Young Adult Fiction is a Publishing Phenomena

There is a greater choice of books available to young adults than ever before, despite the fact that as a nation, reading is on the decline. In fact, young adult fiction is a booming business, which has lead David Levithan (author of ‘Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist’) to state that we are enjoying a “golden age for young adult books”. According to the publishing industry, American teens are reading up a storm. However, record book sales may also indicate that adults are buying and reading young adult fiction too. I know many adults who have read the Harry Potter and Twilight series for enjoyment, attracted to the well written plots. Thanks to writers like J.K. Rowling, the standard for young adult books is rising and the genre is no longer only for kids, adults get kicks out of teen fiction too.
Of course, adults and teens respond differently to fiction, studies suggest that the teen brain is more susceptible to influence and it’s interesting to look at what messages a book might be sending to a teen audience. For example, the ‘Twilight’ series has been criticized for being anti-feminist (Bella is too passive) and conservative (read no sex before marriage). Not necessarily what you might expect from a ‘dark’ vampire novel. Dark literature is ‘en-vogue' with young adults at the moment. Consider books like “The Hunger Games” set in a grim post-apocalyptic future, or “Thirteen Reasons Why” narrated by a dead girl who committed suicide. As dark as these titles are, they deal with emotions and problems that speak to young adults, and they ultimately contain elements of hope.
I don’t believe that books for young adults have to contain a moral; books written solely for this purpose are usually rejected by young adults. I’m a big advocate of reading for enjoyment, whether that is a throw- away graphic novel or a classic novel. I think that books that might seem ‘trivial’ to adults often deal with real-life issues and concerns that affect teenagers in their daily lives.