BEST books for young adults...REALLY?

[5LittleMonkeys]

I was searching for some books lists and came across this. These books are for ages 12-18 and

meet the criteria of both good quality literature and appealing reading for teens

.

 

I have to say that after reading the little synopsis of each book there are not many I would consider appropriate for any teen of mine. The second book on the list *WARNING - explicit language* had me asking dh what parent would encourage a young teen to read that! After scrolling down a bit I asked dd14 to read the descriptions and tell me if she might like to read any of them (I didn't indicate my opinion of them), and she said that they all looked like garbage to her.

 

Maybe I'm just a prude...

[Mabeline]

I agree with you.

[KirstenH]

I'm most horrified (and yet totally unsurprised) by the one that seeks to make young readers sympathize with a girl who threw her newborn baby in a dumpster.

 

Cursing seems wholesome by comparison.

[Lily_Grace]

I've read quite a few on that list and find the synopses to be misleading on some. Really? Catching Fire is boiled down to Katniss' romantic life? Nah.

 

The non-fiction books intrigue me. I've already put a few on my list for The Kid, like the Written in Bone book. It would fit in perfectly with his studies next year.

[jewellsmommy]

Maybe a handful looked worthwhile, but most were :ack2: not what I think of as "good quality literature" :confused:. Maybe they changed the definition when I wasn't looking.

 

The non-fiction looked fine.

[dangermom]

*shrug* That's a list for books published only in 2010. They're trying to market books that will ring a bell with all kinds of teens--all races, all orientations, with all kinds of problems. Issue books are always big, paranormal and dystopia is big. Most teens like reading about Tragic Drama. (I read The Best Little Girl in the World, Holocaust books, and all sorts of drama. I bet most of us did.)

 

I've read some of the books on the list. Some of 'em were pretty good. That's not to say that I completely love everything on there, but that's the direction of YA lit these days and the ALA is not going to complain about it.

[Mergath]

I have no problem with swearing and difficult subjects, but the overall list does look a bit depressing. I wouldn't want to have to read through the whole thing, to be sure.

[Sneezyone]

Beyond that, 12-18 is a HUGE range. I hope I'm not the one making recreational book selections for my 17/18 yo.

[5LittleMonkeys]

I've read quite a few on that list and find the synopses to be misleading on some.

 

Well, that's a relief to hear. Perhaps the person writing the descriptions was having a bad day.:tongue_smilie:

 

 

The non-fiction looked fine.

Your right, on second glance it does look fine. My first time down the list I was ranting to much to take notice.

 

but the overall list does look a bit depressing. I wouldn't want to have to read through the whole thing, to be sure.

This is my thought too. I suppose I'm just out of the loop regarding what a lot of teens prefer to read. I'm most definitely glad that my teens don't want to read them. Some of them seem like a bad mix of soap opera and Jerry Springer.

[Briartell]

Kids these days are looking for a lot of these types of books. A lot of them are openly dealing with social issues that have been hush hush in the literary world. Homes really should be the best place for kids to turn to to find information or get emotional support, unfortunately, that isn't always the case.

 

I am going to read some of these. I have found that reading some helps me to help my kids choose good books on those subjects and to avoid the bad ones. Fortunately, I can trust myself to skip bad parts or put the book down forever if it inappropriate.

[Pippen]

*shrug* That's a list for books published only in 2010. They're trying to market books that will ring a bell with all kinds of teens--all races, all orientations, with all kinds of problems. Issue books are always big, paranormal and dystopia is big. Most teens like reading about Tragic Drama. (I read The Best Little Girl in the World, Holocaust books, and all sorts of drama. I bet most of us did.)

 

I've read some of the books on the list. Some of 'em were pretty good. That's not to say that I completely love everything on there, but that's the direction of YA lit these days and the ALA is not going to complain about it.

 

Tragic Drama is nothing new in adult literature either. They're just packaging it differently.

http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/EXID18821/images/wuthering-heights-twilight-cover(1).jpg

 

I'm actually reading one of the books on that list right now--Fire by Kristin Cashore. Clearly I've been in the YA dark ages because I've been totally surprised by the clearly stated sexual encounters. Back in my day we mostly were left to imagine it was happening. ;)

Edited April 6, 2012 by Pippen

[Pippen]

Maybe a handful looked worthwhile, but most were :ack2: not what I think of as "good quality literature" :confused:. Maybe they changed the definition when I wasn't looking.

 

The non-fiction looked fine.

 

Come on, where's your sense of adventure. Doesn't this blurb just make you want to run out to the library right now?:tongue_smilie::tongue_smilie::tongue_smilie:

 

"Three novellas explore the power of a kiss, and its possible hazards or thrills, especially if the kiss pulls humans and demons together in a lusty embrace."

[NanceXToo]

It looks like they are given like two sentences in which to sum up the main idea of an entire book and catch someone's interest at the same time. I'm sure that's no easy feat!

[ThisIsTheDay]

All I had to do was move my cursor over your link to see that it's the ALA. Imo, they are a trashy organization with with values that not only don't reflect values of the majority in this country, but they are so far off base from what I believe that any endorsement by the ALA automatically raises a red flag for me.

 

There, I've said it. Maybe harsh, but I haven't had my coffee yet this morning.

 

P.S. I've worked in a county library for the past four years. Thankfully, our library does not embrace the ALA.

[Lisbeth]

All I had to do was move my cursor over your link to see that it's the ALA. Imo, they are a trashy organization with with values that not only don't reflect values of the majority in this country, but they are so far off base from what I believe that any endorsement by the ALA automatically raises a red flag for me.

 

There, I've said it. Maybe harsh, but I haven't had my coffee yet this morning.

 

P.S. I've worked in a county library for the past four years. Thankfully, our library does not embrace the ALA.

 

:iagree: Couldn't agree more with this!

[stripe]

I have to say that after reading the little synopsis of each book there are not many I would consider appropriate for any teen of mine. The second book on the list *WARNING - explicit language* had me asking dh what parent would encourage a young teen to read that!

 

Barnes, John.

Tales of the Madman Underground.

Penguin/Viking Books. 2009. 9780670060818. $18.99.

 

In an attempt to distance himself from the rest of the students in the school's therapy group known as the Madman Underground, Karl launches his senior year with “Operation Be ****ing Normal.â€

Aside from the f-word, it sounds like a good idea, actually, and not necessarily depressing at all. The title reminds me of Dostoevsky's Notes from the Underground. Maybe I read too much Russian lit in college, but depressing book doesn't necessarily translate into depressed reader.

 

Booraem

, Ellen.

The Unnameables.

Houghton Mifflin. 2008. 978-0-15-206368-9. $16.00.

 

In a place where everything has a name and every name has a meaning, outsider Medford Runyuin struggles in vain to follow the rules of his adopted home.

This doesn't sound depressing or awful to me, at all.

 

Bradley, Alan.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.

Dell Publishing/Delacorte Press. 2009. 978-0-385-34230-8. $23.00.

 

Flavia de Luce is delighted with the discovery of a dead snipe on her doorstep and considers it a bonus when a human body is found in her cucumber patch.

This is a great book, and I've recommended this series on the board a few times. If you read murder mysteries, you understand that one doesn't have to be freakish to like such books. She is a clever, self-educated aspiring chemist, actually, and I think that's a nice character in teen books. She likes dead bodies showing up because her life is boring and she likes to use science to investigate. She's a bit of a "dark" character, but a good one.

 

Bray, Libba.

Going Bovine.

Random House/Delacorte. 2009. 978-0-385-73397-7. $17.99.

 

Cameron knew there was something wrong when he started seeing pillars of fire and angels, but he never imagined he had mad cow disease.

 

Brennan, Sarah Rees.

Demon's Lexicon

. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing/Margaret K. McElderry. 2009. 978-1-4169-6379-0. $17.99.

 

Sixteen-year-old Nick and his older brother Alan are always on the run. Now, Alan has been marked by a demon and to save him, the boys must become the hunters.

These two made me laugh. Seriously.

 

Burg, Anne E.

All the Broken Pieces.

Scholastic. 2009. 978-0-545-08092-7. $16.99.

 

12-year-old Matt struggles to cope with his memories of family left behind in war-torn Vietnam with the help of his adoptive parents, his music teacher, and his baseball coach.

This sounds very good. And not depressing.

 

Clement-Moore, Rosemary.

Highway to Hell.

Random House / Delacorte Press. 2009. 978-0-385-73463-9. $16.99.

 

Maggie and Lisa find their spring break road trip interrupted by a cow’s carcass which launches them into a hunt for an evil demon terrorizing a remote desert.

That is hilarious.

 

Cooper, Michelle.

A Brief History of Montmaray.

Random House/Alfred A Knopf. 2009. 978-0-375-85864-2. $16.99.

 

Not even a small island nation populated mostly by royalty can keep neutral in the events leading up to the Second World War.

 

Crowley

, Suzanne Carlisle

.

The Stolen One.

Harper Collins/Greenwillow. 2009. 978-0-06-123200-8. $17.99

 

In searching for her identity, Spirit finds that she is the daughter of a former queen and realizes who she truly loves, at the court of Queen Elizabeth I.

 

 

Davies, Jacqueline.

Lost.

Marshall Cavendish. 2009. 978-0-7614-5535-6. $16.99.

 

Essie, 16, sews all day for pennies at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory to help feed her fatherless family and now to forget her little sister's death. Then the fire happens.

 

 

 

Frost, Helen.

Crossing Stones.

Farrar, Straus & Giroux/Frances Foster Books. 978-0-374-31653-2. $16.99.

 

Muriel's itching for a life outside her family's Vermont farm, but bigger changes await her in 1917 as first her neighbor and then her brother enlist to fight in Europe

 

 

 

Magoon

, Kekla.

The Rock and the River.

Aladdin. 2009. 978-1-4169-7582-3. $15.99.

 

In 1968 Chicago, Sam struggles to decide whether to support his father's nonviolent approach to civil rights or his brother, who has joined the Black Panther Party.

 

 

 

McKernan

, Victoria

.

The Devil’s Paintbox.

Random House/Knopf. 2009. 978-0-375-83750-0. $16.99.

 

Orphaned siblings Aiden and Maddy have survived Kansas, barely, setting out on the Oregon Trail just to have regular meals. But the trip is more than they expected...

 

 

 

Napoli

, Donna Jo.

Alligator Bayou.

Random House / Knopf. 2009. 978-0-385-74654-0. $16.99.

 

Fourteen-year-old Calogero emigrates to Louisiana in 1899, where his tiny Sicilian community faces discrimination and worse in a small town where they’re considered neither black nor white.

 

 

 

Smith, Sherri L.

Flygirl

.

Penguin/G.P. Putnam's Sons. 2009. 978-0-399-24709-5. $16.99.

 

During WWII, Ida Mae Jones must go against her family and heritage to join the Army’s WASP program and fulfill her dream of being a pilot.

Historical fiction! Hooray!

 

George, Jessica Day.

Princess of the Midnight Ball.

Bloomsbury. 2009. 978-1-59990-322-4. $16.99.

 

When the decade long war ends, professional solider Galen finds work as a gardener in the king’s garden, only to help solve the puzzle involving twelve dancing princesses.

Sounds like the fairy tale.

 

Davis, Tanita.

Mare's War.

Random House/Alfred A. Knopf. 2009. 978-0-375-85714-0. $16.99.

 

Sisters Octavia and Tali embarks on a road trip woth their grandmother over the summer. During this road trip, Octavia and Tali learn that there's more to their grandmother than what they have seen.

? What's offensive about this. Except the spelling error.

 

Northrop, Michael

.

Gentlemen

. Scholastic. 2009. 978-0-545-09749-9. $16.99.

 

After one of four rough cut high school guys disappears, his friends become suspicious of their teacher Mr. Haberman, who refers to them as gentlemen while teaching Crime and Punishment.

What's wrong with this one?

 

Brown, Jennifer.

Hate List.

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. 2009. 978-0-316-04144-7. $16.99.

 

In the year following the devastating shootings at her high school orchestrated by her boyfriend Nick, Valerie must come to terms with grief and guilt in order to move on with her life.

 

 

Garsee

, Jeannine

.

Say the Word

. Bloomsbury. 2009. 978-1-59990-333-0. $16.99.

 

After her estranged mother dies, Shawna Gallagher refuses to accept her dysfunctional home life and attempts to make peace with her mother’s lesbian lover.

 

 

 

Griffin, Paul.

The Orange Houses.

Penguin/Dial Books. 2009. 978-0-8037-3346-6. $16.99.

 

Despite poverty, gang violence, and lack of appropriate supports, three inner-city teens come together and try to beat the odds and succeed in life.

 

 

 

Hardinge

, Frances

.

The Lost Conspiracy.

HarperCollins. 2009. 978-0-06-088042-2. $16.99.

 

Hathin is unremarkable compared to her mind wandering sister, but when push comes to shove, Hathin must save herself, her sister, and her whole island.

Making peace! Succeed in life! Beat the odds! Save the world!

 

I think they sound reasonably like YA books, which are basically about young people struggling. Many of these books show teens trying to SOLVE their problems. And there are an awful lot of historical books on the list!

Edited April 6, 2012 by stripe

[Jenny in Florida]

After scrolling down a bit I asked dd14 to read the descriptions and tell me if she might like to read any of them (I didn't indicate my opinion of them), and she said that they all looked like garbage to her.

 

Well, then she'll miss reading some very good books.

 

I'm not familiar with all of them, but a few of the ones that either one of my kids or I have read are:

 

Going Bovine, Libba Bray (One of my daughter's favorite authors.)

Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins (All three of us have read and loved the series.)

A Brief History of Montmaray, Michelle Cooper (Another series my daughter enjoys.)

Leviathan, Scott Westerfeld (We're big steampunk fans.)

The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P.T. Barnum, Candace Fleming (I've always found Barnum fascinating. I was told about this book by one of my kids' best friends.)

 

The Forest of Hands and Teeth is on my list for my son's dystopian literature study for next year.

 

Look, I love classics, too. We've had a family four-pack of season tickets for our local Shakespeare theatre for as long as my kids can remember. My son and I have had a blast reading the Greek stuff together this year. He insists on inserting "lost his oilcan" randomly into converstations, because the thinks it's hysterical, and I woke him up yesterday by piling a bunch of frog stuffed animals on his head and chanting "hek-a-kek-kek, co-ax, co-ax."

 

So, it's not like we're slackers when it comes to reading good or even "Great" books, but, I don't know, this actually looks like a pretty good list of contemporary stuff for teens. And it always makes me sad to see anyone be so dismissive of things with which they are not even familiar.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

I can't comment on those books as I haven't read many of them, but I do find it extremely difficult to find books that seem worth reading for my 13 yr. old god daughter. The teen books all seem so depressing or trivial.

[In The Great White North]

 

Bradley, Alan.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.

Dell Publishing/Delacorte Press. 2009. 978-0-385-34230-8. $23.00.

 

Flavia de Luce is delighted with the discovery of a dead snipe on her doorstep and considers it a bonus when a human body is found in her cucumber patch.

This is a great book, and I've recommended this series on the board a few times. If you read murder mysteries, you understand that one doesn't have to be freakish to like such books. She is a clever, self-educated aspiring chemist, actually, and I think that's a nice character in teen books. She likes dead bodies showing up because her life is boring and she likes to use science to investigate. She's a bit of a "dark" character, but a good one.

 

I liked this one too and didn't find it at all depressing or dark. More like Angela Lansbury as a teen.

[stripe]

I liked this one too and didn't find it at all depressing or dark. More like Angela Lansbury as a teen.

 

I found out there have been two more books written since I read any books in the series. So at least this thread is giving me ideas!

[Cammie]

I have no problem with swearing and difficult subjects, but the overall list does look a bit depressing. I wouldn't want to have to read through the whole thing, to be sure.

 

:iagree: I wouldn't want to read through that list. On the whole it looks like a whole lot of "issue" books. Eating disorders, check, abusive father, check, suicide, check, bullies, check.

 

I also think that 12-18 is an awfully wide age span to really target. What is ok at 18 most definitely might not be at 12!

[besroma]

I agree with you.

[Dmmetler]

And this is WHY my "can read just about anything" 7 yr old is allowed to pick books from the children's section, the adult non-fiction, and some parts of adult fiction-but not the YA section of the library.

[SailorMom]

Re: the bad language in some books....

 

Just keep in mind - you'd also have to stop someone from reading Mark Twain if you wanted to avoid bad language in books....

I happen to love Mark Twain.

[tristangrace]

I'm not usually an "LOL" type of person, but this plot summary made me snort:

 

"When a repo demon comes for her Cadillac, Bug Smoot finds that her deceased grandfather pledged both her soul and her car as collateral on a deal."

 

Yeah, it's hard to judge books before you read them, but that's kind of the point: these little snippets are supposed to entice me to want to read them. Especially read en masse, much of the list makes me think I'd be better off watching made-for-TV afterschool specials.

[goldberry]

I've read Wintergirls and enjoyed it. Not suitable yet for my DD13, but I will definitely let her read it when she is older. I don't think there is anything wrong with "issue" books for older teens. It gets them thinking and makes for good discussion.

 

I don't care for books where teen sex and promiscuity are presented as normal though.

[Jenny in Florida]

Re: the bad language in some books....

 

Just keep in mind - you'd also have to stop someone from reading Mark Twain if you wanted to avoid bad language in books....

I happen to love Mark Twain.

 

I was thinking about that after I posted.

 

It seems to me that some of the folks here who are rejecting these books purely on the basis of a two-sentence synopsis because they sound "depressing" or might have sexual content or "colorful" language might have things in common with groups who try to get novels like "Huckleberry Finn" banned from school libraries.

[SailorMom]

I was thinking about that after I posted.

 

It seems to me that some of the folks here who are rejecting these books purely on the basis of a two-sentence synopsis because they sound "depressing" or might have sexual content or "colorful" language might have things in common with groups who try to get novels like "Huckleberry Finn" banned from school libraries.

 

Well - I don't think they'd want them banned, but I mean- really - try to write a synopsis of Pride and Prejudice without it sounding like a ridiculously silly book (although, I can't stand Jane Austen).

These books aren't so different from the ones that came before. they just have different outward "looks" - same sort of plots.

[Stacia]

This is a great book, and I've recommended this series on the board a few times. If you read murder mysteries, you understand that one doesn't have to be freakish to like such books. She is a clever, self-educated aspiring chemist, actually, and I think that's a nice character in teen books. She likes dead bodies showing up because her life is boring and she likes to use science to investigate. She's a bit of a "dark" character, but a good one.

 

I agree. I adore the Flavia books. (FYI, for those who are interested, there are 4 books so far in the series. I've read the first 3 & have been waitlisted at the library forever for the 4th one.)

 

I think part of the issue (as already mentioned by dangermom) is that some of the blurbs are misleading & not entirely descriptive of the book. Quite frankly, whoever was writing it probably was a) not a writer by profession, b) trying to make it sound interesting to teens based on what books are currently popular, and c) on a deadline to write something & get it submitted for posting. Imo, none of those scenarios lead to a good description being written.

 

I've read a couple on the list & had a couple of the others recommended to me by friends whose taste I trust, so I can't say it's a bad list. It seems fine to me. Obviously not every book is going to please every person. The list is long & varied enough to find something that would appeal, though, & that's probably the point. I'm also impressed w/ some of their non-fiction suggestions.

 

If you think about summarizing the Bible (reading it as 'literature' vs. as religious belief) in a couple of sentences aimed at the current teen mass market, you could write something similar to some of the blurbs on the list. Such as....

Various Authors, Divinely-inspired.

The Bible.

Multiple versions & translations available. Price varies.

Supernatural being creates world. An epic, exciting tale of good and bad on the newly-made planet – love, hate, wars, suffering, family ties, animal rescue, floods, talking snakes, lion fights, rape, pillaging, exotic gardens, slavery, brother vs. brother, traveling magi and so much more! Can humans learn to improve & live in a better world? A virgin gives birth to a baby who may be the answer. Or is Armageddon on the horizon?

My point is that a few hyped-up sentences describing a book may not do the book justice; the only way to evaulate or judge a book is by reading it for yourself.

Edited April 6, 2012 by Stacia

[Mothersweets]

I agree. I adore the Flavia books. (FYI, for those who are interested, there are 4 books so far in the series. I've read the first 3 & have been waitlisted at the library forever for the 4th one.)

 

I think part of the issue (as already mentioned by dangermom) is that some of the blurbs are misleading & not entirely descriptive of the book. Quite frankly, whoever was writing is probably was a) not a writer by profession, b) trying to make it sound interesting to teens based on what books are currently popular, and c) on a deadline to write something & get it submitted for posting. Imo, none of those scenarios lead to a good description being written.

 

I've read a couple on the list & had a couple of the others recommended to me by friends whose taste I trust, so I can't say it's a bad list. It seems fine to me. Obviously not every book is going to please every person. The list is long & varied enough to find something that would appeal, though, & that's probably the point. I'm also impressed w/ some of their non-fiction suggestions too.

If you think about summarizing the Bible (reading it as 'literature' vs. as religious belief) in a couple of sentences aimed at the current teen mass market, you could write something similar to some of the blurbs on the list. Such as....

Various Authors, Divinely-inspired.

The Bible.

Multiple versions & translations available. Price varies.

Supernatural being creates world. An epic, exciting tale of good and bad on the newly-made planet – love, hate, wars, suffering, family ties, animal rescue, floods, talking snakes, lion fights, rape, pillaging, exotic gardens, slavery, brother vs. brother, traveling magi and so much more! Can humans learn to improve & live in a better world? A virgin gives birth to a baby who may be the answer. Or is Armageddon on the horizon?

My point is that a few hyped-up sentences describing a book may not do the book justice; the only way to evaulate or judge a book is by reading it for yourself.

 

 

So true!

[stripe]

:iagree: I wouldn't want to read through that list. On the whole it looks like a whole lot of "issue" books. Eating disorders, check, abusive father, check, suicide, check, bullies, check.

 

I also think that 12-18 is an awfully wide age span to really target. What is ok at 18 most definitely might not be at 12!

 

18 year olds are not really read YA target age. It's more like 12-16.

 

They are issue books. That is the point of YA. But there were tons of historical fiction books there, books about family issues and growing up, and several based on fairy tales. I honestly thought it wasn't shocking at all.

 

In the adult market, romance novels are the largest segment, so it's not as if all the adults are reading Moby Dick. At least, not that Moby Dick.

 

http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&keywords=Moby%20Dick&rh=n%3A23%2Ck%3AMoby%20Dick&page=1

[Rivka]

If you think about summarizing the Bible (reading it as 'literature' vs. as religious belief) in a couple of sentences aimed at the current teen mass market, you could write something similar to some of the blurbs on the list. Such as....

Various Authors, Divinely-inspired.

The Bible.

Multiple versions & translations available. Price varies.

Supernatural being creates world. An epic, exciting tale of good and bad on the newly-made planet – love, hate, wars, suffering, family ties, animal rescue, floods, talking snakes, lion fights, rape, pillaging, exotic gardens, slavery, brother vs. brother, traveling magi and so much more! Can humans learn to improve & live in a better world? A virgin gives birth to a baby who may be the answer. Or is Armageddon on the horizon?

My point is that a few hyped-up sentences describing a book may not do the book justice; the only way to evaulate or judge a book is by reading it for yourself.

 

Oh, awesome! I'd love to see more of these. How about:

 

Hawthorne, Nathaniel, The Scarlet Letter. Caught between two men, sexy Hester Prynne unleashes her passions. Her repressed, closed-in society may never be the same.

[LibraryLover]

:) Now do Jane Eyre!

 

Then one for Abraham and Isaac.

Edited April 6, 2012 by LibraryLover

[Rivka]

:) Now do Jane Eyre!

 

LibraryLover, I couldn't deny you anything. ;)

 

Bronte, Charlotte, Jane Eyre. The victim of heartbreaking childhood abuse, Jane boils with passion and rage beneath her "good girl" exterior. When she falls for a married man, mayhem, mutiliation, and attempted murder ensue.

[Night Elf]

Well - I don't think they'd want them banned, but I mean- really - try to write a synopsis of Pride and Prejudice without it sounding like a ridiculously silly book (although, I can't stand Jane Austen).

 

You know, trying to summarize a book in one or two sentences sounds like a challenge. For P&P, I'm thinking something like 'Girl's ill-mannered family gets in the way of her making a profitable marriage contract.' I'm not sure I would want to read that book based on that description. :tongue_smilie:

[Mom22ns]

Beyond that, 12-18 is a HUGE range. I hope I'm not the one making recreational book selections for my 17/18 yo.

 

:iagree:

I've only read a few of those books. I'm reading the sequel to Eon (Eona) right now. I wouldn't put it on a list of great lit, but it is entertaining. Would I encourage a 12 yo to read it, probably not. My ds read it at least a year ago though, so he was 13 or 14 at the time.

 

By 18, I don't think it is appropriate to be sheltering the themes that kids are reading. Somehow they have to make that transition during the teen years and it isn't easy, especially for us parents!

[stripe]

Crime and Punishment

Alcoholic Russian man thinks he is superman and kills two old women to prove it. Seeks moral redemption in the arms of a prostitute before eventually confessing.

[Stacia]

Oh, awesome! I'd love to see more of these. How about:

 

Hawthorne, Nathaniel, The Scarlet Letter. Caught between two men, sexy Hester Prynne unleashes her passions. Her repressed, closed-in society may never be the same.

 

:lol:

 

You might like the Book-A-Minute site. I'm still laughing over the description of Kafka's The Metamorphosis.

[KirstenH]

Crime and Punishment

Alcoholic Russian man thinks he is superman and kills two old women to prove it. Seeks moral redemption in the arms of a prostitute before eventually confessing.

 

Love it. I finished that book yesterday. Point of fact, though, Rodion wasn't much of a drinker, so 'alcoholic' doesn't fit. I'd replace that word with 'mentally ill.'

[ocelotmom]

I asked dd14 to read the descriptions and tell me if she might like to read any of them (I didn't indicate my opinion of them), and she said that they all looked like garbage to her.

 

Maybe I'm just a prude...

 

Really? They *all* sound like garbage? Not one of them sounds like it might be possibly appropriate or worth a chance?

 

If my kid said that, we'd be discussing the limitations of one-line synopses in conveying complex ideas.

 

And this is WHY my "can read just about anything" 7 yr old is allowed to pick books from the children's section, the adult non-fiction, and some parts of adult fiction-but not the YA section of the library.

 

The one thing that drives me absolutely batty about my library is that they shelve all the under-18-oriented books together. There is no YA section.

Edited April 6, 2012 by ocelotmom

[lauranc]

Hmm... these books and their themes don't surprise me at all. My 17 yr old has been in a book club for years that gets loads of galley copies of all the new young adult lit. that has been written in that year (advanced reading copies).

 

The books on the list you linked are typical of young adult literature. Very thematic-- not much substance. Last year, a ton of the books were about girls falling for vampires or falling for boys who turn into animals. Yeah... great literature they are not!

 

There are some hidden gems though. I didn't read through all the list of books you linked, but it's possible there may be something good on there.

[Liz CA]

Yikes! What happened to Dickens and Austen?

[nmoira]

Yikes! What happened to Dickens and Austen?

I wasn't aware they released any new books in 2010. :001_smile:

[momma2three]

Yikes! What happened to Dickens and Austen?

 

They weren't published in 2010?

 

Dickens and Austen are both pretty schlocky in their own ways.

[nmoira]

Hamlet

Haunted by a ghost from his past, a man on the brink (or is he?) drives girlfriend to suicide before all hell breaks loose. Who will survive?

[Alice]

:lol:

 

You might like the Book-A-Minute site. I'm still laughing over the description of Kafka's The Metamorphosis.

 

Oh that's funny! I like "The Collected Works of Jane Austen"...

 

Female Lead

I secretly love Male Lead. He must never know.

Male Lead

I secretly love Female Lead. She must never know.

They find out

[Mergath]

It seems to me that some of the folks here who are rejecting these books purely on the basis of a two-sentence synopsis because they sound "depressing" or might have sexual content or "colorful" language might have things in common with groups who try to get novels like "Huckleberry Finn" banned from school libraries.

 

Saying that a list of YA books looks depressing is now akin to trying to ban classic literature? That's kind of a stretch...

[Alice]

Or War and Peace from the Book a Minute site...

 

History controls everything we do, so there is no point in observing individual actions. Let's examine the individual actions of over 500 characters at great length.

[Farrar]

I know it's a movie, but Dh likes to sum up The Sound of Music with, "A wealthy Austrian with too many children ravishes a nun after turning down a job offer from the Nazi party."

 

I've read a great many of these. Some are great. Some are okay. Many are edgy, thought-provoking or dark. Most of them I wouldn't give to a 12 yo, but would to a 14 or 15 yo. I don't think literature for teens should be sanitized or tame as its not an especially tame stage of life. I do think there's a trend toward darker and darker themes in ya, which has now been discussed ad nauseam in the blogosphere. However, to get back to the oversimplification issue, a dark "issue" theme doesn't necessarily equal a book without hope and redemption. Going Bovine is on that list. It's about a boy dying from a rare disease. It's also incredibly funny, deep and hopeful.

[stripe]

90% of classic good books for kids:

Alone for the summer because

a) they're orphans

b) their parents have gone out of town

c) their parents neglect them

d) they've convinced their parents it will be fun to go on some adventure

e) all kids spend months on end without adult supervision, so no explanationis required

a group of children have adventures in the countryside, spending most of their days boating and eating tinned food reheated on a fire, and tins neatly buried after use. Mysterious stranger optional.

 

So I guess anything in the last 30 years is a bit of a departure from camping, self-reliant kids.

 

But, last time I checked, Dickens and Shakespere have some pretty dark themes.