The so-What of Young Adult Literature

Just a couple decades ago, the idea of Young Adult literature (YA) was almost completely non-existent. In a short period of time, this genre has not only come into being, but caused a whirlwind of controversy. I realized several years ago that I had to jump on this YA train if I wanted to keep up with what everyone was talking about. The first book I read due to this “peer pressure” was Twilight. After ripping through the four-book series in a weekend, I was left to wonder, is this really the substance that was causing so much concern? Thank God, it wasn’t.
I began this class with the idea that there were two sorts of literature for our adolescents to read: classics or flimsy fluff made for grocery store shelves. What I discovered is that not every classic is irreplaceable and a book doesn’t need to be written 100 years ago to have substantial educational value. My duty as a reading/English teacher is to educated my students, expose them to excellent literature, and inspire them to explore the world penned by others. The first question I had to tackle is what defines the characteristics of a classic? Why are certain texts read for most 9th graders across the country? From personal experience, most classic stories that have lasted through the ages have either one or both of these qualities: character building themes (i.e. the meaning of life, true beauty, and the human condition) or written with an artistic aspect that stands the test of time. After thinking about these qualities, I realized that there are plenty of classics that are considered so merely because of the topic they cover. There’s nothing overwhelming about the writing, and maybe that is okay. If that is true, must these classics stay as a classroom standard or could we find a more appropriate, time relevant story that teaches us about these important ideas?
Reading all of the books in this course gave me first and foremost, exposure. If we are going to continue to challenge our youth with