Improving diversity and challenging prejudice is only ever a good thing, but is too much contemporary teen fiction drawing on the same political values and assumptions? Children’s books site member Scrupulous Semicolons finds things a bit too samey and wonders if that’s a problem
Reading should be about pleasure, not points or prizes
Eligor
Children’s books site member Eligor was outraged on receiving a letter from school announcing a reading programme based on points, rewards and competition. Not only is it unnecessary, it may actually be turning children off reading for fun
Stories have the power to create a more hopeful world
In the wake of the Brexit vote, children’s author Sita Brahmachari on the sustaining stories that will help young people find hope and strength in these unsettled times
The books world is a massive diversity fail – here's how we change it
Catherine Johnson
Many people are fed up of talking about diversity in children’s books – we all know the arguments, so why isn’t it happening? Author Catherine Johnson takes stock of recent progress and what’s still required at an Inclusive Minds event
In many areas of life teenagers are moving online – so why do so many surveys show they still prefer print books over e-readers? Sometimes, argues teen site member confessionsofabooklover, innovation just can’t beat tradition
Simon Cowell has announced that he’s writing a children’s book - because the ones he’s reading to his son are ‘boring’. We’ve got some better suggestions for him. What do you think?
Teen opinion: Happy ever after? The highs and lows of book endings
Brought up on Enid Blyton, teen site member pinkbookworm experienced heartbreak on learning that not all books end happily ever after. But after more research they realised that every shock, twist and tragedy has its purpose – and we readers don’t always know what we actually want anyway…
Why we shouldn't protect teenagers from controversial issues in fiction
Chris Vick
There are certain subjects – sex, drink, drugs, violence – that light fires and push buttons. So how do you write about them for teenagers? YA author Chris Vick shares the guidelines he sets himself to get the balance right
Why the headteacher who believes reading Harry Potter causes mental illness is wrong
Dystopian writer Samantha Shannon hits backs against the blog post by a private school head which claims reading fantasy including Lord of the Rings, The Hunger Games and Terry Pratchett can damage children’s brains
The world of graphic novels can be hard to navigate, especially if you’re not a superhero fan. Here are seven of the best introductions to the genre for teens
