Book sales are declining in nearly every category, but young adult book sales continue to rise. Do today's teenage readers offer hope for a more literate future after all? Or, as a perceptive commenter asks, are YA titles simply successful because they're being read and enjoyed by more than just young adults?

re: books, discipline, internet, reading, solitude, technology, teenagers

Nate:

Certainly, the increasing quality of young adult books is a draw. But there are exceptional videogames, there are exceptional websites and exceptional television programs to fight for a teenager’s attention. So why are they still reading?

I think there is another reason why young adult novels are doing well, and it is less easy gauge. As of yet, there are no real studies determining this, but anecdotally, we all relate to it. A book is an opportunity to get “off the grid.” We read to break free of their digital tether. To experience what life was like before the net. To disconnect. To finally feel alone.

A book holds your hand in solitude and says, here you are alone in your room and everything is alright. You don’t need to call a friend or Twitter something. The world is still turning. If you go for a forty minute walk without your mobile, don’t worry, you’re not going to miss anything.