PSG Reads: Never Too Old for Young Adult Lit

by Nora Chan
Spring 2016 Intern

Young adult (YA) literature has dominated my to-read pile on my nightstand for many years. It is my favorite category of books to turn to, especially with a cup of tea next to me. When I asked other PSG team members about their favorite YA book or author, I got an abundance of answers that prove you don’t have to be under the age of 18 to enjoy and get caught up in young adult books.

Almost everyone at PSG responded not only with their current favorite YA book, but also with what their favorite was when they were a part of publishers’ targeted audience of young adults (ages 12–17). Many couldn’t even pick one book!

The genres were as varied as the authors that were chosen, too. From realistic fiction that included many of John Green’s novels—such as The Fault in Our Stars for Kate D. and Looking for Alaska for Eileen—to fantasy and dystopian series that have been recently adapted into films or for television—Rick Yancey’s 5th Wave series and Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instrument series for Arige. There were classically known titles as well, such as Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. Other favorites included Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness series for Chelsea and novels by Sarah Dessen for Kate C.

The popularity of YA literature does not end at PSG. In 2014, the percentage of people who bought young adult books (not for others, such as a child or friend, but for themselves) and were over the age of 18 was 77 percent, compared to 55 percent in 2012. Part of the increase in popularity may be a result of massively successful authors such as J. K. Rowling, John Green and Jacqueline Woodson, but it is also because the literature is truly great storytelling with nostalgia, amazing worlds and wonderfully real characters built right into the books. For me, I read YA with as much diversity in genre, plot and characters as possible. At the moment, the Prophecy series by Ellen Oh, the Legend series by Marie Lu and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie are among my favorites.

So take a look around the young adult section of your favorite bookstore next time you need a good read; you never know what kind of adventure you may find!

Did You Know?

In 2009, St. Martin’s Press coined the term “new adult” for a new category of literature that is between young adult and adult books. The readership’s age range is 18–25 years old, and the books usually take place post–high school. It is a category that is still in flux and barely defined, but has a lot of potential!