Literature For The Youth By The Youth

The young adult fiction category has sadly gone quiet these days. JK Rowling created a global phenomenon with the ‘Harry Potter’ series, while ‘Divergent’, ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ and ‘Twilight’ was a frenzy among teens later on. But sadly after that, it’s gone a bit silent in the young adult world.

Can you think of a teen book that’s trending right now? While you should probably create a buzz in the local market and write yours sometime soon, YouthPaper found a good collection of new and old books written by young people for young people which you can add to your growing collection of literature.

Not many people can say that they have published a book while still in school. This was certainly no feat for Helen Oyeyemi, a British novelist and writer of short stories who came up with ‘The Icarus Girl’ when she was 21 years old. The story centres around an eight-year-old girl named Jessamy who loves writing. She’d often get lost in her imagination and involve her imaginary friends in her everyday life, but there’s something sad about this tale. Jessamy often has mood swings and her parents beg for her normalcy, but through the negative things that happen in her life, perhaps Jessamy’s imagination might be the only thing that can save her at the end of the day.

You can never be too young to write. Marley Dias, a 12-year-old African American activist and author published her book ‘Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You!’ this year. The spotlight has shone on this starlet because of the campaign she started called #1000BlackGirlBooks. This project aims to donate 1 000 books with black girls as the main character. In a world where characters are predominantly white, including those on television, Dias wants to break the stereotype and spread the message that representation matters and we’re here for it. ‘Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You!’ shares a beautiful story about how young people can start ideas and do something positive for their communities. So what are you waiting for? Do it today!

‘The Inheritance Cycle’

When Christopher Paolini was 15 years old, he had a dream – to write. Although he was homeschooled and graduated at an early age, he wanted to do more with his life, and eventually wrote the stunning series ‘The Inheritance Cycle’ about a boy and his dragon. Paolini would often go to schools and dress up in a costume to promote his first book ‘Eragon’ – over 130 schools and libraries, in fact, and it did so well that even a movie was made. ‘The Inheritance Cycle’ is a series of books which is set in Alagaësia. Eragon, a boy, and his dragon Saphira have to overthrow an evil king named Galbatorix. The entire series has sold over 33,5 million copies worldwide. Pretty cool, don’t you think?

With a story a little closer to home, Michelle Nkamangkeng from South Africa may be in Grade 4 now, but when she was in Grade 2, she actually published a book. Dubbed one of the world’s top 10 youngest authors, Nkamangkeng’s ‘Waiting For The Waves’ tells the story of a girl’s adventures on the beach. While there, she details a love and hate relationship with the waves of the ocean, but strives to overcome them with the help of her family. Already available on websites such as Amazon, the book has been rated five stars so far. Indeed, it’s never too early to pen your dream novel!

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