One of the most anticipated films of this year was “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” and it opened to amazing numbers — one of the biggest box office openings of all time. But it’s important to remember this success came from a young adult novel by Suzanne Collins.
In the past few years, young adult fiction has assumed a monstrous life of its own. It previously existed in the form of light romances, through authors like Sarah Dessen. Now, stories about high school crushes aren’t enough. Some young adult authors on the shelves include names like Hilary Duff and Tyra Banks. Books like the “Hunger Games” trilogy, the “Divergent” series and “The Mortal Instruments” franchise are firmly set in extravagant fantasy worlds. The genre’s sudden popularity has led to numerous film adaptations, as well as an obnoxious amount of marketing.
“Harry Potter” was perhaps the first series to experience this type of phenomenon. However, “Harry Potter” had such a positive cultural influence on young readers that it’s unfair to blame author J.K. Rowling for the current oversaturation of the young adult genre.
Instead, the incredibly popular “Twilight” series is most likely the culprit. Stephenie Meyer’s series about a plain girl named Bella who falls in love with a vampire has spawned an unbelievable cultural trend — Teen Paranormal Romance is now a labeled section in bookstores. Despite its reputation as a poorly written novel, the “Twilight” series has brought young adult fiction into the spotlight, arguably for the worse.
“Looking for Alaska” by John Green, which released the same year as “Twilight,” has become a quintessential young adult fiction book. Authors are indulging in the romance aspect of classic young adult stories, like those by Judy Blume, while also introducing a complex sense of sentimentality. Green’s most recent book, “The Fault in Our Stars,” garnered near-“Twilight” levels of fan buzz when it released last year. Now, a film adaptation starring Shailene Woodley is in production.
Novel adaptations have been made since the early days of film, but something about Green’s book becoming a blockbuster seems to cheapen the original work. The pressure placed on young adult authors to create a story that makes the novel seem like something more devalues the genre itself. Every novel must be a money-making franchise, and this type of extravagant mentality distorts the young adult genre from being what it should — a story catering to youths.
A version of this article appeared in the Thursday, Dec. 5 print edition. Valerie Nelson is The Highlighter Editor. Email her at [email protected].
