Our final genre of discussion is books for the younger crowd, from middle grade to young adult.
When I was growing up, I don’t remember much in the way of a Young Adult genre. Or maybe I passed through the reading levels so quickly, I skipped it all together. As an adult I am fascinated by the fact that there are entire sections devoted to teen fiction. I rarely read it myself but I occasionally come across stories that blur the genre’s borders.
I stumbled onto this one while killing time at the airport. In fact I had read half of it before I realized it was a young adult book. You can read my full review here. I have the sequel in my TBR pile and I look forward to reading it as well.
I was also lucky to find myself a couple of chapters into The Blackhope Enigma before I knew it was meant for a younger reader.
You can read my full post here.
In general, I think a Young Adult genre can be a useful bridge for kids during their reading evolution, but it’s important that writers don’t “talk down” to their audience, just because of their age. A well-written book can have a meaningful story regardless of its intended audience.