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Sure, teens talk in the hallways at school and at the back of the classroom, but there’s a lot more gabbing that happens after the bell rings, whether it’s on the phone, through text messages or online. Lauren Myracle decided to explore all of the conversations that happen when friends aren’t in the same place at the same time, and her 2004 novel, TTYL, is the first that’s written entirely in text message format.

While the book has been called “revealing and innovative” and explores some real issues like friendship, dating and underage drinking, it has also appeared on the American Library Association’s Top Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books list time and again since it’s been published (in 2011, it came in at number one).

Below YA author Linas Alsenas (BEYOND CLUELESS) and Teen Board member Alyssa L. talk about why they loved the book and give all of those book-banners a piece of their minds.

Do you remember when you read this book for the first time? How old were you? Did you read it for school or for pleasure?

Linas Alsenas: Gosh, the first time I readTTYL must have been when I was … 23, 24 years old? I had just started working as an editorial assistant at Abrams, the book’s publisher, and there was talk in the office about some new book that would be written entirely in instant messages. Honestly, I had my doubts. It was hard to believe that the concept could actually work, that people would actually have the patience to read through hundreds of pages of instant messages. When advance reading proofs came in, I grabbed one with my greedy little hands and --- no surprise --- TTYL totally proved that the format could work! And not only that, it was no gimmick; the form was integral to the book’s content. The instant-messaging design reinforced the book’s important ideas about how intimacy is created and managed by teens, and it helped establish the authenticity of the characters. Texting, chat, social media platforms --- these are the spaces where friendships develop these days, whether they thrive, wither or implode.

Alyssa L.: I first read this book when I was in the fifth or sixth grade, so around 10 or 11 years old. I was reading it for pleasure and it probably wasn't the most appropriate book for my age at that time, but I was pretty mature for a pre-teen and I am definitely glad that I picked it up at the library.

What do you like about this book, and how would you persuade somebody else to read it?

LA: I like the book mostly because it’s just a really fun read. The main characters --- the winsome threesome --- are so funny and lovable and real. They’re like those people in real life with whom you are kind of friends because you hit it off really well, and you totally connect, but somehow you just never seem to have enough time together to take it to the next level. You’re constantly hoping for more of them! (Or perhaps I’m the only one who feels that way, a lot? Maybe instead people are just really good at avoiding me…Hmmm, food for thought.)

I would say the best way to persuade somebody to read this book is to stage-whisper, “This book once topped the list of challenged books in the US! No kidding: Number one!” I mean, really, who could resist taking a gander after hearing that?

AL: I first read it in middle school, so I hadn’t experienced high school yet. Everything described in TTYL seemed like the picture that I had always had of high school, so I enjoyed daydreaming with the main characters of the book. Now when I read it, it absolutely connects with me. I might not be doing everything the girls did in TTYL but I do understand most of what they say and can kind of relate to them. I'd persuade somebody by saying the following: 

To any girls out there (because I honestly don't really think guys would be interested in this book), check out TTYL by Lauren Myracle. The entire Internet Girls series was so beautifully written and even if you don't read much because it takes too much time, this book is not like the others! Written in texting language, it's easy to follow along and it'll be like rereading messages sent between you and your best friend(s). 

Lauren Myracle got an email from a parent who said “I find it absolutely amazing that you as a mother find it appropriate to inform young innocent minds of such things as thongs, French kissing, tampons and erections. Can our children remain children longer?” If you had the chance to respond to that quote, what would you say? 

LA: Dear Sir/Madam: Were you ever a young person? Can you remember what that was like? Was it a time of gentle joys and frictionless certainty, or, if you really think back, was it a time of struggle with outsized emotions, constant fighting with seemingly arbitrary restrictions and feeling like there was so much you didn’t understand, like the world was a game that everyone seemed to know the rules to, except you?

Were you ever curious about the world, wanting to know about things that even you knew you weren’t ready to try? Were you damaged by that information, when you got it? Did you ever hide the fact that you had such knowledge from your own parents, perhaps so that they could go on seeing you in some way that wasn’t really true? Did it improve your relationship with them, knowing you might get in trouble for just having questions, or for knowing things you and your friends might have shared with each other?

Did you ever find a book that really spoke to you and your thoughts and your fears, and did you love that experience of connecting, of being understood, at last? On the other hand, did you ever pick up a book that was all about stuff you didn’t really understand and weren’t particularly interested in and just put it down and forgot all about it?

Do you think life is complicated? Do you want your children to be able to navigate the world with confidence, armed with a firm sense of how things really are? Do you want them to have a spirit of adventure, to be ready to take on new experiences and ideas?

I could go on and on, but just one more question: how on earth are tamponsinappropriate?

AL: Children all mature differently, some quicker than others, and I think it's up to them and their parents as to what books they should read in terms of content. Not all children have innocent minds and for the ones that do, they'll just learn a bit more by reading this book. I honestly don't understand the fuss over TTYL's content and if it bothers the parent, then they can simply not allow their child to read it. Children will learn of these things sooner or later, and it's not necessarily forcing them to grow up if they learn about it, but it opens their eyes to their future. I believe that if a child wishes to grow as a reader quicker than their peers, then they'll have to reach for more mature content that may or may not give them knowledge on things that are considered not-so-innocent.

You need to give the protagonist of this book a book recommendation. What would you recommend, and why?

LA: There are three protagonists in this novel: Maddie, Angela and Zoe. Obviously, I would tell them all to read TTFNand L8R, G8Rand YOLO. That way, they could see the future and avoid a whole lotta drama! (HA! See what I did there?)

AL: I would recommend that Angela, Zoe and Maddie read any of Stephanie Perkins or Rainbow Rowell's books. These two authors write amazing love stories that allow readers to stumble upon awkward events and giggle along with the main characters as they surpass relationship goals and survive the school year with friends. Stephanie Perkins and Rainbow Rowell don't write in the style that Lauren Myracle does (not many authors do), but they all write content that deals with the struggles that teenage girls have, and I connected with all three authors' books.