P is for Persevere. It’s day 16 of the A to Z Challenge! Otherwise known as the letter P Day for my theme Novels for Young Adults. You’ve no doubt noticed that in most young adult literature (as well as most literature of any kind) the main character faces obstacles–usually both external and internal. A teen’s job is to figure out ways to overcome the obstacles of life. By following along with characters facing terrible odds, young people learn strategies to…
O is for Orphan It’s day 15 of the A to Z Challenge! Otherwise known as the letter O Day for my theme Young Adult Novels and Novels with Young Adult Narrators. Have you ever noticed how many young adult novels feature an orphan as the main character? That’s something I’ve thought about for some time. A docent at the Mountain View cemetery in Oakland once told me that the orphan is a symbol of rebirth. (She also told me the…
N is for Never It’s day 14 of the A to Z Challenge! Otherwise known as the letter N Day for my theme Young Adult Novels and Novels with Young Adult Narrators. N is for Never. There’s something about the word never that conjures magical feelings. Maybe it’s growing up devouring the magic of Never Never Land from 19th century writer J.M. Barrie in his memorable work Peter Pan. Other writers no doubt felt the same inspiration and even included the…
M is for Momentous It’s day 13 of the A to Z Challenge! Otherwise known as the letter M Day for my theme Young Adult Novels and Novels with Young Adult Narrators. Momentous. My big, fat dictionary defines momentous as “of utmost importance’ and “having grave consequences.” There is nothing more momentous in our everyday lives than losing a loved one, especially when that loved one dies before her time. Both of today’s young adult novels explore the momentous effects of…
K is for Keen it’s day 13 of the A to Z Challenge! Otherwise known as the letter K Day for my theme Young Adult Novels and Novels with Young Adult Narrators. The word keen describes today’s two novels perfectly. I like this word keen because it has so many meanings. Some are finely sharpened, distinctive in perception, eager. These definitions apply to the characters, stories, and writing of the following multi-award winning books. Kira-kira by Cynthia Kadohata This is…
Justice. It’s day 10 of the A to Z Challenge! Otherwise known as the letter J Day for my theme Young Adult Novels and Novels with Young Adult Narrators. Teens focus on the fairness of things and are quick to point out when justice has not been served. Today’s two novels explore what justice is from different angles. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Jane Eyre is not a young adult book, but it is a good book for young adults. Justice is…
I is for Inseparable It’s the A to Z Challenge! And the letter I Day for my theme Young Adult Novels and Novels with Young Adult Narrators. I’ve noticed as I get further into this A to Z Challenge that more and more ghost novels are creeping into my selections. I hope that’s okay with you, dear readers. One thing about ghost fiction in the young adult genre, it’s not usually scary. I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa…
H is for Homeboy Homeboy is not a word I use much, but it fits the two Young Adult novels for today. Homeboy means (I decided to look it up…must be the writer-researcher in me) a close friend or someone from the neighborhood and has been in use, apparently, since 1897. Here I thought homeboy came into being in the gang era of the 1980’s. Both of today’s books are buddy books in which a friend helps the main character…
G is for Ghost But before we get to that, it’s day 7 of the A to Z Challenge! Otherwise known as the letter G Day for my theme Young Adult Novels and Novels with Young Adult Narrators. So, G is for Ghost. Of course it is. If you know me, you know that I am passionate about ghostlit. If there’s a ghost in a novel, I read it—literary, romance, women’s literature, young adult—doesn’t matter. I follow the ghost. (Raising a…
F is for FEED But before we get to that, it’s day 6 of the A to Z Challenge! Otherwise known as the letter F Day for my theme Young Adult Novels and Novels with Young Adult Narrators. So, back to FEED. I just learned that FEED is an acronym. Who knew? FEED stands for Fast Exact Euclidean Distance, and it’s basically the stuff computers feed on. See how I did that, played with the word feed there? When it comes…
E is for Excorticate Did you know this word? Me, neither. I was looking for a word that meant “to peel layers” beginning with the letter E, and excorticate is what I found. Apparently, its origin is Latin although excorticate is not to be found in my standard Random House Webster’s. Anyhow, It’s day 5 of the A to Z Challenge! Otherwise known as the letter E Day for my theme Young Adult Novels and Novels with Young Adult Narrators. Everything I…
D is for Danger It’s day 4 of the A to Z Challenge! Otherwise known as the letter D Day for my theme Young Adult Novels and Novels with Young Adult Narrators. Danger is a common element in Young Adult fiction and so appropriate, too, as young people need to figure out how to safely navigate the world around them. One day they will be out on their own. Danger also heightens the tension in Young Adult fiction since teens are…
C is for Compass. It’s day 3 of the A to Z Challenge! Otherwise known as the letter C Day for my theme Young Adult Novels and Novels with Young Adult Narrators. Today I present two novels suited for young adults though, curiously, neither of these was written for the young adult market. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon Both of these lost narrators embark on a…