Popular Young Adult authors

Jacqueline Wilson

Despite the candy-coloured illustrations on the covers, books by this English writer often deal with darker themes involving divorce, domestic violence and mental illness.

The protagonists in Wilson’s books are troubled adolescent girls whom the target audience of young schoolgirls may be able to identify with.

Many of the books run in series, the most popular of which is the Girls collection with the titles Girls in Love, Girls Under Pressure, Girls Out Late and Girls in Tears detailing the trials and tribulations experienced by 13-year-old Eleanor Allard.

A subplot in Girls in Love revolves around Ellie’s best friend Nadine who is pressured by her boyfriend into having sex.

Wilson’s homepage has a filter that categorises her books into four different age groups — five to seven, seven to nine, nine to 11, and above 12.

John Green

Critically acclaimed award-winning American author John Green writes about bittersweet young love, friendship and self-identity that resonates well with his young readers worldwide.

His most recent bestseller, The Fault in Our Stars, is about a 16-year-old cancer patient who falls in love with a fellow patient.

No spoiler alert here but the story ends on a rather depressing note, according to a teen who has read it. In fact, death seems to be a recurring theme in his books as most of his plots do not have the conventional happily-ever-after ending.

Except for The Fault in Our Stars, all of the protagonists in Green’s three other novels are socially awkward teenage boys who are seeking acceptance from their family and friends. The film adaptation of The Fault in Our Stars is expected to hit the screen this summer much to the anticipation of its fans.

Suzanne Collins

With two blockbusters released to date, the hugely popular The Hunger Games series set in the dystopian world triumph received nods of approval with a strong female lead, Katniss Everdeen.

In the three-book-series (Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay), Katniss participates in a brutal reality show and later leads a revolution against the authoritarian regime.

Thrown in the plot are a love triangle between Katniss and the two male leads as well as sisterly love and descriptions of harsh life under the dictatorship.

The Hunger Games series came into the young adult scene hot on the heels of the Twilight series.

It has brought a generation of readers soaked in the romance between a vampire and a mortal to a bleak futuristic society where freedom is a luxury.

Stephenie Meyer

Widely panned by critics but loved by hormone-raging teenage (mostly female) readers, the love story between Bella and Edward hit all the right notes for the ultimate teenage romance — boy meets girl, boy seems distant but is actually madly in love with the girl, boy and girl overcome all odds and live happily ever after.

The forbidden love between a forlorn schoolgirl and the century-old vampire is told in four books altogether — Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn.

Meyer claimed that the vampire love story was inspired by a famous forbidden love of another generation, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

Fans of the Twilight series are called “Twihards”. They are split into “Camp Edward” and “Camp Jacob”, with each pledging undying love for the male protagonists who vie for Bella’s love.

J.K.Rowling

The creator of Harry Potter is much credited for reintroducing the love of reading to teens who cannot put down all seven books on the teenage wizard.

Although the books were originally released as children’s books, the series has a huge following among adult readers.

There were even different book jacket designs targeted at both the younger generation and the adult market.

Due to its wizardry themes, the Harry Potter books are banned in a number of schools in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Darker themes emerge in the last few books of the series where major characters are killed.

The orphaned Harry journeys through the pangs of first love and teenage angst throughout the series, making him an ordinary hero that teen readers can relate to despite his extraordinary powers.