YA is
constantly changing and growing and developing, but there are always phases and
trends. These are some of the ones that have been leaping out at me lately.
Dead parents, particularly mums
They’re
EVERYWHERE. I don’t think I noticed it that much before, but now I can’t stop
noticing it. Sometimes it has a genuine place in the story and the characters,
but I’m seeing it more and more as a convenient plot device to get them out of
the way so the protagonist can get up to all sorts with no repercussions.
Blogging and social media
It’s a
sign of the times, ya know. Facebook, Twitter and blogs are starting to become
commonplace in YA now. They’re so ingrained in a teenager’s daily life that
excluding them could potentially cause accusations of a story or character
being unrealistic if they don’t use these platforms. I’ve especially noticed a
new focus on cyber bullying around these sites which I think is really
important, and I even read a series earlier in the year about a book blogger!
My only worry is that mentions of Twitter and Facebook and Tumblr may date
books in a few years, after all, a mention of MySpace or MSN and my mind jumps
back at least eight/ten years...
More contemporary
FINALLY,
my time has come! Dystopians and paranormals seem on the way out and gutsy,
real, contemps seem to be dominating the blogs and reading lists and all I can
say is AT LAST. Most of the books I’ve read, reviewed and been sent this year
has been YA contemporary novels and I’m so glad they’re getting the spotlight
at last. It’s my favourite branch of YA and they’ve always been overpowered by
the genre blockbusters. Basically, this point is just a YAY.
What have you noticed cropping
up more and more in YA? Anything blindingly obvious that I’ve missed?
Sophie
I've been noticing a wider range in NA books, not just contemporary romance types. There's more sci-fi- action, mystery and thriller genre books in that section of the market now, and I've also been seeing more and more lesser known books coming out and debut authors springing up. I think with the new editions of self-publishing and NetGalley, debut authors are doing brilliantly in the market, and with the newer, discounted stores coming in for the physical books, older, lesser known books are coming out and being adored. There the ones I've spotted :)
ReplyDeleteI've definitely noticed the social media and cyber bulling stuff, which like you said, is important part of teen's life at the moment.
ReplyDeleteThe thing I find most common in YA is either the MC just about at a new school, OR another character moving into the town and starting at the school. This seems to be the start of about 90% of YA books I read!
ReplyDelete*just about to start at a new school
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