yay, ya!

It turns out that tween and YA books aren't just for kids (and library students) anymore. In The Kids' Books Are All Right, Pamela Paul confesses that, though she is an adult, she's hooked on books for tweens and teens-- and she's not alone. From Harry Potter to The Hunger Games, Paul writes, adults are devouring books marketed towards kids. She cites a number of reasons for this. Some writers who have traditionally written for adults (Carl Hiassen, Francine Prose, John Grisham) are trying their hand at books for the younger set, and adults familiar with their work give these books a try. Paul cites the burgeoning youth lit consumer culture as another reason; time, money, and energy are devoted to capitalize on this fast growing market.

The biggest reason adults are reading YA and tween books is the simplest, says Paul: they're just great books. They are exciting, suspenseful, and fun. You don't have to work too hard at them. They're straightforward, heartfelt, and satisfying. There are books written in a series, and there is tremendous collective excitement and suspense as fans anticipate new additions featuring their favorite characters and settings (the hype Paul describes surrounding the forthcoming release of Stephanie Collins' Mocking Jay almost makes me want to try reading The Hunger Games again, but for the pesky dead children theme).

As the field of tween and YA literature has grown and expanded, this genre has made a name for itself as innovative, fresh, and exciting. Why wouldn't adults want to read along? This article made me think about my own experiences with the genre-- leaving a wedding early to stand in line for the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, laughing along with Diary of a Wimpy Kid (and incessantly saying "Bink says Boo!"), introducing the Eragon audio book to my husband, who now enjoys his hour long commute to work, but mostly thinking about kids out there enjoying the same books. Not only do adults want to read these books, but kids want to read them. And that is the whole point.

Paul, Pamela. "The Kids' Books Are All Right." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 6 Aug. 2010. Web. Retrieved 10 Aug. 2010 from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/books/review/Paul-t.html?_r=3&ref=books