5 Women Penning Exceptional YA Fiction
While gender equality has come a long way in the past few decades, it's still not easy to be a young woman trying to figure out your place in the world. Reading books written by women that follow female characters who have realistic struggles or fantastical journeys can help teenagers see things from new perspectives and expand their horizons. The authors listed here have written well-crafted works of YA fiction that are worth checking out. This video was made with Ezvid Wikimaker.
Talented Young Adult Authors
Young Adult Lit Belongs To Everyone
8 Great Films Based on YA Novels By Women
- Everything, Everything based on the book by Nicola Yoon
- Divergent based on the book by Veronica Roth
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone based on the book by J.K. Rowling
- The Princess Diaries based on the book by Meg Cabot
- The Giver based on the book by Lois Lowry
- The Hunger Games based on the book by Suzanne Collins
- Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist based on the book by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
- Bridge to Terabithia based on the book by Katherine Paterson
The Evolution Of YA
In Depth
The teenage years are a difficult time for almost everyone, but young women in particular often struggle to define their identities in the face of conflicting and confusing expectations. The world of young adult fiction can be a source of strength for those facing these challenges, offering inspiring heroes overcoming both familiar and fantastical struggles. In no particular order, here are five female novelists writing for adolescent readers.
Starting us off at #1 is Krysten Lindsay Hager, an author who draws on her own adolescent experiences in creating stories for young audiences. True Colors, her debut novel, won the Readers' Favorite award for best preteen book, and Landry in Like, a later entry in the series, earned Hager a Literary Classics Gold Medal. Her works for young adults deal with issues of authenticity, romance, and self-worth.
Hager's books tap into the urgent hopes and fears of teenage life, like her Star Series about gossip and the price of popularity. She has also written numerous articles and essays, from meditations on passive aggressive behavior to interviews with notable writers. Through her blog, she offers discussion suggestions for book clubs reading her work, along with literature reviews and conversations with other authors.
Hager's books tap into the urgent hopes and fears of teenage life, like her Star Series about gossip and the price of popularity.
Next in the order at #2 is Elizabeth Acevedo, an author and poet whose work explores issues of racial identity, feminism, and the challenges of love. Her debut novel, The Poet X, draws inspiration from her own youthful experience and the power of verse; the story won a National Book Award, as well as the first Carnegie medal ever won by a person of color.
Acevedo carries poetry into her fiction, writing her novels in verse. Her book With the Fire on High tells the tale of a teenage mother dreaming of a career as a chef, and earned Acevedo an Audie Award for best audiobook narration. Her other works include Clap When You Land, a story of family secrets, and Beastgirl and Other Origin Myths, a collection of folkloric poems about immigrant identity.
#3 on our list is Kathryn Purdie, an author who creates evocative fantasy worlds, telling stories of romance, intrigue, and magic featuring young adult protagonists. Her first novel, Burning Glass, introduced readers to a realm ruled by a fragile empire, and a heroine with the gift of mystical empathy; this story is expanded in Crystal Blade, and concluded in Frozen Reign, forming a trilogy of love and revolution.
Her first novel, Burning Glass, introduced readers to a realm ruled by a fragile empire, and a heroine with the gift of mystical empathy; this story is expanded in Crystal Blade, and concluded in Frozen Reign, forming a trilogy of love and revolution.
Purdie invites her readers to explore the aesthetic inspirations she weaves into her fiction, sharing images and recording songs that evoke the qualities of her characters and the worlds they inhabit. Fans can peruse her blog, or explore the Pinterest board she's created for Bone Crier's Moon, the first installment of a series about ill-fated love and the magic of death.
At #4 we have Tomi Adeyemi, the bestselling author of Children of Blood and Bone, a fantasy novel inspired by West African mythology. Adeyemi has written powerfully about how racist backlash against the Hunger Games films sparked her determination, spurring her to create black protagonists for young readers. The sequel, Children of Virtue and Vengeance, continues the tale of the magical realm of Orisha.
Along with her award-winning fiction, Adeyemi has written articles discussing the art and business of writing, interviewing fellow authors, and grappling with the wrenching reality of American racial violence. She also offers online courses for aspiring writers, including training videos on plot structure, as well as a downloadable workbook laying out her own process for crafting stories.
She also offers online courses for aspiring writers, including training videos on plot structure, as well as a downloadable workbook laying out her own process for crafting stories.
Closing out our list is #5, Kayla Cagan. Her first book, Piper Perish, tells the story of a young woman pursuing her artistic dreams, incorporating images from magazine illustrator Maria Ines Gul. Young readers connect with the novel's diary-style writing and its encouragement of creative fearlessness; the novel received wide acclaim including a selection as a Barnes and Noble Best Book of the Month in 2017.
Following on the success of Piper Perish, Cagan continued her protagonist's adventures in Art Boss, which sees the heroine struggling for success in the New York City art world. She urges her fans to overcome the fear of imperfection and to pursue their inspiration. Cagan appears at speaking events and leads workshops discussing the artistic process.
