What We Talk About When We Talk About Young Adult Fiction
As someone who has grown up with a passion for reading, at 20 years old I think it's pretty safe to say that I've read a lot of young adult fiction in my time. I began reading at a very young age and so can speak from firsthand experience about the impact that literature makes on young people.
But what do we talk about when we talk about young adult fiction?
For the purposes of this blog we’ll be looking at young adult fiction (hereon referred to as 'YA fiction’) as being literature that is marketed toward adolescents aged between 10 and 20. Typically fiction targeted at people 15 and under is regarded as teen fiction, but personally I feel that once you’re on the cusp of the pubescent years you’re pretty well on your way to being allowed entry into the elite club of YA readers and that YA fiction will be valuable to you.
In The Writer’s Guide to Crafting Stories for Children, Nancy Lamb notes that what distinguishes a YA novel from an adult novel is often nothing more than subject matter.
“These books are complicated, sophisticated and challenging. They are not limited in what issues can be discussed, nor are they in any way 'kids' books.” (pg. 24)
Sexuality, identity, depression, coping with loss and many more; these stories focus on the specific challenges faced by young people.
I hope that this blog will have something to bring to the table for a number of readers of all ages, and that it will highlight the important role played by YA literature, and how it can be used to aid the discourse on everyday issues that young people have to deal with.
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