tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26093079.post583217348343716453..comments2023-09-25T13:41:12.977+01:00Comments on Brave New Words: Writing for Young AdultsB.J. Epsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07564748493196230467noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26093079.post-3393509577524277062009-04-30T17:42:00.000+01:002009-04-30T17:42:00.000+01:00Hi! This posting is very interesting. I just finis...Hi! This posting is very interesting. I just finished my first novel, which features a very strong female main character. I thought I was writing literary fiction, but I am now thinking that labeling it Young Adult may be the way to go. It does have very "adult" themes, which most teenager--when they are 15 and 16--deal with. If you would like to check it out, my website is www.gwendolynglover.com .little miss gnomidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02711780440381336896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26093079.post-38365103231117903242008-07-24T03:32:00.000+01:002008-07-24T03:32:00.000+01:00Thank you for your comment! I so agree with you ab...Thank you for your comment! I so agree with you about books with strong female characters. For my research, I do a lot of reading of children's and YA books and I am frequently disappointed by the dearth of good female leads. <BR/>I also agree that people equate pictures with being for children. I heard graphic novelists Shaun Tan from Australia and Joanna Rubin Dranger from Sweden speak earlier this month in Stockholm about just that. They both do work for adults, but because of the pictures, readers assume their books are for kids.<BR/><BR/>Best wishes,<BR/>BJB.J. Epsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07564748493196230467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26093079.post-36728252599674487212008-07-23T18:46:00.000+01:002008-07-23T18:46:00.000+01:00I agree with a lot of what you said in your post. ...I agree with a lot of what you said in your post. I know a lot of teens who read classics and contemporary adult fiction and are also drawn to YA fiction series. I think teens--and oftentimes adults--bond with particular books and look forward to reading more books with the the same ideas/characters/locations. I would like to see more books with stronger female teenage characters--not fantasy/sci fi books but books about real girls who aren't boy/makeup crazy but who enjoy challenges and strive to do well. <BR/><BR/>A side note: I was at my local library recently looking for books for my 13-year-old in the YA section. There are a lot of graphic novels that have adult content -- many parents I know would object to the graphic sexuality and violence-- and I think they are in that section because they are "comic books".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26093079.post-61943103246088734222008-05-16T13:00:00.000+01:002008-05-16T13:00:00.000+01:00Thank you for your comment, Glenn!Harry Potter is ...Thank you for your comment, Glenn!<BR/>Harry Potter is so interesting because many people believe that if children show enthusiasm for those books, they will eagerly read more. However, recent research has shown that children who like the HP books do not necessarily go on to read more. The key, it seems, is to expose them to more books of a variety of types (i.e. not just "wannabe Harry Potter-style works"). So many authors have gone on to try to write the next Harry Potter that kids may get tired of the same sort of books over and over, when there are lots of great books in all genres.<BR/><BR/>Best wishes,<BR/>BJB.J. Epsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07564748493196230467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26093079.post-55165042207576772462008-05-14T16:43:00.000+01:002008-05-14T16:43:00.000+01:00A great post. I think the Harry Potter effect was ...A great post. I think the Harry Potter effect was both good and bad; it made otherwise video-game playing kids into readers of thick tomes, but, for my two boys anyway, it seemed to give them tunnel vision with regard to other literature. They venture very rarely beyond today's popular sci-fi series marketed to kids. We hope the love of reading they've developed will help my wife and I introduce some other classics.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com