event where the Capitol chooses one boy and one girl from each district to fight to the death. The purpose of the games is to demonstrate that not even children are beyond the reach of the Capitol's power. This series delivers equal parts suspense and philosophy, adventure and romance that will keep you reading long into the night.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan 
In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future — between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

Matched by Ally Condie
Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: What to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears

on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate ... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.
 

Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott 
This contemporary fantasy opens in modern day San Francisco when brother and sister, Josh and Sophie discover that the owner of the bookstore where Josh works is the immortal French alchemist, Nicholas Flamel. Flamel and his wife, Perenelle, are the guardians of the Book of  Abraham which they have protected for centuries. This is a collection of the most powerful spells in the world. When Dr. John Dee discovers the Flamels’ whereabouts, he attacks and snatches the book. Josh and Sophie intervene to help Flamel, but now they too are being hunted by Dee and creatures that predate humanity.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Readers of urban fantasy will delight in the Mortal Instruments series, in which teenaged Clary Fray discovers that she’s one of the Shadowhunters tasked with killing demons.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
In Tally's world, a 16th birthday brings an operation, transforming one from a repellent Ugly to an attractive Pretty. Turning Pretty is all Tally has ever wanted. Her friend Shay would rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally must make a terrible choice. 

Throughout this series, the author's themes include vanity, environmental conservation, Utopian idealism, fascism, violence, love and much more.

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
Since her parents' bitter divorce, McLean and her dad have been on the move--four towns in two years. Each new place gives her a chance to try out a new persona: From cheerleader to drama diva. But now, for the first time, McLean discovers a desire to stay in one place and just be herself, whoever that is.  

Dessen’s characters are strong young women with family and relationship troubles and her message is to stay true to yourself. Fans of Jodi Picoult will enjoy Dessen’s books. 

The Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine
College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation, where the popular girls never let her forget just where she ranks in the school's social scene: Somewhere less than zero.

When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show many signs of life. But they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood

This author also writes the popular Weather Warden series for adults. 

Maximum Ride by James Patterson
This series chronicles the lives of six fugitive kids – Max, Fang, Iggy, Gasman, Nudge, and Angel – known collectively as the Flock. Bred in a laboratory called the School, they endured scientific experiments that rendered them 98 percent human and 2 percent avian. The adult novels, When the Wind Blows and The Lake House, soon became the beginnings of the popular kids fantasy that rails against global warming and battling environmental pollution – not to mention secret genetic research and the scientific manipulation of the human species.

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
Set during World War II in Germany, this novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing, encounters something she cant resist: BOOKS.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore  
Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight – she's a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king's thug.

When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po's friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace--or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away ... a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan
Perseus "Percy" Jackson is a troubled twelve-year-old diagnosed with both ADHD and dyslexia. After getting attacked at school, he is escorted to Camp Half-Blood, a secret camp built to train and protect Greek demigods. At camp, Percy learns that his father is Poseidon, the god of the sea, and is thus a child mentioned in the Great Prophecy, a prophecy that was given by the Oracle seventy years ago. Throughout the series, Percy embarks on several quests to save his friends and, ultimately, the gods of Mount Olympus. What a great way to be introduced to Greek mythology!

Riordan’s subsequent series
The Kane Chronicles focuses on Egyptian mythology; Heroes of Olympus focuses on Greek and Roman mythology.

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
This gothic fantasy features a heroine who has access to a world even spookier than her boarding school.  Adult book clubs have enjoyed discussing titles from the Gemma  Doyle Trilogy. 

Drop by Bay Books for any of these titles and many more great ideas for books that you or your child or teen would enjoy.

www.baybooks.us