What is the intended audience for YA books?
And to a lesser extent, are good books just good books?
So I have something that's been going through my head while I've been writing reviews lately... and that is: are some authors writing YA for a YA audience and some are writing with an adult audience in mind, or is good writing just good writing and bad writing is bad?
Ok I love YA and pretty much always have (yes I went through a "Lost Years" phase where I tried to read Adult books, but I wasn't happy doing it). I think it's because I like reading about that time in your life when the possibilities are endless, but at the same time things that usually shouldn't be a big deal feel like it's life or death. You get what I'm saying?? That time in ones life (to me) is like the best and worst time all rolled into one... and once it's gone, it's gone. Once you become an adult and get adult responsibilities and choose your mate and career and all that junk, you just don't have time for all those feelings and drama and just Earth-shattering-ness that is your teenage baggage.
So I know I'm not alone here. It's no secret that tons of adults are reading YA. This fact really surprised me. It wasn't until I started blogging that I realized so many non-teens read and love YA. I was always the person who was like creeping with her sunglasses on in the YA section at the bookstore and library hoping to be all incognito. I felt like I was a weirdo for being in that section. Now I know how dumb that is and I'm completely different about it. Now I'm in the teen section being really annoying and telling people what to buy and stuff.
But I got off track a little... what my original question was: Who are YA authors catering to? The reason I ask this is because recently I've read some books that felt really YOUNG to me. Like the m/c was 16 or 17, but felt so damn immature. More so than I'm used to. And that got me to wondering if maybe those were the books that I was too old to read. Like those are the books that are being written for 16 year-olds, which I am so clearly not. And that maybe those are the books I would have loved at 16. It's hard for me to tell because I didn't read much in high school. I read a lot in middle school, but in high school and college I was too busy with boys and partying and being hungover to read that much.
When I read one of these type books and go to review it, I start wondering if I am being fair to the book. Like is the reason I don't like this book because I am too old to relate to this immature character? And the YA books that I love, are those characters being written as adultish teens? I mean nothing turns me off quicker that an immature, whiney, stupid character. But let's get real... a lot of teenagers are freaking immature and they make a lot of stupid decisions (and yes they probably whine too).
Another thing is say you are reading a book and you are just rolling your eyes like crazy. Because everything that's happening seems super implausible or things just start wrapping up way too easily and neatly for it to ever happen IRL. Those books. Is that just bad writing? Or is it just a matter of taste? Or maybe it's because it's for a teen audience?? I honestly don't know. I do know when I was in high school I was definitely less jaded and would believe in easy love stories more than I would now. And that's kind of what is making me think some of this stuff.
For example:
The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart- I felt like Ruby was a quirky, fun, realistic teenage character. She had her issues and she acts like a teenage completely, but she wasn't annoying or immature.
Solving for Ex by Leigh Ann Kopans, Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill, Getting Over Garrett Delaney by Abby McDonald, The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg- All featured characters that felt younger and more annoying and immature than the usual YA-er IMO.
So who are these books being written for? Teens, adults, both?? And are teens being written (for the most part) as more mature to appeal to us adults?? Or is this all in my head?
Or, perhaps the more mature ones were written more to be like role models. Whinier characters get overlooked more (at least by me), so maybe they're made to be role models? I mean, I had no idea so many adults read YA that wasn't being turned into a movie before I got into book blogging. Also, the writers are adults. Those who make whiny, immature characters might be trying too hard to relate. I mean, yes, there are whiny, immature teens out there, but even they would probably be annoyed to read about a character like them in that way. But, what do I know? I'm not the author of these books and they're the only ones who can answer this. Great, thoughtful post, though!
ReplyDelete-Kelsey
Totally true... I never thought about role models. And since most of the authors are not "Young Adults", that might be the reason why I'm able to relate so well to *most** YA books. Great point though, I'd love to have an author weigh in.
DeleteI can so see your point Michelle on the different levels of Young Adult, like the young Young Adult and the older Young Adult, because I've experienced this myself. I've read quite mature young adult and immature, I think it does depend on the characters and the type of story as to whether it's mature or not. I think when adults read young adult, it's a comfort thing, with the same authors and same themes and styles, and I think in the end, they're being written for people aged 14 and up, because that's when the messages inside can really make a difference. I don't know if that all made sense, so sorry if it didn't :)
ReplyDelete-Amanda
Book Badger
It did!! I totally agree about the messages. I always try to think about what message the book is sending when I'm reviewing. And I always end up loving books better when they send a great message (without being preachy). To me books that showcase reality usually send a better message than books than books that try too hard to have everything HEA.
DeleteThis post was really interesting and you pose a really great question!! I think YA is so enjoyable to adults because the teenage years are more personal and universal than any other time in one's life between varied adults. Once you're an adult, everyone's lives go in different directions and not everyone can relate to a college story or a family story or a career story - but most everyone went to high school and like you said, it was the best and worst time. Most people felt at times invincible and at times like the world was ending over silly things. I think most YA books are written by adults which is why they might cater to adult audiences; the author has just the right balance of a mature narrator/storyteller and teenaged protagonist to appeal to any age (at least when it comes to the YA I enjoy most). Now your question is going to make me pay better attention to the audience and analyze the writing a little bit more!
ReplyDeleteBest and worst time, totally!!! And yes totally invincible. I was definitely one of those people who thought I was above consequence for whatever reason. My mom was always telling me things and I was like, yeah but it's not going to happen to me!! I totally agree that the adults writing the books make it easier for us adults to read them. If a teen wrote the books, it would probably be a lot different!!
DeleteThis is a great discussion and you make some great points! First of all, I think a lot of authors are just writing books. It's not until they submit them that they are told it's YA. Some of them may not even agree with it, but don't have any choice in the matter.
ReplyDeleteI have had the same issue when writing reviews, if I'm being negative I wonder if it's just because I'm an adult who can't connect because of my age. But usually if I think that could be the issue, I just say so in my review. Especially if it's a pretty negative review.
I read some adult but I like going back to those teenage years too. I like kind of reliving that time when I FELT so much and everything was so life or death when it wasn't really.
I feel the same way about negative reviews. Like I'm always second guessing myself if the reason I didn't like the book is because of my age. But then sometimes I have to tell myself "NO that book was just bad!!!". I like Jodi Piccoults books but that's about it for my adult tastes right now unfortunately :(
DeleteI have been reading more and more YA lately, and I'm 31. I felt a little weird about it at first, but whatever. The heart wants what the heart wants. Hahaha.
ReplyDeleteDon't feel weird!! I went through a phase where I would rush through the book store or the library because I didn't want people looking at me weirdly for being in the YA section. But now that I've realized there are SO many of us, I'm like to hell with all that! Plus I see a lot of adults in the YA section at my B&N so that helps :)
DeleteI'm 30 and I read mostly YA, so I think the audience is very widespread. But I do see what you mean how in some books the characters are just SOOO young/immature and in other books the same aged character seems to have some more wisdom beyond their years. There is a lot of variation in YA and other genre.
ReplyDeleteTrue it's probably a thing in EVERY genre. So much variation and it just depends what you like.
DeleteI've noticed that a few of the books that I've read lately have felt a little immature to me, but maybe that's because I'm not a teenager anymore and I can see it when a character is being a little too petty and as bad as I hate to say it, I don't enjoy those books as much.
ReplyDeleteI don't like books like that at all!! And yeah maybe it is our age. But sometimes I do notice that the more immature characters tend to be in books that have other problems besides just the one annoying girl. Like the people are saying dumb stuff... there's telling and not showing... etc.
DeleteMy thoughts, I think there are some that are written for a young crowd and some that are really written for 18 plus. I like both styles. Sometimes the MC is very annoying but I try to remember, most of the time, this is they way teens really act and think. I think they are worth the read at the end when they learn something. Those I feel are more coming of age, chic lit, light reads. The fantasy and paranormal side seem to make the teens really mature and unrealistic. But for type of problems they are trying to work through or the time period they live in, they need to be more mature. I don't mind the mature ones being in unrealistic books, because none of it is realistic. I try to take the book for what its about and what the author is trying to portray in their books. If it makes sense for the MC to act and behave the way they do, I am OK with it.
ReplyDeleteOh yes I totally agree with dystopian and fantasy teens acting unusually mature. I mean in certain worlds you are just forced to grow up quickly. I mean if some epic disaster were to happen to the Earth kids would be expected to work and help out as soon as they are able. And they wouldn't have time for dating and being silly. It just wouldn't happen. Also in contemporary it definitely helps if the immature character has their "coming of age" moment. That makes it seem like all my eye rolling was worth it!
DeleteA good story that is well written should be able to appeal to all ages. I read some YA, but I have teen children. Reading is a way to escape for me. Sometimes I read YA to know what my kids are reading. I agree some books I just don't like, but I think it would be more the story and the writer. I try to picture the intended audience and write my thoughts but why I think it would be a win/fail for the age group.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I was thinking too. Maybe good writing is just good writing!
DeleteHahaha I love how you refer to your adult fiction phase as "the lost years." That's kind of how I feel about mine, too!
ReplyDeleteThis is a really good discussion post...I think about this sometimes. Like I feel like a lot of YA books are (or can be) for a more mature audience, like older teens or adults, but there are definitely a bunch that are catering specifically towards teens, maybe specifically even young teens.
The latter can be hard to review. Sometimes you don't even realize that you've picked one up until it's too late, and then you're stuck in the "should I rate this as if I were a teenager, since technically I probably SHOULD be if I'm reading this book, because that's who it was meant for? Or just try to be objective?" black hole of anxiety. Usually I'll rate the book objectively, and then mention my subjective opinions in the review.
I don't want to "dumb down" my rating just because I'm not "technically" the intended audience. Shouldn't ANYONE be able to enjoy a book if it's truly good? Like I'm sure there are kids' books out there that I would love, even though I'm in my 20s, because they really are that good.
YES!!! Exactly what I was wondering... aren't good books just good books?? Like if it's a really great book it should transcend age. But then I still think yeah but books that specifically target younger teens still have their place. It's so subjective, but at the same time I just want all YA books to be like the ones that appeal to all ages.
DeleteThe problem I have with those more immature characters, is that I can't connect with them, because I've never been that way.. I have a feeling that portraying them like that is actually some sort of insult to real life teenagers, because not all of them act like that. So the mature characters are more my type and easier to connect with :) But I do try to keep an open mind.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I was like that either. And I don't think I would have liked reading those books when I was a teen... but I guess I can't say for 100%. I just said on someone else's blog that I know for a fact when I was a teen I would have hated Insta-Love just as much as I do now because in HS I could not stand it when my friends were saying they were "in love" after like a week. PUKE!!! And totally impossible IMO!
DeleteFirst off I really enjoyed this post. I was in a class about YA and Children's books and I learned that these type of books are pretty much the only ones that are consistently written with the audience in my mind rather than for the writer's just writing it for themselves. I don't think I explained that well but basically I'm saying that YA is written for teenagers although there are some books that the writer didn't intend to be YA but were told that is what they have written this was mentioned in an above comment already. So I don't think that YA books are generally written with adults in mind but on the other hand there are books that are about teens that are adult books although I've only read two of those and while those characters were mature I don't know if all adult books about teens are this way but there is that option to keep in my mind if you're interested in reading teenage narratives but you're finding YA to be too immature.
ReplyDeleteMaturity isn't something that is decided by how old you are but by a combination of what kind of person you are and life experience so I think having varying levels through YA lit especially is probably just realistic. Also I feel like immature is kind of vague term especially when you're applying it to the age group of 13-19 which is probably the time when you go through the most of you're maturing process so I think that an action done by a 13 year old could be viewed as mature but if that same thing was done by a 17 year old it would be considered immature so I think that term is too subjective to use without having a specific situation and age of a character in mind is pretty important to have when talking about immaturity.
I think that people in general are too quick to call characters whiny in general which tends to bother me since about half of the characters that are dismissed are actual have extremely terrible lives and are coping with it to the best of their abilities but since they are teenagers who often lack support systems they don't do a very good job with it and I don't think there's anything wrong with complaining a bit about how much your life sucks as long as you at least eventually try to do something to improve it. Also there's this thing that's called age appropriate angst which explains why someone like a teenager would react to something in way that would be considered whiney if they were an adult but normal as a teenager.
Making dumb decisions doesn't necessarily mean that the character is stupid but it is something that most people do through out their lives but it's especially common when they are teenagers. I think that the dumb decision thing is super important to have in teen series because it's way to not only further the plot most of the time but also shows that these characters are very young and because of this have no clue what their doing most of the time. I think the dumb decision thing makes the characters believable as teenagers most of the time for instance a teen show which I love started off with two teenage boys going out into the woods in the middle of the night to find half a corpse and my first thought was this is so dumb and something I totally could see two teenage boys doing and that's why I decided that I was going to give this show a real chance(I was really quite skeptical about the series before this point) my point is the dumb decisions are especially necessary in teen series because it's something that makes them teenagers rather than characters who are said to be teens but act like they're in their twenties.
While I get that some characters can be rather annoying for being immature, whiney or stupid sometimes that's the point of the character, sometimes it's just realistic and sometimes it is just bad writing and a lot of times it takes quite a bit of thinking to figure out which one of these three it is.
This is such an interesting discussion! I've often wondered if YA authors are making their heroines sound more mature than most teens, in order to appeal to a larger audience. But would that turn teens off? Is that why we run across so many heroines who are overly angsty/whiney?
ReplyDeleteI don't know that there's a definitive answer to your questions, and I think it comes down to authors showcasing the broad spectrum that is a teenager. Some teens are more mature than a lot of adults I know. Others are naive and whiney and entitled. Maybe authors are just trying to cover the entire spectrum?
The whole time I was reading this post I was like "Meant to Be, Meant to Be, Meant to Be" lol. I guess I always think, when I come across a YA character that I see as being immature, that the book is aimed at the younger YA crowd (like even if the character is 16 or 17 the book is aimed at 13 or 14 year olds) and then more mature YA characters are on the older YA spectrum or for more mature younger YA readers. I think the teen years go along with so much change and personal growth that it makes sense that there are more and less mature characters.
ReplyDeleteI can say that when I worked for a publisher who published YA we always looked at YA being read by younger teens and adults rather than the like 16-19 year old age range. The reasoning was that older teens often want to be thought of as adults and books for "teens" make them seem younger.
I've actually had the opposite experience of you and lately I've been reading a lot of YA books and wondering if most teens are mature enough to understand them.
Great discussion post!