Sex in Teen Lit Month II Discussion: Sex in LGBTQ YA

As regular readers will know, I am a huge supporter of diverse YA, LGBTQ YA in particular. It was my plan to highlight LGBTQ YA novels that involve sex scenes that don't fade to black and aren't glossed over (I can probably think of a few like this, but they're not what I'm after here). After all, queer teens deserve to see all aspects of their lives represented in the books they read. I only knew of two, so I asked around on Twitter, and only a few others were recommended to me (click the images to be taken to their Goodreads pages):

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Sex in teen Lit Month II Discussion: How Important is it For Sex to Be On the Page in YA?

For Sex in Teen Lit Month II, both Donna Freitas and Carrie Mesrobian have discussed the importance for readers to have their YA novels feature sex. But what I found really interesting when reading their thoughts was how they differed when it came to their actual sex scenes.

Continue reading Sex in teen Lit Month II Discussion: How Important is it For Sex to Be On the Page in YA?

Review: Shut Out by Kody Keplinger (#Ad)

Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

I was sent this review copy for free by Hodder Children's Books for the purpose of providing an honest review.

The girls of Hamilton High School are going on strike.

Sick of the rivalry between their boyfriends' American football and soccer teams, Lissa and her friends are determined that the boys won't see any action from them until they put an end to their immature pranks.

But Lissa hasn't counted on a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first... From Goodreads

Continue reading Review: Shut Out by Kody Keplinger (#Ad)

Sex in Teen Lit Month II - Judith Tewes: Didn't We Already Have a Sexual Revolution?

Today, I'm fortunate enough to have Judith Tewes, YA author of My Soon-to-Be Sex Life, stopping by my blog to discuss how everyone wants to know why Charlie wants to lose her virginity.

Didn't We Already Have A Sexual Revolution?

My novel centers around Charlotte (Charlie) Webb, a teenaged girl who starts off with a simple and focused mission to lose her virginity and then discovers there’s more to life to lose than your v-card. My Soon-To-Be Sex Life is a raw, angsty, funny, kinda/sorta romantic quick read with more than a little irreverence thrown into the mix. It’s not the book for everyone. There’s mention of sex, drugs, religion, and yes, lots of swearing. However, there’s also a dysfunctional family struggling to repair past wrongs, see each other through some serious life changes, and overall themes of – it’s okay to not be okay and if we stick together things can get better.

Continue reading Sex in Teen Lit Month II - Judith Tewes: Didn't We Already Have a Sexual Revolution?

Sex in Teen Lit Month II Highlight: The Oral History Podcast

I wanted to highlight a wonderful website run by YA authors Carrie Mesrobian and Christa Desir, The Oral History Podcast.


While doing my research for Sex in Teen Lit Month, I came across The Oral History Podcast, where every month of this year so far, Carrie and Christa have discussed an aspect of sex, and then related it to YA books.

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Sex in Teen Lit Month II - Interview with Non Pratt

Today, I am super excited to have the wonderful author of Trouble, Non Pratt on the blog to discuss her debut novel and teenage pregnancy and teenage girls' sexuality for Sex in Teen Lit Month II.

What inspired you to write Trouble?

I don’t really think any one thing inspired me... more a culmination of things. Since I started writing at fourteen, I’ve written stories about the kinds of teens I wanted to read about – people who hang out in the park, drink, get (un)lucky with the people they have a crush on, argue and maybe even fight. Because I wanted to read about teens who had sex, that’s what my characters do, but I am aware that this isn’t without its problems: including judgement from society and from their peers. This judgement is often intensified if a teenager falls pregnant. I wanted to write a character who both lived up to – and subverted – the expectation of ‘the kind of girl’ who does this.

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Review: Lobsters by Tom Ellen & Lucy Ivison

Lobsters by Tom Ellen & Lucy Ivison (review copy) - Sam and Hannah only have the holidays to find 'The One'. Their lobster.

But fate works against them, with awkward misunderstandings, the plotting of friends and their own fears of being virgins for ever.

In the end though, it all boils down to love... From the blurb

Continue reading Review: Lobsters by Tom Ellen & Lucy Ivison

Girls Having Adventures: Response to Caitlin Moran

On Friday 16th May 2014, an article was published on The Bookseller website about Caitlin Moran talking about her latest novel, How to Build a Girl, which is being published in July. She claims, ‘“...it’s really important which sexy books you read - particularly when you’re a girl,”’. I have no issue with that statement. But a little later on, she goes on to say, ‘“You don’t see teenage girls anywhere unless they’re being bitten by vampires”’.

Well, as an avid reader of YA, it appears to me that Moran has sadly not had the right people recommending YA to her. There are a plethora of YA novels where teenage girls are ‘“having adventures, particularly sex adventures”’ - without the vampires. I’m sure Moran would be happy to hear that if she came into Foyles and spoke to the fantastic Children’s Booksellers, they would be able to fill multiple baskets of such books for her. But I thought I would start her off with some recommendations here.

Continue reading Girls Having Adventures: Response to Caitlin Moran

Guest Post: Let's Talk About Lesbian Sex, Baby by B.J. Epstein

Today, I have a fantastic post for you from B.J. Epstein, author of non-fiction book, Are the Kids All Right? about children's and YA LGBTQ fiction, which will be published in October 2013. B.J. is here to discuss the sexual content, or lack there of, in lesbian YA novels.

Let’s Talk About Lesbian Sex, Baby by B.J. Epstein

Let’s talk about lesbian sex, baby.

Let’s talk about all the good things and the bad things that may be.

Let’s talk about—

Actually, when it comes to lesbian sex in young adult novels, it’s mostly bad things.

What I have found is that if you compare how gay males and their sex lives are portrayed in YA books to how gay females and their sex lives are portrayed, the women come off looking incompetent, scared, and distinctly lacking in passion. It’s as though society is so scared of female sexuality in general that lesbian sexuality in particular is doubly worrying, and authors and publishers just don’t feel comfortable producing books that feature it.

Continue reading Guest Post: Let's Talk About Lesbian Sex, Baby by B.J. Epstein

Review: Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead - WARNING! I cannot review Spirit Bound without spoiling the other novels in the series. Do not read any further if you plan on reading the previous novels and don’t want to be spoiled.

Dimitri gave Rose the ultimate choice. And she made the wrong one… After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri’s birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir’s Academy — and to her best friend, Lissa. But Rose’s heart still aches for Dimitri, and she knows he’s out there, somewhere. She failed to kill him when she had the chance. And now her worst fears are about to come true— Dimitri has tasted her blood, and now he is hunting her. Only this time, he won’t rest until Rose joins him… forever. From Amazon UK

You all probably know by now how big a fan I am of Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series, so when Sophie of So Many Books, So Little Time announced that she had a spare copy if anyone wanted one, I jumped at the chance (thank you)! I was so excited to read it, and I wasn’t disappointed!

It’s going to be so difficult to write this review, because I can’t talk about anything really without spoiling it. If you’ve read up to the last book, Blood Promise, you’ll have questions. Well, most, if not all, of those get answered in one way or another. However, more questions arise; things happen in Spirit Bound that you wouldn’t believe, and things are just so much more dangerous for Rose, in ways you wouldn’t even consider.

I have to say, while reading the book, I felt like not a lot happened. Thinking back on it, a fair bit did actually happen, things that were monumental, but Spirit Bound wasn’t as action packed as some of the other books in the series. This doesn’t make the book bad at all, it just has a slightly different focus. What is this focus? Rose’s emotional state. I’m not going to say whether she’s happy, sad, angry, scared, whatever, it would seriously give too much away. Nor will I tell you how I reacted to it, but I will say Richelle’s writing is just amazing! I love it! However, when there is action, my god is it amazing! Again, I can’t tell you much about it, but it’s just so good! Rose really dose know how to kick butt!

If I had my way, there would have been more Christian, more Adrian, and more Dimitri. Bad or good, I do love those guys! Especially Adrian, he is such a sweetie – in his cocky, devil-may-care way. He’s just awesome! As are all the guys.

This book is absolutely incredible! Was it my favourite of the series? No, but then I couldn’t pick my favourite, it’s all one story to me. But I absolutely loved it! I really can’t wait to read Last Scarifice, the sixth and final book in the Vampire Academy series, which will be released 7th December 2010 – yet, I can wait, I don’t want this series to end! A warning to others; do not read the synopsis for Last Sacrifice until you’ve read this book! It will seriously spoil it!

Published: 18th May 2010
Publisher: Puffin
Buy on Amazon UK
Buy on Amazon US
Richelle Mead’s Website

Reviews of the Vampire Academy:
Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy Book 1)
Frostbite (Vampire Academy Book 2)
Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy Book 3)
Blood Promise (Vampire Academy Book 4)

Other reviews:
So Many Books, So Little Time

Continue reading Review: Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

And it Ends: Thank You!

Phew! So this is the last post for Sex in Teen Lit Month, and then we're done. It's gone by pretty quickly! I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have! I have some thank you's to make - please bare with me, this may take a while.

Firstly, a big, huge, massive, ginourmous thank you to Luisa Plaja. This lady has gone so far beyond helpful and supportive, I'd say this was partly her baby too. Luisa helped me come up with the idea originally, supplied me with a list of titles as possibilities I could use for this month, supplied me with a copy of Extreme Kissing to review, agreed to be interviewed about it, sent me her thoughts on each of the books as a reader/mother/author to include with the reviews, supplied SiTL Month with a contest, has been available for me to ask opinion on various aspects of the month as I was working things out, helped me to get my hands on some of the books, and has been generally pro everything SiTL Month! Luisa, thank you so, so much for all your help with this month, you have been amazingly awesome, and I'm very sorry for clogging up your inbox! You are a STAR!

Thanks to all the wonderful authors who agreed to be interviewed! Your answers were just so fascinating to read! It was just so fantastic of you all for taking the time to answer some questions for us all, and for your support of SiTL Month too! So thank you to Tanya Lee Stone, Luisa Plaja (again), Joanna Kenrick, Sara Hantz, Laura Ruby, Mary Hooper, Serena Robar, and Melvin Burgess! You're awesome!

Cheers to all the wonderful ladies who contributed guestposts, author Jane Eagland, Ana of Things Mean a Lot, Kay of Infinite Shelf, and Kate of Another Book Blog-Whore. You're all fantastic, and your posts just so interesting!

Thank you to all the authors who wrote the books I covered for this month, which includes Nick Hornby and Julie Burchill.

And thank you to everyone who commented! It wouldn't have worked without you guys commenting, so thank you for taking an interest and for popping over to read it all and comment! You're all amazing!

I really did enjoy this month. It opened my eyes quite a bit. I hadn't read non-fantasy YA in a long time, and I didn't think it was for me, but decided to do this anyway because it was a subject I was interested in and because it's something I feel is important. I was completely wrong, YA is for me! I love it, and will be continuing to read it. You may just find that Ink and Paper Specials becomes my own YA book review blog :) We'll see.

My eyes were also opened by the books I read themselves, and how they dealt with the subject. They effected my way of thinking, and I'm no longer a teen! Each book made an impression in it's own way, but there were some that had quite a big impact, and made me look at things differently. I was going to list the ways, but it would just be far too long. When I have children of my own, I'll be sure to recommend all these books. Perhaps handing over any copies I own - as long as they don't damage them!

So, SiTL Month is now over. There's a possibility I may do something similar in the future, so as corny as this is, would you mind giving me your feedback on the month with this short survey, please? It's only 6 questions long, it shouldn't take you long to answer, and I'd really appreciate it! Cheers.

So thanks everyone for such an awesome month! It's been fun :)

Continue reading And it Ends: Thank You!

Further Reading

Sex in Teen Lit Month is now drawing to a close, but the books I read for this month aren’t the only YA novels out there that focus on sex. Here is a list of other books that deal with the subject you may wish to give a read.

Cycler by Lauren McLaughlin

As far as anyone at her high school knows, Jill McTeague is an average smart girl trying to get her dream date to ask her to the prom.What no one knows, except for Jill’s mom and dad, is that for the four days Jill is out of school each month, she is not Jill at all. She is Jack, a genuine boy—complete with all the parts. Jack lives his four days per month in the solitude of Jill’s room. But his personality has been building since the cycling began. He is less and less content with his confinement and his cycles are becoming more frequent. Now Jill’s question about the prom isn’t who she'll go with, but who she'll be when the big night arrives.

Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky

Before this all happened, the closest I'd ever come to getting physical with a guy was playing the board game Operation. Okay, so maybe that sounds pathetic, but it's not like there were any guys at my high school who I cared to share more than three words with, let alone my body. Then I met Wes, a track star senior from across town. Maybe it was his soulful blue eyes, or maybe my hormones just started raging. Either way, I was hooked. And after a while, he was too. I couldn't believe how intense my feelings became, or the fact that I was seeing—and touching—parts of the body I'd only read about in my Gray's Anatomy textbook. You could say Wes and I experienced a lot of firsts together that spring. It was scary. It was fun. It was love. And then came the fall.

Let’s Get Lost by Sarra Manning

Some girls are born to be bad...Isabel is one of them. Her friends are terrified of her, her teachers can't get through to her...her family doesn't understand her. And that's just the way she likes it. See, when no one can get near you, no one will know what keeps you awake at night, what you're afraid of, what has broken your heart...But then Isabel meets the enigmatic Smith, who can see right through her act. Bit by bit he chips away at her armour, and though she fights hard to keep hold of her cool, and her secrets, Isabel's falling for him, and coming apart at the seams when she does...A poignant, sometimes dark, and utterly heart-breaking novel, told with all the author's trademark wit and sharp observation...

The Goddess Society by Kelly McKain

Jen, Shelley and Lia are best friends and determined to lose their virginity ...and soon. But these girls want their first time to be perfect. So they make a pact; strictly no losing it in your mother's car leaving footprints on the windscreen, and only in approved sexy underwear (no big grey knickers allowed!). The Goddess Society is born...Unfortunately not everything goes to plan for the goddesses. Who'd have thought losing your virginity would be this tricky? A sexy, funny and heartwarming story about love, lust and friendship.

The Lost Goddess by Kelly McKain – Sequel to The Goddess Society

A funny and heartwarming novel from an up and coming new author... Three best friends cope with first love, first sex and lots of confusion along the way. Shelley's modelling career is taking off and she's just moved in with her boyfriend - a huge step, but is she ready for it? Meanwhile, Lia can't understand why her boyfriend is reluctant to jump into bed with her and Jen wonders if she will ever find someone to fall in love with...

Diving In by Kate Cann

Coll thinks the boy she sees swimming every Thursday night is completely gorgeous - long and lean, powerful and strong. He becomes the fantasy that takes her out of her ordinary day-to-day existence. And then he asks her out, and the dream becomes reality. Art is strong and powerful, and he's also quite pushy. Just what is Coll getting into?

From the Author (from Amazon UK):
I was fed up with teenage books treating sex and relationships in only 2 ways:

1) Doomy, gloomy stuff about unwanted pregnancy, rape, abuse

2) Hopelessly fake romantic fluffy stuff with impossible characters

I wanted to write something realistic about the power of falling in love and sex - and I wanted the final message to be a positive one! Coll is a strong, funny, independent heroine who has to deal with being poleaxed by Art, the object of her passion. She's crazy about him but she's not about to forget everything she is just to win his approval and keep him. People either love Art or hate him. I've got a very soft spot for him and I think it's entirely believable that Coll falls for him as hard as she does! To find out whether they make it together or not, read In the Deep End!

Six Steps to a Girl

Luke spots Eve at his dad's funeral. She's hot - and she's the perfect distraction from his messed up family life. There's only one problem - she's got a boyfriend. Still, Luke's not going to give up that easily...When he meets Ryan at a party and hears about 'the Six Steps method' to guarantee success with any girl, Luke determines to put it to the test. Step by step, he begins to get closer to Eve - but one step forward seems to mean two steps back, and when he's hospitalised by the jealous boyfriend, he wonders if any girl - even one as gorgeous as Eve - is really worth it...

Pure by Terra Elan McVoy

Tabitha and her four best friends all wear purity rings, symbols of the virginity-until-marriage pledge they made years ago. Now Tab is fifteen, and her ring has come to mean so much more. It's a symbol of who she is and what she believes -- a reminder of her promises to herself, and her bond to her friends.

But when Tab meets a boy whose kisses make her knees go weak, everything suddenly seems a lot more complicated. Tab's best friend, Morgan, is far from supportive, and for the first time, Tabitha is forced to keep secrets from the one person with whom she's always shared everything. When one of those secrets breaks to the surface, Tab finds herself at the center of an unthinkable betrayal that splits her friends apart. As Tab's entire world comes crashing down around her, she's forced to re-examine her friendships, her faith, and what exactly it means to be pure.

Inexcusable by Chris Lynch

In a story that moves between the past and the scene of the rape, Keir attempts to defend his character from the monstrous crime of which he has been accused. But the anecdotes from Keir's senior year at high school fall short of giving the innocent and 'good-guy' picture, Keir is determined to paint of himself. Instead he is revealed somehow as a morally ambiguous and deluded young man. In this extraordinary book, Chris Lynch has pushed the boundaries and set a new standard in YA fiction. It is a gripping and masterfully written story about a subject very few people will dare to explore. Any person who reads it will have much to think about.

Easy by Kerry Cohen Hoffmann (may also be called Slut)

"Come on," he says. "Hop in." My heart pounds. I can feel sweat gathering at my armpits. "I don't think so." "Why not?" "I can't," I say. "Not now." "Okay," he says. "Another time then." He winks. He turns on his signal and pulls back onto the street. I watch his car get smaller then disappear around the bend. Instead of relief I feel disappointed, like I've just missed out on something big. My chance to matter.

Fourteen-year-old Jessica doesn't know who she is anymore. Her once strong mother is falling apart after a messy divorce, and Jessica doesn't even have the energy to help her. She has her own problems, not least the school photography contest which requires her to submit a self-portrait; an impossible task when her own identity is a mystery to her. The only thing Jessica seems sure of is the great feeling she gets when someone is checking her out...A cautionary tale about a teenage girl who uses her newfound sexuality as an escape, until she realises just what it's costing her.

Loose Girl: A Memoir of Promiscuity by Kerry Cohen*

'There is a new boy I like. I see him every other day when our classes let out at the same time. He has long, dark hair and unbelievably beautiful eyes. Almost immediately I can feel the energy between us, the promise of something to come.' Kerry first noticed the power she had over the opposite sex at the age of eleven. By the time she was in her teens she was obsessed by boys, and soon she needed sex just to feel alive. Sleeping with countless partners, Kerry's misguided search for love was getting out of hand. But would she ever find what she really needed?

*This is not a YA novel, it is a memoir, real life. I've not read it, so I can't say what the content is like, but I thought it may be interesting to list as it seems to deal with the topic in real life, and is written by a YA author who has written about the topic (see above Easy/Slut). Again, this is not a YA novel.

If you can think of any others, please recommend them in the comments, as I would love to read them!

Continue reading Further Reading

The Different Covers

As a bit of a fun post, I thought we could look at the different covers there are for some of the books covered for Sex in Teen Lit Month. Obviously, I will only cover the ones that have more than one cover. As I may not be entirely sure what cover is for where, so we'll just say first, second, third, etc.

A Bad Boy Can be Good for a Girl by Tanya Lee Stone:




I prefer the first cover myself. What about you?

Screwed by Joanna Kenrick:



Not much difference here, but I prefer the second one.

Sugar Rush by Julie Burchill:



I'm not sure which one I prefer, here.

Good Girls by Laura Ruby:



I much prefer the first cover!

Megan by Mary Hooper:



There is another cover, the original one, but I can't find it anywhere. I prefer the new, second cover.

Doing it by Melvin Burgess:




I'm not sure which one I prefer, I think they're all quite effective.

How about you, what do you think of the covers?

Continue reading The Different Covers

Guest Post: Katie of Another Book Blog-Whore - A Teenager's View of Sex in YA

Today we have a guest post from Katie, who runs Another Book Blog-Whore.

Hi everyone. I’m Katie and 16, so pretty much the intended audience for YA. Jo has kindly let me do a guest post for Sex in Teen Lit Month, which has been superb so far. So I’m going to share my views with you today which you are all free to agree/disagree with. I’m going to apologise in advance because I think this post is going to be looooong. You’ve seen my comments. I’m going to start off with a topic that I feel strongly about:

How Stereotypes of Teenagers affects Attitude

This isn’t strictly book related but it does have a connection. There is quite a common stereotype of teenagers nowadays. A lot of us are seen as yobs that binge drink, smoke, swear, have sex with random people and then skip school. Of course most people don’t stereotype us that badly. But when I get on a bus with other teenage friends I can see myself being eyed warily by various people and instant dislike on some people’s faces. So what does this have to do with books? I feel that because the papers represent teenagers in a bad light, a lot of the people try to assess why teenagers are the way they are. Their solution? Books, TV, films, magazines and the papers. It couldn’t be that some teenagers need support and aren’t receiving the right care? It couldn’t be that schools aren’t up to satisfactory levels? It couldn’t be that most teenagers feel as though they are being looked down upon and are living up to the expectations that society has of them? It couldn’t be a lack of decent role models?

There are various reasons why Britain’s children are among the unhappiest in the Western world (according to UNICEF), but to try and pinpoint one reason isn’t logical. I don’t know any statistics for the USA or other countries but if you are interested about the articles referring to Britain’s children, there are a few: here, here and here.

I feel books are easier to target because you can blame one person, the author. But to blame the problems of teenage sex/pregnancy/spread of STIs and STDs on a book? It’s ludicrous. Most books provide the facts, pure and simple. This is what happens if you have sex and these are the consequences you will have to deal with. However, they do something that Sex Ed lessons don’t, they provide realistic situations and address the pressure some people feel to lose their virginity. In response to the affect of TV, films and magazines, I think their affect is minimal. I don’t feel influenced by things I’ve seen on TV, watched at the cinema or read in a magazine. The reflection of teenagers in most tabloids is the only thing that really evokes any emotion in me. It makes me angry that teenagers as a whole are portrayed negatively. I’m not a fan of papers in general as I think they only see fit to report mainly negative stories which enrage and upset the general public about certain events.

But I’m straying from the point again. I have trouble staying on topic so I had better move on to my next topic:

Censorship: When Have you Gone too Far?

To be honest with you, I’ve never really thought much about censorship but it’s an interesting idea. Films are given labels at the cinema so children can’t see adult material. Some programmes are only aired after a certain time or on a certain channel. CDs contain warnings about explicit lyrics. Magazines are pretty honest about their content. Books are separated in to sections. If you walk in to a bookshop or library you will find an adult section and erotica section. But where do we cross the line from young adult to adult? I think the boundaries are pretty wide. We can’t wrap teenagers up in bubble wrap. I think the censorship isn’t as effective as we’d all like to believe. You can watch the 18 year old movies on the internet, you can even look at porn on the internet. So I think a lot of censorship is all in vain. If you restrict someone from seeing something, they’ll just try harder to find it, even if it means seeing it/learning it from someone untrustworthy.

I don’t think that if a book has sex in it then it should instantly be in the adult section. Adult means 18 but you can have sex in the UK at 16. Teenagers need to learn about sex in realistic circumstances without any danger to themselves. Books provide this safe environment. Take away the book and you actually take away the protection. Sex is a taboo subject and it shouldn’t be. It’s natural and a way of bringing life in to the world. I believe that banning books from certain people is only a few steps away from book banning in general. If I read a book about sex, it doesn’t make me want to go out and have sex. It has a positive impact, it makes me more aware of what is happening around me. Everyone seems to be worried about impressionable young people reading this material, but I don’t think it’s anything to worry about. If the books were encouraging you to go out, have unprotected sex with a guy, get STIs/STDs/have an unwanted pregnancy, then I would worry about these impressionable people. As it is, I think that authors tend to tackle some taboo issues and do a good job of raising awareness.

And my last topic, if you’re still awake:

Authors Frowned Upon For Their Creativity

I don’t know if this happens but if there are any authors reading, I would be interested by your input. With all the pressure about books being suitable for young adults, are authors being forced to get rid of material or change their age range? I think that although authors tend to be quite insistent about their books, by criticising their choices, we run the risk of repressing their creativity. Imagine if Harry Potter hadn’t been published because of its links to witchcraft. There are many books that help people. If you tell an author they can’t print a book, not only are you doing them an injustice, you are also taking away a book that someone could need. There are many delicate topics: eating disorders, self-harming, sexual struggles, mental problems, disabilities and many more.

Who has the right to take away a book someone needs? By taking away a book that someone needs, you are just helping them sink deeper in to their issues and a negative state. They rebel, either by harming themselves or others. If you want to know why some of our teenagers are behaving the way they do, remember that when they needed support in the form of a book, you took it away. I don’t believe that trying to take away a book is a form of protection. I believe that it’s because parents don’t want to discuss issues with their children.

A few terms:

STIs-Sexually Transmitted Infections

STDs-Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Comment, you know you want to. Agree with me? Disagree with me? I love hearing your opinions. And feel free to email me if you want to talk about anything but don’t want to comment.

Thank you, Katie, for such an awesome guest post! Very thought provoking! You heard her, get commenting with your thoughts!

Continue reading Guest Post: Katie of Another Book Blog-Whore - A Teenager's View of Sex in YA

Guest Post: Kay of The Infinite Shelf - My Experience with Sex in YA

Today we have a guest post from Kay, who run's The Infinite Shelf.

Hey everyone!

For those who don’t know me, a brief introduction : I’m Kay from The Infinite Shelf. I’m a twenty-something book addict with a strong love for YA fiction – and this is why when Jo offered me the chance to guest post for the SITL month, I jumped on the chance!

I don’t know how it was for you, but when I was a teen, a little less than 10 years ago, there wasn’t that much sex in teen lit – and when there was, it was only that obscure thing not really described and that lead to very obvious Bad Consequences (pregnancy, STDs, etc.) Maybe it was specific to where I lived (being a French Canadian, we had to rely on a smaller lot of teen lit, or on some translations that were not really promoted) – or maybe things just changed?

I’m not a mother, so my point of view on sex in teen literature is solely based on my own reading experience. I remember how it was when I was 14, 15, when all the boy talk became more serious and all you could find were either very technical books on reproduction or very graphic romance novels. Yikes! Now, that was something to scar and scare you for life!

At that age, we pretty much knew how things worked. We weren’t interested in books about the “How”, and the adult novels certainly went too far for our understanding of life. The thing is, sexuality in an adult’s life isn’t the same as sexuality in a teen’s life. They cannot be portrayed the same way. The thing to remember though, is that sexuality is part of our daily life in various ways : if they don’t read it, they’ll watch it on tv; if they don’t watch it on tv, they’ll talk about it. Well they’ll talk about it anyway, but you get what I mean, don’t you!

The subject of “age” isn’t something we can look at with an objective eye, either; some teens are ready to read more explicit literature sooner than others. But to say that sex doesn’t have its place in their literature is going a little too far – and underestimating the teen’s mind. If you hide something, they’ll probably just be more curious about it, and they’ll look elsewhere to get answers – and maybe not the right place. If you give them honest literature that confronts them with their possible choices, you will most likely open their mind to the reality of it; something that is not scary, but that is not to be taken lightly, either.

That’s just my opinion, though : all I wanted was to take this opportunity to voice my thoughts and concerns on the subject – which will echo some of yours, I’m sure. Some of you might disagree, too : either way, I’d love you hear your thoughts on the subject!

Thank you, Kay, for a great guest post! Do you agree with Kay? As she said, she'd like to hear your thoughts, so what do you think?

Continue reading Guest Post: Kay of The Infinite Shelf - My Experience with Sex in YA

Guest Post: Ana of Things Mean a Lot - Why I Think Teens Should Read About Sex

I asked a few fellow book bloggers who were interested in SiTL Month if they were interested in contributing a guest post for the month, and some agreed! Today we have a guest post from Ana of the awesome book blog Things Mean a Lot.

Why I Think Teens Should Read About Sex

Let me start by getting this out of the way: I’m not opposed to teenagers having sex. I think having sex as a teen is not a decision that should be made without deliberation, information, and of course contraception. I think it can be, and sometimes is, the wrong decision. But I also think that’s not always the case.

I’m not a person or faith, so before or after marriage is a non-issue for me. I’m also someone who questions the association between sexuality and morality. I don’t think that having sex or abstaining from it says very much at all about who you are as a person. What I mostly care about is if someone treats others with consideration and respect, if they’re empathic and caring. I realize that the association between sexual abstinence and moral worth is a strong one, especially when it comes to girls. And I know that people with different worldviews will disagree with me, which is perfectly fine. But I thought it’d be only fair to start by telling you where I’m coming from.

I grew up in a country where there was no sex ed whatsoever. We studied puberty and human reproduction briefly in science classes in middle school, but no adult sat down with us to talk openly about sex – and it’s now, almost a decade later, that this is finally starting to change. What this meant was that kids who didn’t have an open enough relationship with their families couldn’t bring up the subject. Kids like the kid I was ran the risk of being left in the dark. Or worse, they might get all their information from hearsay, and we all know how reliable school rumours are.

This is where reading comes in. My family was an odd mixture of progressive and conservative, so while they didn’t want to sit down with us kids and talk about the birds and the bees, they wanted us to know. I was given books and teen magazines, and that’s how I learned the facts of puberty and sexuality. I also had access to a school library where books on these topics were widely available. This was important to me and to several of my schoolmates.

Those books and magazines covered the facts, but of course there’s a lot more to sexuality than the facts. And that’s the beauty of novels – they go far beyond mere facts. Teenagers, as adults, often want to know what things feel like, and literature gives us a safe space in which to rehearse experiences. It gives us a peek into private lives – imaginary private lives, yes, but that doesn’t mean they don’t give us real answers. I don’t think reading about sex in YA will make teens either more or less likely to have sex themselves. But I think it will give them something to think about, and perhaps address questions they couldn’t bring themselves to ask. I think stories can help them decide whether or not they’re emotionally ready for sex themselves, can show them what intimacy is like, can help them make better decisions.

Sometimes I see parents and other educators complain if a YA novel doesn’t show the consequences of sex. I think it’s important that teens understand that sex can and does have serious consequences, both physical and emotional. But as I said above, it also can have positive consequences. And books that portray sex positively don’t exist in a vacuum. They’re none of them trying to be the ultimate book about teen sex. They exist alongside books that represent pregnancy, sexual abuse, virginity, emotional scars, social pressure to have sex, sad sex, lonely sex, you name it.

These books are of course important, but my point is that not every book about teen sex needs to be a cautionary tale. There’s room for many voices, many stories, including ones that are simply about the enjoyment of sexual intimacy. I see nothing wrong with books about happy and rewarding teen sexual experiences. These are important too, especially for teen girls who grow up exposed to contradictory messages about sexuality – they are supposed to be desirable, but they’re labelled sluts for showing any sexual feelings of their own. We need to sever the tie between female sexuality and shame. We need to get rid of the sexual double-standard. And YA literature can help us do that.

Thank you, Ana, for such a wonderful guest post! Anyone want to comment on what Ana has to say?

Continue reading Guest Post: Ana of Things Mean a Lot - Why I Think Teens Should Read About Sex

Interview with Melvin Burgess

Melvin Burgess, author of YA novel Doing It, was kind enough to spend some time answering some questions on his novel and the topic of sex in YA.

How did you come up with the idea for Doing It?

After writing Junk (Smack) it seemed to me that sex was another one of those subjects that people find it very hard to speak honestly about to young adults. Love, yes, relationships, yes, but desire and lust, and the culture around these things – no. After that I spent a while asking my friends – everyone I met, really – to tell me their teenage knobby stories. Everyone has one, at least. It might be rude, or sweet or embarrassing or funny – but everyone has one. I used that as the basic research for the book.

Doing It can be quite explicit and crude. Did you ever think you might be going too far?

I know some people think that. I actually feel that teenagers are in some ways often quite extreme people, when compared to adults. They like loud music, rude jokes, scary stories at least as much and often very much more. Adults tend to shy away from actual teen culture – they want it kept strictly private, out of sight, so they don’t have to think about it, but if you write for teenagers, I think you should address them directly, not through a lens imposed by teachers or parents. The language and themes of Doing It reflect the culture I was in when I was that age, and that other people reported back to me.

I found the book quite surprising in how sympathetic I felt towards Dino, Ben and Jonathan. Was it your purpose to step away from stereotypical views of boys with this book?

There is a generally unsympathetic view of teenage boys. Lots of people find them difficult to cope with, sometimes from the point of view of “good taste”, sometimes from a feminist view point. Male sexuality is less touchy-feely, more in your face than female sexuality and when it begins to arise in young men, a lot of adults are deeply suspicious. It’s my feeling that if you make dirty jokes with your mates, that’s your business and no one else has the right to make it a problem. It doesn’t mean you’re a bully, or that you’re sexist – just that you have a sense of humour. I remember Woody Allen’s line – “Is sex dirty?” And the answer – “Only if you’re doing it right …”

I hope the book shows, just because you can see the funny, ungainly, ridiculous side of sex, and just because you're fascinated by it and thinking about it all the time… doesn’t mean to say you don’t treat girls with respect. Dino, Ben and Jonathon are dirty minded, yes, find the whole thing half ridiculous and half fascinating – but by and large (with the possible exception of Dino) they want to be honest, open and respectful …

I like how Doing It was written in both first and third person, and the conversational style when it was in first person. Why did you chose to write in this stlyle?

I enjoy writing in multiple first person voices. I find it moves the story along quickly and helps get inside the heads of the various characters better than a third person narrative, or a simple first person voice. It’s a way of writing that comes very naturally to me. I try to give an effect that you know these people, that they’re your friends who are chatting away to you about what they’re up to. But sometimes, in multiple first person novels, I find I want that third person over view as well. Why not?

Although light hearted, you covered some serious topics in this novel, such as physical relationships between teachers and students. Did you feel it was important to cover serious topics as well as having an amusing story?

Yes, I did. Sex is such a wonderful thing – it’s rude and ridiculous, yet it forms the basis for the most important relationships of your life. Sexual bonds are so strong they can change our lives – for the better, or the worse. The teacher-pupil thing was really about abusive relationships, of the kind where an older person is using a younger person – something very many of us experience at some time in our lives. There was also Jonathon and his various neuroses … I wanted the book to represent various sides of sexual culture – the rudeness, the seriousness, the anxiety ….

Why do you choose to write on controversial topics?

I feel that society in general has a real problem with teenagers. We find them difficult to talk to, they scare us, we feel that we don’t understand them. At the same time, when most adults look back on their own teenage years they feel they had a bad time, and they are anxious about people who they know are not enjoying life as a group. School is so busy educating teenagers and preparing them for the workplace, that it hardly ever even begins to consider how to make themselves teenager friendly. As a result, the bad way we treat teengers continues down the generations and I can’t see even a small chance of it changing.

All this means that there are huge gaps in media for teenagers. Movie censorship means that it’s almost impossible to try to get inside the skin of anyone about the age of about twelve – mostly we don’t even try. For some reason, publishers have allowed me to explore many of the areas we have the most problem talking to young people about, so I think it’s only right to take it at face value.

What’s your opinion of how YA novels are dealing with the topic of sex?

Very patchy indeed. But getting better all the time.

Do you think there is a limit on what should be covered in YA novels?

Well, grand parenting would seem to be a bit of a waste of time, or re-marrying, or perhaps coming to terms with your old age. That sort of thing.

What books did you read as a teenager, and how well do you think they dealt with talking about sex?

I can’t think of any books that dealt with sex, really. When I was about eleven or twelve, my mum gave me a little book about the facts of life, but it said nothing at all about relationships, lust or anything that I was personally interested in. I remember attitudes to sex back then were such that I didn’t really understand that girls liked it too – it sort of seemed that they just went along with it because they were expected to. The only books I really remember were the porn ones that got handed round at school. They weren’t dreadfully sordid, most of them, and at least they gave me some idea of what people actually did …

What do you think about parents not allowing their teenagers to read novels with a certain sexual content?

I think you’d have a job stopping them. Someone was telling me just today about a librarian who cuts the pictures of nude ladies out of art books to keep them away from the students.

I think the attitude we should take is that sex is actually a wonderful thing. Whether you decide to save it for one special person or to do with a lots of people is your decision alone, and no one else should even have a say about it. Of course we should know about safe sex, but we should know about enjoying it too. When teenagers reach puberty, we should celebrate that such a fantastic gift is now theirs. There should be fireworks, cakes and dancing until late into the night …

Thank you, Melvin, for such a fantastic interview! It was fascinating!

Continue reading Interview with Melvin Burgess

Guest Post from Jane Eagland

Author Jane Eagland has written a guest post on the subject of sex in her YA novel Wildthorne. Thank you, Jane, for taking the time to do this.

In my novel, Wildthorn, ( published by Macmillan in March this year) the heroine Louisa discovers that she has sexual feelings for another girl. This is only one thread of the story, which is mainly about the fact that Louisa finds herself locked in a lunatic asylum and has to find out who has betrayed her and why.

It wasn’t a conscious decision to make her unconventional in her personal life (I don’t like the label ‘lesbian’ and in any case the word wouldn’t have been used at the time the novel is set – 1876); I don’t want to sound ‘precious’, but as I explored her character, it just seemed to arise naturally – that was who she was. And it fitted in well with the rest of the novel as she is someone who refuses to conform to the then very narrow role that society expected of a middle class girl, ie that she should be a wife and mother. The novel is about Louisa discovering who she is and not feeling ashamed of it, which I hope resonates with readers today.

Once I realized this about her, I did wonder about making this the motive for her incarceration, but after some research, I discovered that at that time it was acceptable for girls to have passionate friendships, without necessarily having sexual feelings for one another - they would embrace and kiss and write and say extravagant things to each other. The notion that such intimacy was somehow abnormal or to be frowned on didn’t arise till a later bit later. So I had to think of something else.

There is a sex scene in the book, but it’s not explicit, partly because that’s what I felt comfortable writing and partly because I think leaving things to the reader’s imagination can be more powerful than spelling them out!

I was quite surprised but pleased that this aspect of my novel was accepted by my editor without comment. I’ve heard that some publishers are edgy about taboo subjects and for example some writers have had to change what seems like mild swearing. I did wonder if the fact that it was a historical novel somehow made it ‘safer’. At one point there was a discussion about putting ‘for older teens’ on the cover but then they decided not to which I was glad about because it avoids suggesting that the unconventional relationship is a big deal.
When asked, though, I do find myself suggesting that the book is suitable for readers of 14 +, because as an ex-teacher I’m aware that if it’s in a school library some parents might object to younger children reading it, but that’s as much because the asylum scenes are rather ‘dark’ as because of the love interest.

In reviewing the book, several people have commented on the love element, favourably and unfavourably. It doesn’t surprise me, but I did wonder if it would have received so much attention if it had been a boy-girl relationship. Some people have even written about it as if it were an add-on element that clouds the issue of Louisa’s struggle to have a career and one that could be dispensed with. This did surprise me since to me it was an essential part of who Louisa was and I wasn’t consciously writing an ‘issue’ novel. Enough people, teens and adults, have written positive comments about it to reassure me that for many readers it’s not a problem.

Having said that, with my next novel the editor has made it clear she would prefer a heterosexual romance. Possibly this is to broaden the book’s appeal and while I don’t feel strongly about it, a small part of me does feel that I’m selling out by giving in to the pressure to conform and reflect the ‘norm.’ I think Louisa would be disappointed in me!

Jane Eagland

Thank you Jane, for the wonderful post!

Buy Wildthorn from Amazon UK and The Book Depository.

Continue reading Guest Post from Jane Eagland

Discussion: Can YA Novels Encourage Sexual Activity?

I came across an article about a library in America that would start labelling teen books with sexual content after an organisation, Citizens Against Pornography, protested last year about teen books they felt were inappropriate. We've already discussed whether or not labelling is good or not, so that's not what this post is about. There was a paragraph in this article that caught my eye.

"Others protested that some titles in the teen section could contribute to an increase in sexually transmitted disease among teens."

I think my mouth literally fell open at that; the insinuation that books with a high level of sexual content will make teenagers have sex. I think this is pretty outrageous. Sex is everywhere; it's in magazines, it's in films and on TV, it's even in music! There is not really any escape from it. Yet it's the books that are going to cause teenagers to go and have sex. Let's, for the sake of argument, say there are no teenage/YA novels with sexual content in the world. Not one. In that world, would teenagers be having less sex? Of course not! They can still get their hands on adult novels, but even if they didn't exist either, I don't think books are the sole problem here! As I said, sex is everywhere.

I'm not a teenager, but I was only a few years ago. If I had read the books I have been reading for this month back then, they wouldn't have made me want to go out and have sex, they would have just strengthened the views I already had; to be careful, to make the right choices, to be responsible, to wait. I'm not saying that this is what all the books are saying, this is their message, or that this is what all teens should be doing, I'm just saying these were, and are, my views on sex. The books deal with sex so well, and so maturely, even when the situations the characters are in don't seem that great (e.g. Good Girls, Screwed), or are ones I'd never be in (e.g. The Second Virginity of Suzy Green), there's always something positive to take from them.

So to say books can cause an increase in pregnancy, abortion, STIs, or sexual activity in general I think is utter rubbish.

What do you think? Can YA books with sexual content encourage sexual activity? Could they lead to an increase in STIs, teenage pregnancy, and abortions for teens? Am I actually talking rubbish, or do you agree with me?

Continue reading Discussion: Can YA Novels Encourage Sexual Activity?

Interview with Serena Robar

Serena Robar was kind enough to give us a few minutes of her time to talk about her YA novel Giving Up the V, and to talk about the subject of sex in YA. There are some spoilers in this interview! Do not read if you don't want the story spoiled for you!

How did you come up with the idea for Giving Up the V?

The inspiration for the story came when I was sitting in the doctor’s office for my yearly GYN visit. A harried, fifty-something male doctor was talking to the young female receptionist. He asked her what “Giving up the V” meant. It seemed his last patient was a teen girl who was there because her mother wanted her on the Pill, but she told the doctor she wasn’t ready to give up the V yet. I knew instantly I had to tell that story. I had to explore the reverse peer pressure of a girl who wasn’t obsessed with sex when her friends and perhaps even her mother seemed on the pro-sex bandwagon.

You started the book with Spencer’s first visit to the gynaecologist. Was it important to you to show readers what happens when someone visits one?

Oh, I remember my first visit. I was completely unprepared and remember wondering about where to put my underwear. Also, my doctor was all about showing me what he was doing and when he pulled out a mirror so I could look down yonder, it completely freaked me out, lol.

It was interesting to read the difference in attitudes towards sex from Spencer and Alyssa. Why did you choose to include Alyssa’s subplot?

It’s important to see a contrast in attitudes about sex in high school because everyone has their own idea of when it’s right and when it’s not. I tried to show how sex can complicate serious relationships such as with Morgan and Justin. It’s one thing to have sex in a monogamous relationship but what happens when you break up and he sleeps with someone else? That’s the real test if you were ready for sex or not.

There were no actual sex scenes in the book. Was this because of the decisions of the characters, or did you intentionally steer clear from writing them?

Oh no, spoiler alert! Lol. There is so much talk about sex that actually having sex seems to take away from the story. In high school, everyone talks about sex. A lot. But is everyone actually having it? That was sort of the point of all the conversations and none of the action.

It seems that all different types of guy were included in Giving Up the V; the nice guy, the bad boy, etc. Did you intentionally create characters that fitted these types, or was that just who the characters were?

It was intentional because these archetypes exist for a reason. There are people like them. Everyone knows a ‘Ryan’. The hot boy who can have anyone he wants and frequently does with little consequence. Sort of leaves a wake of broken hearts in his midst. At one point, my editor didn’t seem to believe that Spencer would ever consider dating Ben because she was too level headed. I told him that he would have to trust me to know how a sixteen year old girl thinks and that if a super hot new boy started noticing them, they would be flattered and sort of ignore the warning signs. Girls, at any age, want to be noticed and liked. Even the level headed ones.

I loved reading this book, and the characters in it. Will there be a sequel, or someone else’s story, like Ryan’s?

I originally planned for this to be a series, each book focusing on each character but the publisher saw it as a stand alone book. I wanted to write Alyssa’s story next. I thought it would be a great book if Ben sort of turned into a stalker ex because he’d never been rejected before and that happens sometimes. Sex is very intimate and you can get a little crazy. What a nice reversal if it was the girl who was doing the love ‘em and leave ‘em and the guy who breaks hearts is the one who gets clingy and needy. It would be a great book. Hmmm, I might have to work that out.

What’s your opinion of how YA novels are dealing with the topic of sex?

I can’t remember the last time I read a YA book that included sex and thought, wow, that was poorly done. I do think some writers make the mistake of talking down to teens and get preachy. I take the opposite approach. I give them a bunch of different scenarios and let them decide what to take away. Giving Up the V is a very candid look at sex and peer pressure today but it ends up being a very sweet story. A lot of talk, but not a lot of action. Sort of like teen boys in general .

Do you think there is a limit on what should be covered in YA novels?

That is a tough question. As a writer, no. As a parent, yes. How is that for ambiguous? My daughter read Giving Up the V when it was still in manuscript form. She has always read my books before they went to print so when she saw the manuscript laying out she assumed she could read it. She was thirteen at the time and if I had my choice, I would have waited for her to read it until she was older. However, that being said it was an amazing tool to open a dialogue about teen sexuality. She had questions and the candid conversations between Spencer and her friends made her realize that even though I was her mother, I understood what she was going through. I think teens look at their parents and think we couldn’t possibly know what it was like to have sexual urges or hormones because we appear so old to them. So in control. They forget we were a teaming mass of insecurities, just like them. I wish every parent would read Giving Up the V and give it to their teen to read so they can talk about sex in high school and cite the examples in the book to talk about consequences and personal beliefs.

What books did you read as a teenager, and how well do you think they dealt with talking about sex?

I read Judy Blume, of course. She was required reading and still is. The thing was, I read adult romances from Junior high upward. My neighbour was a hardcore reader and she belonged to tons of book clubs and when she was done reading the books she would simply throw them away. Egads! Can you imagine? My older sister discovered this travesty and offered to take them off her hands. She was thrilled she didn’t have to lug them to the dumpster anymore and my sister and I got a 2 paper bags filled with the latest category, historical and contempory romances released each month. It was heaven.

Now, my mother had no idea what was written about in those books or she might have wigged. I am sure if she’d known we were reading all about heaving alabaster globes and turgid man staff’s (the 80’s were all about euphemisms for body parts. Now writing is more direct. You call a spade a spade and a well, you know …) she would have put a halt to our free library. However, they answered a lot of my questions and it started a lifelong love of reading romance and because of that passion for reading, I am an author today. Though I will admit that I could never figure out why boys weren’t as romantic as the heroes in romance novels. That is why Zach is so romantic in Giving Up the V.

What do you think about parents not allowing their teenagers to read novels with a certain sexual content?

I think every parent has to make that choice for their own child. Some teens can handle books with a lot of sexual content and others can’t. That is the job of the parent. I wish parents were less afraid of reading the material themselves before judging a book by the cover. I think some parents might look at my book and think the title encourages teen sexuality and they would be so wrong. It’s a beautiful book that helps teens look at the issues in a candid and hilarious way. It opens dialogues. More parents should read the books their teens are reading. Take advantage of bridging the chasm that erupts between parent and teen during those difficult growing years.

Thank you Serena, for such a wonderful interview! If you have any questions for Serena, get cracking and ask them. Serena has been lovely enough to agree to pop over and ask any questions you guys may have.

Continue reading Interview with Serena Robar