The last time I went to the bookstore with the purpose of visiting the young adult section (often labelled the teen section) was much too long ago. I remember not being able to drive as my visits were also with mom. Also, I don't ever remember buying a book myself. The books I chose every time (after much contemplation) were from the same series called Sweep by Cate Tiernan. The series is about a young girl who finds out she was adopted and comes from a long line of persecuted witches. The books are about her discovery of her family's past and her resulting adventures.
I visited the bookstore as a much changed reader but with the purpose of exploring the teen section. At first glance, it appeared many of my old favourites had died. Upon further investigation, I found that what I remembered reading in my youth is available and some of it is still being featured. These classics are now cleverly disguised. The Outsiders cover had been revamped and Harry Potter was virtually unrecognizable. The background of Harry Potter is now white with only one colour outline illustration. To be honest, I liked the old cover much better. Many memories of beloved books came back to me and their aspects such as the series books that never seem to end and themes of 'puppy love'. The prevalence of vampire characters seems to be a trend-commercialized to the point of T-shirts, pins, diaries, pencils, etc.etc.etc.
In hindsight, many of the books displayed in this section target to teen girls. The covers depicting trendy girls and the titles hinting at gossip and boys. Where is the fiction appealing to young men? I seriously doubt my younger brother was or is interested in many of the books displayed. He was much more likely to be in the humour section looking at The Simpsons comics or The Zombie Survival Guide when he was younger. Now he has moved on to how-to books and survival guides. This leads me to the question of where is the teen boy section??
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