YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

I am a high school teacher who writes novels on the side. I've always wanted to try my hand at novel writing, so I took about a year and really worked on creating something special.

My goal in writing my novel, LARP: The Battle for Verona, was to create an entertaining YA novel that also taught a lesson. As a teacher, I see lots of kids being bullied, or, they are treated poorly by their peers because of their interests. LARP addresses both of those issues without being preachy.

So, my question to everyone is...because YA novels are geared toward teens, is it important for there to be a lesson in the novel, or should the novels just be entertaining?

Personally, I prefer to find some sort of lesson/message in the books I read. I also prefer them to be entertaining because if the book isn't interesting to read, the message may not come across as strong.

Books that are just entertaining are not as memorable for me.

Agree with Kaitlin. I love when I can learn something from books I read. And I usually remember books that keep me thinking long after I finish it because it has something to think about, or even pick my interest to know more about it.

So yeah....I prefer an entertaining book that has something I can learn :)

I taught the Hunger Games a few years ago, and as I was teaching it, the thought occured to me that the novel really doesn't have a purpose, other than to entertain. Because of its popularity, I really think the author missed a chance to use her art for a bigger purpose.

I think part of the method in doing it is like teaching...the best teachers can teach a lesson without the kids knowing it. It's better to use examples, character behavior in this case, than to come out and state the important life lesson.

I think it is great for books to leave the reader thinking about something. Lessons can make a good book great. I think it is even better if the reader can infer the message, rather than being explicitly told what they should be thinking or feeling or like you said above the book being too preachy.

I always hate it when I read a book and don't get anything from it. If nothing else, I at least want to admire the writing.

I really like YA books that have a certain lesson in it, but how like other people have said, the books also have to be entertaining.

However, I have to disagree with you to an extent about the Hunger Games not having a lesson in it. Sure it doesn't have a lesson like "No Bullying", but I think the lesson in that book is that girls can be strong and independent, but it also shows that having good friends to lean on can help as well.

i think Katniss is physically capable, but she can't seem to make decisions in her personal life. that aspect of the novel made the book extremely predictable and boring.

i think it makes a book more meaningful, when there is a life lesson involved. kind of like food for thought.
i like it when a fantasy, dystopian, or paranormal writer takes themes from the real world and incorporates them into their work.

I really think that should be the main goal of fantasy (and all its sub divisions). The genre should use fantastic situations to subtlety share an important idea.

I don't like preachy books, but ones that convey a message in a subtle way are great. In YA, I really prefer books that address a real, existing problem (say, bullying, environmental issues, beauty standards...) to those with two-dimensional, flat out evil baddies.

I agree because sometimes authors go off on tangents on issues that are beyond the reach of the average reader. I can't bring about peace in Israel, but I can prevent bullying.

YA with a lesson is fine, but they don't have to. I think it's fine to read stories just for fun. Actually I get mad when a book comes out and the main character does something like fall in love for no reason, and everyone says, "this is just teaching teenagers to let boys walk all over them" or "Young girls will think that this is they way life for be." and so on. We are not stupid. We read for enjoyment sometimes, and know that some books are just to entertain.

I think that YA books, and books in general, to be great and memorable, should have a theme or address an issue. Books that are meant to be entertaining only are fine and I like to read them, especially when I need to unwind, but after I closed them, I can hardly even remember the main characters' names.
I don't agree with the Hunger Games not having a message, though. I thinks it's criticizing modern society (brutal entertainment system, most of the capitol citizens ignoring the problems of the districts and wasting foods while the people in the districts starve). I think it had the opposite problem: it relied way to heavily on its message and neglected the characters.

I do think YA books should have a lesson because we can learn from mistakes that other people make. Most of the YA books I read have a message you just have to dig deeper into the book. I do how ever disagree about the Hunger Games not having a lesson. It taught me that you should be luckily what you have because other people have less than you.

YA books should definitely have lessons! The book will be much more meaningful.

I think that is important, as least for me as a teacher, that the books we read make us learn lessons and help us to understand our world. But it is also important to have a balance: the books must be well writen and easy to read.

I think they do need life lessons. They draw in young readers by making characters around their age and the issues of their age group central to the plot and of the utmost importance. Therein lies the possibility to write in life lessons that will change those readers for the better, and also, bring societal issues to the readers' attention. It can't hurt to encourage YA readers to change the world or themselves for the better.

Sean wrote: "I think they do need life lessons. They draw in young readers by making characters around their age and the issues of their age group central to the plot and of the utmost importance. Therein lie..."

I like that very much!

Whenever I read a book, I always bring up things that happen even if it is a fictional book. I think having a moral to the story could be really great. However, I dont think that it should be too obvious and the reader is skipping pages and rolling their eyes over it. Subtle lessons.

I agree with what seems to be the general consensus: lessons are great but I don't want them to jump up and bite me on the nose. And I think teens have a pretty strong radar for that kind of thing. I know when I was a teen I wanted to be entertained. But I learned lessons through reading that are still with me.

That said, I don't think purely entertaining books are too be frowned upon. Great storytelling is always enjoyable.

Maria wrote: "I agree with what seems to be the general consensus: lessons are great but I don't want them to jump up and bite me on the nose. And I think teens have a pretty strong radar for that kind of thing..."
Agree... but the best books are both entertaining and thought provoking!

Greta wrote: "Maria wrote: "I agree with what seems to be the general consensus: lessons are great but I don't want them to jump up and bite me on the nose. And I think teens have a pretty strong radar for that..."

"thought provoking" I like that :)

Not really. I read for fun and I get more out of a book if it is based in reality somehow even if it's paranormal. I prefer if it had a base in science or history that is actually real and I can look it up and know about it. Life lessons tend to feel preachy and I don't like that. If I notice that I'm being "taught a lesson" then the author has missed the mark. If it's subtle enough, I think that would be fine.