If you’ve been to the bookstore lately, here is a scene you may have come across. While browsing for the latest bestseller with your latte in hand, you look up to see a grown woman sprawled out on the floor with piles of books around her, blocking the way through the “Teen” section with a double stroller. You walk over to take a closer look at the crazy lady and realize, “Hey! I know her!” Yeah. It’s me.

While I read a wide range of books (mysteries, thrillers, literary, chick-lit, romance, fantasy, paranormal, and lots more), I love YA like I love chocolate (that’s A LOT), so I felt the need to stand up for my fellow writers whose genre has been the recipient of some bad press lately (read, bullsh*t).

For those who scoff at my choice of reading material, I’d like to point out to you that while it may be literature written for people of smaller stature and cup size, it is, in fact, still literature. It’s not literature “dumbed-down.” Stories don’t lose credibility just because they’re about or told by someone who hasn‘t finished going through puberty. Just ask E.B. White, Louis Lowery, or C.S. Lewis.

I think the appeal for YA books is obvious. If a kid picks up a book and the first 50 pages are boring as hell, the kid is not going to keep reading. YA books HAVE to be engaging. They must have a compelling story, well developed and lovable characters, lots of attention to narrative, and a sense of wonder. The result is that they have that delicious can’t-put-it-down thing going on.The quality is in no way affected by the fact that they’re aimed at a younger audience.

It takes a special talent to be able to write for younger audiences. A recent article I read (that shall not be named) implied that writing YA was a step down from writing for adults. I would argue the other way around. And tell them to suck it.

Apologies to those of you who’ve heard me make this rant before.