Young adult novels have become a genre

By Ashley Keller

    As teenagers, we all look for something we’re good at and like to do; be it sports, academics or something else entirely, we all have an interest we gravitate towards. It's a natural instinct. No one is willingly going to do something they don't like and are no good at. It’s annoying, and can be downright embarrassing depending on how it turns out.

I, along with so many others that attend North Toronto, love to read: it is what I gravitate to. I read in my bedroom or on the street; I even open up a book in the middle of the school hallways. I do it whenever and wherever I can.

Young Adult (YA) novels are supposed to be books for readers aged 12-18. This encases so many authors and genres, or at least it’s meant to. Lately, while in the process of various book binges, (think of Netflix binges except it involves a lot more paper cuts) I’ve realized a trend.

I dare you to go to Indigo, BMV, or any other book store and find the YA section. Look through the books and find the genre. I promise you will notice something interesting. Did you notice when YA novels became a genre instead of an age group? Today, YA novels seem to be solely  dystopian or sci-fi.  They are books about people with magical powers who live in an alternate universe. For example, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins or The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. Same with Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling or Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan.

How often do you read a YA book that contains realistic people in a realistic setting? The thing is, people don't want to read these kinds of books. They don't want to know that they could be in the same situation. Because of this, we read books that are so unrealistic that we don't worry about being put in the same kind of position. Although, the awesome characters in these dystopian novels are great too.