One of the most widespread and versatile genres to this day, the Young Adult (YA) genre is categorized by the American Library Association as a genre targeted for kids between the ages of 12 and 18, though more than half of the genre’s readers fall outside of this range. These works often feature protagonists who fall within a similar age range, and the point of view typically comes from a teenager’s perspective. Oftentimes, we see YA novels pair up with other popular genres like fantasy, science fiction, and romance, and these novels shed light on issues such as relationships, divorce, family matters, school, fitting in, coming-of-age, friendships, and identity.
Within the last twenty years, sales of YA print and e-books have been on the rise. Over the last 10 years, sales in this genre have risen by over 40%. In 2019 alone, YA sales rose 6.8% overall with retail bookstore sales jumping 22.6% since December 2018; likewise, paperback sales rose 10.1% and hardcover sales rose 3.9% over 2018.
Early Young Adult
The YA genre traces back to the 1930s. While there is no definitive “first” YA novel, there are a few works that are generally agreed upon to be widely accepted early works for the YA genre.
Little House: Written by Laura Ingalls Wilder in the 1930s, this nine-book series is based on Wilder’s childhood and adolescence in the American Midwest between 1870-1894. The series chronicles the lives of great-grandmother Martha Moose Tucker, grandmother Charlotte Tucker Quiner, mother Caroline Ingalls, and daughter Rose Wilder Lane during her childhood and teenage years.
Catcher in the Rye: This 1951 coming-of-age novel written by J.D. Salinger was originally intended for an adult audience, but it is currently read by younger audiences. The novel follows the journey of Holden Caulfield, who has become a symbol for teenage rebellion. The novel considers keynote topics like identity, innocence, mental health, belonging, loss, and teenage angst.
The Outsiders: Written by S.E. Hinton and published in 1967, this coming-of-age novel follows the conflict between two rival gangs divided by their socioeconomic statuses. The story is told from the perspective of a teenage protagonist who is a member of one of the gangs.
The Chocolate War: This novel, published in 1974 and written by Robert Cormier, follows a secret student organization at a fictional Catholic high school that manipulates the student body into possessing a mob mentality against one non-conforming student. The plot follows the perspective of freshman student Jerry and deals with issues like mental health, peer manipulation, the power of fear, and psychological warfare.
Initial Reception
In the beginning, many teachers and librarians struggled to accept a genre that targeted books for teenagers. Many were worried about potential criticism and backlash from parents due to the issues that were often raised in these types of novels. During this wave of reception, YA novels were generally considered little more than problem novels and romances.
The Outsiders, for example, was met with a lot of controversy after its publication in the 1960s. It was ranked #38 on the American Library Association’s Top 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-1999 (Catcher in the Rye was listed #10 on the same list), and has been banned from being read and taught in schools and libraries primarily because of its portrayal of gang violence, strong language, dysfunctional home life, and underage drinking and smoking.
Banned Books
The Outliers and Catcher in the Rye aren’t the only YA novels to be banned by schools and libraries throughout the years. Books are challenged or banned for several reasons, including strong language, violence, sexual situations, political bias, and age appropriateness.
The Chocolate War has also been banned from many schools and, especially in 2006, was challenged for its sexual content, violence, and strong language.
Especially from 2001-2003, the Harry Potter series has also been highly challenged and censored, specifically for containing themes related to anti-family, religious/Satanism, witchcraft, and violence. In 2001 and 2002, it was the most frequently challenged book, and it dropped to second-most challenged in 2003. It appeared #9 on the list in 2019.
The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom compiles a list of challenged books as they receive reports from schools, libraries, and the media on attempts to ban books in individual communities.
Current Reception
Though initially met with challenge and hesitation, reception for the YA novel has improved over the last several decades. Since the mid-1990s, the genre has been especially praised for embracing artistic innovation, experimentation, and risk-taking. There is still some concern about the genre and its influence on youth readers, but for the most part, the genre has been accepted and expanded to incorporate other popular genres. One of the most agreed-upon benefits of the genre is that it is appealing to a diversity of readers no matter of age or gender. Many YA novels currently feature female protagonists and characters that represent a variety of cultures and the LGBT+ community.
List of YA Books/Series
Looking for more YA novels to read and add to your collection? Check out our active YA bundles on Etsy (links below)!
YA Science Fiction - https://www.etsy.com/listing/856063074/book-bundle-ya-science-fiction?ref=shop_home_active_9
Young Adult- https://www.etsy.com/listing/939274313/book-bundle-young-adult?ref=shop_home_active_12&cns=1
Special Series - https://www.etsy.com/listing/869980197/book-bundle-special-series?ref=shop_home_active_6
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