{"id":6716,"date":"2012-12-22T16:51:04","date_gmt":"2012-12-22T20:51:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bluefootedmusings.com\/?p=6716"},"modified":"2012-12-31T17:00:13","modified_gmt":"2012-12-31T21:00:13","slug":"what-is-ya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/bluefootedmusings.com\/?p=6716","title":{"rendered":"What is YA?"},"content":{"rendered":"

During our departmental lunch earlier this year, I told some coworkers that I hated Stephenie Meyer’s book, Twilight<\/em>. The subject had come up, so why not voice my opinion? But one of my coworkers, it turned out, was an ardent fan of the book. She seemed irritated, something for which I felt bad until she dismissed my opinion, saying, “Well, I read a lot of YA, and Twilight<\/em> is good YA.”<\/p>\n

Her response bugged me. Having spent a great deal of my life with my nose sandwiched between the pages of books, I was annoyed by the implication that I couldn’t fairly judge a book. But while I was certain I had read a lot of YA (a.k.a. young adult fiction), I had only a nebulous idea of where children’s fiction ended and YA began. I hadn’t given it much thought. Without a clearer understanding of what exactly was meant by the term, I didn’t care to debate her, which was just as well. It is rarely a good idea to debate with coworkers.<\/p>\n

Today I came across a reference to YA and I decided to finally look it up. I googled “top 100 YA books.” This led me to an NPR site called Your Favorites: 100 Best-Ever Teen Novels<\/a>. I have included a copy below with some changes to show my reading history. The books I’ve read are in bold and I added links for those I reviewed here previously. A single asterisk means the book is currently on my mental list of books to read. A double asterisk means I own it (and that if I haven’t read it yet, I will soon).<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Harry Potter<\/em> (series), by J.K. Rowling**<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
  2. The Hunger Games<\/em> (series), by Suzanne Collins*<\/li>\n
  3. To Kill a Mockingbird<\/em>, by Harper Lee**<\/strong><\/li>\n
  4. The Fault in Our Stars<\/em>, by John Green*<\/li>\n
  5. The Hobbit<\/em>, by J.R.R. Tolkien**<\/strong><\/li>\n
  6. The Catcher in the Rye<\/em>, by J.D. Salinger**<\/strong><\/li>\n
  7. The Lord of the Rings<\/em> (series), by J.R.R. Tolkien**<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
  8. Fahrenheit 451<\/em>, by Ray Bradbury*<\/li>\n
  9. Looking for Alaska<\/em>, by John Green<\/li>\n
  10. The Book Thief<\/em>, by Markus Zusak**<\/li>\n
  11. The Giver<\/em> (series), by Lois Lowry<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
  12. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy<\/em> (series), by Douglas Adams**<\/strong><\/li>\n
  13. The Outsiders<\/em>, by S.E. Hinton<\/li>\n
  14. Anne of Green Gables<\/em> (series), by Lucy Maud Montgomery**<\/strong><\/li>\n
  15. His Dark Materials<\/em> (series), by Philip Pullman**<\/strong><\/li>\n
  16. The Perks of Being a Wallflower<\/em>, by Stephen Chbosky<\/li>\n
  17. The Princess Bride<\/em>, by William Goldman**<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
  18. Lord of the Flies<\/em>, by William Golding**<\/strong><\/li>\n
  19. Divergent <\/em>(series), by Veronica Roth<\/li>\n
  20. Paper Towns<\/em>, by John Green<\/li>\n
  21. The Mortal Instruments <\/em>(series), by Cassandra Clare<\/li>\n
  22. An Abundance of Katherines<\/em>, by John Green<\/li>\n
  23. Flowers for Algernon<\/em>, by Daniel Keyes<\/strong><\/li>\n
  24. Thirteen Reasons Why<\/em>, by Jay Asher<\/li>\n
  25. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time<\/em>, by Mark Haddon*<\/li>\n
  26. Speak<\/em>, by Laurie Halse Anderson<\/li>\n
  27. Twilight<\/em> (series), by Stephenie Meyer<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
  28. Uglies<\/em> (series), by Scott Westerfeld<\/li>\n
  29. The Infernal Devices<\/em> (series), by Cassandra Clare<\/li>\n
  30. Tuck Everlasting<\/em>, by Natalie Babbitt**<\/li>\n
  31. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian<\/em>, by Sherman Alexie<\/li>\n
  32. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants <\/em>(series), by Anne Brashares**<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
  33. The Call of the Wild<\/em>, by Jack London**<\/strong><\/li>\n
  34. Will Grayson, Will Grayson<\/em>, by John Green, David Levithan<\/li>\n
  35. Go Ask Alice<\/em>, by Anonymous<\/li>\n
  36. Howl’s Moving Castle<\/em>, by Diana Wynne Jones**<\/strong><\/li>\n
  37. Stargirl<\/em>, by Jerry Spinelli*<\/li>\n
  38. A Separate Peace<\/em>, by John Knowles<\/li>\n
  39. Vampire Academy<\/em> (series), by Richelle Mead<\/li>\n
  40. Abhorsen Trilogy <\/em>\/ Old Kingdom Trilogy<\/em> (series), by Garth Nix**<\/li>\n
  41. Dune<\/em>, by Frank Herbert**<\/strong><\/li>\n
  42. Discworld <\/em>\/ Tiffany Aching<\/em> (series, by Terry Pratchett<\/li>\n
  43. My Sister’s Keeper<\/em>, by Jodi Picoult<\/li>\n
  44. The Dark is Rising<\/em> (series), by Susan Cooper<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
  45. Graceling <\/em>(series), Kristin Cashore<\/li>\n
  46. Forever…<\/em>, by Judy Blume<\/li>\n
  47. Earthsea<\/em> (series), by Ursula K. Le Guin**<\/strong><\/li>\n
  48. Inheritance Cycle<\/em> (series), by Christopher Paolini<\/li>\n
  49. The Princess Diaries<\/em> (series), by Meg Cabot*<\/li>\n
  50. The Song of the Lioness<\/em> (series), by Tamora Pierce<\/li>\n
  51. Treasure Island<\/em>, by Robert Louis Stevenson**<\/strong><\/li>\n
  52. Delirium<\/em> (series), by Lauren Oliver<\/li>\n
  53. Anna and the French Kiss<\/em>, by Stephanie Perkins<\/li>\n
  54. Hush, Hush Saga<\/em> (series), by Stephanie Perkins<\/li>\n
  55. 13 Little Blue Envelopes<\/em>, by Maureen Johnson<\/li>\n
  56. It’s Kind of a Funny Story<\/em>, by Ned Vizzini<\/li>\n
  57. The Gemma Doyle Trilogy <\/em>(series), by Libba Bray<\/li>\n
  58. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children<\/em>, by Ransom Riggs*<\/li>\n
  59. The House on Mango Street<\/em>, by Sandra Cisneros*<\/li>\n
  60. Something Wicked This Way Comes<\/em>, by Ray Bradbury**<\/strong><\/li>\n
  61. The Chocolate War<\/em>, by Robert Cormier<\/li>\n
  62. Just Listen<\/em>, by Sarah Dessen<\/li>\n
  63. A Ring of Endless Light<\/em>, by Madeleine L’Engle<\/li>\n
  64. The Truth About Forever<\/em>, by Sarah Dessen<\/li>\n
  65. The Bartimaeus Trilogy<\/em> (series), by Jonathan Stroud<\/li>\n
  66. Bloodlines<\/em> (series), by Richelle Mead<\/li>\n
  67. Fallen<\/em> (series), by Lauren Kate<\/li>\n
  68. House of Night <\/em>(series), by P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast<\/li>\n
  69. I Capture the Castle<\/em>, by Dodie Smith<\/strong><\/li>\n
  70. Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlsit<\/em>, by Rachel Cohn, David Levithan*<\/li>\n
  71. Before I Fall<\/em>, by Lauren Oliver<\/li>\n
  72. Unwind<\/em>, by Neal Shusterman<\/li>\n
  73. The Last Unicorn<\/em>, by Peter S. Beagle**<\/strong><\/li>\n
  74. The Maze Runner Trilogy <\/em>(series), by James Dashner<\/li>\n
  75. If I Stay<\/em>, by Gayle Forman<\/li>\n
  76. The Blue Sword<\/em>, by Robin McKinley**<\/strong><\/li>\n
  77. Crank<\/em> (series), by Ellen Hopkins<\/li>\n
  78. Matched<\/em> (series), by Allie Condie<\/li>\n
  79. Gallagher Girls<\/em> (series), by Ally Carter<\/li>\n
  80. The Goose Girl<\/em>, by Shannon Hale**<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
  81. Daughter of the Lioness <\/em>\/ Tricksters<\/em> (series), by Tamora Pierce<\/li>\n
  82. I Am the Messenger<\/em>, by Markus Zusak<\/li>\n
  83. The Immortals<\/em> (series), by Tamora Pierce<\/li>\n
  84. The Enchanted Forest Chronicles<\/em> (series), by Patricia C. Wrede<\/li>\n
  85. Chaos Walking<\/em> (series), by Patrick Ness<\/li>\n
  86. Circle of Magic<\/em> (series), by Tamora Pierce<\/li>\n
  87. Daughter of Smoke & Bone<\/em>, by Laini Taylor<\/li>\n
  88. Feed<\/em>, by M.T. Anderson<\/li>\n
  89. Weetzie Bat<\/em> (series), by Francesca Lia Block<\/li>\n
  90. Along for the Ride<\/em>, by Sarah Dessen<\/li>\n
  91. Confessions of Georgia Nicolson<\/em> (series), by Louise Rennison<\/li>\n
  92. Leviathan<\/em> (series), by Scott Westerfeld<\/li>\n
  93. The House of the Scorpion<\/em>, by Scott Westerfeld<\/li>\n
  94. The Chronicles of Chrestomanci<\/em> (series), by Diana Wynne Jones**<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
  95. The Lullaby<\/em>, by Sarah Dessen<\/li>\n
  96. Gone<\/em> (series), by Michael Grant<\/li>\n
  97. The Shiver Trilogy<\/em> (series), by Maggie Stiefvater<\/li>\n
  98. The Hero and the Crown<\/em>, by Robin McKinley**<\/strong><\/li>\n
  99. Wintergirls<\/em>, by Laurie Halse Anderson<\/li>\n
  100. Betsy-Tacy Books<\/em> (series), by Maud Hart Lovelace*<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    As you can see, I’ve read more than half of the top 20 and about a third of the whole list. That’s not enough to make me an expert, but I think it’s enough for me to judge Twilight<\/em> not just as a stand-alone work of fiction but also within the context of the YA category. I still don’t think it’s a good book. If anything, it fares worse when compared with other books in the list. Every other book that I’ve read from this list is at the B+ level or higher (or would be if I were to grade it based on past readings). I gave Twilight<\/em> a C-.<\/p>\n

    Obviously there isn’t a clear line between children’s fiction and YA, because many of these books are also on the list of Top 100 Children’s Books<\/a>. I decided to investigate the question further by googling “What is YA?” Reading through the results, I was relieved. I’m not the only one who doesn’t know exactly what it means. There is no consensus about which books belong in the category and which don’t. Some people seem to want to call it a subsection of children’s literature. I don’t agree with that, because I would never call Twilight<\/em> a children’s book. So I guess the term is a necessary one and I should start using it along with everyone else. I’m going to consider it to mean “anything that teens read, which may include some crossover with children’s fiction and adult fiction.”<\/p>\n

    For what it’s worth, I don’t believe a book has to be good for someone to love it. So to all the Twilight<\/em> fans out there, and particularly to my former coworker, go ahead and continue to love the book. You don’t have to justify your reading tastes to me or to anyone. I don’t think any less of you for liking the book. Now please return the favor and don’t think any less of me for disliking it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    During our departmental lunch earlier this year, I told some coworkers that I hated Stephenie Meyer’s book, Twilight. The subject had come up, so why not voice my opinion? But one of my coworkers, it turned out, was an ardent … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/bluefootedmusings.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6716"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/bluefootedmusings.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/bluefootedmusings.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bluefootedmusings.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bluefootedmusings.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6716"}],"version-history":[{"count":41,"href":"http:\/\/bluefootedmusings.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6716\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6788,"href":"http:\/\/bluefootedmusings.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6716\/revisions\/6788"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/bluefootedmusings.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bluefootedmusings.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bluefootedmusings.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}