As a twenty-one year old junior in college, I still go to the store the day a new Percy Jackson book comes out. Yes, Percy Jackson, as in the sixth grade reading level series. I even have a countdown on my phone for the next book's release date. I know, it's pretty lame to admit. I used to be embarrassed to own up to the fact that I still read the same books as thirteen year olds, but I'm here to tell you why young adult novels are the best books in existence.
1. Innocence
There’s something completely wonderful about reading a story about a kid and their ridiculous adventure to save the world. Young adult novels take their reader to a nostalgic place of innocence where their only worry is what is going to happen to the character in the next chapter. For a moment, when you’re totally engrossed in a book, you don’t have to worry about your crippling anxiety, term paper, or un-filed taxes.
2. Light Reading
If you’ve ever opened a young adult novel, at first it’s kind of hilarious how large the font is. Seriously, go open one of your Harry Potter books right now. The font is so much larger than you thought it was in fourth grade. But this is one of the great things about young adult books. You don’t have to strain your eyes trying to read the small print of a classic novel, nor do you have to Google every other gigantic word you come across. Young adult novels allow you to relax and enjoy the story for itself.
3. Exciting Storylines
Who doesn’t love a stereotypical heroic archetype? Just about every young adult novel follows the heroic quest motif that we all learned about in our 10th grade literature class. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this because NOBODY dislikes this theme. Star Wars, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and so many more stories we love follow the same plot structure and have your basic character archetypes. However, each have their own twists and surprises which make them unique and fun to read. You’ll never be bored reading a Young Adult novel despite the genre's blanket story design.
So, if you’ve neglected the Young Adult section of the bookstore since middle school, I strongly recommend that you march over there and choose a story. There’s nothing better than to be whisked away from the stresses of college and life when you need it most. I promise you a young adult novel can give you just that.
