Comments on: Musings

By: Anthony Eaton and YA (again) | CMIS Evaluation Fiction Focus

Anthony Eaton and YA (again) | CMIS Evaluation Fiction Focus — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:16:00 +0000

[...] this? It’s where we pondered on the nature of YA in the context of Into White [...]

By: More about that YA stuff | CMIS Evaluation Fiction Focus

More about that YA stuff | CMIS Evaluation Fiction Focus — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 01:50:35 +0000

[...] so long ago, we were musing about what defines a YA novel in the context of Anthony Eaton’s fine novel Into White [...]

By: judij

judij — Fri, 29 May 2009 00:26:23 +0000

Thanks, Mia, for your comment. There is nothing in the content of IWS that would ‘trouble’ a YA reader (there is some violence) but my query is about the nature of YA and what marks this particular title as being a YA title, as the subject matter and age of the protagonists do not fit any YA ‘convention’ – there is no coming of age, there is no hopeful ending (but nor is it bleak because we know Downes’s fate almost from the beginning, just not how or why). As I said, it’s a good read that would suit anybody and on this occasion, plonking a YA label on it seems quite arbitrary.

By: Mia Macrossan

Mia Macrossan — Wed, 27 May 2009 10:22:45 +0000

I agree that the dividing line between adult and young adult or adolescent is now very thin. A case in point is Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan. Its a terrific book but I can’t see it being read, understood or enjoyed by most teenage readers. There are always exceptions but this struck me as a very adult book. The fact that is uses fairy tales does not make it automatically suitable for young people.