What are the teen reading trends we can expect to see in 2012? When I interviewed Sarah Flowers, president of the Young Adult Library Services (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), about current teen reading trends, she had a lot of information to share. My questions are in bold type, with her answers immediately following. In addition, as appropriate, I have provided links - within brackets [] - to related resources (articles, book reviews, reading lists, etc.) on this site, About Children's Books.
1. What are some of the trends in young adult literature you see for 2012?
I think dystopias and post-apocalypse books will continue to be popular, especially with the Hunger Games movie coming out in March. There are several trilogies that are still just on the first book, like
Divergent, by Veronica Roth, and Ashes, by Ilsa Bick (which has the added benefit of zombie-like creatures!). And I would expect to continue to see steampunk. Paranormal romance is still somewhat popular, but vampires are definitely fading, from what I’m hearing.
[Related Resources from About Children’s Books: Steampunk FAQ, Dystopian Novels FAQ, Book Review of Divergent, Recommended Books for Teens Who Love Twilight]
2. Do you see particular genres increasing in popularity?
The ones I mentioned above â€" dystopias and steampunk â€" possibly. Also, fantasy in general seems to be doing really well right now. Several of the most-talked-about books of the summer and fall have been fantasies, like Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor; Chime, by Franny Billingsley; and Girl of Fire and Thorn, by Rae Carson, which is one of the shortlisted titles for YALSA’s Morris Award for a YA book by a debut author.
[Related Resources from About Children’s Books: Recommended Dystopian Novels for Teens, Recommended Steampunk Books for Teens, Urban Fantasy FAQ, Recommended Urban Fantasy for Teens, Modern Fairy Tales for Teen Girls]
3. Are there certain themes or subjects that are particularly popular with certain, or all, YA groups?
There are those occasional “everyone’s-reading-it†books like
The Hunger Games, but you know, teens are individuals, and they all have their own tastes and interests. Actually, I think that’s one of the great things about YA literatureâ€"there’s truly something for everyone. Every genre - romance, mystery, thriller, horror, realistic, science fiction, fantasy, and more - plus really terrific nonfiction is being written for teens.
[Related Resources from About Children’s Books: Overview of Hunger Games Trilogy, Book Review of The Hunger Games (Book One), Readers Respond: What do you think of The Hunger Games, Book One in the Hunger Games series?]
4. With teens’ love of technology, do you see them embracing e-readers and reading more as a result?
It seems to vary a lot by location. Some of my colleagues report seeing teens reading on iPads, Nooks, and their smart phones, but others aren’t seeing it. The devices still aren’t cheap, so that’s part of it. On the other hand, as you say, teens do love technology, and there’s all kinds of reading you can do on an e-reader: not just books, but magazines, and, of course, websites, blogs, and so on. According to an
article in the New York Times last February, sales of teen e-books have increased significantly. St. Martin’s saw their teen sales go up by 20 percent and some of Simon & Schuster’s books doubled their e-book sales. But I would really like to see more concrete statistics about teens and their use of e-readers.
[Related Resources from About Children’s Books: Reader Reviews: Review of the eReader My Child / Teen Uses]
5. Are your teen librarians seeing an increase in requests for e-books from teens?
Again, it seems to vary a lot from place to place. Many libraries report that they are definitely seeing an increase in circulation of teen titles from their e-book collections, but, of course, they don’t know if teens are checking them out or if it’s adults. (Another one of the things about the state of YA literature right now is that lots of adults are crossing over and reading YA titles.) Some school librarians report that their teens would be happy to get electronic versions of the books they need for school, but that the school districts don’t allow students to use personal devices.
6. Research has shown that teen boys read very little. Are there particular types of books or tips that you recommend to get teen boys reading?
Books and boys has always been a challenge, but I don’t think it’s that they read very little, as much as they aren’t reading the same thing as girls. I think the main thing is to broaden our definition of “reading.†To too many adults, “reading†equals “reading fiction,†and many boys just aren’t fiction readers. Many boys are actually avid readers when it comes to something they are interested in, but that usually means nonfiction, magazines, websites, etc. So find out what he is interested in, and lead him to books and articles on that subject. Boys like to be the expert on a topic, and you can feed that desire with targeted materials. Librarians can help you find those things.
YALSA’s Nonfiction Award honors the best nonfiction for teens â€" in addition to the winner and four finalists, we also publish a list of 25 or more titles that are vetted by the awards committee. Parents can take the list to the library and find something that may appeal to their finicky boy reader.
[Related Resources from About Children’s Books: Top Nonfiction Books for Teens: 2011, Book Review: Guinness World Records 2012, Scientists in the Field Series, Contemporary Biographies, Autobiographies and Memoirs for Teens]
7. What recommendations do you have for parents on keeping their kids reading during the busy middle and high school years?
We know that teens have lots of things competing for their attention. In 1998, YALSA started Teen Read Weekâ„¢â€"every year in October, we encourage teens to read for the fun of it. Our website has suggestions for activities. But in general, there are lots of things parents can doâ€"go to the library with your teens, talk to them about what theyâ€"and youâ€"are reading. Model good reading habits. Reading the same book and talking about it can be a great way to communicate, too.
[Related Resources from About Children’s Books: Save Money at Your Public Library, How to Keep Teenagers Reading During the Summer, Teen Read Week FAQ]
8. What recommendations or resources do you have for reluctant teen readers?
As I mentioned about boys, think more broadly about your definition of reading. Think nonfiction. Think illustrationsâ€"graphic novels, and also nonfiction books with lots of illustrations and not as much textâ€"these can be less intimidating. And take a look at
YALSA’s Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers for some really great suggestions.
[Related Resources from About Children’s Books: What Exactly Is A Graphic Novel?, Resources for Reluctant Readers, Hi-Lo Books for Reluctant Readers, Books for Reluctant Teen Readers]
9. Since some YA fiction is suitable for mature fourth and fifth graders who read and comprehend well and other YA fiction is definitely geared to older teens, can you recommend good reading lists or other resources to help parents identify good YA books for 'tweens and young teens and good YA books for older teens?
The best resource is your librarian. YALSA creates
lists, like Best Fiction for Young Adults, Quick Picks (mentioned above), Great Graphic Novels for Teens, Amazing Audiobooks, and others, but all of those lists include titles for the entire age range, 12-18. The
Alex Awards go to books written for adults that have teen appeal, so those are often better bets for older teens. For younger teens and for ‘tweens, ask your librarian to help you go through the lists to identify the most appropriate titles. Also, the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) creates lists of notable titles for children up to age 14, so sometimes looking at where those lists cross over with YALSA’s lists can give you an idea of books suited to a younger teen audience.
[Related Resources from About Children’s Books: Notable Children’s Book List]
10. I have seen varying definitions of “young adult literature†on the ALA site. What is the most accepted definition?
In a way, that’s really two questions. YALSA defines “young adults†as 12-18 years old, and in general, when we talk about “young adult literature,†we’re talking about books published specifically for young people within that age range. But there are plenty of 12-18â€"year-olds who read books published for children or for adults. So, really, young adult literature is anything aimed at teen readers’ interests. If it’s fiction, it usually includes a teen protagonist and deals with issues of interest to teens.
11. Which is the more common usage in libraries: books for teens or young adult books (YA books)?
Nowadays, most libraries seem to be calling them books for teens. Some libraries still have “young adult librarians†or “young adult services,†but generally they refer to the materials and programs as “teen.â€
12. Have challenges, censorship and banning of books for teens increased in the last few years?
That’s a hard question to answer. ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom says that fewer challenges have been reported in the past three years, but they can only measure the ones that are reported. So, I’d like to think positively and believe that challenges are on the decrease. But books for teens continue to be a battleground between individuals who disagree with the ideas they contain and librarians who defend teens’ rights to read, think, and choose for themselves.
[Related Resources from About Children’s Books: All About Book Banning of Books for Kids and Teens]
No comments:
Post a Comment