In the last several years, there have been numerous Young Adult (YA) novels that have transcended their targeted reading demographic. They have become books beloved by adolescents and adults alike, such as both The New York Times bestselling “Harry Potter” series and “The Hunger Games” trilogy.
In reality, these YA novels which grew their readerships to include everyone actually have reading levels equivalent to grades six (“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”) and seven (“The Hunger Games”). Their protagonists are teenagers as YA novels are geared toward the “young adult” whose age typically falls between 12 to 17 years old.
However, a study in late 2012 showed that 55 percent of buyers of YA literature are 18 or older, with 28 percent of those buyers actually between 30 to 44 years old, and that number has only increased in the last two years. While some books geared toward the YA reader may not translate as well to an adult reader, here are some YA novels that everyone can and should read and enjoy. (No spoilers.)
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1) “The Fault in Our Stars”
Unless you’re living in the dark ages, you had to have heard of John Green’s “The Fault in Our Stars” which was published in 2012 (and was released as a movie in theaters this weekend). It debuted at No. 1 on The New York Times Children’s Chapter Books Best Seller’s list in January 2012 and was named the No. 1 fiction book of 2012 by Time.
The story is narrated by sixteen-year-old thyroid cancer patient Hazel Lancaster who goes to a support group for cancer patients where she meets Augustus Waters, an osteosarcoma patient in remission after he had his leg amputated. They bond after recommending books to each other and through a shared friend, Isaac, who also attends their support group.
While the story does address and deal with cancer, the overall impression the reader comes away with is that it is a story about young love that is beautifully written and will strongly resonate with the reader, no matter their age.
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2. “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning young adult novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,“ was published in 1960 and has since become a classic in American literature, often read in middle and high schools across the U.S. Set in the mid-1930s in the South, the book is loosely based on events that happened in Lee’s own hometown when she was a child.
Though dealing with serious issues like discrimination, rape, racism, gender inequality and injustice, the novel still manages to embody childlike innocence and naivete in lawyer Atticus Finch’s son, Jem, and Scout, his six-year-old daughter and the focus of the novel. The book also manages to capture the loss of innocence, especially in Scout coming to understand that being female comes with certain societal expectations and that justice is not always duly served.
Many use this book in school curriculums since it deals with prejudice and can be used to teach the importance of tolerance. For those same reasons, this YA novel has grown beyond its usage in the classroom and should be read not only by students but by adult readers as well.
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3. “The Giver”
Lois Lowry’s children’s young adult novel “The Giver” came out in 1993 and won the 1994 Newbury Medal for “most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.”
Set in a dystopian Utopian society (an interesting concept), the novel’s protagonist Jonas, 12, is picked to be the next “Receiver of Memory,” which means he’ll hold all the memories for his society since the society has gotten rid of pretty much all emotion in their lives by adopting a plan of “Sameness.”
When Jonas starts working with his mentor and previous Receiver of Memory, “The Giver,” he starts to understand the power of knowledge and ignorance, and begins to question whether he’s content to keep living in his society or seek a life full of the emotions he sees and feels in the memories.
Lowry’s book quickly became a fixture on middle school reading lists but its universal questions about life, love and society, make this novel one that will appeal to and should be read by a wider demographic than just middle school students.
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4. “The Great Gatsby”
Often heralded as the “Great American Novel,” “The Great Gatsby” was written by Scott F. Fitzgerald way back in 1925. Set in the 1920s, the story is told by Nick Carraway who rents a house on Long Island next to millionaire Jay Gatsby whom he meets at one of Gatsby’s extravagant parties. Gatsby is in love and obsessed with the married Daisy Buchanan and often stares at the green light on Daisy’s dock across the bay, visible from his mansion, and hopes one day they can be together again.
Fitzgerald’s novel paints a lavish picture of the Roaring Twenties in the U.S. rife with debauchery, deceit and disillusionment. Carraway serves as both a buffer between the reader and the other gluttonous characters as well as an embodiment of innocence.
The ideals and concepts utilized in this book — innocence lost, decadence, overindulgence, — and the realization of the lengths people will go to in order to fulfill the American Dream, make this a novel appropriate for readers beyond those intended by the author.
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5. “The Book Thief”
Written in 2005, “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak is set in Nazi Germany and narrated by Death, who conveys to the reader how busy he was during that time. The novel follows a young girl, Liesel, and her relationship with her foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, with Hans teaching Liesel how to read and write.
The Hubermanns take in Max Vandenburg, a Jew, and he hides in their basement for years, becoming friends with Liesel. After Rosa is fired by the mayor and his wife, Liesel starts stealing books from the library in their home, and ends up reading to shelter inhabitants during air raids.
Though the book begins in 1939 and is heavily influenced by the events occurring in Germany as Hitler gained power, ultimately, the story is about the power of the written word, and how strong relationships can form even in the direst of circumstances. The messages of the story are ones that can be appreciated by a wide audience, including adult readers, and the story’s intriguing narrator and well-written text make this book one everyone should read.
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6. “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”
Stephen Chbosky wrote The New York Times bestselling epistolary novel “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” in 1999. The book consists of a series of letters written by “Charlie” as he describes his experiences as a high school freshman struggling to fit in and make friends. He ends up being befriended by senior step-siblings Sam and Patrick and becomes a part of their eclectic group. Charlie develops a crush on Sam, who dates other guys who don’t treat her that well, and becomes the wallflower of the group.
I won’t give too much away but this story is one I think many can relate to and will fall in love with. This young adult novel was written more for high school students, but Charlie’s struggles to fit in, find love, discover himself, and accept who he is, are issues that everyone can identify with and relate to.
So if you haven’t already read the young adult novels on this list – go out and read them, no matter how old you are. These books are not to be missed and will prove to be engaging, stimulating, and beautifully written to all readers – adult and young adult alike.