A Tribute to Vintage YA Fiction and More
I've read some wonderful books in 2012. The odd thing (at 63) is that most of them were written for Young Adults - for teens who are between 13 and 18 years old.
Good Books, I think, are just good books, no matter the age for whom they are written. (yeah, I know - sounds silly, doesn't it - that "no ending a sentence with a preposition" thing - I so hear my high school teacher's voice in my head. shiver.)
But this did make me think. What did I read when I was in my teens? My quick answer was that there was hardly a YA genre back then, so I progressed from the Betsy-Tacy books (Maude Hart Lovelace) and the Little House on the Prairie series (Laura Ingalls Wilder) to gothic mysteries and romances by Victoria Holt (oooh, Mystress of Mellyn), Madeline Brent (Moonraker's Bride), Barbara Michaels (House of Many Shadows), and Mary Stewart (The Ivy Tree). Courtney will tell you the same thing, that she went from books like Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh (Robert C. O'Brien) and The Wrinkle in Time series (Madeleine L'Engle) straight to mystery romances by Mary Higgins Clark. But as I traveled down Memory Lane, a few actual YA books from my teen years came to mind. Some of them came from the classroom order that my teacher made each month. I remember the Arrow Book Club, but I believe that was the Scholastic division for younger readers. It was probably TAB (teen-age books) by the time I was in the sixth grade in Mr. Ragsdale's room.
The Trixie Belden series. I still own these books - the earliest ones cost me 50 cents, and they are practically falling apart! I've read each one dozens of times. Trixie ages so by the time the series finishes, she is a teen and has a boyfriend (Jim!). I loved them all.
The 'boy' books by Troy Nesbitt . I didn't care that they were for boys. I loved them, especially The Diamond Cave Mystery. I had been to Carlsbad Caverns where the book is set, so it felt personal to me.
Fifteen by Beverly Cleary. The story of two teen girls, one of whom wore glasses. My best friend and I pretended we were those girls. I got to be the one who wore glasses!
High Trail by Vivian Breck. A classic favorite. I recently ordered a used copy of this book just so I could reread it. A teen girl goes to the mountains with her dad to trout fish. He slips and breaks his leg; she has to hike out for help. She decides to go up over the mountain to save time but gets caught in a snowstorm. No spoiler, but let me tell you ... there's a guy!
Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones by Ann Head. I first read this story when it was serialized in one of Mom's subscription magazines - they used to do that back then! It read as a dose of reality in the midst of my usual "happily ever after" romances. An unexpected teen pregnancy and hasty marriage - it almost hurt me to read it (I shed tears!). I recently reread it. Some emotions and some issues do not date, no matter when they're written.
Good Morning, My Heart by Mildred Lawrence. I own my original copy of this wonderful "coming of age" novel. It was always one of my favorites because I so identified with the main character, Jan Barnaby, with all her fears and insecurities. Happy Ending, folks!
Mildred Lawrence, Ann Head and Vivian Breck wrote other books, all out of print today (as far as I'm aware). As a teen-ager, I haunted the local library and probably read them all, but these three are the ones that struck my heart. These ladies are the forerunners of today's great YA authors. They foreshadow the YA genre that provides so much of my current reading pleasure. My hat is off to them!
And to Susane Colasanti, Deb Caletti, Sarah Dessen, Sarah Ochler, Dana Reinhardt, Jessi Kirby, Stephanie Perkins, Maureen Johnson, Katie McGarry, John Green, Ruta Sepetys, Sharon Cameron, Sara Zarr, Myra McEntire, C.J. Redwine, Rachel Hawkins, Kelly Creagh, Amy Plum, Bethany Griffin, Mike Mullins, Chris Crutcher, (I could go on and on) and ... oh, yes! my daughter, Courtney C. Stevens, whose YA novel, Faking Normal (Harper Collins), will release in early 2014. I'm only a tiny bit biased, but I believe it will become "one of those books" that strikes the heart.
And now, I'd better stop because there are SO many more great YA books and I hate that I've left out some names. Some that I've already read plus SO many more on my TBR list!
Reading is a daily "must" for avid readers, as necessary as breathing! I am one of those readers.
Reading is a daily "must" for avid readers, as necessary as breathing! I am one of those readers.
So, Thank You ~ for your words, your heart, your inspiration!
