Summer is a big time for reading for pleasure. Hopefully your kids feel the same. The mantra of teachers everywhere is that it doesn’t really matter what a child is reading for fun as long as they’re reading. It helps during the school year and it certainly fights off the summer brain drain. Graphic novels, trashy romance, courtroom thrillers, or spy stories are all fair game. Just make sure to preview first, if not for content then for what teachers call “Lexile”, or the level of challenge in reading the book.
That being said, teenagers tend to stick to what they know, which is young adult fiction. There are now two divergent (see what I did there?) schools of YA. One is the vampire/dragon/dystopian kind of books that are frequently made into movies.
Then there are the young adult books that might as well be literary fiction for adults. The only reason they are considered YA is that the characters are teenagers. They deal with sex, violence, death, loss, betrayal, and all sorts of issues that you’ll see in any other adult book you can find on the shelves.
That being said, the subject matter is graphic and sometimes considered inappropriate by some parents and teachers. Of course, the best way to get a kid reading is to tell them how inappropriate it is. If you think your kid might be susceptible to that trap, here are three selections that will certainly fit the mold.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
You can’t escape the #1 movie in America and the book it’s based on, which is firmly entrenched on bestseller lists even though it’s two years old. The story is about two “cancer kids” who meet in a support group and fall in love. The kids, Hazel and Gus, are sarcastic, blunt, and occasionally vulgar. For your information, they also have sex once. If you can put all that aside, it’s really a remarkable book—for both kids and adults.
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Eleanor & Park are two social outcasts in the 80’s. Eleanor is from a broken home and poor. Park is Korean-American and exists just on the border of popular and not because of it. They bond over late 70’s and 80’s rock music while sitting together on the bus.
The language is quite pervasive and the themes dealing with Eleanor’s relationship to her abusive, alcoholic stepfather are mature, but moving. There is also a sex scene. But again, if you can get past those caveats, it’s a great book.
Although almost five years old, If I Stay is getting traction again because its movie is being released in August.
Cello prodigy Mia is in a serious car accident that puts her in a coma. During the coma, she has an out-of-body experience where she relives pieces of her life and can see her friends, family, and boyfriend visit her in the hospital. Eventually she has to decide whether to come back to the land of the living or fade away. Sex, profanity, and underage drinking all make moderate to heavy appearances and the car accident is described in graphic, violent detail.