Special Topics Paper

My topic was looking at the trend of adults reading books labeled as “young adult” or “YA.” This also included looking at ways to promote it via passive reader’s advisory such as displays and book-lists. Young adult fiction is a massive market that only seems to be getting bigger every year and it is a major reader’s advisory topic. While it is of utmost importance to promote to the teen reader, adults are reading YA novels more than ever. One of the first major crossover series was Harry Potter. This paved the way for a lot of YA books and series, such as The Hunger Games, Divergent, Twilight, and the list goes on.

Crossover novels are books that appeal to different ages; in this case, they are YA books that appeal to adults. Because these books appeal to the “pleasures of literary reading,” adults are more inclined to pick them up or recommend them to a friend.

While it is true that the stigma is lessening to an extent, young adult fiction lovers still find that they are judged for the books they read. Observers or fellow readers will sometimes believe that they are only reading “children’s” books if they are 20 or older caught with a YA title.

The ability to reconnect with our formative years is one of the major appeals to the genre.  We, as adults, are able to connect to the emotions of our teenage selves. There is a genuineness or pureness to the feelings of a young adult. Those were often the most volatile, all consuming, high anxiety emotions we have ever felt. Teens seem to feel things more acutely because their focus is more narrowed; they are developing the ability to see the bigger picture. We can see this in some of our favorite YA novels, such as The Hunger Games when Katniss Everdeen begins to realize that her decisions impact the entire world.

Beyond the emotions captured in YA fiction, there are other qualities that can attract the adult reader. YA as a genre spans many other genres- from mystery to science fiction to romance. You can go to the shelf and find a book for just about anyone. Another important quality of YA fiction is length. 

  Young adult novels can be promoted using displays. Obviously there are displays that appeal to the teen audience, but an adult display can have a title like “Not Just for Teens.” Displays can also be placed in or around the adult section to show that they are being advertised for adults to read. This also helps the adults that may feel awkward browsing in the teen section if it’s located separately. Then there are always book-lists and handouts that can be placed at different service desks or in the sections they are promoting.

Through searching the internet and various websites, I found a handful of books that came up on several “Best YA for Adults” lists. The sites and lists used came from Refinery29, BuzzFeed, InStyle, and Flavorwire. While these are not “literary” sites, they are ones used often by the general public and give you a sense of what people are currently reading and what is trending. I've included the list in case anyone is interested.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie

All the Bright Places, Jennifer Niven

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Benjamin Alire Sáenz

The Book Thief, Markus Zusak

Brown Girl Dreaming, Jacqueline Woodson

Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein

A Court of Thorn and Roses, Sarah J. Maas

Crank, Ellen Hopkins

Divergent, Veronica Roth

The Diviners, Libba Bray

Eleanor & Park, Rainbow Rowell

An Ember in the Ashes, Sabaa Tahir

Fangirl, Rainbow Rowell

The Fault in Our Stars, John Green

I'll Give You the Sun, Jandy Nelson

Jellicoe Road, Melissa Marchetta

Knife of Never Letting Go, Patrick Ness

Legend, Marie Lu

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs

Monster, Walter Dean Myers

Paper Towns, John Green

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky

Sabriel, Garth Nix

Ship Breaker, Paolo Bacigalupi

Uglies, Scott Westerfeld

Weetzie Bat, Francesca Lia Block

A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle