It's time for a change in the way we think about YA literature...
There's no reason texts about teens should be read exclusively by teens. Just as is the case with all genres, YA has its good and its bad. It is unfair to lump all of YA literature into one stereotyped genre. Below are a series of quotes from Hayn and Kaplan's book, Teaching Young Adult Literature Today about the importance of accepting and appreciating YA literature.
“Books considered primarily for the teenage audience are often universal in their themes and engaging in their reads” (Hayn & Kaplan 31)
“If a child sees a significant adult in his or her life as an engaged reader, one who shared the excitement of reading rather than just teaching it because he or she must, reading can be viewed in a different light” (Hayn & Kaplan 87) “Teachers [are] a significant source of reading suggestions. Students are often intrigued by a book a teacher is visibly reading” (Hayn & Kaplan 87)
“As a teacher, a great skill is to be knowledgeable about authors, series, and genres that appeal to adolescents, especially new and popular titles your students are reading” (Hayn & Kaplan 90)
“At the very least, we should remember that YAL is probably not so different from adult fiction. Both have their divisions and categories. Both have a place for the best selling author and the author writing more literary fare. Perhaps our biggest task as educators, in any setting, is helping our students attain the skills necessary to argue about the difference” (Hayn & Kaplan 200)
“If a child sees a significant adult in his or her life as an engaged reader, one who shared the excitement of reading rather than just teaching it because he or she must, reading can be viewed in a different light” (Hayn & Kaplan 87) “Teachers [are] a significant source of reading suggestions. Students are often intrigued by a book a teacher is visibly reading” (Hayn & Kaplan 87)
“As a teacher, a great skill is to be knowledgeable about authors, series, and genres that appeal to adolescents, especially new and popular titles your students are reading” (Hayn & Kaplan 90)
“At the very least, we should remember that YAL is probably not so different from adult fiction. Both have their divisions and categories. Both have a place for the best selling author and the author writing more literary fare. Perhaps our biggest task as educators, in any setting, is helping our students attain the skills necessary to argue about the difference” (Hayn & Kaplan 200)