Nov 29, 2021
What was your favorite young reader novel growing up?
Was that even a category back in the dark ages? I had to look this up, because the definition of young reader baffles me.
What does young reader mean?
Both middle-grade books and young adult fiction are for young readers. Middle-grade fiction is comprised of books intended for readers between the ages of 8 and 12, while young adult fiction targets readers between the ages of 12 and 18.
That’s from https://www.masterclass.com/articles/whats-the-difference-between-middle-grade-fiction-vs-young-adult-fiction#what-is-young-adult-fiction. And that’s a really broad spectrum of readers. The difference between the reading ability between an 8-year-old and an 18-year-old is light years.
Now, for your consideration. I read James Michener’s Hawaii the summer after eighth grade. That made me 14, probably. And I read it in one weekend. I was also devouring Nancy Drew books in that same time frame. And cereal boxes, if I had nothing else nearby. In other words, I read whatever I could get my hands on.
To make it cleaner, let’s eliminate the adult books I was reading and stick with the ‘approved’ ones. In eighth grade, I was still in my ‘read a book a day’ phase. I’d get a book out after school, read it on the way home and after my homework was finished, and return it to the school library in the morning. I was also reading a lot of bibliographies and historical fiction. I never thought of reading only from one category. I’d read whatever looked interesting or a book the librarian suggested.Then there were the Reader’s Digest Condensed Books. I’m not sure how many years my mother bought them, but I’d devour them in no time flat. Sure, they might have ‘condensed out’ the more adult portions, but they introduced me to authors I might not have come across on my own.
So, that’s stacks of books, many I don’t remember. That doesn’t mean some small piece of them didn’t stick with me. But, I won’t claim any of them as my favorite. I don’t have one.
Back to where we started – I still can’t wrap my head around the young adult definition. A good book is a good book. I may be old, but I can enjoy a well-written story about teens, and I hope the opposite is true.
Let’s see what the other writers think. Just follow the links below.
As always, until next time, please stay safe.
Nov 29, 2021
What was your favorite young reader novel growing up?
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Ah, Nancy Drew. I remember taking out the approved number of books in our local library and hiding any other Nancy Drew books I hadn’t read on different shelves so that nobody else would find them!
I owned basically the entire series before I left for college (and passed them on to a younger fan). It was my easy go-to answer for what I wanted as a birthday or Christmas present.
We never had any restrictions at my primary school, if you liked the look of a book, you were encouraged to have a go at it. I can remember reading books supposedly far to “old” for me, with a dictionary beside me for the new words.
I went to a Catholic school, so my parents didn’t have to worry about the books I brought home from school. When I started going to the public library, things changed . 🙂
Best and most important line – A good book is a good book.
Tweeted.
I worked as a children’s librarian for a while. I enjoyed reading children’s books to find the right ones to entertain the little kids.