‘Very Realistic Young Adult Fiction’ is Not a Thing – Should it Be?

Young Adult fiction is a twenty-first century phenomenon. Of course books aimed at kids and young adults isn’t new, but the enthusiasm with which it is celebrated by the young and not so young is certainly a mark of our times.

I’m a geek, not a literature critic (dammit, Jim!) so I’m not going to go into the relative merits of modern ‘YA’ fiction, but I know a good hashtag meme when I see one, and #VeryRealisticYA has been giving me the giggles now for several days.

https://twitter.com/e_eric/status/582139405651021825

The hashtag was started by a teenage YA writer – and while it’s fun to mock clichés – it’s got an important point to make about diversity.

https://twitter.com/sandrock720/status/582569147160084480

Here’s a selection of some of the best? Want more? Find them yourself – or contribute your own!

https://twitter.com/thelindsayellis/status/582290749796036608

https://twitter.com/tehawesomersace/status/582269744352509952

Girl is told she's the Chosen One. Turns out it's a clerical error and the One is actually a qualified, experienced adult #VeryRealisticYA

— Chloe Sackur (@ChloeSackur) March 29, 2015

https://twitter.com/Ally_Nuttall/status/582151767888162816

Shy, beautiful girl takes off nerdy glasses. No one notices…until she walks face-first into lockers. #VeryRealisticYA

— Christopher Kokoski (@Chris_Kokoski) March 29, 2015

Teens suspect crime has occurred. Inform parents and police and go back to being teens. #VeryRealisticYA

— Scott Westerfeld (@ScottWesterfeld) March 29, 2015

https://twitter.com/LaurenDeStefano/status/582227422487179264

https://twitter.com/LaurenDeStefano/status/582231327572885504

Girl's parents generally know where she is and what she is up to, and probably drove her there in fact #VeryRealisticYA

— hannah moskowitz updates (@hannahmosk) March 29, 2015

https://twitter.com/kaitymichellee/status/582255919121190913

https://twitter.com/hijackemellark/status/582256554763808768

https://twitter.com/jeffzentner/status/582016633876529153

https://twitter.com/byobrooks/status/582047420038647808

Girl likes a boy. Never tells him. Nothing comes of it. A few months later, she likes a different boy anyway. #VeryRealisticYA

— Kody Keplinger (@Kody_Keplinger) March 29, 2015

https://twitter.com/karalaughlin/status/582256640570732544

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