For a genre that’s so popular among readers of all ages, young adult lit is surprisingly young: The term was only coined in the 1960s, introducing an official way to describe books aimed at kids 12 to 18. In the relatively short time since, change has come — again and again. At its inception, there was a goal of realism that’s remained relatively consistent, but along the way, there have been so-called problem novels, pastel-covered paperback romances and fantastical fiction. “That’s a pretty fast evolution,” says Teri S. Lesesne, a professor of library science at Sam Houston State University.
Book World: The evolution of YA fiction, from ‘The Outsiders’ to ‘Harry Potter’ to ‘Twilight’
