Reading For Your Inner Teen

I am a fan of young adult fiction. My plan for this blog is to convince you that you are a fan too. Here we go.

Do you like your books to focus on relationships between different people? Well, look no further than YA lit, my friends. You’ll read all about young love, acceptance, friendship, and self exploration. YA authors have a perfect stepping off point for a character to change, which brings a lot of possibilities to the table. 

Do you like drama? Okay, trick question. I think that’s why most of us read, to get some entertainment out of the experience. YA books are rife with angst, drama, and emotional peaks and chasms only possible in people with changing hormones.

Yeah, but I’m an adult, you say, why would I want to relive that angst all over again? Reading allows us opportunities to experience things that may not be able to otherwise, but it’s also nice to reminisce. Being able to relate gives the story the ability to reverberate. At its best, Young Adult literature combines vicarious situations and bitter sweet nostalgia. 

And most important of all, do you like books that are quick, and often light? Sure we all love trudging through Ulysses or Gravity’s Rainbow, but sometimes we just need a break from all that, and YA lit does that in so many ways. 

So, did I convince you? If so, check out the YA room at Mentor Public Library. I’ve been trying to get “the green room” to stick, since the room is painted a bright green, but so far I haven’t had any luck. You’ll find the green room on the first floor of the main library. Overwhelmed by the selection? These are some of my favorites:

Anything by John Green

The Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld

Try Pretty Little Liars for the ultimate drama fix.

The Summer I Turned Pretty is a perfect beach read

Check out my other Blog, Mentor's Reader, for more suggestions!Let me know what you think of YA, if you’re daring enough to try it.