By: B. A. Binns

B. A. Binns — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 23:45:25 +0000

Funny, these days almost everything I read is YA, and the adult books I pick up tend to be things I think the kid in me enjoys. And most are either fast-paced action or have the kinds of characters that make me feel something in myself. It’s not the reading level, or the age of the protagonist as much as it is what I get out of the book. I think I like Sarah Couri’s definition best. I would add, someone who does not yet know all the answers, who is imperfect and makes mistakes, but then learns from them. That is what I like to read and what I try to write in my books. And that is what the actual teens I know, the ones who come to our library, anyway, want to read.

By: Diane Colson

Diane Colson — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 17:51:31 +0000

I was thinking about teen appeal as I read J.K. Rowling’s Casual Vacancy. The most frequent description of this book that I heard prior to reading is that, “It’s not a children’s book.” True. Certainly it’s not Harry Potter. And admittedly, a story that portrays the political and social complexities of a small town in England would not ordinarily be a topic to draw teen readers either. But the teen characters in the book are extraordinarily vivid. Rowling’s empathy for young people enduring the years of acne and unrequited lust is keen. In the context of this story, it is their actions that are pivotal to the movement of the plot. (No spoilers here, so you’ll have to read the book to see if you agree!) Like so many of the adult books we recommend for teens, not every single teen will enjoy Casual Vacancy. But the heart of this novel pulses with the fears and desires of teen characters. That is one way that I judge teen appeal.

Comments on: What We Talk About When We Talk About Teens

By: B. A. Binns

By: Diane Colson