It is hard enough when bookstores put the Young Adult novels near the children's book section, but getting judged by what you read is even worse—which is something that doesn't really make sense to me.
Reading almost anything stimulates your imagination. Sure, something that is YA Fiction might not be as difficult to read as something by Ernest Hemingway, but that doesn't mean the book won't teach you something. Most YA novels are written by adults, so why couldn't adults read these books? Let's not pass judgment on people who read YA novels, and instead, give them a try. Here are my top five, in alphabetical order by title, for everyone to read regardless of age.
1. "13 Reasons Why" by Jay Asher
Clay Jenson receives a package with no return address. Exciting, right? In the package is 13 tapes. Clay pops one in excitedly until he hears the voice come out of the stereo. It can't be Hannah Baker's voice. She killed herself. Hannah left messages to 13 different people explaining how their actions contributed to her suicide. How could Clay be on those tapes, though? He did nothing wrong. At least, he doesn't think he did.
2. "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys
Set in 1941, 15-year-old Lina is doing average teenage girl things; dating, hanging out with friends, and planning summer adventures. All that comes to a halt when Soviet police storm their house and deport Lina, her younger brother, and mother to a concentration camp in Siberia. The three of them have to stick together as a family. Art is one of the only things that help Lina stay somewhat sane while they begin to lose weight, go hungry, and try to look for reasons to live. Love isn't always enough.
3. "Eleanor and Park" by Rainbow Rowell
Eleanor is an over-weight red headed girl. She moves back in with her mom and mom's abusive boyfriend, Richie, who kicked her out before. Eleanor shares a room with all four of her siblings and bonds with them during the night when Richie yells and hits her mom. No one would ever want to be her friend, let alone boyfriend. That is, until she starts sitting on the bus with Park. They bond over comics and music, but will that be enough to keep them together, or will everything fall apart?
4. "The Giver" by Lois Lowry
Jonas lives in a world with no pain, fear, war, hatred, or love. At the ceremony, Jonas is given the assignment, one of the highest honors, of "Receiver of Memory." Jonas starts to spend time with The Giver, the old man who is the sole keeper of the entire community's memories. Jonas begins to discover the truth about his society and realizes he must escape—something that no one has ever done successfully.
5. "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien
Bilbo Baggins lives in the Shire with his fellow hobbits. One day, the wizard Gandalf arrives and convinces him to join dwarves on a quest to reclaim the Kingdom of Erebor. Bilbo encounters orcs, goblins, spiders, and even more dangers every step of the way. "The Hobbit" will bring you into another world and take you on an adventure with Bilbo and the rest of the group.
