Whether there are even many YA (young adult) readers is a natural question to ask right up front. Here’s why: With so many distractions—music, videos, music videos, video games, movies, streaming video, social media featuring video (do you see the trend?)—do young adults have time to read a book just for fun? Sure, they have to read in their classes (more than likely, that just turns them off from reading), but would they rather pick up a book and read it for R&R, given all those distractions?

The Harry Potter phenomena proved something new could occur: an author could create a series of books where kids in the books grew along with kids in the books’ audience. To some extent, the Hunger Games series tapped into the same trend. This audience growing with characters is a dynamic phenomenon, so my question must now take a static form: Can a good static YA book focused on some particular kids at some particular point in time and space appeal to all ages in the 12-19 age group? In other words, do we now need dynamics in a series a la Rohling, not statics, for success in YA writing?

We can find encouraging data in the number of adults who read YA. It’s not just that many adults are young at heart. It’s also not just that many more adults are readers than kids. What happens is that a YA novel, even the static kind, squeezes the essence out of themes that resonate with both young and old readers. YA novels treat adult themes—power struggles, violence, and sexual angst are common enough, for example, as the two series I’ve mentioned show, as well as many other YA books (including A. B. Carolan’s second edition of my YA novel, The Secret Lab). Yet the themes are distilled and manageable—we can inspect them in detail without all the complications of the adult world. While adults love series, they are happy to read a more static and compact story, a snapshot of people’s lives. Is the same true of kids?

At the end of a linear spectrum we find twelve-year-olds who just enjoy a story about kids like them, and at the other we’ll find mature adults who see a lot more and perhaps reflect on their own childhoods. A similar spectrum exists for fantasy, which might explain why YA fantasy is so popular.

I’m not sure about YA sci-fi mystery, though. A. B. Carolan and I have e-chatted about this. There’s a fuzzy line between fantasy and sci-fi, of course, so YA sci-fi could be popular. YA mysteries? Maybe not so much. I was reading about the Hardy boys’ adventures when I was about eight. Does anyone read them anymore? A. B. has more faith in kid’s reading habits than I do. As a professor and researcher, I loved working with kids and probably relate to them better than adults—they’re creative, imaginative, and full of energy. A. B. agrees with that, but we don’t quite agree that the Harry Potter phenomena implies kids are reading more. And, of course, Harry Potter is about the magic in fantasy, not the magic in sci-fi.

I hope A. B. is right and that his rewriting and reediting will make the second edition of The Secret Lab a success. He has written a new novel, The Secret of the Urns, based on my short story “Marcello and Me.” Both of these books are YA sci-fi mysteries. I think you’ll like both books, no matter your age. A. B. knows you well.

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The Secret Lab (2^nd ed). Four students on the International Space Station discover the origins of a mutant cat and uncover a conspiracy in a sci-fi mystery that’s sure to entertain young adults and adults who are young at heart. In a new second edition completely rewritten and reedited by Steven M. Moore’s collaborator A. B. Carolan. Now available in a print version (Create Space) as well as all ebook formats on Smashwords.

From a review of the first edtion: “I will disclose this: I picked up The Secret Lab because of Mr. Paws, the intelligent cat. Yes, I could not resist the temptation to read the adventure of a sentient, mathematics inclined cat, told by Steven M. Moore. It exceeded my expectations. Mr. Paws is the result of a genetics experiment aboard a facility orbiting Earth in 2147. The cat and his newly found friends, a group of four smart teenagers, find themselves in an intrigue with corporate agendas, young curiosity, dangerous and ethically problematic research, relationships and their difficulties when coming of age. The complexity is enthralling, but the author also makes it easy to follow, using a light, natural style to tell us their story.”–Alfaniel Aldavan, in a Smashwords’ 5-star review

In libris libertas!

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