Young adult novels

Are young adult readers an endangered species? Studies show the biggest predictor of academic success is not race, income, gender, or parents' education, but the presence of books in the home. Young adult novels provide captivating stories through imaginary worlds and introduce boys and girls to serious moral choices. Many teen fiction novels offer little more than a flimsy plot cloaked in sex scenes, offensive language and violence, but award-winning author Eddie Jones seeks to elevate teen fiction reading to a higher level. For parents seeking to introduce their child to reading should choose young adult novels appropriate for that age group since many teen fiction novels are not only poorly written but encourage poor character traits, too. To make it easier for your child to read more, you should choose a book that has common points of interest with him. If you are going to buy a boy a book, focus on some subjects he likes most. Since most studies show boys will only read books about boys, it is pointless to select a young adult novel with a female lead. Girls, on the other hand, will read a novel about a boy if there is a strong female character and a deep relationship theme throughout the book. In “Dead Man’s Hand” teen readers will find adventure, a murder mystery and a story so fast-passed boys will have a hard time putting the book down. Most males love adventure stories and teen fiction for boys is no an exception. Aside from writing entertaining novels for young adults, one of the author’s main goals is to encourage boys to read. "Given the increasing sophistication of gaming and role-playing, we need to provide young adult males with books that engage their imagination and spur creative thinking,” says author, Eddie Jones. “Teen boys love things that go "BHAM!" and ‘Dead Man's Hand’ is filled with gunfights, train robberies, bank bandits, and one boy's search for the truth about death, dying, and the afterlife.” Parents will find the discussion questions at the end of the book especially helpful. These questions help young readers evaluate the consequences of their daily decisions. The best young adult novels do not simply provide entertainment: they change lives. Eddie Jones is the winner of Moonbeam Award in 2012 in the Pre-Teen Fiction category. His young adult novels are widely regarded as the new breed of teen fiction, those novels that offer a fast, entertaining read without sex and violence. As Jones points out, readers are leaders. “If we can get one boy to read one book or help one young man learn to think creatively,” Jones says, “we are well on our way to changing a life.”