I have just finished reading my first book in my quest for finding out the right writing approach for the age group I want to reach out to. The book, Feed, is a futuristic book, that in my opinion was absolutely thrilling. The author incorporated words, phrases, and other familiar things in a time period that is supposedly hundreds of years away. The book brought up political issues and problems that could very well happen in the future. Anderson focused a lot on issues that today's youth have, like relationships, peer pressure, and the desire of socializing.
When I was reading this book, I couldn't put it down. After I was done, I tried to figure out what it was that made me want to get to the last page. Anderson creates a very believable world that the youth of today can relate to. I think that is the biggest reason right there. Many youth enjoy books and stories that they can relate to. But the book also has to have some kind of new quirk to it. By Anderson setting his story in the future, its a new twist to old problems.
In his writing style, Anderson chose to write in short choppy chapters. This also helped the book to move along at a quick pace. Sometimes, I feel that when young adults look ahead in reading and see that there is a long chapter, they are less likely to read that chapter, or to get through the book as quickly. It looks kind of forboding. I might try this style and see if it fits into the story I would like to write.
After reading this book, I started thinking about what I would like to base my story on. I think I want to focus on development, still, and talk about being in middle school. Im picturing my character to be a girl who has developed faster than her peers, and the issues that that brings with it.
The next book I wish to read is the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. This has been a big hit among several age groups and I think it would be beneficial to see what the author has done that everyone loves.
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2 comments:
Sisterhood seems like a good choice. Have you ever read the old classic, Are you there God, it's me Margaret by Judy Blume? It's a classic of the genre you're looking at. There are also some good "girl" books by Katherine Patterson, as well as a whole genre of fantasy/scifi books about early adolescent girls. Of course, you must read Ursula LeGuinn.
Hey Katelyn I think the reason that kids like to read books like that is because they can relate to those books, but also I believe that it is because some of the issues that come up in the book are things these kids have never come across and they are new to them. They are informed by the book which interests them. I think when you are writing your book you should use some extreme events like a family death, or something that would teach the reader along with keeing interest. If not a family death maybe a pregnancy scare. But who knows use your imagination.
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