SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About TLT
  • Reviews
    • Book Reviews
    • A to Z Book Lists
    • Book Review Policy
  • Teen Issues
  • Middle Grade Mondays
  • Programs
    • TPiB
    • Tech Talk
  • Professional
    • Teen Services 101
    • Things We Didn’t Learn in Library School
  • MakerSpace
  • Projects
    • #SVYALit
    • #FSYALit
    • #MHYALit
    • #Poverty in YA Lit

May 22, 2014 by Karen Jensen, MLS

#IReadYA – and so do many others! Why YA? Here are some of our reasons.

May 22, 2014 by Karen Jensen, MLS   Leave a Comment

A few years ago, I wrote a post entitled Why YA? in response to Joel Stein’s proclamation that adults should only read adult books.Then earlier this week I wrote another post highlighting some of the misconceptions in the media about YA lit. For a while, we had an ongoing series of posts called WHY YA? where readers, librarians and even some authors wrote posts discussing their favorite YA book titles. Those posts are collected together for you here.


 

Why YA? posts

Pandemonium (Lauren Oliver) as discussed by Karen Jensen of TLT)

13 Reasons Why (Jay Asher) as discussed by Karen Jensen of TLT

The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collines) as discussed by Sara Ansted

Love is the Higher Law (David Levithan) as discussed by 2012 Printz Award Winner John Corey Whaley

Between Shades of Gray (Ruta Sepetys) as discussed by Victoria Scott

“I Love YA” (with apologies to Randy Newman) as discussed by Jennifer Rummel

Harry Potter and The Fault in Our Stars as discussed by Leah Miller

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes (Chris Crutcher) as discussed by Karen Jensen of TLT

Please Ignore Vera Dietz (A. S. King) as discussed by Jenny Torres Sanchez

The List (Siobhan Vivian) as discussed by Stephanie Wilkes

The Giver (Lois Lowry) as discussed by Lauren Kate

Mr. Was (Pete Hautman) as discussed by Pete Hautman

Bitterblue (Kristin Cashore) as discussed by Annette Birdsall

Hatchet (Gary Paulsen) as discussed by Lindsay Cummings

Where the Red Fern Grown (Wilson Rawls) as discussed by Craig MacLachlan

The Story of a Girl (Sara Zarr) as discussed by Lisa Burstein

Ash (Malinda Lo) as discussed by Christie Gibrich

The Year of Ice by Brian Malloy as discussed by author David James 

If you would like to write a post, I’d be more than happy to put it up.

The Discussion
Why YA?
Why YA? The Remix
Dear Media, Let Me Help You Write That Article on YA Literature

Filed under: Uncategorized

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Karen Jensen, MLS

Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 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

Related Posts

December 2022

Book Mail: Romances, thrillers, mysteries, dystopias, and more!

by Karen Jensen, MLS

December 2022

The Difference Between YA and NA, a former teen now new adult reader perspective

by Karen Jensen, MLS

December 2022

Post-It Note Reviews: Quick looks at 9 new titles

by Karen Jensen, MLS

October 2022

Reclaiming Queer History, a guest post by James Brandon

by Karen Jensen, MLS

October 2022

I Wrote a Book About the Pandemic. I'm Scared No One Will Want to Read It, a guest post by Sara Saedi

by Karen Jensen, MLS

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

Who’s Published the Most Newbery Winners in the Last 25 Years?

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

That Flag: An Interview with Tameka Fryer Brown

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Monkey Prince Vol. 1: Enter the Monkey | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Heavy Medal

Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Webcast Results

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

The Value of Innocence for BIPOC Students, a guest post by David Mura

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Looking Ahead: Our 2023 Preview

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

4 Debut YA Authors Center LGBTQIA+ Characters

Some of YA's Biggest Names Collaborate on "Blackout," a 2021 Release About Black Love

"Hip-Hop Isn’t Just Music, It’s a Culture" | An Interview with Tiffany D. Jackson

Race, K-pop, and Magic: September's YA Debut Authors Tackle a Range of Topics

Hilary Beard and Tim Madigan in Conversation on “The Burning” and the Tulsa Race Massacre

Commenting for all posts is disabled after 30 days.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2023


COPYRIGHT © 2023