YA is for EVERYONE!

I realized something the other day, which brought me to writing this rant/blog post. A thousand others have probably said it before and much better than me. But I was explaining to someone what I wrote. They seemed interested, right up until I got to the YA part. 

Their face did that “oh, you write that stuff” thing. 

Normally, I don’t care two farts what anyone thinks. Seriously. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinions. (even if its wrong, lol) but this isn’t the first time, and I guess something just sort of slipped. I thought about all the times I’ve gotten that response, and I just got irritated. I wouldn’t say angry – it would take a lot more than that to get my hackles really up – but it just stuck.

For the record, for every one person who does that, there are probably two more who think its amazing, but who will also look at me, lean in, and whisper, “you know, I read a lot of YA.” Like its something they should hide.

That just makes my irritation worse.

Books are books. I’ve been known to wander through the picture books (I mean, who doesn’t love Otis the tractor or Bad Cat?!) and the adult section in the same hour. If you love it, READ IT. YA novels are not lesser citizens just because they’re written for teens. Quite frankly, they are better than some of the adult novels I’ve read lately. There isn’t sex every other page, and the story lines are often more complex and more intriguing. That being said, don’t think I’m hating on adult books. I love them too. Heck, I cried through the end of Neil Gaiman’s THE GRAVEYARD BOOK. I can’t tell you the last time that happened to an adult novel. And that book is supposed to me upper MG/YA! 

So, if you like your YA novels, tell people. Read in the open. Stop worrying about what people will say. Its your book to read. Bug them. Hand them a recommendation. Convert them. Or don’t. But whatever you do, don’t let anyone make you feel bad for reading. 

There’s my two cents.