In preparation for a class she'll teach in the fall on writing teen fiction, Beth Ann Bauman --- whose own YA novel, ROSIE & SKATE, was released this month --- has been pondering over what sorts of things attract young adult readers and what elements make up a good story. Below, she shares some of her YA faves that meet her criteria. Not only do I write, but I also teach an assortment of creative writing classes, from how to story a short story to advanced novel writing. I’m excited because in the fall I’m going to teach my first class on writing the YA novel. So I’ve been thinking a lot about what makes a good teen novel, and what readers are looking for in a story. What follows is a short list of some of my current favorites.
WEETZIE BAT by Francesca Lia Block.
Weetize and Dirk. They’re cool and hip but not the least bit cynical, and isn’t that refreshing? What drives the book is their quest for love, and they find it many different forms. Oh, love... Isn’t this what we most want to read about?
DAIRY QUEEN by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Now this one is about football and dairy farms. I almost passed, because quite honestly reading about football is about as interesting to me as watching paint dry, but my cousin who’s a YA librarian told me I had to read it. Read it I did, and what I found was a touching, funny story about DJ, the tom-boy narrator, whose life sucks once she’s forced to run the family farm after her dad’s injury. Despite a life of baling hay and mucking out the barn, she slowly develops a true bond with a high school quarterback as she coaches him.
OWL IN LOVE by Patrice Kindl
This appealing tale is about a girl who’s a school girl by day and owl by night. At night she hangs out in a tree outside the window of her science teacher’s house and watches him sleep in his underwear: Fruit of the Loom, size 34. She’s in love, and owls are devoted creatures. This imaginative story brings us a girl full of yearning who finds her destiny in a surprising way.
WOULD YOU by Marthe Jocelyn
After a car accident, the narrator’s sister is left brain dead. While this sounds like a real downer, and it is achingly sad, there’s also warmth as family and friends come together to help each cope. How does one go on when the unimaginable happens? 16-year-old Natalie learns to, and there are funny and quirky pockets of life amid the grief.
Check out these good books, if you haven’t already. Happiest reading!
p.s. --- Tell me what appeals to you in a YA novel.
-- Beth Ann Bauman
