Sweet Valley High. Are you there, God? It’s Me, Margaret. Ramona the Pest. Charlotte’s Web. Anne of Green Gables. The Chronicles of Narnia. I read, and loved, all of these young adult classics. However, I distinctly remember deciding that, at thirteen years of age, I was (ahem) too mature for the ‘young adult’ section of the library.  I’d recently read the very last volume in my mother’s Nancy Drew collection, and, feeling bereft, I’d picked up Gone with the Wind, which just happened to be on the same shelf. I read it twice and decided that there was just no going back. I haven’t read a single ‘young adult’ title in the 17 years since then. I’ve had several conversations about this with my friend and TNQ volunteer extraordinaire, Catherine, who has graciously agreed to summarize her half of these confabs into a blog post, so that we can let you in this discussion.  She writes:

I feel like I should be adding a warning here, to let regular readers know that this blog post isn’t, hmmm what’s the right term, uhhhh…sophisticated? Smart? Ok, yeah that’s it. This post isn’t as sophisticated and smart as TNQ’s usual fare.

I read young adult novels. For fun. Yeah, that’s right. I admit it. I love Stephenie Meyers’ Twilight Saga! I’ve read it twice and plan to read it again, and I’m on Team Edward in case you are wondering. I’m reading the Percy Jackson saga by Rick Riordan about a 12-year-old in present day New York City who finds out he’s the son of Greek god Poseidon, and thus is a demigod. Turns out Mount Olympus is floating high above the Empire State building—let the hilarity and adventure ensue. I am also in the midst of Carolyn Hennessey’s Pandora collection, about 13-year-old Pandora’s quest to retrieve the evils she let out of her father’s box! Clearly, I have a special place in my heart for Greek mythology. My absolute favourite series to re-read, of all the books (meant for any age group) I have ever read, is J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter. I have read all seven books at least twice, a few of them three times, with planned re-reads in the near future.

I read novels geared at my own age group too, but I like the meant-for-tweens version of life, which is largely free of detailed sex scenes, violence and gore. I know that I could skip over those passages, but what if I miss some witty banter or a clue as to whodunit? There are few things as frustrating as coming to the big reveal in chapter seventeen only to wonder if you missed something in chapter eight. And even if the details aren’t as gritty as what I might find in a similarly themed novel meant for adults, the young adult novels I’ve been reading lately are rather frightening.

So, ok, it doesn’t take much to get to me. I watch the TV show Supernatural through squinty eyes and I regularly change the channel during operation scenes in any medical or crime procedural. World wide romance-writing sensation Nora Roberts’ Seven Brothers trilogy—about an evil force that showed up as a child with pointy teeth—gave me nightmares. For real. These young adult stories have vampires tearing people’s necks out, evil gods smiting whomever they please, even hellhounds—yes, HELLHOUNDS! *shudder* How do the kids sleep at night?

The tween books I have read are smartly written, witty, fast-paced, and action-packed without overdoing it. I find some of the ‘literary’ fiction written for adult audiences dwells too much on the scenery for my liking. I’m still not over Shelley’s Frankenstein, assigned reading in OAC. There were so many descriptions of mountains in it that my teacher turned the air conditioner on in the winter to keep us from falling asleep at our desks).

Well, well, well. Catherine has more to say here, but after posting that last paragraph, I fainted. Okay, I didn’t faint, but I did hyperventilate a little, as indeed I have during the versions of this conversation here in the office. The type of fiction she so dislikes is basically what turns my crank as a reader—I love scenery.

I think we need to give each others’ favorite genres another chance. What say you, Catherine, to an old-fashioned book swap? I promise to read the first Harry Potter—or any other young adult book you choose for me—if you’ll read one of my faves. Then we’ll tell-all here on the blog.

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