(Previously: noir!)
Okay, this is a big one.
Big category. Not really a genre (though some have debated it is, I’d argue it’s an age range).
Young adult fiction.
No subgenres in particular.
But I want to know: what do you consider to be the most essential reads for anyone looking to pick up a young adult book? And further, what (for you) makes a young adult book? What is YA?
So, drop to the comments, and discuss. Oh, and list your top three essential YA reads, too!
(related: 25 Things You Should Know About Young Adult Fiction)
Kathleen S. Allen says:
It all depends on the sub-genre you like. There is quite a range. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. A YA contemporary I just read is Cherry Money Baby by John M. Cusick.
October 7, 2013 — 12:18 AM
Marianne says:
As far as I’m concerned, YA features protagonists between the ages of 15-18.
Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow. Best YA ever.
October 7, 2013 — 12:25 AM
Lee says:
I tend to prefer the stories that are a bit more fantastical in nature – The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials series) by Philip Pullman, the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer, and The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex top my list.
One of the things I find as a common factor in most YA books (Harry Potter, for example) is that the adults are mostly useless. They’re either completely evil, or generally ineffectual. The Ranger’s Apprentice series bucks that trend somewhat, but very few others have strong adult leadership present in the stories.
October 7, 2013 — 12:33 AM
AmberR says:
I enjoy a little bit of everything YA, but contemporary is probably my first love. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen is my favorite YA novel, but anything by her or John Green. What I love about YA is that the only element that it really requires is an MC that is 14ish-18ish years old, but the category can really be about anything, YA is more daring, with topics that you don’t necessarily find in “adult” books.
October 7, 2013 — 12:58 AM
Kristina L. says:
Ahh, YA books
The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater (book 2 was just released) also her Shiver trilogy and the soon-to-be-completed homicidal faeries trilogy
Strange Angels by Lili St Crow
Hunger Games (you already know this one)
Have to think a bit more on this, but those are the ones that immediately come to mind.
October 7, 2013 — 1:00 AM
Sarah says:
Oooh! This crowd-sourcing question is enough to drag me out of comment lurking…
It’s hard to narrow down YA to three, but the ones I usually recommend to YA newbies are in the contemporary/realistic realm: Please Ignore Vera Dietz by AS King, Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta and anything by Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever being my favorite. I like to recommend these because they really demonstrate how YA explores relationships of all kinds in a depth that’s often hard to find in adult fiction.
October 7, 2013 — 1:09 AM
Maree Anderson says:
The Curse Workers Trilogy by Holly Black
The Demon’s Lexicon series by Sarah Rees Brennan
Souls Screamers series by Rachel Vincent
Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon
Holes by Louis Sachar
CHERUB series by Robert Muchamore
The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
I have two teens, and while I’ve found plenty for DD to read over the years (she’s into fantasy and horror), DS was more challenging. Started him with Holes, then CHERUB series, and moved on to Curious Incident, which he really enjoyed. Took a risk with Curse Workers Trilogy – which paid off big-time; he loved all three. He then got stuck into The Hunger Games (wasn’t fazed at all by the female POV), and Elizabeth Moon’s Speed of Dark (not YA but he found it fascinating.) He has just finished Rot and Ruin — epic win on that one 🙂
Ooh. And how could I forget Isaac Marion’s Warm Bodies? That’s next on DS’s reading schedule… once he pries himself away from the computer and comes looking for another book 😉
October 7, 2013 — 1:16 AM
Maree Anderson says:
I knew I’d forget something! So many YAs to choose from *whimpers*
The Divergent series by Veronica Roth… which turns out DS is currently reading. Gotta love it when Mom no longer has to recommend books to the teen boy of the house. I must have done something right 🙂
October 7, 2013 — 1:44 AM
Mozette says:
I’m great friends with Ged Maybury; and helped launch his book in April this called ‘Nosebleed’… a great book if I do say so! 😀
October 7, 2013 — 2:34 AM
Helegad says:
My all time favourite YA series is one I picked up *as* a young adult, and I still love it to this day. It goes by the name of Skulduggery Pleasant and is written by the wonderful Derek Landy. It’s witty, it’s funny. it’s bittersweet and it has the most fantastic wise-cracking, flame-throwing detective in it. Oh – and he’s a skeleton.
The last book comes out next year.
October 7, 2013 — 2:40 AM
C.M. Simpson says:
So, I had no answer for a long time but then I remembered the following:
Tamora Pierce – everything
Andre Norton – The Beast Master series (and Cat’s Eye -these were my first ever science fiction experiences found at the school library along with Douglas Hill)
Nicholas Fisk – quirky and for the younger market
Douglas Hill – in particular his Last Legionary series, which I also love
John Christopher – esp. The Tripods
So, I hope that helps
Oh, and Paul Jennings for sheer fun.
October 7, 2013 — 2:58 AM
Heather Milne Johnson says:
OMG, thank you! I loved The Tripods as a teen! Now I need to go back and read the series over again.
October 8, 2013 — 11:17 PM
C.M. Simpson says:
Oh, and I forgot
Jackie French – a diversity of children’s and YA books, but I especially liked her Outlands series, which has nothing to do with vampires but a lot to do with genetics and an apocalypse.
October 7, 2013 — 3:02 AM
Jules says:
Pretty much my all-time favorite YA was published in 1968. It’s called The Hornet’s Nest, by Sally Watson, and follows two Scottish siblings and a cousin from the Scottish Highlands to Virginia before and during the Revolutionary War. It’s very well done, with strong, sharp characters against a historical backdrop. I remember it being very visual, as well. I think I read it at least ten times from about age 10 til 16 or so.
May be a bit hard to find as it’s out of print, but would be worth the search. I treasure my copy.
October 7, 2013 — 3:22 AM
karenprince0 says:
Terry Pratchett ‘The Wee Free Men’
Louise Rennison ‘Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging’
Markus Zusak ‘The Book Thief’
For me YA is anything that is not X rated. Coming of age, life lessons learned and dealing with teen angst etc, but also hilarious lighthearted fluff with no lessons at all, sci-fi and fantasy that stretch the imagination and perhaps a little dalliance into other cultures to broaden their horizons.
October 7, 2013 — 4:08 AM
E.Maree says:
Ah, this was a fun challenge because YA is such a huge category.
YA Fantasy
SERAPHINA by Rachel Hartman
TEETH by Hannah Moskowitz (Super dark, super profane, and super awesome. This one will appeal to fans of Chuck Wendig.)
THE AMBER SPYGLASS (US: THE GOLDEN COMPASS) by Phillip Pullman
SABRIEL by Garth Nix
ANGELFALL by Susan Ee
YA Dystopian
SHATTER ME by Tahereh Mafi
DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth
THE HUNGER GAMES by Susanne Collins
YA Contemporary*
THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. Salinger (A classic for a reason!)
LOOKING FOR ALASKA or THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green
THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER by Stephen Chbosky
FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell
ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephenie Perkins
*I include ‘YA Romance’ as a genre in this category because I find the line to be fuzzy (and irritatingly, often based on gender).
October 7, 2013 — 4:27 AM
whirlingnerdish (@whirlingnerdish) says:
I agree with you. For some reason AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES and LOOKING FOR ALASKA are considered contemporary “literary” YA, whereas ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS and 13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES seem to be classified under “romance.” Some arbitrary distinctions, in my opinion.
(I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, I’m just curious about genre labels…would CATCHER IN THE RYE be considered “contemporary”? For the current audience of YA, wouldn’t that be more “classical literature”?)
October 7, 2013 — 9:18 AM
E.Maree says:
Good question! And the answer is I’m not sure…. the themes it tackles definitely fit the “contemporary” genre, and I like to believe it’s not *that* dated, but if I’m being truthful a lot of the slang is probably quite dated to modern readers.
I think that on my blog I’d keep it under contemporary *mostly* because teen readers might be encouraged to try it if they see it in a list of familiar titles.
October 8, 2013 — 6:01 AM
E.Maree says:
One more! YA Historical CODE NAME VERITY by Elizabeth Wein
October 7, 2013 — 4:29 AM
Whoa, Molly! says:
There was some excellent YA put out in Australia in the 90’s when I was growing up. Books like ‘Playing Beatie Bow’ by Ruth Park, ‘Taronga’ & ‘Parklands’ by Victor Kelleher, The ‘Tomorrow’ Series by John Marsden, The Gathering and Darkfall by Isobelle Carmody. I was really lucky, there was a great deal of Speculative and genre-type fiction coming out in my formative years and made me into the warped adult speaking now. 🙂
October 7, 2013 — 5:33 AM
Andrea Stanet says:
I love Tamora Pierce, particularly her Beka Cooper series. Veronica Roth’s Divergent series. Hunger Games. Harry Potter, although that spans middle-grade through YA. Kelley Armstrong has a couple of YA paranormal series that I would recommend. Touching the Surface by Kim Sabatini was great. Kristin Cashore’s Graceling series. Megan Turner Whalen’s The Queen’s Thief series is one I keep coming back to. Jana Oliver’s Demon Trappers series. Kendare Blake’s Anna series if you like horror. I could go on, but I’d rather get back to reading 🙂
October 7, 2013 — 6:31 AM
Charlotte Copper says:
YA for me is when the MCs are between about 15-18 years of age. And no sex! I have 3 daughters – now 16,17 & 19 – but I started reading YA when they were much younger. I was pre-reading their books to make sure there was no sex. There were one or two “loose your virginity” books, and I was like “hell, no!”. I like to give the girls the idea that they should be strong and independent, not how to loose their virginity in 30 days / 300 pages.
I have found many YA writers do series, so I have to say:
Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
Soul Screamers – Rachel Vincent
Maureen McGowan – The Dust Chronicles
October 7, 2013 — 6:35 AM
Rachyl says:
Beyond the youthful protagonist age range I find that YA novels typically feature ordinary characters doing extraordinary things. They are made exciting more so by plot than characters. And only through the situations these individuals are put in do their more admirable qualities show. They are structured to be relatable, and later become spectacular. There are obviously exceptions, like many John Green novels and Tim Tharp’s The Spectacular Now; but I find this to be a common trend.
My personal YA favourites are the Divergent series by Veronica Roth, Maze Runner series by James Dashner and the Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan (I think another common trend might be series being more dominant than stand alone novels…)
October 7, 2013 — 7:44 AM
olympicreader says:
I have read a lot of YA in recent years as I have teen and tween daughters, and I do a lot of screening of books. I think as long as the main characters are teens then a book is YA. There is lots of fluff out there dealing with crushes/first love that gives YA a bad rep. There is excellent stuff to be found in all genres. As a family we read a lot of fantasy & sci fi and there is much out there, especially since the Twilight phenomenon. And I am not a hater of Twilight since it got teens to READ and to talk about the books! How great is that?
My daughter quickly moved on from YA but some of the last coming of age books she read were: Random Acts of Senseless Violence by Jack Womack
Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
The Road Cormac McCarthy
Octavia Butler
Margaret Atwood
Obviously these are very different from what is considered YA, but does YA have to be something comfortable? Does it have to be about love, or fitting in, or hating your parents? I did not give my daughter these books, but they were on my bookshelf and she has permission to read anything in the house. We had some really good conversations about “Story of a Girl”. My other daughter is not nearly as advanced in her reading or maturity so she might never pick up these books.
We have read
Maggie Stievatter
Tamora Pierce
Pamela Freeman
Neil Gaiman
Rick Roridan
Harper Lee
JK Rowling
John Steinbeck
Kristin Cashore
Catherine Fisher
Jean DuPrau (The City of Ember was the first chapter book my daughter read alone, I think she was in third or fourth grade)
Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game is one of the few books my son has read
I know there are more, but I am too lazy to scour their rooms.
I did not do well following the “recommend your top three YA must reads” Oops.
October 7, 2013 — 8:03 AM
Santos Larralde says:
One of the best is probably On Heroes and Tombs, by Ernesto Sábato.
YA novels should not only offer entretainment, but also help this young adults in dealing with their deepest problems. Problems which adults often may find trivial or mundane, but are truly world-shattering to many people in some of the hardest years of their lives.
Also, magic and explosions.
October 7, 2013 — 8:03 AM
Alexis says:
The Raven Cycle and/or The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (she is a genius of the highest water)
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Sabriel by Garth Nix
A Monster Calls and/or The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Good YA has (generally) age-appropriate stories (few/no f bombs, sex, etc.) where the protagonists are of age and the adults are either barely present or quazi-incompetent.
Great YA (which I would argue is more rare than you think) involves an emotional journey where there is a loss of emotional innocence. They start the story as a kid and end as an almost-adult.
October 7, 2013 — 8:14 AM
epbush says:
The Outsiders… Best YA EVER.
October 7, 2013 — 8:18 AM
Katie Cross says:
I just started reading the Gemma Doyle books by Libba Bray, so I can’t vouch for them much, but from what I heard, they are great YA.
October 7, 2013 — 8:37 AM
whirlingnerdish (@whirlingnerdish) says:
YA is a bit of a weird thing to pin down. Personally, I see YA as featuring a protagonist from around 14 to 18. I think the kid has to be left to sort out whatever trouble he or she has mostly on his or her own. Adults can sometimes play a mentor role, providing life advice or something, but I think the act of fixing their shit has to come from the kid–same as any hero really.
That said, it does depend on which subgenre of YA is your flavor.
For sci-fi, my two go-to titles are LITTLE BROTHER by Cory Doctorow and PEEPS by Scott Westerfeld.
For fantasy, I like Harry Potter (obviously), and The Hunger Games trilogy (my favorite is the last one, oddly), and the His Dark Materials books. I also liked PARANORMALCY by Kiersten White. THE GRAVEYARD BOOK by Neil Gaiman is incredible.
For literary-ish, contemporary titles, I like THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, 13 REASONS WHY, and ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS.
Although, there is something I find interesting: lots of people are laying the age range from 14 or 15 to 18. However, Harry Potter was 11 in his first book. I would consider The Graveyard Book YA, and its protagonist spends a good portion of time even younger. Dan Well’s book I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER features a teenage protagonist, but its marketed to adults. Same thing with Stephen King’s THE GIRL WHO LOVED TOM GORDON. I’m curious where the distinction lies.
October 7, 2013 — 9:12 AM
E.Maree says:
Awesome recommendations. I think you’re the first person I’ve heard prefer the third book of The Hunger Games!
October 8, 2013 — 6:04 AM
aileenmiles says:
Lloyd Alexander’s Chronicles of Prydain.
Garth Nix’s Abhorsen trilogy.
Ursula K. LeGuin’s Earthsea trilogy.
The only way I define YA is “Stuff I like that I would reccommend for my nieflings.” So I guess books without too much explicit gore or sex or glorification of immoral/amoral characters.
But what do I know? When I qualified for YA books I was reading Robert E. Howard and Michael Moorcock.
October 7, 2013 — 9:24 AM
Daisy Carter says:
THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson, and OUT OF THE EASY by Ruta Spetys.
October 7, 2013 — 9:34 AM
Gaye Weekes says:
Getting a serious creepy vibe from those above who ‘screen’ their kids books! Urghh…far better surely to read them too with a view to having some good old-fashioned discussion later? I believe that screening could lead to porn under the bed/on the internet . My eldest always enthused so much about books he had enjoyed that he recommended them to me just as good reads. And they were! We both loved Garth Nix ‘Sabriel’ series, Phillip Reeve’s ‘Mortal Engines’ and Phillip Pullman’s ‘His Dark Materials’ books (especially as they questioned orthodox religion quite brilliantly!) whilst my daughter and I got into vampires as well as the novels of Louise Rennison. Everyone loved ‘Holes’ by Louis Sachar too. I’m not keen on puitting books into categories for fear of missing something!
October 7, 2013 — 9:40 AM
Jessica Meats says:
Shadows on the Moon by Zoe Marriott is one of those books that grabs you by the heart. It contains the most realistic portrayal of depression and self-harm I’ve ever seen in fiction. It also has a trans-gender character and a nice message about seeing beneath the surface of things. It’s a magical adventure set in a fantasy world based on Japan.
The Northern Lights by Philip Pullman (released as The Golden Compass in the US) is great. I didn’t like the other two books in the trilogy as much as this one.
And because I may as well, I’ll suggest my own novella Omega Rising, first in the Codename Omega series.
October 7, 2013 — 9:44 AM
anmiryam says:
Essential YA is such a moving target. Over time books float on and off the list, don’t they? And, there are books that are not categorized as YA that make for great reading for YA’s target audience. I’m even wondering if there is a clear definition of YA that everyone could agree to. That said, as of right now my essential recommendations to teens include the following:
“Fangirl” and “Eleanor and Park” by Rainbow Rowell
“Code Named Verity” and “Rose Under Fire” by Elizabeth Wein
“Ready Player One” by Ernest Cline (not published as YA, but I haven’t met a teenager who didn’t love it)
“Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore” by Robin Sloan
“Graceling” by Kristin Cashore
“Seraphina” by Rachel Hartman
“The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins (kind of obvious, but thought it should be included for completeness)
“Cinder” and “Scarlet” by Marissa Meyer (I’m anxiously awaiting the next two volumes)
“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams
“The Golden Compass” by Philip Pullman (and the sequels)
I have many of the books and authors that others have mentioned on my “to read” list — Terry Pratchett, Tamora Pierce, Garth Nix, and John Green. I’m playing catch-up after too many years ignoring the wealth of good writing being made available for teens.
FWIW, one of our teens developed a taste for adult fiction early on and skipped most YA and went straight to Harukai Murakami, Vladimir Nabokov and David Mitchell. We’ve never censored their reading and it’s always been interesting to see what they comment about in the books they read.
October 7, 2013 — 10:53 AM
Heather Rawdon says:
Anything by Matt de la Pena, Sara Zarr, or A.S. King. All of these writers have established character driven contemporaries that pack an emotional punch and don’t shy away from diversity. Especially Matt de la Pena, whose minority main characters are refreshing, complex, and completely sympathetic.
I’ll sneak in the amazing Meg Rosoff as well. HOW I LIVE NOW is just beautiful and creepy and memorizing.
October 7, 2013 — 10:54 AM
Aerin says:
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Always and forever.
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley (which I guess is technically YA? I read it as a kid, but I didn’t really consider it YA)
The Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer. I think Eternity Code is my favorite so far (I’ve read the first four, still working my way through)
October 7, 2013 — 11:15 AM
Chelsea Hart says:
Any book from the Alex Rider series is awesome, the Heir Trilogy, The Fault in Our Stars, Infernal Devices series, and The Golden Compass. All are great books in their own way.
October 7, 2013 — 11:33 AM
RavenBlackburn says:
Vampire Academy / Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
I love love love those characters, especially Adrian. And Rose. And Sydney. And Dimitri. Yes it is about vampires, again, but this author did her homework. She researched old myths and legends and created her own world around them. Vampires are not just vampires in her world, you have Moroi, the living, magic wielding kind, dhampirs, the offspring of Moroi and Humans, who also double as bodyguards for the Moroi and then you have the lethal, undead Strigoi, who will turn out to be your worst nightmare if you ever happen to walk into one.
October 7, 2013 — 11:41 AM
Stephanie St.Clair says:
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown / Holly Black
The Golden Compass / Philip Pullman
The Clockwork Prince / Cassandra Clare
October 7, 2013 — 12:06 PM
Ensis says:
I immediately drop any book with the word “Vampire,” “Werewolf,” or “Rebellion” in the summary.
I like YA that’s is, if not original, then at least not derivative.
October 7, 2013 — 12:09 PM
David Simon says:
Best YA I’ve read in recent memory: Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan. Yep, there’s sex in there, some of it forced, most of it disturbing. But every older teen I’ve suggested it to, including my own two, have loved it. Two others, not marketed as YA but the teens I know who have read them reread them obsessively, are Cruddy, by Lynda Barry and Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison. Neither is for the faint of heart, but both are punches to the gut in the best way possible.
October 7, 2013 — 12:31 PM
Kelsey says:
Tamora Pierce’s TORTALL universe (Song of the Lioness, The Immortals, Protector of the Small, Tricksters, and Beka Cooper series’). Every time I re-read these books, I have a different favourite MC, and I think that says a lot about Pierce’s ability to create well-rounded female characters.
Phillip Pullman’s HIS DARK MATERIALS series (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass). I just read Lauren Beukes’ Zoo City, and so much of what I got out of that book was a result of my enduring love and obsession of the His Dark Materials series.
Diana Wynne Jones’ HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE. I actually only read this novel as an adult, but it’s so pretty and spectacular, I can’t imagine not loving it when I was younger.
October 7, 2013 — 12:41 PM
Jim Bartlett says:
A partial list:
The Fault in Our Stars – John Green
Paper Towns – John Green
Looking for Alaska – John Green
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain
Being Henry David – Cal Armistead
Hatchet – Gary Paulsen
The Maze Runner – James Dashner
The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
Shelter – Harlan Coben
The 5th Wave – Rick Yancy
Loved the Harry Potter movies, struggled trying to read any of the books.
Someone above said they see Y/A as having a 14 – 18 year protagonist who’s somewhat “ordinary” and finds it within him/her self to work through extraordinary circumstances. I think that’s pretty close.
Top three?
Tough
Fault in Our Stars is definitely a contender
You can’t go wrong with Huck Finn
Looking for Alaska
Have fun
October 7, 2013 — 12:58 PM
Jessie H. says:
I read a lot of what is classified as YA and it seems to be mostly an age range. I read mostly the Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Dystopian/Apocalyptic subgenres in YA so I’m not well versed in contemporary YA. For friends (ie people not in the age range of the intended demographic) looking to get into the genre for the first time, I tend to recommend the following since I assume most people have read Harry Potter by now:
The Queen’s Thief Series by Megan Whalen Turner
The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
Divergent by Veronica Roth
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
Mairelon the Magician by Patricia Wrede
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
October 7, 2013 — 1:03 PM
Megan M. says:
Eleanor & Park, Rainbow Rowell
The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
The Morganville Vampires series, Rachel Caine
I would define YA as any story that features a teenaged protagonist struggling with life’s questions about love and maturity and family, what it really means to grow up.
October 7, 2013 — 1:04 PM
deadlyeverafter says:
Shiver by Maggie Steifvater. Beautiful.
–Julie
In The Driveway
October 7, 2013 — 1:48 PM
rattify says:
Terry Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching books, which start with “Wee Free Men”.
October 7, 2013 — 1:52 PM
Christy Tidwell (@christymtidwell) says:
Forced to pick just three…
The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
Chaos Walking trilogy (I’m counting this as one), Patrick Ness
and I can’t decide on the third: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta, or Split by Swati Avasthi
In my experience, YA typically has a young adult / teenage protagonist and deals with issues that young adult readers would also deal with, whether through realism or the fantastic. And although YA is as often well-written as adult fiction is, it is often more direct in its approach than adult literary fiction. I’d be surprised to read much YA fiction that relies heavily on stream-of-consciousness or complicated structures, for instance.
October 7, 2013 — 1:55 PM
Quentin says:
Two writers who are doing amazing work but don’t always get the lion’s share of hype? A.S. King and Andrew Smith. If you were to read one book from each, go with Everybody Sees the Ants (King) and The Marbury Lens (Smith). Really, I think these two are on the cutting edge and showing what YA is capable of (not just what it is).
October 7, 2013 — 2:03 PM
robinreads says:
Anything by A.S. King (Everybody Sees the Ants is my favorite.) Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green. The Curseworker Series by Holly Black – yeah, that’s three books, I’m cheating. There’s so much good stuff to read in the YA market (that’s what I think it is, a market.) My three don’t even scratch the surface, but I was trying to go for a variety.
October 7, 2013 — 2:07 PM
Kristopher says:
The Knife of Never Letting Go – Patrick Ness
The Giver – Lois Lowry
His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman
October 7, 2013 — 2:26 PM
Polyglottal T. says:
Fair warning: my bias is and always has been to Fantasy and Sci Fi.
That said, Tamora Pierce, to me, is the quintessential YA writer, mainly because she spares no punches in depicting puberty in all its mangled glory. I rarely hear people talk about her, but as soon as she does enter a conversation a surprising number of the girls in the room suddenly smile. Which gives me the impression that this was everygirl’s guilty (fantasy) reading?
Best work: Protector of the Small (quartet), Trickster’s Choice, Trickster’s Queen, The Circle of Magic/The Circle Opens.
Honorable Mentions: Hilari Bell, Eoin Colfer, Vivian Vande Velde, JK Rowling, Doctorow (Little Brother)
October 7, 2013 — 2:47 PM