Have you noticed lately that the YA books seem to be creeping into the NA realm?? Well, as a parent of a couple of tweens, I sure have. And let me tell you, I am not one bit happy.
I don’t want to shelter my kids too much, but I would like them to remain innocent for as long as possible. There is no reason for YA books to have excessive language or sex in them, whether or not it’s a closed door scene. I’m not trying to be a prude, but I have a real problem with this. It seems that all the books geared toward girls, have a heavy dose of romance and many go a bit overboard. Since my almost 13 yr old daughter wants to read “more YA and less ‘kids’ books” (her words), I wish there were more teen books out there. I have been reading a few with her lately and here are a couple that I think are absolutely perfect tween/YA books.
Now, a couple of these are christian romances, but they’re teen romances. These kids don’t need to read about adult feelings and emotions. They need to be kids and be silly, not be subjected to books about things they can’t possibly understand yet.
Edenbrooke, by Julianne Donaldson
This is one of my daughter’s absolute favorite books. I had to go out and order a signed copy for Christmas last year, because she had to hold in her hands. She was in love with this book.
To quote my review, “This book was so full of sweet romance that my eyes were prickling the whole entire time. I fell in love all over again. I feel like twirling with my eyes closed.”
I think I may need a reread of this one soon. Go HERE to read my full review.
Up next is another by Julianne. This one is my favorite of hers.
Blackmoore, by Julianne Donaldson
Is it possible to have too much love?? Well, this story surely did.
For the last 20% of the book I don’t think my tears stopped falling. This story was about love, love, and more love. Love that hurts. Love that rips you up. Love that puts you back together.
I loved the emotional turmoil and the gut retching feeling I had. Although I almost had to stop, it was too much for me.
I think my daughter even shed a couple of tears. I love books like this.
Go HERE for Clio’s full review.
Up next is my daughter’s all time favorite. She even read it twice in two days. If I’d let her, she’d keep reading this one over and over again.
Eyes of the Woods, by Eden Fierce
This is a paranormal YA romance that was written by a 14 yr old!! So I knew it would be perfect for daughter. ANd I was right.
“The action was fantastic! My nerves did get the better of me a few times. I was so very curious to what happening, I couldn’t put it down. There were a couple of sad parts that may be hard to read. But as I thought about what these kids watch on TV or video games, they would be used to things much worse.”
Go HERE for my full review.
This is our current read.
Matched, by Ally Condie
I read this series a few years back. So I don’t remember much of of it. I know that it’s romance, but I don’t remember any sex. So far we are up to chapter 10 and so far, she is dying to read faster. I’m pretty sure this is a safe read, but I’m not taking any chances. So as I read for myself, I am sneaking in 5-7 chapters of this each day.
It’s a dystopian book, so there isn’t any language I have to deal with. I love most dystopians, for that very reason.
I’m hoping to review this, when I am done. Meanwhile go HERE to grab a copy for yourself.
Well, I am off to read. I’ll keep you posted, if I discover any more. And if you find any, please let me know!
~Melpomene
I agree with you, some times there is too much sex and profanity in YA books. I personally love to read YA and fantasy books and to be honest without a bit of romance I find most books to be boring, but that necessarily does not mean that the language should be so provocative. Afterall, in my opinion if you want to read a book about that, I don’t think YA is the genre you should be reading. 🙂
And this book was FUN! The boy-girl relationship was just friendship, even though the reader knows they like each other more… Kind of how real life is for young teens. So this book had romantic tension, but no actual romance.
And from what we’ve all seen, there are plenty of non-YA books to choose from if an adult wants a book with sex in it!
Couldn’t agree with you more!!
Oops the nice YA book I’m talking about specifically up there is Melody Carlson’s new release Trading Secrets. There’s a review up today. 🙂