“The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has a cheery article whose headline and deck sum it up: “Teens buying books at fastest rate in decades. New ‘golden age of young adult literature’ declared.”

“Kids are buying books in quantities we’ve never seen before,” Booklist magazine critic Michael Cart told the paper. “And publishers are courting young adults in ways we haven’t seen since the 1940s.”

Popular categories include graphic novels, adventure, romance, humor and “gritty coming-of-age tales. . . . More notably, though, there’s a new strain of sophistication and literary heft as publishers cater to the older end of the spectrum with books that straddle teen and adult markets.”

One aspect helping the boom: “Teens are actively shaping the literary scene, as more libraries–including the Seattle Public Library–form teen advisory groups to attract young readers and help influence collections. Publishers sometimes use them as focus groups, and the American Library Association solicits teen input before it votes on its annual list of Best Books for Young Adults.”

Shelf Awareness 3/9/07

Lets go get ‘em - Mindy