Now, it is time once again for this month's "Christa Talks To The Teen" featuring the lovely Aliya. Don't forget that this is a monthly feature done on the last Friday of every month, so if you have questions for Aliya, drop them in the comments and she will tackle them next month.
Christa: What's your favorite kind of YA to read?
Aliya: I go through phases in which I read a whole bunch of one kind of book at a time. I ALWAYS like romance in my books. I'll switch between heart wrenching drama, light humored comedy, suspenseful mystery, paranormal (don't even get me started in the individual creatures). I enjoy a lot of books so long as they're fiction (and usually have a romance).
Christa: I grew up in the 80's and 90's, which of these words still work in YA:
Awesome, Sweet, Excellent, Badass, Cool, Nice, Lame, Douchebag, Baller, PHAT
Aliya: Awesome always works! Sweet is good. Excellent is a huge yes! Badass is constantly being used in my house. Cool works all the time. Nice is good. Lame is okay, but only sometimes. Douchebag is used, but not by me. I have never even heard of Baller of PHAT actually being used.
Christa: Sex, drinking, and alcohol---too much in YA books? too little? Appropriate for what's out there?
Aliya: I'm finding an appropriate amount. There is a good amount with and without those, and they're all realistic. Over half of teenagers seem to drink, have sex, and do drugs, and I think they want to read about it, too. The teens who don't do any of it generally want to read about it, sometimes just to understand the other people without joining them. But everyone wants a break from it at times, and there are books for that as well.
Christa: What TV shows do you think gets it right with teens?
Aliya: I've been discussing this with my sisters, and my sister finally said "I don't know! Shows aren't for us to relate to, they're to entertain us!" Come on, most shows are outlandish and the others give us a few topics to connect with and then go overboard with the rest. There are emotions and circumstances from Degrassi, Glee, and The Secret Life of the American Teenager that are realistic, but it's TV, they exaggerate everything.
Thanks Aliya! As usual, you are made of AWESOME.
15 comments:
Great questions and awesome answers. Phew, I was afraid I use the word awesome too much. At least I'm not being lame. Lol. Fun post!
What a fantastic interview. Aliya sounds so down to earth. And yay for Degrassi! I grew up watching the old version of the show.
Aliya is made of awesome. Love hearing what real teens think. :)
Hi back to you, Christa. Your blog is great and I'm so glad to have found you via the Campaign!!
Neat interview. Now I'm just curious, what are your top 10 YA books of all time:)
This has been a really fun interview. I'm taking notes on all the great feedback. Thank you Christa and Aliya!
What? No Baller or PHAT? That's whack! Sorry. Great interview, good info. I LOVED this line "The teens who don't do any of it generally want to read about it, sometimes just to understand the other people without joining them." So true!
Fellow campaigner here from your YA group.
I love this post. It's great to get a real life YA perspective. I've got a YA daughter who reads, but she doesn't talk to me. LOL :D
I also go through bouts of reading the same sorts of books, like I need to get my fill before moving on to something else.
What a great feature! I loved this interview!
*cries at the death of baller*
This is a great feature. Thanks!
Thanks for asking that question about words. I always wonder if I'm using passe language!! I think I'm good, though. I'd never even heard of baller or PHAT, either! lol!
Great interview! Thanks, ladies.
Amy
Love this post! It is great to know what real flesh and blood teens think. Thanks :)
Guys- great interview-- totally PHAT.
Took me long enough to come and see the post! It's great!
Wow, people are attached to baller and PHAT. o.o The question about all the words was a really good one.
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