Fantasy and Dystopia are Successfully Trending in YAFiction

YA Dystopian Novels

One trend that is prevailing in YA fiction is the dystopian novel. Fictional worlds full of nightmarecreatures and horrifying pandemics have become resounding success stories for many YA authors.The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins is an example of such success. The initial printrequest for Hunger Games, the first book in the series, was 50,000 copies. With thehttp://time.com/3511926/hunger-games-trailer-katniss-jennifer-lawrence/ pre-release marketing, theprint request climbed to 200,000. The book has been translated into 26 languages and rights ofproduction have been sold in 38 countries. With the success of the trilogy, Collins has gone on towrite and produce the movie version, which will be released on March 23, 2012.

Author Ally Condie is the author of a dystopian trilogy, Matched. Matched takes place in a world thatholds a ceremony to match couples. The Society uses algorithms to determine the perfect mate forits citizens when they turn 17. The book has won many awards, including #1 on the New York TimesBestseller List, Chosen as one of YALSA'S 2011 Teens' Top Ten, Publishers Weekly's Best Children'sBooks of 2010, #1 Pick on the Winter 2010/2011 Kid's Indie Next List, YALSA 2011 Best Fiction forYoung Readers, YALSA 2011 Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers, Amazon Best Books of the Month,December 2010, and Winner of the 2010 Whitney Award for Best Youth Fiction: Speculative.

Laura Harris, Publishing Director for Books for Children & Young Adults, Penguin Australia,comments, "...dystopian novels. Really they've been around for an awfully long time. Two of thegreatest ever published -- Brave New World and 1984 -- are still being taught in schools and alwaysturn up on top ten lists of favourite books, so I think more people have read this genre for longerthan they probably realise."

YA Fantasy Fiction

Fantasy is also flourishing in YA fiction. Christopher Paolini writes YA fantasy fiction and is a youngadult himself. He wrote his first novel, Eragon, when he was 15. To promote the book, he went tolibraries and schools. He dressed in a costume and talked about his book. Eragon was discovered byCarl Hiassen's stepson who brought it to Hiassen's attention. Hiassen (who writes both adult andchildren's fiction) encourged his publisher (Knopf) to look at the book. They subsequently publishedit, and the four books in the Inheritance Cycle series have sold more than 25 million copies. In 2006,Eragon was released as a movie, starring Jeremy Irons and Robert Carlyle. Paolini had a small partin the movie.

In an article for the Huffington Post, Lisa Parkin writes that "the frenzy for young adult (YA) fictionhas reached an all-time high," and that "those outside of the typical 'young adult' age group havetaken notice." She lists the Top 10 YA Fantasy books readers should the hunger games mockingjayonline know about, including http://halloweenfdo.com/hunger-games-effie-costume The HungerGames. She calls The Hunger Games the "gateway book" to YA fiction. Other writers she includes inher list are Maria V. Snyder, Lauren DeStefano, and Robin McKinley.

Sources

Parkin, Lisa. Top 10 Young Adult Fantasy Books You Should Read. Huffington Post. February 12,2012.

Zimmer, David. Penguin Powers YA Passion for Paranormal and Dystopian Fiction. Penguin.com.March 14, 2012.

Harris, Laura. Penguin Powers YA Passion for Paranormal and Dystopian Fiction. Penguin.com.March 14, 2012.