What is young adult fiction?
Young adult fiction is fiction that generally has adolescents and teens as protagonists dealing with the issues facing youths today; with many being “coming of age” stories. Young Adult fiction is targeted to adolescents age 12-18.
The main distinction between Juvenile Fiction (chapter books for children ages 6-11) and Young Adult Fiction is the challenges the protagonists face. In Juvenile Fiction, protagonists face issues which confront elementary school aged children such as friendship, peer pressure, school and the occasional problems at home. In Young Adult fiction, the protagonists face more complex problems including substance abuse, peer pressure, relationships, sexuality and bereavement. Also, young adult fiction often includes graphic language. In the Cavendish Fletcher Community Library, both Manga (Japanese comic books) and Graphic Novels (hardbound comic books) which include violence, language and some nudity, may be found in this section.
Why is this in the library? Not only is the Cavendish Fletcher Community library a school library, it is a town library. As such we have a responsibility to serve the needs of all patrons, including young adults with as much quality reading materials as possible. Young Adult fiction can be quality reading materials.
Can my child check this stuff out? At this time we actively discourage children under grade 6 from checking out the books. If a young child is adamant about checking out an item from this section, we request a parent phone call or note before allowing the materials to go out.