Teen Stuff: It’s for adults too?

Thu, 10/21/2010 - 9:52am by manz

Teen Read Week is here! Have you been participating? The week is to encourage teens to read and visit the library. This year’s theme is “books with beat,” highlighting audio books, poetry, and music books, which there are plenty of. (Dark Sons, Music Lust: Recommended Listening For Every Mood, Moment, And Reason, and Just Listen, to name a few.)

I happen to read more teen fiction now as an adult than I did as a teen. Why read it now? Many reasons:

1. They are usually quicker to read. 2. Thoughtful characters coming of age. 3. Reminds you that teenagers are complex people too. 4. There is more to Young Adult books than Twilight-esque vampire romances. 5. Some have light content, some cover topical issues. 6. There are still mystery, romance, realistic fiction, science fiction, and fantasy genres to choose from.

Did Harry Potter make it cool for adults to read YA books? How many parents read The Hunger Games after their child did? I know several folks who read YA for pleasure, and it’s not just teens and teen librarians! AADL's teen collection is very browsable both online and in person. If you don't know where to start, award winners are a good place. (There is even an award just for books written for teens that appeal to adults!)

Whether you choose to read teen fiction or not, the important thing is to be reading books you enjoy! But sometimes it’s nice to read something outside your comfort zone… as you never know what you might end up liking.