Defending Mature Themes in Young Adult Literature

Corbett, Sue. "Blurred Lines: Books for Younger Teens Are Maturing." Publishers Weekly, 9 May 2016: 131-37. Inspire. Web. 2 Sept. 2016. [Available Through Inspire for Indiana Residents]
While many critics continue to complain about the dark nature/ harsh reality of current YA literature, Corbett defends YA literature and the authors, who make valid literary choices when they create narratives involving previously taboo topics. She vehemently argues that those teens struggling with suicidal thoughts, divorce, puberty and other challenges need an outlet for those emotions, or at least reassurance that they are not alone. Corbett agues there is no better way than a book to help teens navigate this rocky stage of their lives and having access to

Not only is the author recognizing the trend, but she is also making her strong opinion known that adults should feel ashamed for justifying reading novels intended for teenagers by claiming that they are more mature and “deep” than they used to be. In fact, she counters this claim by stating that the sappy, unrealistic nature of YA literature could not possibly be fulfilling an adult’s literacy needs. Slate magazine is a reputable source, with an online format, that is a publishing authority on matters such as current affairs, politics and culture in the United States. The author of the article, Ruth Graham, is a New-Hampshire based free-lance journalist, who frequently contributes to Slate magazine as well as other well-known entities such as the Atlantic and Wall Street Journal and is well-respected for her opinion pieces on American culture. This article is a useful addition to the bibliography, because it utilizes statistics to support arguments in favor of adult readership of YA

By pushing ourselves and one another to think more complexly about teenagers as readers and as characters are reinventing what it means to have a YA novel and who it is that is meant to read it. Green argues that the great strength of the YA genre is that thousands of diverse and broad themed novels are being published a year, and if it is censored and restricted, the literature world will pay the consequences. John Green award winning, best-selling American author, vlogger, writer, producer, actor and editor. He won the 2006 Printz Award for his debut novel, Looking for Alaska and his sixth novel, The Fault in Our Stars. His article is one of an interesting viewpoint for the bibliography because it is not setting out to argue on one side or the other from the debate in YA literature, but is rather written openly and honestly about where the YA genre is