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So You Want to Read YA?: Guest Post from Andrew Karre

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This week’s guest post for our “So You Want to Read YA?” series comes from Andrew Karre.

Andrew Karre is the editorial director of Carolrhoda Books, Carolrhoda Lab, and Darby Creek, imprints of the Lerner Publishing Group. He’s had the pleasure of editing a diverse cast of YA creators over the last seven years, including Maggie Stiefvater, A.S. King,  and Blythe Woolston among many others. He bears the scars of his teenage years as best he can in St. Paul, MN.
Let me help you.
Young adult books are about adolescence, not for adolescents. If you bear the scars of your teenage years, then YA is for  you. (And if you don’t bear the scars of your teenage years, you did something wrong—or you didn’t do enough wrong).
There. Now that there’s no shame or bullshit about what’s “appropriate” for anyone to read or whether adults should read YA, we can move on to aesthetic bliss, the end goal of all fiction. Here are three vehicles for said blissdom:

“What’s it going to be then, eh?”

This is the first line of Anthony Burgess’s masterpiece, A Clockwork Orange, a great novel almost always overshadowed by a great movie (one of those rare instances of the two works occupying the same level of achievement). I would argue that, if Salinger’s Holden Caufield is the father of all YA protagonists, then Burgess’s Alex is their wicked unacknowledged uncle. “What’s it going to be” is, not coincidentally, also the main question of adolescence. It’s a question one asks when one has leisure, education, and the expectation of some rapidly approaching but ultimately unknowable future. Clockwork also captures the pure linguistic inventiveness that is native to teenage experience. You need only read the first page to get  a sense of Burgess’s powers in this regard.

“Why don’t you want to go to college?”
She was the third person who had asked me that question is as many days, and I felt I was getting worse instead of better at answering it. My grandmother waited patiently for my answer. She pretended there were crumbs on the table that needed brushing off.
After a moment I said, “It’s hard for me to explain why I don’t want to go. All I can say is there’s nothing that appeals to me. I don’t want to be in that kind of social environment, I’ve been around people my own age all my life and I don’t really like them or seem to have much in common with them, and I feel that anything I want to know I can learn from reading books—basically that’s what you do in college anyway—and I feel I can do that on my own and not waste all that money on something I don’t need or want. I think I could do other things with the money that we would be better for me than college.”
“Such as?” my grandmother asked.
(See what I mean about the central question of adolescence?)

Peter Cameron’s Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You does many things brilliantly, but perhaps what it does best is capture the absolute loneliness of adolescence, which is, paradoxically, one of the most universal and collective experiences of modern life. If you don’t want to throttle and hug James Sveck at nearly every turn, you, gentle reader, have no heart.

“It’s the first day of November and so, today, someone will die.”
Lest you come to believe that I think YA encompasses only boys narrating either gruesome, unpleasant futures or angsty, future-fearing presents, I implore you to take up the utterly timeless The Scorpio Races. There’s no great need to read this as about adolescence. You can simply give yourself over to Maggie’s powers as a storyteller, which reach an impressive zenith in this novel. But if you remember for a moment that Puck is a teenager and so is her older brother and that the future that awaits them is equal parts thrilling and terrifying, then I think you’ll find yet another impressive facet on this gem of a novel.

There. I humbly submit this as a delightfully circuitous path to adolescent aesthetic bliss. 

So You Want to Read YA?: Guest Post from Courtney Summers (+ Giveaway)

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This week’s guest post for our “So You Want to Read YA?” series comes from Courtney Summers. In addition to sharing her picks, Courtney has generously offered up a giveaway of a paperback copy of Nova Ren Suma’s IMAGINARY GIRLS for one reader (details at the end).

Courtney Summers lives and writes in Canada.  She is the author of CRACKED UP TO BE, SOME GIRLS ARE, FALL FOR ANYTHING and THIS IS NOT A TEST.  Visit her at http://courtneysummers.ca and follow her on twitter: http://twitter.com/courtney_s

One of the questions I get asked most as a YA author is, “Why do you write YA?”  I don’t mind it at all because it’s a chance for me to reflect on how great the work and the community is.  As a writer, I enjoy exploring brutal coming-of-age elements and I like the sense of immediacy and intimacy that those stories often demand of me.  But most of all, I write YA because that’s what I LOVE to read.  It’s undeniable that this is a really great time for young adult fiction.  Watching the YA section at my local bookstore expand over the last four years alone has been a great source of joy for me.  Knowing that the books on those shelves hold some of the most brilliant, important and innovative stories out there right now has been an even greater one.  I’m thrilled Stacked has given me the opportunity to share a (very small!) sampling of some of my faves with you, alphabetically by author.  If you, as a reader, are ready to plunge into the YA pool (clever reader), here are seven titles that will make you glad you did:

THE CHOCOLATE WAR by Robert Cormier
This book is a YA classic and it’s a classic for a reason.  It’s a relentlessly sharp examination of how easy it is to be a terrible human being.  Robert Cormier is never afraid to confront a reader with an unlikeable main character, and the way he does it is genius:  more often than not, he makes them just like you and me.  It doesn’t always make for a pleasant reading experience, but it’s a brave and compelling creative choice.

MY BEATING TEENAGE HEART by C.K. Kelly Martin
Martin is one of my favourite YA authors.  Readers who want to be right inside the heads of some of the most painfully realistic protagonists you’ve ever met need search no further than her body of work.  My Beating Teenage Heart is a masterpiece.  A raw and gorgeous look at death through the eyes of two unforgettable narrators.  It forces you to think about the time you have, the life you make for yourself, and what you’ll leave behind when you go.

IMAGINARY GIRLS by Nova Ren Suma
When Suma’s YA debut exploded onto the scene, I don’t think readers knew what they were in for.  The beautiful cover suggested something special to be sure, but you don’t realize how special until you are fully immersed in Ruby and Chloe’s secret and unsettling world.  A sophisticated and literary mind-bender that will chill you to the bone, Imaginary Girls is for the reader who isn’t afraid to be challenged by a story, a reader who wants to marvel at the possibilities of words.  Novels like this don’t come along every day, so be sure to pick it up.

RATS SAW GOD by Rob Thomas
Before he created the (awesome) Veronica Mars, Rob Thomas wrote a YA novel!  No matter how seasoned a YA reader you are or aren’t, this is a book you’ll want to check out.  The pop-culture references may be pretty dated–it’s set in the 90’s; you’ll be right with the characters when they hear about Kurt Cobain’s suicide–but it features a male protagonist with a voice that remains fresh.  It’s a funny, slice-of-life ode to outsiders that won’t bum you out.

THE MOCKINGBIRDS by Daisy Whitney
Whitney’s debut is a hard to put down, hard to forget story about a girl who turns to an underground, student-run justice society after she’s date raped.  The Mockingbirds is a book loaded with things to talk about–the emotional repercussions of rape, the definition of consent and when or if vigilante justice is appropriate–and Whitney explores each of them with care.  Her portrayal of a girl trying to understand what has happened to her, why it’s not her fault and what to do about it is sensitively handled.  This book is a great example of how YA doesn’t shy away from tough questions and forces to think about your own answers to them.  Be sure to check out the sequel, The Rivals, too, which is a thought-provoking and powerful follow-up.

THE SPACE BETWEEN TREES by Katie Williams
A wonderful and undersung debut, in my (humble!) opinion.  The Space Between Trees follows a very memorable unreliable narrator.  It’s easy to keep up with the lies Evie tells but it’s hard to watch her tell them.  This is a wrenching coming-of-age tale that captures the big and small heartaches of growing up during a dangerous and mysterious time.  You want atmosphere?  It’s right here.

ONCE WAS LOST by Sara Zarr
I love all of Sara Zarr’s books, but Once Was Lost is my favourite.  There’s so much to admire in this profound exploration of a crisis of faith.  To me, Once Was Lost (and really, all of Zarr’s books) is a great example of how YA novels can make us feel less alone.  Zarr has a knack for dealing the kind of emotional truths you might be too afraid to say out loud–but what a powerful thing to see them expressed on a page.

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Courtney’s offering up a paperback copy of Nova Ren Suma’s IMAGINARY GIRLS for one reader who lives in either the US or Canada. We’ll pick a winner June 30.

So You Want to Read YA?: Guest Post from Catie, Flannery, and Tatiana of The Readventurer

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This week’s guest post for our “So You Want to Read YA?” series comes from the ladies at The Readventurer. This is one of my favorite book blogs, and these three sharp readers cover everything from YA to adult, films and audiobooks, and more. Welcome Catie, Flannery, and Tatiana and the most impressive flow chart I have seen in a long, long time.

Tatiana is an unapologetic Goodreads addict and a lover of yoga, British TV, and books of many genres. You can find Tatiana at The Readventurer, Goodreads or on Twitter. 
Catie is a voracious reader and science nerd living in Northern Virginia. When she’s not reading, she’s training up the next generation of reading addicts, geeking out about random things with her equally nerdy husband, and taking ridiculously long walks. She can be found at The Readventurer, Goodreads, and Twitter.
Flannery only started reading YA in college (unless you found her and her friends’ obsession with Judy Blume’s Just As Long As We’re Together in high school!) but that genre takes up a lot of her reading schedule these days. When she’s not reading, you’ll find her doing her part to keep King County Library System the highest circulating system in the country, doing outdoorsy things, or watching sci-fi television and movie marathons. You can find her at The Readventurer, Goodreads, and she runs the main Twitter account for the blog @TheReadventurer.

The three of us have only been blogging together for a short time and we’ve never actually met in real life, but all of us are around the same age (in the adult years…other than that we’re not commenting) and we all love to read young adult literature.  In fact, that’s pretty much what brought us together – that and an obsessive love of Goodreads.

While brainstorming ideas for this post, we realized that almost all of the young adult reading adults that we know (including ourselves) were initially hooked by one of three books:

a)      Harry Potter
b)     Twilight
c)     The Hunger Games

More than one of us came into YA this way and we’ve each had experience (lots of it) recommending books based on these three entry points. So we wanted to explore the avenues that we all traveled from there. Flannery brought her evil genius flow-charting skills, Catie drew a few pictures, and Tatiana made sure we had all the best books.  

Are you brand new to YA?  Have you tried one or two books?  Or is it all just old hat to you now? No matter where you’re starting out, use this handy flowchart to navigate the world of YA.  All of the recommendations are outlined in blue.  Obviously this is not an exhaustive chart (although it’s pretty darn elaborate, if we do say so ourselves) but we recommend every book on this list.  

Follow the steps to your next young adult read…and have fun!
The New to YA chart that will blow your mind. Click here for a bigger image.
 
If you’d like to download the full chart in all its glory, you can do so here.

So You Want to Read YA?: Guest Post from Nova Ren Suma

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This week’s entry in our “So You Want to Read YA?” series comes from Nova Ren Suma.

 

Nova Ren Suma is the author of the YA novel Imaginary Girls (Dutton, 2011) and the middle-grade novel Dani Noir (Aladdin, 2009), which will be released for the YA shelves from Simon Pulse as Fade Out June 5. She has an MFA in fiction from Columbia University, and has been awarded fiction fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts, the MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, the Djerassi Resident Artists Program, and the Millay Colony. Her new YA novel, 17 & Gone, is forthcoming from Dutton in Spring 2013.

I occasionally find myself the lone YA writer in a room full of writers of adult literary fiction. I also occasionally find myself having to deflect comments about my books (I can’t count the number of times I’ve said, “No, I don’t write about vampires”) and explaining that, in YA, we have the same kinds of books the adult shelves do. We have vampires, sure, and we have science fiction and we have stories about the end of the world. We have fast-paced mysteries and thrillers. We have love stories. We have sad stories. We have funny stories. We have beautifully crafted literary novels, too. We have every kind of book you could imagine.

I know it shouldn’t bother me what other people think, but I can’t help but want YA to gain the respect in literary circles that it so deserves, and it frustrates me when our books are dismissed. I mean, I started off writing literary fiction for adults. What changed my mind and inspired my detour and ultimate reinvention as a YA author? I’ll tell you: Some amazingly well-crafted YA novels. They opened my eyes to what’s possible. And that’s the thing: So much is possible in YA.

I often find myself recommending some of the novels that had an impact on me, both as a reader of YA and as a writer. There’s the poetry and imagination in Feathered by Laura Kasischke, which effectively changed my life, and Lips Touch, Three Times by Laini Taylor (which I love all the more for being a short story collection). I’ve been known to read the first page aloud from Paper Towns by John Green to anyone who will listen, and I’ve lent out Good Girls by Laura Ruby to so many friends, I don’t know where my copy is anymore. To show what’s possible with multiple perspectives, I recommend Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia and Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles (title similarity a total coincidence). I wish everyone would read How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff and Brooklyn, Burning by Steve Brezenoff. For a true sense of being a teenager and why I find it so important to write about this intense and confusing period, I’d recommend Beautiful by Amy Reed. To show that YA novels can take huge risks—and do not shy from very dark content—I’d show Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott. I will never be able to keep my eyes dry after reading Sweethearts by Sara Zarr, and I challenge you to try. And for anyone who doubts that YA contains books of true literature that would hold their own on any adult shelf, I insist they read Hold Still by Nina LaCour. My latest discovery—thanks to a recommendation from a certain blogger for this very blog!—is The Girls of No Return by Erin Saldin, which I will probably be running around recommending to teens and adults alike for months.

I may or may not have been known to leave some of the above books, as well as others I admire, in the communal bookshelves at highly respected, well-known artist colonies that are often peopled with writers of literary fiction for adults—in the hopes that an unsuspecting reader will discover an amazing YA novel there and fall in love with something they might not otherwise.
But you know what? Even if I can’t change any minds about what YA is and how talented so many of the authors writing in our field are, what does it matter? Because we have these books, and so many more. Our eyes are already open.

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Nova Ren Suma is the author of Imaginary Girls, as well as the author of Dani Noir, rereleased and retitled Fade Out — due out June 5. Her third novel, 17 & Gone, will be released next spring.  

So You Want to Read YA?: Guest Post from Sarah Andersen

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This week’s “So You Want to Read YA?” guest post comes from Sarah Andersen.

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Sarah teaches high school English in Clio, MI.  She’s passionate about reading and hopes to foster this same passion for reading in her students.  You can talk books with Sarah on her blog Y.A. Love  or on Twitter @yaloveblog.  (I’d like to note the lovely photo of Sarah there cuts off the person she’s next to, which is Lisa McMann).

I’ve been avid reader of YA for six years and a high school English teacher for five years. Connecting my students with great books is one of my passions, but I also love introducing YA to teachers, librarians, parents, etc. YA has grown in popularity since I started teaching, which is really exciting because it continues to provide books for every reader. 
I love reading YA, and I have my favorite topics and genres, but I read it with my students in mind. I’m constantly trying to balance what I read and make sure to include books dealing with sports, problems at home, relationships, fantasy, etc. because I have readers with diverse tastes in my classroom. Since this is how my brain works when I’m picking out books, it made sense to me to focus this post on the most popular titles in my classroom right now. I’m breaking it down according to what the guys and girls are reading. These titles are often big hits with my reluctant readers as well. If you’re a teacher/librarian/parent or even a teen, and you’d like to start reading YA but don’t know where to start, these are the titles I recommend beginning with. 
What The Girls Are Reading:
**Many of these books deal with love and relationships, but it’s what my girls are usually looking for.

Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers (Goodreads): I positively love Courtney Summers. Cracked Up to Be and her other books, Some Girls Are and Fall for Anything, have grown in popularity just this year. Parker, the main character, is suffering and feeling responsible for something horrible, but she hasn’t told anyone about it. Consequently, she’s been acting out and her personality has completely changed. Quite a few of my students look for edgy reads about characters with real problems. They also want a character they can connect with emotionally and personally. Almost every single one of my girls that’s read Cracked Up to Be enjoyed it and went on to read the rest of Courtney Summers’ books.

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler (Goodreads): Personally, my favorite book by Sarah Ockler is Fixing Delilah, but my girls (my reluctant girls in particular) love this book. They like the romance, the first love, and the friendship between Anna and her best friend Frankie. Even if readers haven’t experienced a loss like Anna or Frankie, they’ve most likely had a best friend that’s helped them through a problem or that they’ve gotten into a big argument with. The summer atmosphere gives the book a light-hearted feel while dealing with big issues. 

Forever by Judy Blume (Goodreads): Forever is classic YA originally published in 1975. It’s an excellent example of first love and the ups and downs of relationships. There’s quite a bit of sexual activity in Forever, but my girls always tell me that yes, there’s a lot of sex, but that it teaches girls that relationships don’t always last forever. Many of my girls in class are head over heels in love with someone. I like knowing that there’s a good book out there for them to read after a break up, or if they’re in one of these relationships. I don’t hand them this book to burst their bubbles. I hand them this book because the characters feel the same way they do. Forever by Judy Blume is almost always a winner for my reluctant girls in class.

I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder (Goodreads): Novels in verse are becoming increasingly more popular in my classroom. Many of my students start with Ellen Hopkins, but Lisa Schroeder’s novels are quickly gaining popularity. I Heart You, You Haunt Me is the most popular choice. Many of my girls will walk into my room telling me how quickly they read this book and how much they loved it. One of my students is in my YA Lit class right now because she wants to enjoy reading. She was at a complete loss for where to start and which books to read. I Heart You, You Haunt Me was one of many books I set aside for her, and she ended up reading three of Lisa Schroeder’s four books in a week! The imagery in this novel is beautiful, and for so few words, readers really connect with the characters and the story. 

**Other Popular Titles: Hold Still by Nina LaCour, Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal, The Boy Book by E. Lockhart, Exposed by Kimberly Marcus
What The Guys Are Reading:
Right Behind You by Gail Giles (Goodreads): This has been a “homerun” book for so many of my boys. It’s usually the first couple pages that hook them because we learn that Kip set another child on fire when he was nine. We don’t know all the specifics right away, but it’s enough to keep my students reading. Kip has lived a rough life after this incident including a name change, moving out of state, etc. He’s a vulnerable character with a tough shell. The boys in class can relate to him for a variety of reasons including being angry for one reason or another, being afraid to open up, living a rough life, and more. also gives readers a chance to understand a character unlike themselves and learn to empathize with people like Kip.
Trapped by Michael Northrop (Goodreads): Many students have imagined what it would be like to get trapped in school, but Trapped actually allows the reader to experience it. Many of my reluctant boys enjoyed Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, but they haven’t read or enjoyed a book since. Trapped has been a winner for these boys. They enjoy the suspense and wondering whether anyone will survive. Plenty of my girls in class have enjoyed Trapped as well.

Paranoid Park by Blake Nelson (Goodreads): The mystery in Paranoid Park really grabs my guys in class. I guess it doesn’t hurt that the main character is responsible for killing someone, even though it was self-defense. The story revolves around the character’s guilt and his indecision whether or not he should turn himself in. Paranoid Park has grown in popularity this year because many of my boys in class have been sharing it and discussing it.

Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach (Goodreads): I’m always searching for books with humor because I’ve been told that I don’t have enough “funny books” in my class library. Stupid Fast is a gem of a book that’s humorous, but also tackles family issues and fitting in. Felton is authentic and easy to relate to. He’s trying to handle his mom checking out and falling into a deep depression, his annoying little brother, becoming a good football player, and falling in love for the first time. It’s an all-around fantastic book that I can’t recommend enough.

**Other Popular Titles: Purple Heart by Patricia McCormick, Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn, Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson, Gym Candy by Carl Deuker