What the New York Times Says About Reading Young Adult Books
I’ve read children’s books all of my life. So it’s affirming that the tide is turning and grownups are reading young adult books because they enjoy them.
Although I do resent the line in the following New York Times article saying these books are easier to read and take less thinking than adult books. Both adult books and children’s books have their share of fabulous reads and lousy ones. You can’t lump them all together.
As for a few good examples of young adult books with depth, read Holes by Louis Sachar. The Giver by Lois Lowry. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. And my favorite, written by a teenager herself . . . A Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/books/review/Paul-t.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=YA%20literature&st=cse
I love to read young adult books in my spare time. I read some just for fun and escapism and others for the stories that make me think. A class I am taking at college recently talked about two types of reading; simple reading and academic reading. Keep in mind that simple reading does not mean the reader is simple, it pertains to the type of reading that is done mostly for entertainment, escapism and enjoyment. The point my teacher made was that we can choose how we read every work. We can read for simple reasons or we can choose to read in a way that looks for connections, depth and lessons. There are great books in both areas, depending on your reason for reading.
I have a blog about young adult books that I enjoy, whether academically or simply. I haven’t written much yet but I hope to provide good suggestions in both categories. http://inaquietcorner.wordpress.com
~*~ Princess Nyssa 🙂
I know what you mean about the two kinds of reading. Sometimes I’ll take a book and read it for fun first, and then read it and “take it apart” to see how it works as a writer. Thanks for sharing! Liz