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The Reading List: Books and Authors Who Define The Last Decade
By Amandaa (Age 22, USA)
The last ten years have been gold for Young Adult authors. There has been a boom in the release of novels, and the release of best selling novels at that. Movie rights are being grabbed by production studios at crazy prices, and some of the most successful stories have already made the transition from page to screen in a highly lucrative fashion. For the most part, the trend in YA literature seems to be split in two over the last decade: the chick lit and the fantasy series. Books aimed at teenage girls and books that take you on an epic adventure ride (or a combination of the two) were all the rage over the last ten years. Keeping that in mind, here are ten names that have defined the reading tastes of this generation.
10. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
10. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
As the only stand alone novel on my list, you know this has got to be good. This story gave a fresh perspective on the tale of the Jewish Holocaust during World War II, providing readers with a tale narrated by Death himself. It captured the attention of just about everyone when it was released and earned itself a place in several different “best of” lists.
Portrait‘s Review of The Book Thief
   
9. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Series by Anne Brashares
Four books long, this series focused on four best friends, Lena, Bridget, Tibby, and Carmen, as they suffered through the trials and tribulations of the teenage years. The books deal with first love, first heartbreak, death, the ever changing bonds of friendship and family, and a pair of magic pants.
Portrait‘s The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Review
Portrait‘s The Second Summer of the Sisterhood Review
Portrait‘s Girls in Pants Review
Portrait‘s Forever in Blue Review
8. The Novels of Laurie Halse Anderson
Anderson made a name for herself when she published Speak in 1999, a controversial novel at the time about a young woman who refused to talk because of a single traumatic experience. She followed up this novel with several more over the last ten years, and they all share similar characteristics: they are honest, witty, and they examine both the good and bad of being a teen.
7. The Gossip Girl Series by Cecily von Ziegesar
As much as it pains me to admit it, Gossip Girl came around at just the right time for its audience. The series, as well as all of its spin-offs, provides a window into the lives of wealthy teens and all of the scandals they entangle themselves in. I might not particularly like the novels, but I recognize that, in a time when people are obsessed with designer brands and keeping an eye trained on the rich and powerful, the novels do reflect a certain subset of our culture.
6. The sarcastic stylings of Maureen Johnson
She might not be the top selling YA author out there right now, but Johnson has a leg up on the competition in that no matter how crazy her plots, her novels are incredibly realistic. She writes teen angst, as well as teen sarcasm better than (almost) anyone else, and she’s got a loyal legion of fans that keeps on growing.
Portrait’s Suite Scarlett Review
Portrait’s Girl At Sea Review
Portrait‘s 13 Little Blue Envelopes Review
Portrait’s The Key To The Golden Firebird Review
5. The Uglies Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld
Westerfeld did something not a lot of other writers can claim: he crossed over from adult science fiction to the world of YA. And he did it successfully. For the last couple of years, this trilogy, as well as its companion novel, have managed to make teenage girls read science fiction in droves. The novels examine what the future would be like in a world where everyone was forced to be “pretty” and just what that really means.
Portrait’s Uglies Review
4. Almost all of the books by Meg Cabot
Cabot brought us The Princess Diaries and Avalon High, not to mention the most recent Being Nikki. She takes ordinary girls and makes them extraordinary. I don’t just mean that suddenly a character is a princess or a hero. She makes us feel like anything is possible, like even the most normal of us could do anything we wanted.
Portrait’s All American Girl Review
Portrait‘s Avalon High Review
   
3. Pretty much everything by Sarah Dessen
To be fair, her first few novels were written prior to 2000, but some of her most famous (This Lullaby, Along for the Ride) are more recent. Dessen is the perfect example of a YA author. She writes about change, about relationships, and about finding yourself, what the teenage years are all about. Not to mention she writes brilliant stories.
Portrait’s Along for the Ride Review
Portrait’s Lock and Key Review
Portrait‘s Just Listen Review
Portrait’s The Truth About Forever Review
Portrait’s This Lullaby Review
2. The Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling
I don’t know if any series of novels has faced more controversy over the last ten years. And, whether you love them, hate them, or don’t care either way, there’s no denying that this series got a generation who had been trading in their books for TV sets to sit down and read. And keep reading. The stories follow a boy wizard who has to ultimately save the world. Not that you didn’t already know that.
1. The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer
If the other books on this list have kept us all reading and entertained, it is Meyer’s story of a love triangle amongst a human, a werewolf, and a vampire that has truly exploded and taken over this decade. I can’t think of any series that has been front and center quite as much as this one (and it hasn‘t even been around the entire ten years), and it will probably take a long time for Stephenie Meyer to write anything that doesn’t have people comparing it to Twilight.
You might have noticed another trend I didn’t address at the beginning. YA writers, and readers, are embracing the idea of a series. Seven of the writers listed have at least started a series for a young adult audience, which serves to keep us all coming back for more. And with half of the list having publication dates coming up in the next two years, chances are they might make the next decade’s list as well.
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