The Benefits of Young Adult Novels

Young adult novels will always be one of the most successful niches in the marketplace. With roots dating back to the early 1800s, it is clear that there will always be a demand among young adult readers of all ages. While reading in general promotes literacy, vocabulary expansion and overall comprehension skills, there are many other benefits to reading young adult fiction novels that people who have yet to read a book from the genre are most likely unaware of.

Despite criticism for what is sometimes deemed mature content, the same themes that are prevalent in young adult novels can teach teens life lessons in a way that can positively influence them. Getting to know a character and experiencing their predicaments and problem-solving makes teens feel that they’re not alone and that there are those that empathize with their own life issues—if it’s written about, even if it’s fiction, there is a strong chance that author or someone they know experienced a similar situation. Even the best fantasy novels can provide insight and inspiration, despite what may be a post-apocalyptic, dystopian or sci-fi setting.

Young adult fiction books are also beneficial to adolescents because the issues tackled can help them deal with their own real-life social issues and those of self-discovery. When readers take a journey with similar characters and watch them succeed in life, this can give a sense of hope to those experiencing self- doubt and insecurities.

The best fantasy novels can also provide an escape from the reader’s real life problems and provide a sense of security and comfort as they immerse themselves in another’s complex life. As technology continues to develop, along with it comes new sets of issues, such as cyber bullying, stalking and other problems caused by social networking. Thankfully, the themes among young adult novels are evolving to include these same issues and offer real solutions and exposure to these problems.

As long as young adult fiction novels continue to cover real life situations and themes, demand will continue and there will always be new trends for creating settings, characters and plot. If the stories and characters resonate with readers, this genre is here for the long haul.

The Evolution of Young Adult Fiction Novels

The evolution of young adult fiction novels is unique and extremely interesting to analyze and explore. It’s a genre that is continuously evolving and transforming. What remains constant are its themes, which relate to what are considered “edgy” coming-of-age and adolescent issues, including relationships, drugs, peers, family and even sex. While YA fiction  is typically geared for readers ranging from the ages of 12 to 18, the market has expanded dramatically to include men and women from tweens to those who are past middle age. The theories behind this expansion are that these issues are not limited to any age range in particular, and that everyone can relate to having gone through the same situations in the past or even in the present.

Books for young adults have been written and published since the 1800s, with notable best sellers including The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer and Little Women—all of which have stood the test of time and remain popular best-selling classics. Some of the most famous young adult fiction books of the 1900s include Little House on the Prairie, The Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird. Today, young adult fantasy novels are ubiquitous, especially since the onslaught of series like Twilight and Harry Potter, which revitalized teen literature around the world and set the stage for blockbuster films.

While many young adult fiction novels of today are scrutinized for more mature and controversial content, they are also acclaimed for encouraging reading and literacy, as well as provoking teens to read about issues and life lessons in a way that can positively influence their own life path. Even young adult fantasy novels have characters and situations that teens can relate to, despite characters with paranormal or supernatural powers and sci-fi settings.

Young adult fiction novels have evolved in many ways. Plots are more complex and realistic in terms of the actual issues, even when there is a high level of fantasy and science fiction. If you look at both early and current examples of books for young adults, you’ll find interesting similarities and differences and can understand why some elements stay the same. A major turning point was when The Outsiders was published in the late 1960s—its realistic and unique tone and set a new standard for young adult fiction books. The author was actually a young adult at the time, so his perspective was as real as it could get. When the book became extremely popular, publishers recognized the response and began searching for other writers ready to tackle adolescent issues and themes in their books. This trend continues to prevail in recent bestsellers and is expected to stay at the forefront of young adult novels.

Fantasy Romance—The components of the genre

While all the subgenres of romance, including fantasy romance, contain myriad themes, there are some recurring elements that every book of the genre should contain. Some very good examples of these can be found in classics such as Gone With The Wind and Casablanca. Whether you’re a fan of young adult novels or sci-fi fantasy books, you’ll still be able to recognize these elements when they rear their head in your next read.

Forbidden love. The main characters typically experience a love that that cannot be, whether it has to do to with class, religion, culture or one of the parties already being married. In the best fantasy novels of all time, the protagonist’s true love is forbidden. Even in the classics, for example, Casablanca’s Rick and Ilsa found perfect love in Paris but she was with someone else in Casablanca. In Gone With The Wind, Scarlett pined away for the betrothed Ashley Wilkes while Rhett Butler dreamed of conquering her heart.

The theme of forbidden love dominates many of the most popular young adult novels of today. For example, Bella and Edward are in the worst possible scenario—to truly be together and fulfill their love, Bella must give up her life and become a vampire.

A World of Crisis. The characters in great fantasy romance novels and the like tend to live in the midst of crisis, whether it’s one ravaged by war or a post apocalyptic world. This is a theme that is also very prevalent in the adventure genre. Global issues test our character’s determination and create obstacles to fulfilling their love.

Sacrificial love. In the best fantasy novels throughout all time, you will see the most memorable romances end with the love being sacrificed or unrequited. A lover may die or choose death or perhaps the couple must separate to fulfill a higher purpose. For example, in Casablanca, Rick sacrifices his own feelings and puts Ilsa and her husband on the plane departing Casablanca, while he leaves to join the French Resistance. In Gone With The Wind, a fed up Rhett finally walks away from Scarlett, at the precise time she realizes it is he who she loves and wants to spend her life with.

Paranormal Romance Novels and Their Roots

The popularity of paranormal romance novels is undeniable. These books are in demand like nothing else and seem to be a pop culture phenomenon. Publishers everywhere are scrambling to find the next Twilight— from large publishing groups to every small company like Sand Dollar Press, publishing houses are searching for the next big paranormal hit. While it does sound like the new hip trend in young adult fiction novels, is this really a “new” genre?

While paranormal romance books do seem new and cutting-edge, an especially hip choice among YA fiction, they’re actually just derivatives of romance novels, which date back over a thousand years, when the first novels were written. While fiction has evolved tremendously since then, this “new” subgenre genre of paranormal romance novels contain many of the same elements. Actually, one of the biggest differences is in the readers—in present day, readers come from myriad lifestyles and demographics, whereas in the early days, only the rich and elite who could afford the luxury of schooling were able to learn how to read.

One of the first romance novels was written in the year 1007 by Murasaki Shikibu, a Japanese noble woman. The English translation of this book was nearly 1000 pages. Yet romance novels didn’t gain tremendous popularity until the 1700s, when author Samuel Richardson’s body of work, totaling close to 500, became popular.

While Richardson’s novels weren’t exactly paranormal romance books, they contained the same elements we consider crucial to this ever popular genre of young adult fiction novels. Successful romance stories usually center around two people who may or may not like each other in the beginning, or may be unable to consummate their love due to extenuating circumstances such as religion or family—i.e. Romeo and Juliet. The plot will build to a climax and will usually end in with the two main characters falling hopelessly in love, despite whatever obstacles stand in the way of their happiness. Whether the book is set in a historical time period, the wild west or a paranormal world, those elements always work best and are the building blocks of the genre.

As readers of all ages race to buy the latest young adult fiction books centered around paranormal entities, supernatural settings and the like, publishing houses like Sand Dollar Press will continue to help the genre continue to evolve. We predict that in a few years, there will be even more subgenres that organically arise from the time tested formula of the romance novel.