Adults in YA

[Elektra]

I just had an idea for a new novel which I absolutely love, but am worried--it would focus mainly on teens, but it would also be necessary to watch the parents a bit, too (at a PTA-like meeting). Would it be a turn-off to YA readers (and, subsequently, agents) if about 1/4-1/3 of the book concentrated on adults?

[TwentyFour]

My YA book has adults in it. I have a store owner who is one characters boss. I have parents who show up on occasion. I have teens and young adults in their 20's.

It all has to do with the story, if they fit the story then go for it.

[Quill]

Elektra...

believe it or not, young adults are probably more obsessed with adults than you'd think. I volunteer in a few different highschool classrooms, and I CONSTANTLY hear teens talking about their parents. What frustrated them, what they argued about, what they understood and didn't, what 'goofy' thing their parents did that they just HAD to tell their friends about. ;) I don't think you have to worry about turning young adults off by descriptions of people who are probably a lot like their parents.

Having said that, teens likely don't want to be preached at, and they can see 'hidden moral messages' a writer's 'cleverly' woven into their own work. What's most important is just being real, being honest, and having fun. And before you send the whole thing off to an agent, perhaps consider having a few young adults that you know look over sections of it for relevance and interest.

Best of luck, and have fun! It sounds like a neat idea. :)

[Aubrey]

I rather like that idea. It gives two generation's opinions on various matters, something you don't see a lot. I can imagine the teenagers feelings and actions and their parent's interpretations of the teens thoughts and actions would be quite different and vice versa. I've seen this done occassionally in movies and I rather wish it were done more in books as well. Too often teen stories have most adults non-existant or one dimentional. It's good when a book reinforces what teens know; adults aren't martians, they're humans too.

[Elektra]

The adults would really be rather manipulative and conniving (except one). They have a few good traits, but mainly...

[Aubrey]

Well I hope they aren't just there as villains. That makes them a little one dimentional. Please give at least some glimpses of humanity to some of them. Unless, of course, you can come up with a really great explanation for why they would be mostly or completely devoid of humanity. Remember your audience are teens. They can be as picky about characterisation as adults.

[Niesta]

I believe the second "Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants" book focussed a bit on the mothers and their friendships, and how those parallelled the girls'. "Time Stops for No Mouse" (which is middle grade, not even YA) features adults exclusively (even though they're mice), and is essentially a meditation on ageing. In "Howl's Moving Castle", the protagonist gets turned into an old woman early on, and the Wizard Howl himself is certainly an adult.

So yes, it CAN be done.

[KimJo]

My YA fantasy series (the one I can never seem to stop working on, no matter how hard I try) has some adults in fairly major roles, helping the YA age main characters battle the forces of darkness.

[Evaine]

In the days before YA as a term had been thought of, Elinor Brent-Dyer wrote a series of girls' school stories. Most of these focused on the girls attending the school, but at least one had a young teacher in her first job as the main character, and how she coped.

And if you look at something like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Giles and Buffy's mum are both essential characters.

[Soccer Mom]

In the Harry Potter books, the adults are essential characters. I can't imagine them without Dumbledore *sniffs* or Snape.

[misswriter]

As long as you make it interesting, I don't see why not. Most YA readers also read some adult fiction, which centers around adults more often than not. Make it tasteful though. No YA reader wants to read about the minutes of a PTA Meeting, you know, the somewhat bland stuff they can talk about and all, but if its an interesting part of the meeting and you write it well, I see no problem. And f you want a YA reader to read over parts or all of it...I'm available.

[misswriter]

Just be sure that it IS necessary.