Why I love Young Adult novels

Today I was talking with my assistant Michele. I don’t remember what we were talking about or even the context in which our conversation took place, but at one point I said, “Well, C’mon I’m twenty… Wait, I’m thirty.” I’m thirty. I’m a wife, and I’m a mom (of two nonetheless, which really means you are a MOM. Don’t even get me started what happens when you have three or more). Anyway, I’m getting old, and when you get old, you start becoming very introspective. You become extrospective (new word) too because you are constantly checking for wrinkles and gray hairs, but that had nothing to do with this particular moment. In this introspective moment, I realized that although I’m getting older and momier (I may or may not have a pair of mom jeans and white sneakers), I still love my young adult novels.

Let me tell you youngins out there what young adult novels were in my day. They were Judy Blume’s Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret, in which Margaret was so obsessed with getting her period and her boobs that she would do exercises while chanting, “I must, I must, I must increase my bust.” This chanting does not work, just in case you were wondering. Today’s teens have it so lucky. They have books like Twilight, The Hunger Games, The Uglies, and The Hate List. They have books that actually discuss issues that teens deal with, and they do so without any shame. I, meanwhile, read adult books in high school, such as Like Water for Chocolate, and had to cover up what I was reading, so afraid that my mom would find out the lusty material that my pages held.

However, teens should love young adult books, after all, they are young adults. I think I love them for entirely different reasons:

·         Young adult books make me realize that although a teenager may never admit it, they are in fact extremely vulnerable. Yes, the books may be purely works of fiction; however, teens relate to them for a reason.

·         Young adult authors write some awesome fantasy and Science Fiction storylines. I mean who hasn’t read Stephanie Myers, J.K. Rowling, or Suzanne Collins, and those are just the popular authors.

·         Young adult storylines make me feel like my life is A-MAZING! They are filled with death, and break-ups, and pregnancies, and awful parents. Whenever I’m finished I hug my loved ones, and just thank God that I’m not living in a young adult novel.

·         Young adult novels make me realize how fun being a teenager is, and the kissing in a young adult novel is probably the best kissing I’ve ever read. I hope that I will always kiss like I’m in a young adult novel.

·         Young adult novels make me so happy to not be a teenager. Thank goodness I know longer have to deal with teen angst (at least until my own daughters are teenagers).

So, yes, I love great adult novels like The Help and Water for Elephants, but I also love the emotions that come through in a great young adult novel. While I may be thirty (or having the second anniversary of my twenty ninth birthday), I will never be too old for a fantastically written young adult novel.

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

It’s been way too long since I’ve gotten to write. I’ve read books and I’ve thought about books, and I’ve even started writing about some of the books, but I’ve just been too busy to actually follow through. When life gets crazy, something has to go. Before I took my library job this year, I signed up to be a Gateway selector. This means I am reading 26 amazing young adult novels by December 1. While at times it feels very overwhelming, these books have been selected because they are of such a high caliber and I feel lucky that my job is to read. I have finished two of the books, but I really felt compelled to write about this book.

It is about a sixteen year old girl named Lennon whose sister, Bailey, is her most trusted confidant and best friend; however, Bailey has suddenly and tragically died, leaving Lennie with only her grandmother and uncle. Her mother abandoned the two girls when they were very young and she has no idea who either of their fathers may be. Bailey’s star was the brightest in Lennie’s sky, and now that star has suddenly fallen, leaving Lennie in an ever present darkness. As Lennie struggles with the death of her sister, she finds solace in two young men; Toby, her sister’s ex-boyfriend and Joe, a new boy with amazing lashes. She is conflicted because in Toby she finds someone who understands her grief better than anyone. In Toby she finds her sister’s heart. Yet, in Joe she finds someone who never knew her sister, someone who will let her fly, and someone who fills her home with sunlight. Lennie deals with the guilt of moving on and the pain of letting go, but through her sister’s death she realizes her star can also shine just as bright. 

Nelson’s writing is poetic. Not only are her descriptions beautiful, but the story is peppered with Lennie’s poems, touching and filled with grief, anger, and confusion. This story, while touching and often sad, is also peppered with laughs (at one point Lennie discusses boners, yes boners, and how happy she is that she doesn’t have one!) I’m so jealous I cannot write in this way. This story also hits very close to home for me. As a mother of two young girls, who hopes and prays her own children become thick as thieves and closer than any friends, losing that person would be a grief I could never comprehend. Nelson captures the read and never lets go.