Why YA? David James talks The Year of Ice
Author David James will be hosting our #TLTDiversity Twitter chat on Wednesday. Today, he is telling us “Why YA?”
I can be fearful of things in the way we all can be when the words “what” and “if” are squeezed together to create uncertainty. When separate, those two little words are harmless; together, they may be reason enough to make the world shake. What if I can’t? What if I’m wrong? What if this doesn’t work? Pushed together, those two little words can be scary, but they are why I love to read YA. You see, to me YA isn’t about following reason. Like Brian Malloy’s The Year of Ice, most YA literature is about following your heart. Instead of living through reason or fear, YA is about living through love and hope.
![]() |
St. Martin’s 2002 ISBN 9780312313692 |
Filed under: David James, The Year of Ice, Uncategorized, Why YA?

About Karen Jensen, MLS
Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 32 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
SLJ Blog Network
A Fuse #8 Production
Social Emotional Learning Skills For All: A Carol Hinz Interview About the SEL Tool Kit
Good Comics for Kids
Weirdo | Review
Heavy Medal
Goodbye for now
Politics in Practice
When Book Bans are a Form of Discrimination, What is the Path to Justice?
ADVERTISEMENT
YA is the best! I'll tell you why. Because we are willing to become something great, step out of our normal boundaries, and try something new. As adults, not as many people are so brave.
For me, it's because we're not as tarnished by experience at that age as we are once we cross the threshold into adulthood. We're a little more fearless, in a sense, and make decisions without the benefit of understanding the consequences if things go awry. It's more fun to read and, for me, to write as well. Kind of ironic since I hated actually being a teenager!