tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post6374797493263364492..comments2024-03-20T02:49:17.606-07:00Comments on Between Fact and Fiction: Why I'm Proud That YA Is A Girl-Centric GenreNatalie Whipplehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09978251567306345129noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-35258137592574172732012-01-17T06:37:47.168-08:002012-01-17T06:37:47.168-08:00Nope, no flames here, either. I very much agree. S...Nope, no flames here, either. I very much agree. So very much of our historical literature centers on male characters. It's great to finally have female characters featured prominently - and consistently.Lily Catehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17732112345439595471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-65412688394400159932012-01-09T15:49:19.307-08:002012-01-09T15:49:19.307-08:00No flames from me!
My brother is actually writing...No flames from me!<br /><br />My brother is actually writing a boy centered YA book, getting it together.William Kendallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00331324250821836822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-74534201796590491932012-01-06T21:13:09.125-08:002012-01-06T21:13:09.125-08:00You know, I've heard a lot of people say thing...You know, I've heard a lot of people say things like this. I'm really glad, too, don't get me wrong-- but I never had trouble finding LOTS of things to read that tickled my fancy (I was born in 1984, so it sounds like we're about the same age). Tamora Pierce was a huge one, and Robin McKinley, but also Anne McCaffrey (her Harper Hall Trilogy are basically YA), Madeleine L'Engle, Tanith Lee, Francesca Lia Block... Patrice Kindl is lesser known, but has some great ones; same with Clare Bell. Philip Pullman, despite his presumed Y chromosome, writes wonderful heroines (he taught at a girls' school for a number of years), as does Garth Nix (Sabriel!) and Avi (oh, Charlotte Doyle...). And there were non-fantasy ones, like Julie of the Wolves, and authors who blurred the line like Zilpha Keatley Snyder (always a favorite of mine!). There were lots of others, too, whose names I can't remember. So... were these just not ones that did it for you? I'm only curious!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04739546442661093275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-86605779031781991682012-01-06T18:02:11.718-08:002012-01-06T18:02:11.718-08:00As a teen boy who liked to read, my selection was ...As a teen boy who liked to read, my selection was pretty horrible. I found myself trying to read adult-difficulty sci-fi/fantasy (which admittedly was too difficult for me) because the MG just felt really kiddie and "dumbed down" with inconsistent plot lines, silliness etc. I like that YA is usually quite good at not doing that, and for all I know MG boy has improved past the issues I had 20 years ago.Nickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10126561808521998532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-29532895573225964002012-01-06T11:53:39.866-08:002012-01-06T11:53:39.866-08:00I never thought about it that way. There wasn'...I never thought about it that way. There wasn't a "YA" when I was that age either. My friends graduated to Loveswept and Mills & Boon, I ended up in these gritty, urban stories, about black chicks in the inner city. <br /><br />Maybe that's why so many grown women read YA. We didn't have it to read back then.Claire Dawnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-9192792036071230702012-01-06T08:40:25.073-08:002012-01-06T08:40:25.073-08:00Yes! It seems as though we went through similar st...Yes! It seems as though we went through similar struggles as young readers. I had all but stopped reading by the time I graduated from high school. Now my shelves are once again full and my poor husband has banned me from going to the bookstore by myself.Erinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06840940793528155126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-51468553176648800342012-01-06T01:28:03.758-08:002012-01-06T01:28:03.758-08:00YES YES YES!!!!! A thousand times yes!!!
I gener...YES YES YES!!!!! A thousand times yes!!!<br /><br />I generally keep my mouth shut about all things unPC, even if they offend me, but I'm not afraid to say this one out loud - the boys get EVERYTHING in the world, can we just have our one thing please?!? <br /><br />You said it girl.Sophia Changhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10946233873722107937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-6446071404186222092012-01-04T19:54:06.038-08:002012-01-04T19:54:06.038-08:00If you haven't stumbled across them yet, I rec...If you haven't stumbled across them yet, I recommend the Circle books by Tamora Pierce along with her "Song of the Lioness", "Immortals", and "Protector of the Small" quartets. <br /><br />All of them have strong female characters(the Circle books has one main male character too), and clean stories without a lot of "adult stuff". They are some of my favorite books and will always have a place on my shelf.<br /><br />Also, "Ella Enchanted"....ok, I think I'm done now :DHannah Hounshellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07532704190227652913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-16591957522628382502012-01-04T09:25:46.684-08:002012-01-04T09:25:46.684-08:00I wasn't a picky reader at all, so I didn'...I wasn't a picky reader at all, so I didn't figure out why Robert Jordan's WoT series depressed me so much until I was nine books in (I'd graduated college by then). I gave up on the series and started looking for books with female protagonists. That's how I rediscovered YA. I LOVE that it's chock-full of female POVs, and I want more of that in adult fiction of ALL genres.Iliadfanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09493266923216940390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-77767264154939243542012-01-04T07:14:06.211-08:002012-01-04T07:14:06.211-08:00Great post!!!! This is why I write YA novels too!
...Great post!!!! This is why I write YA novels too!<br />CKHB, you crack me up!LinWashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13041832821260168483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-56627430420920779682012-01-04T07:05:30.061-08:002012-01-04T07:05:30.061-08:00I never thought much about this until I read your ...I never thought much about this until I read your post. Probably because I always had a tendency to shift from one series to another and only rarely read books that were stand-alone.<br /><br />I've always been a picky reader, but my childhood interests were already limited enough (no animals, no me) that it didn't bother me how little selection there was for girls. Buuut, I was also quite happy with the Goosebumps series ;-p<br /><br />I was more attached to "Baby-Sitters Little Sister" than the original series itself, though even that stretched the boundaries of my mind. I mostly stuck with Pony Pals and Animorphs until Harry Potter came around, aside from the few classics I gobbled (Black Beauty, White Fang, Call of the Wild... see the theme? xD)<br /><br />I'm willing to wager this is one of the reasons I'm so attached to YA now. The selection is better, and often times it seems the stories are more enjoyable than the stuff found in adult fiction.<br /><br />'course, it's also possible I just don't want to grow up!<br /><br />Thanks Natalie!<br />~zaeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-51701072776181232832012-01-03T21:25:35.990-08:002012-01-03T21:25:35.990-08:00I liked Babysitter's Club and Sweet Valley Twi...I liked Babysitter's Club and Sweet Valley Twins when I was in grade school. But like you, I wanted more young adult books for girls like me when I became a teenager, and there just weren't enough of them; at least, there weren't enough of them that I could relate to and that I liked. There were books about girls from different time periods, but I was always looking for more books about girls from contemporary time periods, because they were easier to understand.Neurotic Workaholichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06775298184138766683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-3602241324413730402012-01-03T19:49:45.014-08:002012-01-03T19:49:45.014-08:00Great post, great discussion. I've heard a lo...Great post, great discussion. I've heard a lot of talk at conferences from agents about the lack of books that appeal to boys, and about how girls will read boys books but not the other way around (reminds of the way Hollywood thinks, too). I, too, laughed a bit at the Harry Potter comment, as I had a 9 year old son, I think, when it came out. <br /><br />I remember falling absolutely in love with ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS when I was in MG, and also devouring everything by an author named Sally Watson, who wrote historical fiction about stubborn, independent-minded, adventurous girl characters. My best friend and I fell in love with her books.Cynthia J. McGeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00117497921942534828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-70679050118861093602012-01-03T19:49:26.898-08:002012-01-03T19:49:26.898-08:00I agree. I went from sweet valley high mysteries t...I agree. I went from sweet valley high mysteries to Stephen King. Not a lot of wiggle room in between when I was in school. I did read Outlander WAY too young though. Totally had no clue what was going on in some bedroom scenes!BBChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13750774359232145507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-10857730617318835212012-01-03T17:01:07.507-08:002012-01-03T17:01:07.507-08:00One one hand, I find the commentary about "to...One one hand, I find the commentary about "too many girl books" to be really funny and not in a funny ha-ha way. I've actually argued, like in person, about this very topic. I pointed out that it's a market. YA is allowed to be a market for girls. That's a good thing. Like for everybody.<br /><br />And think it through. Books girls like to read. BOOKS. READ. GET IT THEY ARE READING BOOKS?!<br /><br />On the other hand, as a parent of BOYS, I am sick and tired of hearing the trite and incorrect "boys don't read." No, it's "boy's don't read what you're selling." I've seen much commentary about this with dubious, and sometimes duplicitous, "research."<br /><br />The sparks fly when these two misconceptions interact with each other. It's like a convergence zone of sucky rationalization.Lucas Darrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01405530729663443670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-64369101047148075672012-01-03T16:07:24.122-08:002012-01-03T16:07:24.122-08:00I can totally relate Roni! I loved fantasy and tha...I can totally relate Roni! I loved fantasy and thankfully in high school I was introduced to Tolkien and Eddings, but after that I had to just wait it out. I am glad girls have many choices today and I am even more glad that strong female MC's are being created.Bonniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01265154793887852606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-56363360383224558212012-01-03T15:58:47.531-08:002012-01-03T15:58:47.531-08:00Preaching to the freaking choir ;)Preaching to the freaking choir ;)Natascha De Marcohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13518786455521515538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-114259188127641482012-01-03T15:53:22.751-08:002012-01-03T15:53:22.751-08:00Fuck yeah. Can I say that? And if the boys are coo...Fuck yeah. Can I say that? And if the boys are cool enough, then they can handle reading a book with a girl as a protagonist, just as girls are comfortable reading books with boy protagonists.Julie Hhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02958657470974321708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-61127006838190054722012-01-03T15:20:06.568-08:002012-01-03T15:20:06.568-08:00TRUTH.TRUTH.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-12979571373506800872012-01-03T14:25:14.384-08:002012-01-03T14:25:14.384-08:00THIS. I just realised this is probably why I spend...THIS. I just realised this is probably why I spend 99% of my free time reading YA. I read Babysitter's Club and Nancy Drew, but you're so right that there were very few other options out there. Also probably why my favorite authors from that period were L.M. Montgomery and Louisa May Alcott. Now there's such a wide variety of options that it makes me giddy sometimes!Rebecca T.https://www.blogger.com/profile/11994380364321336824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-63183865612568073782012-01-03T14:04:22.982-08:002012-01-03T14:04:22.982-08:00Awesome post! I've thought and read a lot abou...Awesome post! I've thought and read a lot about this topic, but too often the jumping off point for discussion is an assumption that girl-centric YA is a bad thing. LOVE the perspective that it's not. Maybe we need to re-think how we talk about this topic and wonder why the assumption that girl-centric anything is a negative!Gillyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16904644361157158234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-48093891098909298962012-01-03T13:00:11.035-08:002012-01-03T13:00:11.035-08:00Preach sister!Preach sister!Tina Mosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09892617933410379929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-53022338620876084872012-01-03T12:56:51.369-08:002012-01-03T12:56:51.369-08:00As a library worker who struggles to find books fo...As a library worker who struggles to find books for upper elementary girls, I will absolutely agree that MG is skewed toward boys. When you combine that with the fact that girls often read above grade level, you end up wondering what to give this 8 year old girl who isn't interested in books with boys and is too young for most of YA.Nancy Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00209727822644631003noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-89239381695136099312012-01-03T12:34:18.868-08:002012-01-03T12:34:18.868-08:00Well said! YA fantasy fills such an important pla...Well said! YA fantasy fills such an important place: I usually prefer it to adult fantasy after my few failed attempts into the world of Robert Jordan and the like (even though there are strong female characters in some adult fantasy, they are still sidelined more often than not). Huzzah for girls with spunk who are worth reading about at any age!Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09001769778532780218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5774363178370829558.post-20567436020330739022012-01-03T12:31:48.907-08:002012-01-03T12:31:48.907-08:00I completely agree. I simply find it difficult to ...I completely agree. I simply find it difficult to worry about a lack of "boy books" in YA, when literature on the whole has catered to men and boys pretty much forever. Frankly, it seems to me that the majority of people bothered by the lack of male-centric YA are the people who want to write it, not those who might wish to read it. There's less of a market for male-centric YA, and I think that's okay.Clairehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07245238290899367307noreply@blogger.com