As a reader, I would have loved more book options available for me as a teen instead of going to adult books that didn’t always work. But also as a reader, Some books do have a wide appeal — HATTIE BIG SKY, for one. Others, not so much. Since most “J”/ childrens sections are “chapter books” (beyond easy reader, not YA) that can cover readers from age 5 or 6 (we all know kids reading on their own at that point) to 12 or 14 (depending on the system). I like the idea of sections having an “overlap” for tweens — so some books in the childrens, some in the YA, depending on the reader.

You may laugh, but my personal reasons for reading YA instead of adult outside of work — well, I also read adult — but they are shorter and (IMHO) when issues like sex, drugs, and moral choices are made, YA takes it more seriously than some of the adult and, when its included, it means something to the plot rather than being gratuitous.