YA novels that aren't trash

Is this title too much?

Saturday Morning Serial

Saturday Morning Serial is the weekend section of Library Binding. It’s a personal corner where I publish short stories, book reviews, and literary musings.

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Welcome to my local library

Young adult. Is it a genre? A reading level? A marketing category?

Like the teenagers they're written for, young adult novels squirm out of tidy labels and are, generally speaking, all over the place.

Just pass your eyes over the YA shelves, and you'll see why these books tend to get a bad rap. The covers display blood-splattered crowns...mildly sexy witches gripping weapons...candy-colored cartoon kids making eyes at each other...

Here are some covers from my public library, where I am currently drafting this article as my kids participate in a summer reading event.

I understand why YA books give adults the hee-bee-jeebies. Many parents would love to see their teenager curl up with a book instead of a screen, but if that book looks like it was forged in the black heart of Mount Doom, then it's enough to pour cold water on any celebratory happy dance.

The typical YA novel doesn't look especially, shall we say, good, let alone edifying. And the target demographic is comprised of impressionable, volatile, and impulsive teens (or younger) who are ravenous for guidance, purpose, and vision for their lives. But they don’t want it from you. Or me. Or anyone, thanks.

I don't know how things work behind the curtain in the publishing world, but I'll wager these large literary houses choose to print what they're most likely to sell over what is most likely to nourish young minds. Naturally.

There is so much to debate and criticize here, and I don't want to do that today. (But feel free to rant in the comments if you have strong feelings or illuminating anecdotes.)

Instead, I want to share a few books that are written for and marketed to teenagers that, I think, are quite good.

I'm not going to include any classics. By all means, have your teens read Pride and Prejudice and Great Expectations—yes, yes, all day long. What I want to do is pluck a few modern-ish gems from the roughage.

As much as it pains me, I'm not going to include adult novels—many of which are preferable for teens—because I want to stick to the stuff that's labeled YA.

I will include some rougher books that will satisfy their weird R-rated bloodlust but also (hopefully) confront them with ideas worth thinking about. So, I apologize in advance for that.

Young adult books that I've read and enjoyed

Hope Was Here and Squashed by Joan Bauer

Joan Bauer has such a great sense of humor. I laughed my way through both of these books, starring spunky underdogs.

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower

You got me—this is technically for adults, but I make a point to recommend this series at least once a day. The audiobooks are coming in August!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Please do not kill me. I think these accessible books can inspire some good discussion, especially how Collins tramples reader expectations. What I like least about this series are the movies.

The Carver and the Queen by Emma C. Fox

An atmospheric fairy tale retelling loaded with mystery. The theme is rock solid, and the love story is spot on.

Steeplejack by A. J. Hartley

If you have a teen who can't stand anything that's remotely popular, give him this undefinable series starter and see what he makes of it.

The Breeder Cycle by K. B. Hoyle

Immersive, fast-paced dystopia for fans of The Hunger Games and The Giver. I inhaled this trilogy.

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

Kids should know the OG chosen one before Harry Potter and the formidable author who wrote one of the first “magic schools.”

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

A dicey recommendation for teens who insist on something edgier and darker but also overflowing with moral dilemmas. (I've only read the first book in the series and can't speak to the others.)

Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson

A historical homesteading adventure that will make teens grateful for indoor plumbing and central heating. And food.

Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee

A road trip through the Old West by a YA superstar author. It’s sort of The Tempest but on the Oregon Trail.

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley

A classic quest-romance with an atmosphere evocative of Dune. It also wins the prize for the least nauseating romance of any YA fantasy.

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

Some cupcake fun for teens who love fairy tale retellings (and multibook series). There’s not much “there” there, but they’re harmless.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Another questionable recommendation due to graphic violence. But this book is even scarier than when first published, as it's set in a godless dystopia controlled by an all-powerful AI. (I've only read the first book in the series and can't speak to the others.)

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

Historical fiction that will crush you. This one has short chapters, which will propel reluctant readers through the nightmare of Romania in the '80s.

The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner

Perfect for myth-lovers who crave courtly intrigue and a quietly brilliant protagonist. The audiobooks are gorgeous.

I Am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak

An edgy, messy story by the author of The Book Thief. This one has some graphic content, but it speaks directly to young men, especially those who tend toward listlessness.

Now, please tell me...

What gems have you found on the YA shelves?

Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. –Ecclesiastes 11:9

I’ll leave you with one irresistible indulgence—for the mouthy among us.

Your devoted,

Michelle

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