Why I love YA

My gut reaction to the question of why do I love YA is "what's not to love?".

But when I give it a bit more thought I realize that the one thing that all YA books have in common is the thread of possibility. As a teen, there are so many different paths your life can take. In YA anything can, and often does, happen.

The other aspect of YA that makes it so accessible is that we've all been there. I've never been a CIA agent, ER doctor, or any number of things that occupy the time of adult novel characters. But everyone over the age of 12 knows what it's like to be a teen.

And even if you were miss popularity, prom queen and the quarterback's girlfriend (which I was not) you know what insecurity feels like. And you may have been the kid that ate lunch in the bathroom, but you know what it's like to have a sense that there is something bigger out there waiting for you. It doesn't matter what the details of your own teen years were. We can all relate to the ever changing and often times overwhelming emotions that drive so much of the teen experience.

Reading YA lets me go back to a time when life was simpler, but my problems didn't feel any less life altering. And now that I'm an adult (that's why my driver's license says), I can appreciate how much impact perspective has on dealing with the trial of my own daily life.

If you love YA then you need to check out the massive book giveaway going on right now on Beth Revis's blog. Check our her site for details on how you can win a library of 50 signed YA novels!