Comments on: Why Adults Are Reading Young Adult Fiction

By: Jules

Jules — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 03:14:32 +0000

Try Garth Nix’s books. He writes very well and I think his stories are far better than JK Rowling’s. The plot is often very tight and interesting enough for both adults and young adults to enjoy. I’d recommend the Keys to the Kingdom series for younger readers and the Abhorsen series for older ones. For Keys to the Kingdom, start with Mister Monday. For Abhorsen, start with Sabriel.

By: Sean Patterson

Sean Patterson — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:57:11 +0000

I’ve been through Madeline L’Engle’s “A Wrinkle in Time” series once as a kid, once in my early college years, and I need spend another reading through it this year.

Not nearly as long as the Harry Potter books of our time, but still some amazing stuff. There are layers in it you just don’t grasp as a kid that you “get” later on in life.

By: orthodoxdj

orthodoxdj — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:39:22 +0000

The Giver by Lois Lowry

By: Frank Turk

Frank Turk — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 13:21:29 +0000

I wanted to add an author to your son’s reading list: ND Wilson. His book Leepike Ridge is fantastic, and his 100 Cupboards series is gripping.

I would warn you, though, that his books are more intense than the other stuff recommended so far. You might want to read ahead by a full book to make sure you gentle son is ready for the mild macabre in those books.

Wilson, btw, is the son of Doug Wilson, so he’s a fine Christian young man.

By: Jeremy Pierce

Jeremy Pierce — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 22:09:45 +0000

As Coyle said, I read the Harry Potter series in my 30s because it was simply good storytelling. Rowling is a magisterial writer in at least two respects: (a) constructing a very interesting world that I simply wanted to learn more about and (b) constructing a tale with mystery, plot twists, and unexpected developments, such that I wanted to read on so I’d know how it would end. She got better at this as the series developed. There are other things she’s good at too, but those things above any other reason motivated me to keep reading.

By: Coyle

Coyle — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 02:03:02 +0000

I think Alison’s on to something- it’s entirely possible that adults like young adult fiction because it’s often simply good. (I mean, not Twilight, but some of it is certainly is.) And, given how far so much of “regular” fiction has gone off the rails, it’s not really surprising that people follow quality wherever it goes…

By: Alison

Alison — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 01:26:03 +0000

I think that for the very reasons you mention adults like to read children’s literature are some of the very reasons I have begun to appreciate classical literature (especially nineteenth century literature) as an adult. So much of the richness of these works was lost on me when I read them when I was younger. Many of the themes are more mature than the themes of children’s literature (i.e. the theme of adultery in Anna Karenina or madness in Jane Eyre), but where there are disgraceful characters in such works, there are also redemptive characters and models of hope in these works. Not every character is one-dimensional, nor are the flaws of characters held up as models, which I find occurs in so much modern fiction today. I still read modern fiction when I don’t want to think as much, but I have really begun to prefer reading the classics for what I think they can offer me.

By: Rachael Starke

Rachael Starke — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:54:09 +0000

Hunter,
You and your son might also enjoy the Dark is Rising series, by Susan Cooper. I read them as a tween, but my daughter recently picked them up (she’s almost nine, but a voracious reader), and loved them. They’re set in England and Wales, seventh son of the seventh son theme, prophetic poems, a quest, etc. Great stuff. I’m reading them again now. :) And you’re spot on with your assessment. I don’t have to worry about whether the next page is going to have me cringing in embarrassment or nausea….