An irritated Sally writes....

[annwfyn]

You know what I’d like in a Young Adult novel?

• A hero or heroine whose parents were actually totally normal people. Ideally one raised in the suburbs.


• An ‘ugly duckling’ heroine whose ugly duckling quality is not that she is skinny and waiflike. A heroine who angsts about being podgy would make my day.


• A quality which makes the hero or heroine extraordinary which is actually earned or chased after in some way, as opposed to being bestowed by the angels of snowflakeness.


• An ugly duckling heroine who is actually plain and doesn’t discover that she’s secretly beautiful underneath it all. But instead stays plain until the end of the book whilst still kicking arse.


• A positive depiction of teenage sex. Because wanting sex at the age of 16 is actually OK, and does not inevitably lead to death or pregnancy.


• A hero or heroine who gets scared about things. Ideally sometimes silly things. Infinite bravery is all well and good, but it gets a little tiring.


• A love interest who is also flawed, and exasperating, but has enough positive qualities to make the hero or heroine stay interested, instead of Pure and Perfect Love all the time.

I think I may work on this more later. For the rest of you who read YA fiction, what would you like? And what drives you insane when reading?

Comments

[crocodilewings.livejournal.com]

Not specifically about Young Adult fiction, but this list reminded me a little of How Not To Write A Novel (http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-NOT-Write-Novel-Published/dp/0141038543), which I would heartily recommend.

[badgersandjam.livejournal.com]

What about Tris from the Tamora Pierce books?

[kissmedeadly.livejournal.com]

I would have thought alot of the Tamora Pierce characters counted? Though maybe not on the plain front.

[chrisvenus]

I hate to break this to you but you are no longer the target audience for young adult novels. :)

[seph-hazard.livejournal.com]

And my main reaction to this is "hmm, I'll see what I can do..."

[ozisim.livejournal.com]

Pterry does good YA.
Tiffany is sensible, not breathtakingly beautiful after a makeover, and makes mistakes with actual consequences.

[dainul.livejournal.com]

... and quite distinctly doesn't end up with the love interest who's blatantly being set up in the first three books. But that's in part because he does tend to write meta-stories now, and even Tiffany sees him as the Obvious Love Interest rather than a serious contender for her future.

[oddnumbereven.livejournal.com]

Ever read Chris Crutcher?