Y.A. is not just for kids anymore.
In 2011, the Young Adult category of books became a fast-growing genre in the literary world, with top selling teen books showing cross-over appeal for adult audiences.
The Hunger Games trilogy sold 23 million copies, and remained on USA Today’s bestselling book list for an astounding 135 weeks. Now, with the trilogy completed and no more books to come, many avid teen and adult fans are left wondering what to read next.
For these fans, Patch asked Dan Potash, vice president and creative director in the children's division at Simon & Schuster, where to find the next great YA books.
“One of our most popular teen series with cross-over appeal is Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instrument series,” he said.
Clare’s urban fantasy is a six-book series about a secret society of "Shadowhunters" (part-human and part-angel beings) who are called to fight earth-dwelling demons. The highly anticipated 5th book, City of Lost Souls will be released on May 8.
“I’m not supposed to reveal anything about the City of Lost Souls, but I will give you this tiny sneak peek using four words: Love, blood, betrayal and revenge,” Potash said.
He hinted that readers might be surprised by the books' cover.
“This is the hottest cover yet. Readers should wear fire-retardant gloves if they touch the cover," he joked.
But if Cassandra Clare’s world of earthly angels does not appeal, than Potash suggested checking out Simon & Schuster’s “Top 10 in Teen” list (list below).
“Many of our YA books have an elevated level of sophistication and quality to the writing compared to five to ten years ago. I think that’s why we see so many more adults reading these YA books,” he said.
Of course more sophisticated plots also require parents to stay involved so they know what their kids are reading. Toward that end, Potash said, “Any parent who is concerned that a particular book might be too sophisticated for their child should check the publisher’s website for age recommendations or pre-read the book themselves.”
Simon & Schuster’s Top 10 in Teen
1) The Summer I Turned Pretty (By Jenny Han)
2) Clockwork Prince (By Cassandra Clare)
3) Where It Began (Ann Redisch Stampler)
4) Fever (Lauren De Stefano)
5) Where Things Come Back (John Corey Whaley)
6) Hush, Hush (Becca Fitzpatrick)
7) Dead to You (Lisa McMann)
8) The Summer of Firsts and Lasts (Terra Elan McVoy)
9) Cracked (K.M. Walton)
10) Shift (Jeri Smith-Ready)
Did we miss a great YA novel? Let us know what you read to help you get over your Hunger Games blues.
