I'm reading more YA as an adult than I did as a teenager!

[Bookish Ruth]

... And I know I'm not alone in that. What draws you to young adult literature?

[Tricia]

Definitely for me too! I don't think the "genre" was as well established as it is now, and I'm only in my 30s. Still, I really only got into YA Lit about a year and a half ago when I took a YA Lit class as part of my MLIS degree (so maybe I'm just more clued in to it). Now I can't get enough of it.

[Corinne]

I'm with you Bookish Ruth. It's definitely my favorite genre. We recently had a discussion about YA at my online book group - this is what I wrote:

And I think many books coming out now, like Leven Thumps, Bartimaeus, the 13th Reality series or Magyk - they're riding the tails of the Harry Potter phenomena, shooting for an huge audience age range. Sometimes they work well for younger kids and adults, sometimes they don't. I starting reading YA in probably the 4th grade and have never looked back. Some books I can re-read now and love just as much if not more (Quest for a Maid, The Ordinary Princess, Jacob Have I Loved). Others seem to have lost their sheen (like Sweet Valley High and Lurlene McDaniel books) in the same way that I don't have any interest in reading Seventeen magazine anymore. Their issues remain teenage issues, while in the other books there seem to be themes that extend beyond the teenage years.

[Antonette]

I work part time in a bookstore, and one of the sections that I am "responsible" for is the children's/YA section, so I've been reading a lot. I've noticed that the YA section seems to be filled with more sci fi/fantasy that when I was that age.

I loved Harry Potter, and have gone through Patterson's Maximum Ride series, Artemis Fowl, Spiderwick Chronicles, and am trying to figure out what to grab next.

Any suggestions?
Antonette

[Bookish Ruth]

Antonette, I love Patrick Carmen's books. He has two series, The Land of Elyon and Atherton. Both are excellent. The fifth book in the Elyon series, Stargazer, was just released.

I'm also just starting to read Phillip Pullman -- I started with his Sally Lockhart Mysteries instead of His Dark Materials. I love his writing style and will definitely read more of his work.

I just read Kaimira: The Sky Village by Monk and Nigel Ashland this past month. It's a promising start to a new series. The Joy of Spooking by P.J. Bracegirdle is another new one. That was fantastic and is one of my new favorites. There are reviews for Kaimira and The Ruby in the Smoke (the first Sally Lockhart book) over at my blog if you want to check them out. My review of Joy of Spooking will be up soon.

A few that I haven't read yet, but are calling to me from my bookshelves: Septimus Heap (I read Magyk but need to read the rest), Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Love the elements of Greek mythology in these!), The Ember Series (City of Ember will be released as a movie soon), The Bartimaeus Trilogy, The Royal Diaries, and for stand-alone books: Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, The Book Thief by Mark Zusak, Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech. (Walk Two Moons is an older Newbery Award winner, but it's one of my favorites.)

[Corinne]

Thanks for your recommendations! Let me say, I LOVED the Bartimaeus Trilogy. I listened to it (an incredible recording) and I keep the last chapter of the last book on my ipod because I still love to listen to it :) I just noticed they are making a movie of The City of Ember - I was bummed that they gave away the plot twist in the trailer!!

The Sally Lockhart Mysteries are one of the first series of YA books I remember loving as a teen. I still have my first copies :)

[Antonette]

Thanks for the recommendations! I will have to check some out as soon as I'm done with my August list. lol We have these titles at the bookstore where I work, so I can take copies home to read.

[Angi]

I would highly suggest the Dragon Quest series by Donita K. Paul - one of my very favorites! Also Hood and Scarlet by Stephen R. Lawhead!

[Miriam Parker]

I've been reading Sarah Dessen's books lately and I think they are very sweet. They remind me a lot of the books I liked as a pre-teen like the Noel Streatfield "Shoes" books and the Besty-Tacey-Tib books (forgot who wrote those...maybe it was Maud Hart Lovelace?)

[Tricia]

I haven't read any Sarah Dessen yet, but I had someone recommend The Truth About Forever and I picked up the hardcover on sale from B&N this summer for $5. I'm excited to get to it.

[Megan]

I absolutely love Sarah Dessen -- she's one of my favorite authors. If anyone out there is new to Dessen, I highly recommend Just Listen -- it's probably my favorite of her books. The Truth About Forever and Lock & Key, her newest work, are also outstanding. She has a new book coming out in June, Along For the Ride. Can't wait to get it!

[Shannon Cook]

I love Sarah Dessen's books! She is probably one of the few authors whos books I will buy without reading them first.

[Bookchronicle]

I'm definitely a big young adult fan and in part I think it's because YA Lit exists in such a space that it's allowed to include the whimsy and magic of children's book, but is simultaneously encouraged to include more complex and thoughtful themes that often are only located in adult's books.

Not to say that there are not some children's books or adult's books that also bridge this gap, but it seems YA Lit most frequently embraces this distinction.