Sometimes it seems like parents in YA (at least one, if not both) are either checked out or dead. So it’s always nice to come across a fictional parent or two that not only exist as an actual presence in their children’s life, but also act like totally normal parents—in other words, completely and utterly embarrassing, all of the time. […]

With back-to-school season right around the corner, it’s time to start getting in the mood for bulging backpacks, questionable cafeteria food, and forgotten homework panic. High off the sun and summer break, it’s easy to forget real life isn’t your favorite teen movie, where insta-popularity awaits anyone who simply takes off their glasses. High school is […]

We all  have that one crazy relative who swears—swears—that Facebook is all just some plot by the government to control your life or some other elaborate, looping scheme you can’t quite make sense of. And we’ve all briefly skimmed totally read those studies that claim social media is actually making us less social. But mostly we give […]

The sophomore slump can be one of the greatest curses of any writer, and the stronger your debut, the scarier the expectations. Many an author has been felled by the pressure to write a great second novel, and yet, for whatever reason, when it came to YA standalones, this was The Year of the Sophomore. […]

Parents have it pretty rough in YA. Sure, plenty of real-life parents are absent or negligent, but finding a solid, caring, and awesome parental unit in YA can feel a lot like searching for meaning in a Pauly Shore movie. But in honor of Mother’s Day, I did a little digging, and I’m pleased to […]