The 2008 young adult novel “The Hunger Games” is often considered a model for teenage fiction. After the release of “The Hunger Games” and its sequels, other dystopian books like this came out and became bestsellers.
However, each generation does not have its own literary movement. Currently, most reading students in Huron County do not even read the books intended for them.
Students surveyed by the Tribune revealed that they more often read books aimed at an older audience than those written for their own demographics. Freshman Grace Wilton of North Huron Schools has admitted a fondness for horror books. Sixth-grade student Marissa Prill reads detective books about Jack the Ripper. Seventh-grade Bad Ax student Ian Harris is a fan of “The Lord of the Rings” and “Dune,” two books that even adults have trouble reading. Grade eight student Ryan Gordan from North Huron constantly reads non-fiction about the Second World War.
“Some things for ninth and tenth graders can get corny,” said Bad Ax 10th grader Mikaela Boyle. “With the intensification, you have to think about it a little more.”
While several students still read young adult books from the past, like “The Hunger Games,” it doesn’t seem to have the same connection to the real world as it did to the original audience.
“I thought about it more like it was like that in my world, how crazy that would be,” Boyle said.
Crime thrillers seem to be a popular choice among middle and high school students, along with horror.
“I guess feeling that fear can be a good thing if your life is pretty boring and tedious,” Boyle said. “It livens things up a bit.
Rather than going into books to make connections to the real world, young readers instead opt for a distraction from their daily lives. Reading can do this much more effectively than visual media like television or movies.
“I like to read because I like to see their way of life and how they do things,” said Grace Wilton. “It’s like an escape from the world we have right now.”
