tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post8585941180731344266..comments2023-12-26T18:33:04.681-08:00Comments on Writability: YA: It’s Not a GenreGabe (Ava Jae)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04778524723148508140noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-17535062375975998662013-07-15T05:48:54.913-07:002013-07-15T05:48:54.913-07:00That's exactly right.That's exactly right.Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-78611165098224411102013-07-08T15:24:31.040-07:002013-07-08T15:24:31.040-07:00I agree. It would be like saying every adult book ...I agree. It would be like saying every adult book is the same.theresamilsteinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-82765421391297334342013-07-07T10:00:57.068-07:002013-07-07T10:00:57.068-07:00Thanks, Laura! I've seen people refer to YA as...Thanks, Laura! I've seen people refer to YA as a genre several times across the interweb, so I figured it'd be a good topic to cover. :)Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-19144673480232093382013-07-06T18:08:11.271-07:002013-07-06T18:08:11.271-07:00I didn't realize that some people thought YA w...I didn't realize that some people thought YA was a genre. :) Good break down.Laura Paulingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-82252434489767926272013-07-05T07:14:18.114-07:002013-07-05T07:14:18.114-07:00Thank you, Wendy! The age range thing is definitel...Thank you, Wendy! The age range thing is definitely one way of looking at it. Each category has other expectations within them, but on a basic level, you can expect that the protagonists will be within a certain age range depending on the category you choose. And from there, as you said, it's just a matter of choosing a genre that you enjoy. :)Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-13189108583829611202013-07-05T07:12:03.532-07:002013-07-05T07:12:03.532-07:00There are definitely patterns and tropes that I do...There are definitely patterns and tropes that I don't particularly enjoy in YA, and insta-love, poorly used love triangles, and strangely acceptable stalkerish behavior are some of them. I find that in most cases, it's pretty easy to tell if a book is going to have one of those patterns based off the back cover copy, so when I see it, I avoid it. Some YA I've enjoyed without those tropes include <i>The Fault in Our Stars</i> by John Green, <i>Graceling</i> by Kristin Cashore, <i>Across the Universe</i> by Beth Revis, and <i>The Immortal Rules</i> by Julie Kagawa. There are many others, of course, but those are just a couple I could think of immediately. <br /><br /><br />Anyway, I do understand where you're coming from, as the factors you mentioned are ones that I don't particularly enjoy myself.Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-15279632846040649822013-07-05T07:05:00.601-07:002013-07-05T07:05:00.601-07:00I don't discount books because of categorizati...I don't discount books because of categorization, I just hear a lot more about YA as that's the community I immerse myself in online. As for picture books, I haven't read any picture books in...a long time. So no, I haven't.Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-6291270615697007552013-07-05T02:42:27.047-07:002013-07-05T02:42:27.047-07:00As a high school librarian, I totally agree with y...As a high school librarian, I totally agree with your analysis. Even before I read your post, I knew (hoped) you would address the fact that YA is an audience, not a genre. In my opinion, the category of YA helps readers decide what age range they want to read about. I may decide I want to read a MG book, a chapter book, or an adult novel. In a library or book store I will head to whichever section contains that category of book. Within the chosen category, I will select the genre I like. Thanks for your post.Wendy Watts Scalfaronoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-52204024310787269472013-07-04T13:59:12.764-07:002013-07-04T13:59:12.764-07:00I'm not keen on YA anymore so now I'm aski...I'm not keen on YA anymore so now I'm asking "why?" if it's not a genre "why?". I wanted to do a post about this the other day but seeing as I don't read YA how can I write about not liking it? Luckily I've come here and you've done half the work for me.<br /><br />I think, what happened was, I started to see very similar set ups in YA that made me switch off. You've actually pointed some out; insta-love and love triangles. These things seem so bizarre to me because the MC - usually female (zzz factor) caucasian (2nd zzzz factor) has these amazing or terrifying things happen to her and sometimes they are put into a position that could affect the entire world, yet still they are able to make clean cut decisions and encompass all these new DIFFICULT details despite what's thrown in their path.... <br />But they can't choose between Tom and Tim? Get outta here!<br /><br />Last YA I picked up and put down? I found a book on a wall and read through it. Dude climbs in girls window and she talks about how good looking he is. No. I left that book in a bakery for someone else to pick up. It was Switched by Amanda Hocking.<br /><br />YA isn't a genre but with the YA books being pushed nowadays you'll find certain patterns. I haven't given up totally though, I'm keeping my eyes open and looking for something different.Shay Deenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-38176743530267725932013-07-04T09:59:08.406-07:002013-07-04T09:59:08.406-07:00I think I have a pretty good split, but there are ...I think I have a pretty good split, but there are times I read more YA than others. I guess I'm just not somebody who uses that as part of the decision making criteria; there are a lot of good books in general. Picture books, too. have you read "This Is Not My Hat"?Jen Donohuenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-10264234371974155252013-07-04T09:14:52.285-07:002013-07-04T09:14:52.285-07:00The funny thing is, I'm pretty sure I read mor...The funny thing is, I'm pretty sure I read more adult books than YA and MG books when I was in middle and high school. Now it's the opposite. :)Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-84282830178358608952013-07-03T21:12:46.694-07:002013-07-03T21:12:46.694-07:00I think "movie ratings" is a decent comp...I think "movie ratings" is a decent comparison, certainly. <br /><br /><br /><br />It's interesting to me how frequently an adult will be hesitant to read a YA book (or even a J book, as we tend to call the MG's at the library, Heavens to Betsy!), but kids DEFINITELY want to read "grown up books"!Jen Donohuenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-50133666937630517602013-07-03T18:25:43.021-07:002013-07-03T18:25:43.021-07:00Gahhh. It always bothers me when I hear people who...Gahhh. It always bothers me when I hear people who make comments like, "Did you know some adults read YA?" like it's unheard of. The categorization isn't meant to dictate the age of the reader.Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-80422802042250262082013-07-03T18:24:53.146-07:002013-07-03T18:24:53.146-07:00Thanks, Melissa! :)Thanks, Melissa! :)Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-46274912520690777052013-07-03T15:23:00.513-07:002013-07-03T15:23:00.513-07:00I agree that it is not a genre. It's a marketi...I agree that it is not a genre. It's a marketing category. It has always bothered me that a book might be thought of as YA because it opens the door to dismissive statements.<br /><br />"That's not a real book, it's for Young Adults. Read a book for your age."Omar Khafagyhttp://www.OmarKhafagy.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-75920293431287839782013-07-03T10:44:23.364-07:002013-07-03T10:44:23.364-07:00I'm in your camp regarding the genre/category ...I'm in your camp regarding the genre/category discussion. :)Melissa Maygrovehttp://melissamaygrove.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-76873183782941141042013-07-03T07:50:33.093-07:002013-07-03T07:50:33.093-07:00Age appropriateness is a good way of looking at it...Age appropriateness is a good way of looking at it. I almost compared it to movie ratings, but that didn't feel quite right, either, although it is a similar class of categorization. <br /><br /><br />As for crossover appeal, I think many of the most popular books out there have that crossover appeal. <i>Harry Potter</i> worked so well because it was a MG (then YA) that middle schoolers and adult loved equally. As you said, it's definitely a case-by-case basis (I wouldn't recommend TFiOS to a young middle schooler, for example), but oftentimes popular books can cross into either an older age group or a younger one (or in HP's case, both).Ava Jaehttp://avajae.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606209712314101104.post-79289234129334965252013-07-03T07:34:02.150-07:002013-07-03T07:34:02.150-07:00I agree, definitely not a genre. They're desig...I agree, definitely not a genre. They're designations for different "age appropriateness", I guess. The four books you specifically list are all YA in my library, though many adults have read them. Also some younger kids, but that's a case by case basis.Jen Donohuenoreply@blogger.com