When I was a teen, teen books really spoke to me, the characters experienced what I was experiencing in my own life. Some books could take me to a new world. Would I survive Panem from Hunger Games? Would I be a vampire or human in the Twilight series? Could I also be a secret princess like Mia Thermopolis from The Princess Diaries? These books would make me laugh, tear up and blush as I read them.
The more I visited the library, the more teen books were recommended to me by the librarian, the more that I devoured. Teen books were the best books I had ever read. They were not children’s chapter books they were more—they were not as intimidating as adult books, they felt like they were written just for me. I went through many emotions and first when reading teen books, I remember experiencing my first heartbreak when reading The Fault in our Stars by John Green, being angry while reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
As an adult I still have a passion for reading, I love a good mystery or true crime book. While there are many great books out there, very few give me the same feelings as the teen books that I read as a teen, and I will often find myself rereading teen books. While talking with my friends, some were experiencing the same feelings as myself. We came to the conclusion that teen books give us a sense of nostalgia, they take us back to a time where we were not adults with adult problems, or they remind us about our childhoods and teenage years.
After asking other staff why they read teen books or young adult books they responded with:
“I like reading YA books because of the pacing, focus on engaging plots, and diverse characters."
-Library Staff
"Teens have a lot of options for reading and entertainment these days—to be successful, a YA novel often has to grab the reader's attention right away and maintain it for the length of the book. I find YA novels tend to be fast-paced and throw you right into the action, focusing on engaging plots and character development. Of course, YA books can be cerebral, contain serious themes, and be very well written, but for the most part, they are going to be a bit less "literary" than books intended for an adult audience. As a person engaged in information work, at the end of the day, I just want to read something that hooks me and doesn't let me go. I also love that the trend in YA books has been towards inclusive, "own voices" stories, highlighting the lived experiences of teens of color, immigrants, LGBTQ+ teens, etc. That appeals to me since I want to read about other people's experiences in order to have a better understanding of our communities. Authors of YA books have been at the forefront of this movement, and I really appreciate it as a reader!”
-Library Staff
If you are an adult that likes to read teen books like me, check out the list below.
List created by SMCLAdultPicks
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