Find the Gap: Concepts

This is the 4th "Find the Gap" post (the previous ones discussed what's missing in YA in terms of settings, characters, and breaking stereotypes) and this week the topic is concepts. Often books really grab my attention when the premise or plot of the novel involves a neat concept. Perhaps the magic system in the fantasy world works differently than any other I've read. Maybe it's a mystery told from the end to the beginning, and the reader must unravel what has happened.  I'd like to see YA books get shaken up a bit with some fresh ideas — even a small twist on an "overdone" premise can make it feel totally different!

So here are some concepts I think it would be fun to see done more in YA books:

- Parallel lives: these are done lots more in movies than in books, and I'm not sure why. Think something like the film "Sliding Doors." Wouldn't it be awesome to read two different storylines with the same character and see how their lives unfold after one crucial turning point? Um, YES. Or how about movies like "Mr. Destiny" or "The Family Man" where the main character gets to see what their life would be like if just one moment in their past had been changed?

Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall sort of approaches this in a way (Sam doesn't live parallel lives, but she lives the same day over and over), and that is a good part of what makes her novel stand out: the entire concept was different than just a straightforward, linear storyline that we typically find.

-  Alternate histories: there are a few of these in YA (for instance, Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld and The Explosionist by Jenny Davidson) but I think there is plenty more fodder for stories here. As discussed in the settings post, there are many time periods that aren't touched upon much in YA — so how about an alternate history for some of those? Why not rewrite the past with a completely different version of events?

- Magical realism: I haven't read many of these, even in adult fiction (although I did really enjoy Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen) but they seem almost non-existent in YA. Wikipedia defines magical realism as "an aesthetic style or genre of fiction in which magical elements are blended into a realistic atmosphere in order to access a deeper understanding of reality. These magical elements are explained like normal occurrences that are presented in a straightforward manner which allows the "real" and the "fantastic" to be accepted in the same stream of thought." Part of what I appreciated in Garden Spells was how closely magic was tied to everyday life — everyone in the story was affected by magic, not in a showy, fireworks kind of way, but much more subtle. I'd love to see this sort of story with a YA protagonist.

- "Contemporary" futuristic stories: I know, sounds like a contradiction in terms, right? My sister suggested this one and I have to agree with her: there really aren't very many YA books that *happen* to be set in the future and yet aren't trying to make some kind of colossal point about what society will be like then. There are plenty of novels detailing a future that either a) is set in a dystopian society, b) is post-apocalyptic, or c) involves a massively dramatic advance in technology. What about a futuristic story that's a little easier to actually visualize coming to pass soon? One that feels like we could really and truly live it in just a few years...

So, a future that *doesn't* look like this.

Or this.

Or even this. Although I must say all the bluish-purple mushroom buildings are pretty cool.

- Unusual genre combinations: some genres seem to go hand-in-hand more often than others. It isn't too hard to find historical mysteries, for instance. Others don't seem to get crossed much, which is a shame, because it could make for some very captivating stories! How about a historical urban fantasy? Or a mystery set in a fantasy world, where the main point is the mystery storyline? A sci-fi set in a past era (excluding 'steampunk,' as that has been on the rise these days)? A dystopian fantasy? One aspect I liked about Andrea Cremer's Nightshade is that it combines paranormal, fantasy, and dystopian elements together in the world-building — but it's not something you come across too often in YA, unfortunately.

What are some concepts or premises you think are missing in YA? Any suggestions of books that fill the gaps I've mentioned? Also, I think this will be my last "Find the Gap" post, unless you guys have another category you'd like to discuss (that doesn't fall under characters, settings, stereotypes, and concepts)?

Find the Gap: Breaking Stereotypes

What's missing in YA? Last week the discussion was on characters, the week before on settings. This week I thought I'd do the broader topic of breaking stereotypes. What stereotypes would you like to see thoroughly crushed in YA novels?

Here are a few I've thought up:

- The girl-must-be-shorter-than-the-guy stereotype. Seriously. I know I mentioned last week that I'd like to see more books where the female protagonist is tall, but this is a related point that is equally annoying. (Trust me, when you're taller than most of the population, guys that are even taller than you are few and far between.) I particularly liked the fact that in Anna and the French Kiss, Étienne is shorter than Anna, and yet it doesn't undermine his self-confidence and really isn't a focal point of the novel at all.

- The religion-and-race-go-hand-in-hand stereotype. I'd like to see some books about characters who, for instance, are Caucasian and Muslim. Or are Asian and Christian. African and Buddhist. We have certain immediate associations of race and religion, and while of course these have a foundation, they are still stereotypes. It would be fantastic to see some YA novels that push the envelope on this one.

- The "ordinary"-protagonist-discovers-unsurpassed-hidden-magic-powers stereotype. This one gets me all the time in YA fantasy. The boy or girl thinks they are totally average, or maybe even a bit of a weakling. Then they get some help from a kind, elderly mentor type, go on a quest, and on the way discover they have magical talent that absolutely no one else in their world has, and they are the only one who can defeat the evil that is stirring in the east. (Okay, I stole that last bit from Lord of the Rings.) How about an ordinary protagonist who really is totally ordinary? Or, okay, let's say they have magical powers, but they've known about them all along, and they aren't any more special than their brothers and sisters? This one is even more frustrating if they discover their hidden talents RIGHT when they are absolutely convinced they are going to die. Convenient much?

Harry Potter is excluded from this, because he is awesome. But there are some pretty poor HP wanna-bes out there...

-The love-interest-appears-first-in-a-dream stereotype. This one is particularly popular among paranormal YA books these days, and I really just can't get into it. For one thing, it's just happening too much in a copycat kind of way that makes me groan when I see it coming. Secondly, usually the response when the love interest actually pops up in real life is, "Oh, I dreamed about you! It must be true love...we're fated to be together!" Maybe it's just me, but if I met a guy that I'd dreamed about before I'd ever laid eyes on him, I think I would be mightily creeped out.

Make up your mind, Bella.

- The girl-is-caught-between-two-equally-amazing-guys stereotype. I know love triangles have been discussed on many other blogs, but the trend has been getting on my nerves too. If it's done well, I don't mind it, but what really gets me is when the girl who is trying to choose keeps flitting back and forth between the two guys and leading them on. I've seen this "whichever one I'm with" mindset now in several protagonists and frankly, I start getting really frustrated with the girl and feeling sorry for the poor guys who just keep getting used and coming back for more. It doesn't reflect well on the heroine and gets me thinking that she doesn't deserve either of them!

So, what do you think is missing in terms of breaking stereotypes? Which do you think need to be chipped away at some more?

Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day to all of my readers! Eat lots of chocolate today :)

Find the Gap: Characters

Last week we discussed settings that we'd like to see more of in YA. This week: characters! There are some types of protagonists that are very common in YA these days. There's the kick-butt heroine in fantasy novels, the geek who gets dissed by all the 'cool kids' in contemporary, and the girl who just can't stay away from that bad boy who might be a vampire or werewolf in paranormal. But what are some character traits or qualities you think are missing?

Here are a few to start things off:

- Tall people. I am decidedly taller than average (um, I'm about 6', actually) and I would love to see more YA novels where the protagonist is tall and has to deal with the problems of living in a world made for people of average height. (Trust me, there are some definite disadvantages. Like finding jeans that are long enough, and dealing with extremely cramped legs in buses and airplanes.)

- People of color, particularly in genres outside of contemporary. It would be great to have more protagonists of Asian or African background, for instance, in fantasy, sci-fi, and dystopian novels. I think this is becoming a little more common (for instance, Silver Phoenix springs to mind) but they are still few and far between.


- Characters with fairly functional families and close relationships with their parents. I've seen this brought up by other bloggers and I have to say I agree - not every teen has a family that is wildly dysfunctional! If you went by contemporary YA, though, you'd think that it was normal to have either daily confrontations with your parents or ones who never appeared involved in your life at all.

- Individuals who stutter or have some kind of speech impediment. It's rare to have a protagonist who stutters, particularly if that is not the 'point' of the book but rather just a trait of the character. But hey, in real life some people stutter!

The King of England stuttered! (I haven't seen this movie yet, but I want to).

What are some types of characters you'd like to see pop up more often in YA? And any books you'd like to suggest that might help to fill some of these gaps?

Find the Gap: Setting

Let's face it, despite the fact that YA has really exploded over the past several years and so many more YA books are being published, there are still some topics that just don't seem to get covered. I've noticed other bloggers sometimes mention that they'd like to see more YA books with characters with quality x or settings in time period y or what-have-you. So I thought I'd run a little "Find the Gap" series through February, with a different aspect of YA each week that we can discuss.

First up is setting. We've all read the typical 'high school' contemporary YA read, and the traditional fantasy world where there be dragons. And if it's historical YA there is a better-than-average chance it's going to be set in the Victorian era (which I do love, don't get me wrong). But what's missing? What places or time periods do we never get to travel to in a YA novel?

Here are a few to get things going:

- Colleges and universities: there have been a few more of these popping up in YA recently, but still not nearly as many as I'd like. College students like to read too, you know, and often they like to read about students like themselves!

- Countries other than the United States: there are so many interesting places around the world you could give your story as a setting...so why always go with the U.S.? The novel's relatability won't entirely vanish just because it's not set in an American city. I'd say "outside North America" but actually, I haven't read very many YA novels set in Canada or Mexico. More of those would be nice too!

- Small towns: not everyone lives in a large city. I know there have been some YA books written where the whole point was either big-city-girl-meets-farming-community (or conversely, country-dweller-lands-in-the-big-bad-city), but how about some that just *happen* to be set in a small town?

- Parallel universes: these seem to crop up more in movies than in books, for some reason. But there's so much potential in that kind of concept, and I think it would be particularly appealing to the older YA set.

- The sixties: this was such a hugely important time period on just about every level (politically, socially, etc.) And it was very much a time for young people. Why are there not more YA books about it? No idea.

What other settings spring to mind for you? And are there any books you've come across that do address some of the gaps above?