According to Wikipedia, before YA became a solid category, adolescent readers read children’s books and books written for adults. This worked well enough because the boundaries between age groups can be blurry and many books have wide appeal. In 1942, a book considered to be the first young adult novel, Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly, came out. Seventeenth Summer focused on themes such as underaged drinking, dating, and angst, which resonated among teenagers. In 1944, librarian Margaret Scoggin renamed her library journal column, “books for older boys and girls,” to “Books for Young Adults.” This was the first time the phrase “young adult” described a literary category. While the YA genre was official at this point, many YA novels featured similar generic love stories until S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders examined what it means to be a teenager. This allowed YA to expand into examining deeper, darker subjects. According to PBS, YA innovated further in the 1980s and 1990s, when serialized genre fiction such as The Baby-Sitters Club by Ann M. Martin and Goosebumps by R. L. Stine emerged. The genre was stagnating until Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone came out in 1997, rejuvenating YA.
The Harry Potter series introduced the groundbreaking school-of-magic idea that would inspire many other books. PBS says that its success also ushered in other, darker novels such as The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, which created the YA dystopia subgenre that led to The Maze Runner by James Dashner and Divergent by Veronica Roth. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer popularized paranormal romance while Percy Jackson & the Olympians popularized mythology retellings set in the modern day. Diversity also became important at this time, with more and more authors choosing to write about people of color, queer people, and disabled people. All of these books hold wide appeal among adult audiences as well as adolescents.
The trouble lately that some YA readers might relate to is that there seems to be many YA copycats. Too many books have emulated the magic school from Harry Potter, dystopia from The Hunger Games, or the mythological retelling from Percy Jackson. Furthermore, YA seems to be a refuge for bad writing, with a common assumption being that while a book may not be good enough for adults, it might be good enough for adolescents. Fast-paced plots and high stakes sometimes negate the need for complexity, substituting shallow dialogue and simple characters. YA is also a massive market that entices some people who want to capitalize on its popularity rather than make something worthwhile. It seems like the YA genre needs another burst of innovation.
Just like how the generic love stories that preceded The Outsiders weren’t moving readers, many YA stories now struggle to captivate audiences. I think YA fiction needs to demand the same level of quality that other genres demand. While other genres like literary fiction, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and horror all have duds, it seems like they are more insulated against bad writing because they’re intended for adults. YA shouldn’t present bad writing under the assumption that adolescents either won’t notice or will be more forgiving. Also, I think it will be important going forward for authors to stand out with their writing styles. So many books feel like they could have been written by the same person. TJ Klune is a good example of a writer in YA with a unique voice. Well known for his book The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune’s YA books have a light, humorous tone that is unique to him and endears readers to his stories.
Unfortunately, I can’t predict the next big thing in YA fiction. All I know is that YA has an impressive track record of innovation that created a bridge between children’s and adult literature, produced global hits, and prioritized diversity. While the genre may be a bit oversaturated with unoriginal content today, it is sure to transform again. I’m hoping to see an emphasis on new ideas, unique voices, and complexity.
Gwen Shetlar, Pine Reads Review Writer and Editor