SA Partridge: YA is fun, thrilling and addictive

Photo from author’s websiteSA Partridge is an author who tends to take the reader’s breath away. When I buy one of her books, I normally have to wait my turn in the queue before I get to read it. She is unrelenting, but there always is a story that keeps the pages turning. I asked her about Young Adult Literature. In the USA #IreadYA week is being celebrated. Now I am curious: In Afrikaans (and therefore in English-speaking SA too) we are more likely to talk about youth literature than young adult literature. Is that a shortcoming? I prefer the term young adult fiction to youth fiction. Youth fiction sounds like it should be a prescribed textbook. YA is fun, thrilling and addictive. Writing for this market is very difficult. Why are you doing so? I love YA fiction. It's such an exciting genre. YA books are fast-paced and everything is amplified to the next level. I couldn't imagine writing anything else. There is a difference between children’s literature and youth literature. How would you explain it? (And, bring YA into if you want?) There's a third genre that fits between the two called Middle Grade Fiction. It all falls down to recommended reading age. If you have to recommend three YA books, which would they be? Something old: Night World by LJ Smith (Start with Secret Vampire) Something new: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell Something blue: The Fault in our Stars by John Green