# What Young Adult literature did you/do you love? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [April 6, 2023, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-young-adult-literature-did-you-do-you-love/982237 "2023-04-06T06:32:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-young-adult-literature-did-you-do-you-love/982237/81 "2023-04-07T15:04:38Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Gaiman kind of sucks, even though he is a great guy and I like a couple things from him. Except for Sandman and Good Omens, I have not been a fan. Graveyard Book was way overrated, for example. Ocean at the End of the Lane was a rare book I almost quit on. Hard disagree. I’ve read ten of his books, and the only one I didn’t like was _American Gods_. Though I will say that I’m not generally a fan of the fantasy genre, so I could see how he would disappoint if you’re looking for writing that is more typical of the genre. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-young-adult-literature-did-you-do-you-love/982237/82 "2023-04-07T15:08:10Z")
These are not exactly “Young Adult” genre but I read of the Gold Eagle mens’ adventure series when I was preteen/teen in the late 80s: The Executioner/Able Team/Phoenix Force/Deathlands. **Interesting to note** : Marvel’s comic Punisher character is basically a ripoff of Mack Bolan/The Executioner character. They have the same basic back story: a war veteran whose family is killed by the mobsters and they sweat to get revenge on the Mafia. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-young-adult-literature-did-you-do-you-love/982237/83 "2023-04-07T15:09:20Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Is Piers Anthony some kind of weirdo? Perhaps he is, but there’s an interesting story about how he helped out a fan who ran away from home to see him: > **[In 1987, a Young Fantasy Fan Ran Away From Home to Live With Author Piers...](https://gizmodo.com/in-1987-a-young-fantasy-fan-ran-away-from-home-to-live-5931929)** > > Many of us feel like we know our favorite authors through their novels and from the various details of their lives they choose to share. In 1987, a 15-year-old boy named Andy felt that he knew science fiction and fantasy author Piers Anthony so well... ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-young-adult-literature-did-you-do-you-love/982237/84 "2023-04-07T16:29:17Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > He’s apparently still churning out the _Xanth_ novels, although no publisher will touch him. Who puts out his books? Himself? ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-young-adult-literature-did-you-do-you-love/982237/85 "2023-04-07T16:52:56Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > > [@flurb](#): > > > > He’s apparently still churning out the _Xanth_ novels, although no publisher will touch him. > > Who puts out his books? Himself? Is it really him? Or, just a bot that’s been trained on his collected works. Would anyone be able to tell? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-young-adult-literature-did-you-do-you-love/982237/86 "2023-04-07T17:32:24Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > Is it really him? Or, just a bot that’s been trained on his collected works. Would anyone be able to tell? Hey, that’s fair. Does anyone know? Is Piers still writing or is he “James Patttersoning” this thing by slapping his name in them? I thought he was still making these books himself. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-young-adult-literature-did-you-do-you-love/982237/87 "2023-04-07T18:07:43Z")
I looked him up a couple years ago out of morbid curiosity. He’s in his late eighties and apparently living and writing on a tree farm in Florida. He has a website that’s straight out of 1999 where he puts out a monthly newsletter that’s mostly him reacting to various news articles he’s read. Apparently his daughter passed away some time ago and his wife more recently. Honestly, the whole thing just made me sad. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-young-adult-literature-did-you-do-you-love/982237/88 "2023-04-07T18:11:31Z")
Lots of the books i loved as a young adult have already been listed. But I’ve recently dived into newer young adult fiction (mostly fantasy/sf) and I’ve found some really good stuff. Someone mentioned Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson books. I think Tamora Pierce is on a similar level, although more assumed at girls. Her later books are better than the earlier ones, although it’s helpful to have the background from the earlier ones, as she’s built a large world with a lot of related characters. But my really knockdown favorite that I’ve read recently is the awkwardly named **SCHOLOMANCE TRILOGY**. Such awesome books. I like the other stuff of hers that I’ve read, too. > **[Naomi Novik](https://www.naominovik.com/)** > > Visit the post for more. One thing that surprised me when i started reading modern young adult literature is that the protagonists often have sex. I mean, real world 12-18 year olds often do, too. And even those who don’t often spend a lot of time thinking about it. But back when i was a kid, it made the news when Judy Blume dealt with teenage sexuality directly. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-young-adult-literature-did-you-do-you-love/982237/89 "2023-04-07T19:35:50Z")
oh richard peck was another author that was big in HS in the 90s Now if you wanted my bridges into trash soap opera novels (jackie collins danielle steel and such) that I read as a teen … that started with norma klein and the sweet valley high series and a series about a group in college that I think started out with one writer but by the time it got to the senior year it was different writers for the book and there ended up being something like 50 or 06 of them the titles were based on the year of college they were in ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2023, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-young-adult-literature-did-you-do-you-love/982237/90 "2023-04-08T00:28:16Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > I recommend reading _Every Day_ for everybody. I read an excerpt and placed a hold at my library. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2023, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-young-adult-literature-did-you-do-you-love/982237/91 "2023-04-08T00:31:03Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > oh richard peck was another author that was big in HS in the 90s Yes! He wrote at least a couple of good ghost tales. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2023, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-young-adult-literature-did-you-do-you-love/982237/92 "2023-04-08T00:45:04Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > The first book I can remember reading was _ **I Married Adventure by Osa Johnson** _ I knew nothing about the Johnsons when I read the book…which I’ll admit I bought for the cover. It was a fascinating glimpse at a particular time period. And then I got to the end. Since I knew nothing, it was a big (and very sad) surprise. _Code Name: Verity_ is a YA book I read fairly recently and loved. You think something is happening a certain way, and then you get to the second half of the book, and nothing is as you thought. Heartbreaking. It was about young women who trained as pilots during WWII to do certain missions that were considered safer, so more men were freed for combat. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2023, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-young-adult-literature-did-you-do-you-love/982237/93 "2023-04-08T00:55:05Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > **The Westing Game** \<–I still tear up at the end. I’m a sap. Did you figure it out? I did, so I got to lord it over my sister who didn’t figure it out until the very end. Heh. I makes me cry, too. I didn’t think to mention books I actually read as a teen, but I devoured Madeline L’Engle’s books. I was too old for Judy Blume and S. E. Hinton, but I read _Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret_ and _The Outsiders_ as an adult. I think I was too old for the former, but I _loved_ the latter. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2023, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-young-adult-literature-did-you-do-you-love/982237/94 "2023-04-08T00:57:30Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > Did you figure it out? I did, so I got to lord it over my sister who didn’t figure it out until the very end. Heh. I makes me cry, too. No, and I only read it as an adult. I wasn’t deeply searching for the answer the whole time, but I definitely am not the type of person who can figure out mysteries very well. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2023, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-young-adult-literature-did-you-do-you-love/982237/95 "2023-04-08T01:03:18Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > _Code Name: Verity_ is a YA book I read fairly recently and loved. Oh my gosh, that was powerful. I don’t think I’ve got the strength to get through it again. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2023, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-young-adult-literature-did-you-do-you-love/982237/96 "2023-04-08T01:03:30Z")
> [@themapleleaf](#): > > Much of Beverly Cleary’s “Ramona” series (I read **“Ramona the Brave”** and / or **“Ramona Quimby: Age 8”** as late as when I was 15), as well as **“The Mouse and the Motorcycle”** and its sequel **“Ralph S. Mouse”**. Cleary’s writing was very relatable, as it told the stories very much from a child’s point of view. A great author. She was nearly 105 (less than a month away) when she died in 2021. > [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Oh my gosh, that was powerful. I don’t think I’ve got the strength to get through it again. Yeah. I’m getting the shivers just remembering it. I mentioned it in a book blog, and everyone who read it as an adult thought it was a great book period. She wrote a second book, and while it is good, it doesn’t have the same impact. > [@CairoCarol](#): > > One other plus: reading between the lines, George was gay! And that was just fine. Ha! For sure. I have one of the blue covered ones (_Sign of the Twisted Candles_) that I inherited from an aunt. I still remember Nancy’s “snappy little roadster” and Bess’s love of cinnamon toast. > [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I responded earlier with books I remembered reading as a kid, but for newer stuff, you can’t go wrong with any YA by [T. Kingfisher](https://www.amazon.com/stores/T-Kingfisher/author/B00LBKVU3E?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true). I haven’t read any of her YA stuff, but her horror stories are genuinely scary in a way most other horror stories are not for me. Love her. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2023, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-young-adult-literature-did-you-do-you-love/982237/97 "2023-04-08T01:19:03Z")
She’s another of the terrific newer argues I’ve recently discovered. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2023, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-young-adult-literature-did-you-do-you-love/982237/98 "2023-04-08T01:59:20Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > While the original books were, just as you say, “racist and ethnocentric” they were far ahead of their times in portraying young girls as intelligent, independent, and able to achieve almost anything - including earning the respect of everyone around them. That was a wonderful message to read as a young girl. Yeah, I’ve still got the original version of _The Hidden Staircase_ and _Secret of the Old Clock_ floating around somewhere. She was a sixteen year old girl, sometimes toting her Dad’s pistol (never used it though), hiding in moving trucks under the blankets, clambering through cobwebby long-forgotten tunnels in the dark. Standing toe to toe with corrupt police officers and bandits. Climbing trees to listen to conversations from open 2nd floor windows. And yeah, George was cool 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2023, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-young-adult-literature-did-you-do-you-love/982237/99 "2023-04-08T02:15:47Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > > [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > > > I responded earlier with books I remembered reading as a kid, but for newer stuff, you can’t go wrong with any YA by [T. Kingfisher](https://www.amazon.com/stores/T-Kingfisher/author/B00LBKVU3E?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true). > > I haven’t read any of her YA stuff, but her horror stories are genuinely scary in a way most other horror stories are not for me. Love her. So far, the only book of hers I’ve read is _The Hollow Places_, one of her horror stories. I loved it and thought it was genuinely scary, and I will be reading more of her work. (_The Hollow Places_ is not YA, but I imagine teen readers would enjoy and appreciate it.) ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2023, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-young-adult-literature-did-you-do-you-love/982237/100 "2023-04-08T02:18:21Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > So far, the only book of hers I’ve read is _The Hollow Places_, one of her horror stories. That’s the first one of hers I read. Loved it and wanted more. I was so happy the moose helped her! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-young-adult-literature-did-you-do-you-love/982237.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-young-adult-literature-did-you-do-you-love/982237.md?page=6)