YA Reading 2007

I never really intended to start reading YA, but when I worked in a bookstore, I realized (1)I knew nothing about it and (2) I should probably try to learn a little. Reading just a few YA books helped me make more informed recommendations to customers, which is always a good thing. I'm finding a knowledge of YA is even more in demand in a library setting. Sure, there are databases we can refer to, but there's nothing like being able to tell a patron, "Here's a book I think your son will like. I read it myself."

It takes about 10 seconds of scanning the YA/Teen section of any bookstore to figure out that most of it is written for girls. (Probably because girls are generally, especially at that age, reading more than boys.) Recommending books for boys is a little easier than it used to be, but the guys could still use more titles. That's one of the reasons I wrote my YA novel (still in revision) Fortress - I wanted something a teenage guy would enjoy reading. (Of course I hope some girls will enjoy it too.)

I don't know if I'll write another YA, but I think it's going to be important for me to read YA for quite some time, especially in the job I have. Having said all that, here are some of the better YA titles I read this year:

The Chocolate War (1974) - Robert Cormier

In some ways, this tale of a lone rebel at a boys' academy (think Lord of the Flies in a school setting) hasn't aged well, but I still think it's effective.

The Green Glass Sea (2006) - Ellen Klages

Two girls whose parents are working on a "secret project" in 1943 Los Alamos strike up an unlikely friendship. A powerful story by an excellent writer, Ellen Klages.

The Dark is Rising Sequence (five books, starting with Over Sea, Under Stone) - Susan Cooper

It's a shame that many of the Harry Potter fans I've talked to haven't read this series. Although the tone of each book is a slightly different and some volumes less compelling than others (Oddly enough, I thought the Newbery-winning The Grey King the least interesting of the books), these books are well worth your consideration, combining myth, folklore, and that all-important struggle between Good and Evil.

The Ear, the Eye and the Arm (1994) - Nancy Farmer

Farmer is a writer that, in my opinion, doesn't get discussed nearly enough. A couple of years ago I read and was very impressed with her novel The House of the Scorpion. I still prefer it to The Ear, but her adventure of three siblings in 2094 Zimbabwe is both fun and engaging.

Speak (1999) - Laurie Halse Anderson

I actually saw the film version of Speak before I read the book. Both versions recount the pressures of school, family and a terrible secret that haunts Melinda, a high school freshman. I wish you could combine the best elements of the book and film versions, but each on their own are quite effective.

Finally, the best YA novel I read this year was M.T. Anderson's superb The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party (2006). You can read the description for yourself in the link. I'll just say that nobody else (that I know of) is writing such highly intelligent, engaging work for YA. I hope that many adult readers will discover Anderson through this title. He's a treasure.

Next time: Non-Fiction