First, big yay that Karen is writing more on our blog. It’s great to hear what she’s been reading. And it makes me feel less guilty that all those rep meetings have prevented me from posting more regularly.
One thing I’ve been thinking about a lot this buying season is our teen reader section, what a lot of stores call “young adult”. Traditionally, these are the books intended for ages 12 & up. But the last few years, we’ve seen a lot more books labeled 14 & up. A publisher going with the 14 & up generally means that the content is considered racy, whether it’s sex, drugs, alcohol, or just really tough topics. Basically, once you get to a certain age, the reading level doesn’t really go up, it’s just the appropriateness of the contents.
Adults deal with the young adult section in different ways. Some figure that anything there must be “safe” for any 12 year old. They send their kids there and don’t bother paying attention to what book is chosen. Some are aware that there are racy books in there, and ask lots of questions of the staff. Then there are always the proud mamas who announce that they are shopping for a 10 year old who reads at a college level (The horrible voice in my head always wants to respond to that, well, then, Lolita is the book for her! That voice is silenced.)
This buying season I’ve been confronted with 3 books in particular that force me to examine what a young adult section really means. One book was a pretty good read. Page-turning, adventure, fantasy. And something I would never give my 14 year old niece. (Page 9: “Kaitlyn says that if a girl doesn’t put out, she should at least give the guy…” you get the gist). Another book was hilarious. Laugh-out-loud snort-your-coffee hilarious. And if our conservative grannies even saw the title in the young adult section, they’d get angry at me.
I know that the 14 year olds are exposed to a lot of stuff these days. Heck, I remember the books I got my hands on when I was 14. And like most indie book people, I think censorship is the worst 4-letter word there is. But I can’t afford to lose the trust of customers who believe that shopping in my young adult section means that they would be happy giving these books to their twelve year olds.
So what do I do? Do I shelve these books in the adult section and most likely kill their sales because they get lost among the crowd and not seen by their best audience (IMO 16-18 year olds)? Do I create a new section for “older teens”– basically a blinking neon light that says “there’s sex in these books, so you should hide behind the magazine rack and giggle with your friends about them”? I don’t know the answer. But if the trends of the last few years continue, this question will only show up more often.
I can say this to adults who are concerned about the content of their kids’ reading material:
1. Talk to them about it. Better yet, read what they are reading and if there’s stuff in there you don’t like, tell them why you don’t like it. Kids are smart and perceptive and they like to be treated that way, as we all do.
2. Get to know the staff at your local independent bookstore. There’s always at least one bookseller obsessed with kid books, and they will be more than happy to tell you what’s in all these books on their shelves and help you choose books that are right for both you and your children.
Any booksellers out there with thoughts on this? Any grand solutions that make everyone happy?
I don’t have an answer or opinion on where to put those books, except to say that at that age and interest, I was cruising the adult section of the library, reading ‘The Cheerleader’ and Harold Robbins.
However, I must say, as the mother of an infant who reads a post-graduate level (tee hee), that I *so* value booksellers who can help me navigate the reading level/content mess. My 9 year old came home with a summer reading list assigned by reading level. That one level encompassed things from Shiloh to House on Mango Street and Diary of Anne Frank. It was a major exercise to find the books that matched content appropriateness and child’s interest. I am at the point now where I won’t by a book for my 7 year old without talking to a real live, human bookseller. She can read lots of books, but I don’t necessarily think that the content is appropriate.
So thank you, for what you do. You are necessary.
I am rather in favor of you separating the section out one more time into “older teen” titles. At least that will clue parents in to the idea that some young adult titles do contain…uh…advanced material. For anyone over the age of 30 the whole idea of a young adult genre is new and I think there is a misconception that they are a gentle stepping stone between young readers’ titles and adult titles. In the absence of a bookseller to help parents in the decision-making process, breaking out the titles into one more sub-category as you suggested sounds very useful.
And not to toot my own mother’s horn, but she recently admitted to me that when I was little she read every single book she purchased for me before she gave it to me to prevent any surprises. Of course, that didn’t stop me from reading her Stephen King books on the sly when I was 11…tsk tsk! Sorry Mom!
Amy