Best YA books for newbies

[BrianTubbs]

Hey everyone,

A lot of you have chimed in w/ book recommendations for me and others - but in different threads. I thought it would be good to put it all in ONE thread. I'm going to do a similar one in Children's books (broadly). This one is for YA.

In your opinion, what YA books should a new writer like myself read in preparation for my own work?

Put another way....if you were a writing instructor and had to put together a required reading list for students before they started writing, what would that list include?

Please give book title, author, and a little bit about what makes the book great - what qualities to look for, etc.

Remember, this is for YA only - not children's (though I guess there might be some overlap with middle-grade).

Thanks.

[BrianTubbs]

I was hoping for a little feedback.

This is a little different than the "YA Hall of Fame thread." This concerns books specifically for newbies - people just starting out. What books should brand-new authors or wannabe authors read?

[TwentyFour]

For students, I would pick out "The Outsiders" since it is a fav. of mine and a very good book. I also based a character loosely on Johnny Cage in my own novel.

"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" for the impact it has on the subject of sexual abuse.

"Bastard out of Carolina" same reason.

[Sesselja]

Brian,

I think you are approaching this the wrong way. The only thing YA novels have in common, is the age of their intended audience. A YA novel can be fantasy or romance, it can be coming of age or sci.fi, it can be mystery or horror.

I could say: read Pullman's His Dark Material series to see how he builds worlds that are similar, and yet so different, from ours. But then, if you are not planning to write a fantasy novel, why waste your time reading this? (It's good, read it anyway...)

As when writing in any genre or for any audience: read widely and read with a writer's eye. You can learn something from all books, whether they are excellent or bad.

And really: I don't see why you shouldn't just use the list that has already been compiled in the Hall of Fame. You say it's different, but I don't see how. Why shouldn't a writer approaching a new genre or audience read what other writers consider to be the best? Why settle for something less?

[BrianTubbs]

What about how-to books for YA authors?

[Riptide]

While I would agree that relying on already published books as a guide for your own writing is not the best approach, I also recognize the value reading YA novels has had for me as an author. I go through many in my 4th grade classroom and it does benefit me as an author to look at the books and see what works and does not work in them.

The only book I read with the class, however, that seemed to directly improve the quality of my own writing is "Walk Two Moons" by Sharon Creech. It seems that each time I read it, I notice something new that I did not pick up on before. I was especially impressed by her use of foreshadowing and how effectively she left clues for the surprise ending. Many books help me see what students want to read and what they enjoy, but this is the one book that actually improved my active writing.

Don't ever stray from your own style and voice, though. The main reason we can have such great book discussions is because strong authors stay true their own self.

[Heather Lewis]

You could try asking the librarian in the junior section of your public library for recommendations. They will be up on what teens are reading these days, if you want the latest. And they'll know all the classics, if you want suggestions for those.

MR

[cree]

Matt de la Pena "Ball Don't Lie"; Frank Portman "King Dork" anything by Marcus Zusak, SE hinton, and Laurie Halse Andersen.

That's where I would start if I were teaching a course on contemporary YA for newbies.

[TwentyFour]

I am writing a YA novel set in the south in the late nineteen fifties, so when I wanted to pick novels to read I chose S.E. Hinton novels. I've seen a couple of new Nancy Drew novels out, alot of Disney movies turned novels, and fantasy novels in the Walmart sections of best sellers for YA's. I suggest the best thing you can do is read books in your genre. Fantasy isn't in my genre, so I'm not big on those. My son however, loves them!

[blitzkrieg babe]

Sloppy Firsts is not YA, but it's narrated by a teen girl, and it follows her sophmore year.... it's followed by Second Helpings, which spans her junior and senior year.
There is a third in the series, but it goes through her college years and it's regretably not as well written as the first two.
I read mostly a lot of "chick lit YA" i guess you would call it... so I can't give too many suggestions that would me more interest to someone who is not a teen girl.
King Dork was suggested by someone, though, and I highly agree. I also used to be a big fan of the author's band when I was a teen myself, so I was incredibly excited to find he'd published a YA novel. I read it without bias though, and loved it.

[Kristen King]

Brian, it all depends on what you want to write. You're the only one who knows that. Go to the YA section at your local library and pick out half a dozen books that strike your fancy. Do this weekly. Ask the youth librarian for recommendations. Call your local middle and high schools and ask their librarians for recommendations. Ask your friends' teenage kids for recommendations. Go to Borders on a Saturday and see what "the kids" are reading. There's no right answer here.

As far as how-to books, I found one a few months back that was penned in the '80s and had some good info (along with some seriously outdated info). I cannot for the life of me locate it in the library's catalog right now, but I did find one on Amazon that seems to be along the same lines and might be worth checking out: How to Write for Children and Young Adults: A Handbook (http://www.amazon.com/How-Write-Children-Young-Adults/dp/1555660215/sr=8-1/qid=1157906468/ref=sr_1_1/104-2548513-8828700?ie=UTF8&s=books)(Paperback) by Jane Fitz-Randolph (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=books&field-author-exact=Jane%20Fitz-Randolph&rank=-relevance%2C%2Bavailability%2C-daterank/104-2548513-8828700), Barbara Steiner (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=books&field-author-exact=Barbara%20Steiner&rank=-relevance%2C%2Bavailability%2C-daterank/104-2548513-8828700).

Kristen

[eleniandthecards]

I read a lot of YA, actually- it seems like massive amounts of crappy, formulatic "chick lit" is out there, but YA is a great alternative. My favorite writers are Meg Cabot (of course- her readers call her the "queen" of chick lit and YA). One of my favorite book series, which seemed more like grown-up literature without all the cursing and sex (it was indicated, but it wasn't written about in detail), was the Uglies Trilogy (http://www.amazon.com/Uglies-Trilogy-Book-1/dp/0689865384/sr=8-1/qid=1162317847/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-1589474-5396935?ie=UTF8&s=books) by Scott Westerfield. It made some strong points about what's beautiful and what's not and how much culture feeds into our perception of ourselves.

[Lisa McMann]

For paranormal/supernatural/urban legend type stuff, The Giver by Lois Lowry is a good start. Also Mercy, Unbound by Kim Antieau is great. Boy Heaven by Laura Kasischke is another.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer - a 'new' kind of vampire story that holds amazing appeal not just to vampire readers, but to all readers. I've heard many people say "I've never read a vampire book before, but this was awesome!" Stephenie does a terrific job in this book with romantic suspense and sensuality.

For historical, try The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi, The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak, Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, Lizzie Bright and Buckminster Boy by Gary Schmidt, Good Night Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian.

Chick/Contemporary -- I'd Tell You I Love You but then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter, which has a very strong, positive teen girl theme.

Fantasy -- Brian Jacques' Redwall series, as well as classics like the Narnia and LOTR books, and of course Harry Potter.

Horror/series -- Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine

Cynthia Voigt, Katherine Patterson, Jean George: all three are prolific and have won Newberys.

[Jordygirl]

I'm not sure what kind of books you're looking for, but, to some extent at least, your writing (especially when you first start out) is going to imitate the writing styles of authors you read. Ergo, read authors whose writing styles you admire (don't worry, you'll end up having your own style the longer you write).
Personally, I read tons of different YA authors, but the ones whose writing styles I admire the most are the ones I read the most.
Sarah Dessen (That Summer)
John Green (An Abundance of Katherines)
Ally Carter (I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You)

Hope I helped! :D

[Dancre]

Hey everyone,

A lot of you have chimed in w/ book recommendations for me and others - but in different threads. I thought it would be good to put it all in ONE thread. I'm going to do a similar one in Children's books (broadly). This one is for YA.

In your opinion, what YA books should a new writer like myself read in preparation for my own work?

Put another way....if you were a writing instructor and had to put together a required reading list for students before they started writing, what would that list include?

Please give book title, author, and a little bit about what makes the book great - what qualities to look for, etc.

Remember, this is for YA only - not children's (though I guess there might be some overlap with middle-grade).

Thanks.

I, for one, read EVERYTHING. I don't just read YA's, but I also read Oprah books, literary books, pop fiction, anything. I, personally, and my opinion, think it's important not to limit yourself to just one genre. I glean all sorts of stuff from my oprah books to my pop fiction books. I've learned that it's important to get the techniques down first (all genres use the same techniques), then worry about the age level. But that's just my opinion. Plus, I think it also depends on what age you are writing for. I'm writing for teens 14 and up and those mostly read like adult books, imo, but with teen plots. And lots of teens read adult books also. Look at Catcher in the Rye. Most high schoolers are made to read it and it reads like an adult book. But so much cursing. Geesh!!

kim

[Dancre]

What about how-to books for YA authors?

Not that I know of, but again, I'd worry about the writing techniques first, then the YA appropriate age level. but again, that's just me.

kim

[Harper K]

Re: how-to books for YA authors.

When I was 11 or 12, I picked up a book called Writing Young Adult Novels at the library. I read it a couple times. The book was written in the late '80s, and I haven't read it since the early '90s, and while I suspect that some of the info is outdated, I remember the basic stuff on pacing, scene construction, character introductions, etc., to be very helpful.
Found it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Young-Adult-Novels-Hadley/dp/0898793130/ref=sr_1_1/002-3807439-5972865?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179323172&sr=8-1

It seems it was updated about a decade later. Same publisher (Writer's Digest Books), different author.
http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Young-Adults-Sherry-Garland/dp/0898798574/ref=pd_sim_b_1/002-3807439-5972865?ie=UTF8&qid=1179323172&sr=8-1

I could swear I read that YA author Lauren Barnholdt and her agent Nadia Cornier were collaborating on an updated how-to book for YA novelists (also through WD Books), but I can't find any evidence of it on Amazon yet.

I tend to stay away from this series, but there also appears to be an Idiot's Guide To Writing For Young Adults. Because, um, we need more idiots writing books...?
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Guide-Writing-Adults/dp/1592575455/ref=pd_sim_b_1/002-3807439-5972865?ie=UTF8&qid=1179323172&sr=8-1

All that being said, I think the best education for being a YA novelist is simply reading a truckload of YA novels -- and, as dancre noted, also reading plenty of adult novels.

[Evaine]

Probably out of print - first published in 1993 - is Writing for the Teenage Market by Ann de Gale. Published by A&C Black as part of a series of How To books. I picked my copy up for 50p, and I've found it quite useful.

[Moon Daughter]

I think reading ANY good book would be very useful. But to be more specific, Uglies trilogy is really good...very YA.

[Tallymark]

Most major bookstores are already in the process of setting up their summer reading lists--all you have to do is walk down the aisle in Barnes & Noble, and there's going to be tables and bays of teen summer reading. These're generally popular/recommended books, so it might not be a bad idea to browse through them, picking out ones relevant to your genre.

After all, these are the lists being recommended to the readers--so they probably make a pretty decent list for the writer too.

[Ziljon]

Hello Brian,

I just recently read an excellent YA adventure novel, The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart. http://www.hachettebookgroupusa.com/features/MysteriousBenedict/content/index.asp

Also, I'd highly recommend Rick Riordan's series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I've read two so far, he just finished the third. All about Percy Jackson, the stepson of Poisidon. Wonderful humor and action and weaving of mythology into the real world. The first book is, The Lightning Thief. The second is, The Sea of Monsters. The third is, The Titan's Curse. Here's his link:http://www.rickriordan.com/children.htm

Enjoy!

[Beth Fehlbaum]

Chris Crutcher-- anything by him-- I liked the way he alternated 1st & 3rd person in his book, Ironman. He's excellent in all areas.

Joyce McDonald- Swallowing Stones.-- particularly memorable to me for her voice

Sarah Dessen- Keeping the Moon description of settings & characters

[TurkeyLurkey]

I just finished On Writing by Stephen King. (You may have heard of him. ;)) Its great for inspiration, and you don't have to love horror to read it. It is like a memoir of his youth, and discusses how he got his start, and some of the basics. Overall a good read.
Hope that helps.

[Beth Fehlbaum]

I'll give that an amen!

[Shady Lane]

I think The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a must for YA writers.

[Danger Jane]

I've never read a how-to book for YA...mostly just On Writing my Stephen King; there IS no real how-to to write a YA novel IMO, because there's so much variety in them.

So here are a couple YA books that have left a big impact on me:

the His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman--fantastic plot, world-building, characters, everything.

The Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix--I admit his prose isn't my favorite but I love the urgency of the plot and the way he builds his worlds--WITHOUT major outlining first. He makes them up as he goes along and it makes the worlds seem more real, because there's virtually no infodumping, yet it's fantasy.

Sirena, by Donna Jo Napoli--her writing is just beautiful and it brings everything to life, characters, conflict, everything

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray--love the characters and plot. Overall just very cool.

I'll add more if they come to me.

[goatprincess]

In addition to a couple of books that have already been mentioned, Whirlygig (http://www.amazon.com/Whirligig-Paul-Fleischman/dp/0440228352/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-1063566-8311106?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1183075252&sr=8-1) by Paul Fleischman is one that I found to be a good influence on my own writing.