Young Adult

The young adult genre is one of the fastest growing literary genres. The genre is often referred to as ‘YA’ and speaks to the younger readers between the ages 12-18. One of the reasons for its popularity is the way the young adult novels deal with coming-of-age themes and problems that the young readers can relate to. The actions are set in fictional worlds and by using this mechanism the problems are introduced with a suitable distance for the reader. In that way it is easier for the reader to read about the problems and deal with them throughout the story. 

The enchanting worlds also fascinate the youngsters and give them a break from their everyday life and it’s problems, while the young adult books at the same time deal with them through these worlds. In that way the reader is met at eye level, and there are no adults speaking down to the youngsters. Then it is also easier for the young reader to deal with the challenges of the everyday life themselves. The books come in different forms, most often as young adult fiction books or young adult romance books.

   

Some of the most famous book characters are found in the young adult genre. Here we find Bella Swan, the girl who falls in love with a mysterious and handsome vampire, Edward, in a little, rainy town where strange things happen. Here we also see the genre features of YA. Bella is an ordinary girl who falls in love for the first time and discovers her own sexuality. A very important step in any young adult’s life. At the same time she lives in a world with vampires and werewolves and magical wars. The fictional elements in the plot also helps her find her inner strength and develop her as a person.   

The Twilight universe as a young adult book series has fascinated both youngsters and adults around the world, where fans discussed which man Bella should pick. Should it be the shy and mysterious vampire or the attractive werewolf? The whole Twilight series is also adapted for the screen making the young adult novels even more popular.  

Another popular character from another young adult book series is the famous young wizard Harry Potter. In the Harry Potter series we also have a main character, who doesn’t fit in, but instead discovers he belongs in a magical world. Again the fictional elements help the young adult character to discover his true self and again we see the coming of age plot. Although a lot of the story takes place in a magical world with fictional problems, the story is also about friendship. No matter which opponent Harry, Ron and Hermione are up against, they always fight together and find strength in each other. 

You also find classical novels written for young adults in our selection. A classical novel never loses it’s magic. It makes you reflect and everyone can get something out of reading a classic, because they deal with universal problems. The story could have been written 200 years ago and still be as relevant as the day it was published, but the language could be quite a challenge to read, especially as a young adult. Therefore the beloved stories have been adapted to young adult formats, so that the young readers can get as much out of the story as all the enthusiastic previous readers.

Among the classics is the beloved Pride and Prejudices, made as one of the young adult romance books, by the timeless author Jane Austen. In the story we meet the young girl Elizabeth, who just likes Bella Swan and Harry Potter, are different, because she doesn't live up to that times’ ideal of a woman. At the same time she falls in love for the first time, but she is having troubles figuring out the truth and which man she should trust with her heart. Instead of using a fictional universe to deal with the everyday problems, the story uses humor. Furthermore, although the story was realistic at the time, the times have changed and the historical time period almost becomes its own fictional universe, where the young readers can learn about the lifestyles of that time and especially the ideals of women. Another classic made for young adults that deals with some of the same themes is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brönte. Again we have a strong female lead character, who falls in love for the first time and discovers a whole new world - the world of adults. 

No matter which tales you love, you find all the young adult books to read right here.