Should Adults Read Young Adult Fiction?

I’ve been pondering this question for a while now, watching as each year passes and I’m pushed further and further out of the suggested age range. Every time I read a young adult book that makes me cringe too much or reminds me that I’m getting too old to relate, it comes back to me as I struggle to rate it. Is there a point in passing judgement on a book that was not written for me? Should adults be reading young adult fiction, anyway?

There are several reasons some may suggest I’m wasting my time reading young adult fiction, and others who would sing its praises and urge me to keep going. I feel as though I side with both arguments on different occasions, and in this post, I want to explain why I think I’ll find it hard to turn away from the young adult genre.

What is classed as Young Adult fiction?

Young Adult (YA) fiction is any fiction written for children aged twelve to eighteen years old. The term was first used regularly in the 1960s and it has evolved greatly since then, only growing in popularity. The protagonist is most often in the age range of the target readers, and the plot usually encompasses a coming-of-age story regardless of whether it fits into contemporary, fantasy, sci-fi, or romance genres. It covers a lot of themes, light-hearted or otherwise and is a great introduction to reading outside of books you are assigned for young people.

Some notable examples of well-known YA fiction are The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, and Northern Lights by Phillip Pullman.

Why Should Adults Read Young Adult Fiction?

Since they’re designed for a younger audience, young adult books tend to take almost any theme and make it more palatable to read about. While tragic books exist in the YA space, they are usually part of a coming-of-age tale, injecting some hope and learning into the story, which can be far more enjoyable than the darker approach adult books often explore. They also tend to have fast pacing, which keeps the story more exciting as it attempts to keep younger readers (and older ones) engaged.

As they embrace the more tolerant emerging generations, young adult books also tend to tackle more diverse or experimental issues. It’s a lot easier to find a positive, popular, queer young adult book than it is to find its adult equivalent. While these kinds of books may occasionally lack depth, most writers understand young adults are intelligent enough to read at a level that will also resonate with adults. I think this is best illustrated by the number of YA books that are adapted into films and TV series and advertised as suitable for a wide range of age groups.

Finally, one of the reasons I read young adult fiction is because it’s a genre I’m interested in writing in. The best way for me to research the kind of books young adults read and how to appropriately write in a way they can relate to is to read them myself. This is not the only reason I read them, because I read them for my enjoyment too, but it’s one of the reasons I will probably keep reading young adult books even as I relate to them less and less.

When it comes to what kind of books you read, a good story is a good story regardless of what genre it falls into, regardless of your age when you read it. Of course, you may not be able to identify with the characters when they lament their mountain of homework or struggle to find something to do with their seemingly endless school holidays, but humans have many of the same struggles regardless of their age. Young adult fiction can speak to the part of you that is still finding itself, to the uncertainty lingering from your teenage years, and to the constant feeling of confusion and fear that tends to follow you into adulthood.

I’m an advocate for reading what you like, for sinking your time into the things that entertain you or bring you joy. How critically acclaimed a book is, whether it was written for your age range, and how popular it is should not matter when you are looking for the next book you would like to read. The story is what matters most. Some of them are going to resonate, and others aren’t. You can’t dismiss a whole genre because a few books aren’t for you, nor because they aren’t marketed towards you. Instead, you should appreciate what you can, let go of what you can’t and enjoy reading whatever you want because you’re an adult now, and no one can stop you!

Do you think adults should read YA?