Wednesday, October 10, 2012

The Teen Menu

YA News

The CW and Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment are working on the development of a new TV series for the network for next year based on Jessica Shirvington's Embrace novels. Violet Eden, a woman in her 20s, is the centerpiece of the books. She's half-angel and extremely important to a centuries-long battle involving fallen angels.

There's all kinds of casting news for Catching Fire, the sequel to The Hunger Games. You can check out all the new faces here. I personally am really excited about Sam Claflin playing Finnick Odair. I really liked him as William in Snow White & The Huntsman.

The first trailer for Beautiful Creatures, the film based on the novel by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, has been released and looks really cool. The film is set to release Feb. 13. See the trailer here.

The film adaptation of Veronica Roth's Divergent now has a release date, so mark March 21, 2014 on your calendars.

Bowker Market Research recently released some interesting statistics from its biannual study of children's book consumers. More than half (55%) of YA sales are being made by those 18 and older, and the largest group was those 30 to 44, like myself. And 78 percent of the time, those in that 30-44 age group are buying those YA titles for their own reading enjoyment. So I'm definitely not alone in my love of the YA genre.

J.K. Rowling said in an interview with the BBC that her next book will very likely be for children, albeit a slightly younger audience than the Harry Potter books. She also left open the slight possibility of returning to the world of Harry Potter if she had a great idea, though Harry's story is complete.

Want to live in the house where the Harry Potter books were written? Then you'll have to fork over at least $3.64 million U.S. to get in the running. Check out the photos here, even if that's a wee it out of your price range.

YA Review

The moment I read the last page of Across the Universe by Beth Revis last year, I immediately wanted to start reading the the second in the series, A Million Suns. Alas, I had to wait until this year, and then deadlines kept me from reading it when it came out in January. When I finally had the opportunity, I was not disappointed.

This series takes place in a spaceship called Godspeed, which is on its way to another planet, a new home for the more than 2,000 people on board -- both those living and working on the ship each day, and the ones who have been frozen in cryogenic chambers since the ship left Earth generations ago. The story revolves around Amy, a teenage girl who was unfrozen before she was supposed to be in Across the Universe, and Elder, the only boy her age on the ship who also happens to be the new leader of Godspeed. Elder has a different vision for life aboard the ship, one devoid of lies and drugging the inhabits as his predecessors had. But giving the people on board free will doesn't turn out exactly how he hopes. In addition to the stress of being the leader and dealing with dissent, there's the budding romance with Amy. Or is there one? Amy struggles with wondering if her feelings for Elder are real or just a result of him being the only guy her age on board and awake. Together, they navigate the dangers of their confined world and discover the biggest lie of all.

19 comments:

  1. There seem to be a few YA books/ series being made into film.

    I tend to wait for a series to be complete before I read it. Too agonising otherwise.

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    1. I always intend to wait until a series has been completely published before I read it. Rarely do I succeed in this. ;-)

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  2. Mary, there are more and more every day. I attribute this to the phenomenal box office success of the Harry Potter and Twilight series. Studios know that it's a lucrative market with teens and also crossover adult readers.

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    1. I probably know more adults than teens reading YA. That speaks to the quality of the writing out there, I think.

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    2. I think you're right, PJ. There is something about PJ that takes us back to high school, but makes it much more exciting and fair than it probably was for most of us. :)

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  3. I lot of YA books have caught my eye recently. I've also seen the emergence of more genres within like New Adult and Upper YA.
    It's interesting to see how many YA books are being turned into tv series.

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    1. And quite popular TV series too, Na!

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    2. Yes, and with more to come, I believe. I think networks, particularly youth-centric CW, see how popular The Vampire Diaries is and hopes to replicate that.

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  4. Thanks for another terrific column, Trish! I always look forward to the 10th of the month because I know you'll be bringing us another terrific recommendation - which I also pass along to the teen readers in my life.

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    1. You're most welcome, PJ. It's always fun hanging out with you guys. I just wish I had enough time to pop over here every day. I swear my days need to be twice as long!

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  5. Thanks for keeping us up to date on all that's new in the world of YA, Trish. :-)

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  6. Hey, Trish! Wow, those statistics are very interesting. I guess it goes to show that you're never too old to read YA!

    My husband, son, and I finally saw The Hunger Games movie and we really enjoyed it. I'm hoping my son might want to read the series someday (he's 12). We're all looking forward to the next movie!

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    1. I'm looking forward to Catching Fire, too, even more now that Sam Claflin is going to be in it. :)

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  7. I'm a 47 year old mom who started reading YA just to have something to talk to my daughters about. Some I really enjoy reading and others I just roll my eyes at. I don't see the draw of the Twilight books - they are way too repetitive. But, any of Meg Cabot books are a real joy to read.

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    1. Miss Molly, be sure to check the blog later tonight - say, around 9:30. :)

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    2. Molly, I've really enjoyed the books I've read of Meg's, particularly the Mediator series.

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  8. I am really looking forward the next Hunger Games movie. I also liked the sound of Across the Universe. I have to agree with you that it is so much better when you can read them all at once!

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    1. Like PJ, I like reading a series all in a row, but I can rarely wait to do that. Plus, by at least buying the books as they come out, I'm helping to ensure the author has enough sales so the series can continue. But most of the time I read them as they release and then have to agonize as I wait for the next installment.

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