I read and write YA… I read it partly because it’d be a bit daft to write it without knowing what else is out there, but mostly because of how immediately engaging it is – how accessible, and yet how beautiful the writing can still be. There’s also an element of reading YA that makes me feel more kindly towards my younger self – I recognise her in different characters and even glean some deeper understanding of who she was, and why she was how she was. It helps me reflect on those painful ugly times of teen-hood and smile. On the whole though I don’t intentionally seek out YA, I seek out good books, and a good book is a good book regardless of who it’s marketed to.

I read YA fiction because it tells life as it is. It doesn’t play at innocence, and it doesn’t try to cover up difficult issues with overly complex language. Reading in general has given me purpose in life, it has provided many friends within the pages throughout the years, and now it is hopefully going to become a career. YA fiction is my favorite because I find it to be storytelling at its purest. YA is about immersing yourself in a story and falling in love with characters over and over again. YA is truly a life outside of your own.

I’ve found the power of YA so strong, and the YA saves so heartwarming, that I’m working to create a website to continue the project beyond these current tweets. The YA Saves Project will strive to continue to spread the power of YA and become a place where readers and writers of all kinds can come together to share their stories about YA. For now, until we have a site launch, we can be found on twitter via the hashtag #YASP or on Facebook as the YA Saves Project (http://www.facebook.com/pages/YA-Saves-Project/135993709808096)

Together, we can truly spread the power of YA across the country, and even the world.

I read YA because it’s excellent literature without the language of adult literature I f ind offensive. I like how Rachel described it as storytelling at its purest. There is depth and complexity to story lines and characters, written with language we hope our youth are using and none of the language we hope they aren’t.

I’ve put down more than a few New York Times bestsellers because I found the content and language offensive. YA has found a fine balance between exploring difficult topics without being crass or foul. And that I appreciate almost as much as the quality of the literature itself.

Just because I’m an adult and don’t have a parent or teacher who’s going to wash my mouth out with soap or monitor my movie viewing choices or criticize how responsible my behavior is doesn’t mean I’m going to go expose myself to “adult” geared content. I still prefer wholesome language and content and I wish more authors for grownups got that.

I think it’s a combination of things. Most YA lit lacks the pretentiousness that a lot of adult lit carries. I think YA fiction readers get tired sometimes of the tedious self-importance of adult characters. YA characters come alive in stories with fresh perspectives and a huge dose of naiveté that endear them to readers who just want to read interesting and exciting stories without being weighted down by artifice.

It might also be pure nostalgia for some readers. In any case, YA lit writers today are penning amazingly fun, scary, thought-provoking plots with complex characters. In the end, that’s why we read it—the stories are great!

Wow — these are great sentiments. Thanks, everyone!