suggested reading. get a grip, folks.

[ewein2412]

The question isn’t, “Is there any young adult fiction out there that doesn’t have romance in it?”

The question is, “Where the heck did the all that romance come from?”

Here is my suggested reading list – a taking off point - if you’re looking for something different. OH, WAIT. THIS IS ALL CLASSIC YA. What? Why? How? WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO MY YA???

This Star Shall Abide – Sylvia Engdahl http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/715920.This_Star_Shall_Abide
A Wizard of Earthsea – Ursula K LeGuin http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13642.A_Wizard_of_Earthsea
The House in Norham Gardens – Penelope Lively http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/688099.The_House_In_Norham_Gardens
Memory – Margaret Mahy http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47893.Memory
Jacob Have I Loved - Katherine Paterson http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/337058.Jacob_Have_I_Loved
Prove Yourself a Hero – K.M. Peyton http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4973399-prove-yourself-a-hero
Eagle of the Ninth – Rosemary Sutcliff http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/149405.The_Eagle_Of_The_Ninth

Oh, and if I do say so myself, The Winter Prince. Which, incidentally, is on sale in the foyer in e-book form as part of Open Road Media's "Back to School" promotion: http://www.openroadmedia.com/backtoschool?tab=featured-sale

(Sorry about them all being white female authors. I don't know how that happened - I was just scanning the shelves. I'm afraid it's still pretty common in the field (guilty as charged).)

Comments

[singersdd.livejournal.com]

I'd add A Girl of the Limberlost, by Gene Stratton Porter - a female Indiana author.

Classics are always good.

[ewein2412]

fantastically good suggestion. It's on a different shelf or I'd have included it myself!

[tiboribi.livejournal.com]

What about Narnia? There's no romance in Narnia, is there? And there's never romance in Edgar Eager or E Nesbit*, but they might not be YA.

*I have only read The Enchanted Castle and that was only because the characters in Half Magic loved it so much.

[ewein2412]

I was being very strict about what i counted as YA and didn't count narnia. (this is actually a different rant... the ghettoization of YA.)