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Week 12 Prompt: Young Adult Books

 

When I read this week’s prompt, I immediately thought of an interview I once ready with young adult author John Green. He said he writes for and about teenagers because “young people are thinking about so many important questions, about love and meaning and justice. And maybe in part because they are new to those questions, teenagers tend to approach them without much embarrassment or ironic distance. My favorite Y.A. novels explore love and loss and meaning with that same unironic enthusiasm” (Why John Green Likes Writing for Teenagers, 2019).

I think this sums up why adults enjoy young adult fiction, or at least why I do. As adults, we grapple with the same issues and questions about love, loss, and meaning as young adults do. The type of young adult books I read and that seem to be popular deal with these heavy issues and aren’t filled with happy youth fluff as one might think by the name of the genre.

When it comes to serving adults who enjoy young adult literature, they should be served in the same way we serve adults who enjoy adult literature. We should still be finding out what genres they want within young adult (do they want a thriller, romance, mystery?) and what appeals to them in a book. The questions used for young adult readers advisory in Tailoring the Readers Advisory Interview to the Needs of Young Adult Patrons can work well for adults too. Asking “What was the last book you read and really liked?” “Do you want something similar to that one?” “Do you like to read books that are like your favorite kinds of movies?” and “Is there a book you really didn’t like?” are all helpful for adults looking for young adult books as well (Booth, 2005, p. 35). As with any reader’s advisory interaction, we shouldn’t make them feel awkward or embarrassed about what they read and shouldn’t imply that those books are meant to be read by younger people.

 

 

Sources:

Booth, H. (2005). RA for YA: Tailoring the readers advisory interview to the needs of young adult patrons. Public Libraries, 44(1), 33-36.

Why John Green Likes Writing for Teenagers. (2019, October 10). Retrieved April 05, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/10/books/review/john-green-by-the-book-interview.html

 

Comments

  1. Abby AbbottApril 5, 2021 at 3:18 PM

    Hi,

    I like that you pointed out we should still ask the same questions when helping adults find YA books. I saw this prompt and thought my library is weird. We have so many patrons who immediately go to the YA section or they come up to me and a few other librarians and ask us if we have read any good ones. I don't get the age thing but maybe it is because I really don't care as long as the story is good. Great prompt and I love that you brought in John Green to make a point!

    Abby Abbott

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bobbi SchoonApril 5, 2021 at 4:05 PM

    Christina,
    I loved that you included information about the interview with John Green! He said it so well. I also wholeheartedly agree with you that the questions you mentioned aren't limited to a certain age, we can focus on finding what is appealing to the person we are helping and get them the right story, wherever it is!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Abigail SmithApril 10, 2021 at 7:31 PM

    I agree that we shouldn't make patrons feel embarrassed but we shouldn't even need to imply that those books are meant to be read by younger people- they are by definition meant to be read by young people and usually kept together in a designated area for that reason... except it really seems like this has changed and now YA is thought of more as a genre than an age category. If adult age groups read YA as much as young adults, at what point should these books just mix in with the other general fiction? This topic has also made me wonder about how we offer RA to teens who read fiction categorized for adults. Is this type of RA even being offered?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Erin CataldiApril 14, 2021 at 4:00 PM

    I love love love the John Green quote - he really sums it up so well and so so you in this well written prompt response. Full points!

    ReplyDelete

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