Here’s
the beginning of a post that I will likely come back to sometime with more
thoughts and edits, etc. Feel free to comment below.
*******
I
read a range of books. I love middle grade books, YA, and adult fiction. But I
find it difficult to rate these books using the same criteria (like a star
system) and/ or add different things to my Must Reads list because I really
have different expectations for books, pending their audience.
For
books written for younger audiences, I expect a fun story and likable
characters. I don’t really care if there are a few plot holes and sometimes I
don’t even care if the writing seems a little less polished.
However,
as the anticipated audience gets older, I expect more from the book…
Does anyone else find it hard to group books together and/or rate them similarly based on your different expectations of the book?
Does anyone else find it hard to group books together and/or rate them similarly based on your different expectations of the book?
Interesting thread. Honestly, I don't rate books according to their age range. I always expect the most from them ;). And I guess that the level of excellence most YA books have reached these latest years help...if I review an oldie, I can be merciless if need be LOL. I state it in my review that YA was different those days and such, but even the less cheesy YA books from the '80s and '90s are likely to be rated around the 3 stars mark (with exceptions of course), while more recent YA novels have a much higher chance to be rated 4 or 5.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteOops. The level of excellence "helps", not "help" LOL. I always change my wording mid-posting, so the verbs often don't match anymore ;D.
DeleteI think that YA has definitely come a long way. But I think that popular lit is in a different place right now, too, in general. There are many more messages, more diverse representation, and more fun story lines.
DeleteBut things like "convenience endings" I find more forgivable in middle grade books than those written for older folks. Character details and (well-done) jaded tropes as well.