Young adult books aim to interest all readers

    Cheesy? Maybe. Realistic? Rarely. But, good books for anyone? Definitely.

Young adult (YA) books, though they target teenagers, are still perfectly good books for readers of any age. The category “young adult” should not be considered a restrictive label.

    Authors try to write books that are universally appealing, even if they have a target audience in mind. After all, the more books they sell, the more successful they will be.

    YA books often involve predictable themes associated with teenagers, such as forbidden romance or escaping a hometown. Even so, these books often portray universally relatable topics including depression, love, suicide and bullying, which can relate to adults and children as well.

    In the novel “The Fault in our Stars” written by John Green, topics such as cancer and love are touched upon throughout the popular book. Three of the characters, Hazel, Augustus and Isaac all have some sort of disease, including oxygen deprivation and blindness. Hazel and Augustus also fall in love during their time together.

Both topics, illness and romance, are ideas that people can relate to. The topics are not trying to attract just one age group.

People read books because the storylines appeal to them, not because they are directed to an age category and are told to choose only from there.

Adults are also constantly trying to understand and relate to what their children are going through. By reading YA books, parents can gain more information on topics that teenagers might be dealing with.

An article against adults reading young adult books on the Slate Book Review states that people can read whatever they wish, but that “adults should feel embarrassed when what [they are] reading was written for children.”

However, that should not be the case. There is no need to feel embarrassed when reading a YA book. Many of these books focus on mature topics. The author of the article even admitted that YA books are now “more sophisticated than ever.” Thus, these novels can actually attract all ages of readers and the embarrassment of holding up a stereotypical teenage novel should disappear.

    If a YA book seems to lack basic story structure with characters and a plot, then it is probably just a poorly written book. Reading a novel that does not explicitly develop a storyline or character personalities should not be a reason to disregard all YA books; it is only one book and there are hundreds of other YA books.  

Furthermore, reading is beneficial no matter what one is reading. According to a recent ABC News article, research has shown that reading requires your brain to use multiple different regions simultaneously, which can help improve the connection between brain circuits. Other research shows that reading also helps relieve stress. Ultimately, reading benefits both the brain and the body, so it should not matter what type of book someone is reading.

In the end, books are books. They should not be pigeonholed as reading material for a particular age group. If a book includes captivating, engrossing details and characters alongside an exciting storyline, people should not be ashamed to read it, even if it is labeled “young adult.”