YA Reading
I know a lot of people aren't interested in YA books, but I've been doing some heavy reading since last night, and gosh, what a mistake it is to assume that a good YA book is 'juvenile'--that is, predictable, dull, mere wish-fulfillment. Trivial in theme and emotional breadth.
There are some that I think are far too earnest and preachy, but it has been a problem besetting children's literature ever since its inception that it should primarily teach'n'preach. Nowadays, of course, the message is not the old standard WASP one--I found the Pullman trilogy (most especially the third) exactly as preachy as he ever could find Narnia. There is a plethora of earnest close-to-the-Earth 'nature' culture stories, whose authors have obviously gotten Le Guin into their DNA, wherein women spend their natural, pre-tech, totally organic and tribal lives in wholesome communion with nature and thus are granted special powers. There are good men (who follow the lead of the women) and bad men (who are wild and smelly and like to hunt and kill). The powerful heroine often is rewarded the trophy of a good man. Then there are the Problem Novels. There must be some kids reading them, and I don't mean kids forced into it by well-meaning librarians and teachers ("This will be good for you!") but at my school, at least, the kids won't touch any of them, but they read the Fun Stuff until it falls apart.
A good YA for me, and perhaps for many young adults, is one that has a zippy story line, some humor as well as some wonder, maybe some horror to spice and spike the tension line, but with real discoveries about human emotions, time, friendship, love, hate, meaning that resonate well enough to bring the reader back again and again. But does not tell the reader how to think.
There are some that I think are far too earnest and preachy, but it has been a problem besetting children's literature ever since its inception that it should primarily teach'n'preach. Nowadays, of course, the message is not the old standard WASP one--I found the Pullman trilogy (most especially the third) exactly as preachy as he ever could find Narnia. There is a plethora of earnest close-to-the-Earth 'nature' culture stories, whose authors have obviously gotten Le Guin into their DNA, wherein women spend their natural, pre-tech, totally organic and tribal lives in wholesome communion with nature and thus are granted special powers. There are good men (who follow the lead of the women) and bad men (who are wild and smelly and like to hunt and kill). The powerful heroine often is rewarded the trophy of a good man. Then there are the Problem Novels. There must be some kids reading them, and I don't mean kids forced into it by well-meaning librarians and teachers ("This will be good for you!") but at my school, at least, the kids won't touch any of them, but they read the Fun Stuff until it falls apart.
A good YA for me, and perhaps for many young adults, is one that has a zippy story line, some humor as well as some wonder, maybe some horror to spice and spike the tension line, but with real discoveries about human emotions, time, friendship, love, hate, meaning that resonate well enough to bring the reader back again and again. But does not tell the reader how to think.