As I review readings for Young Adult readers, it proves a challenge for me. What is a typical young adult, and at what emotional stage are they? Able to handle a story which might prove disturbing, yet aide in the growth of their knowledge of the themselves and the world? Or can a story which delves into the dark places of the human psyche be too much for some growing minds? These are questions that preoccupies the minds of all educators. Based on my own coming up, a graphic novel like David Small's Stitches would have spoken to my need as a teenager to understand the world around me. My emotional maturity would've taken in the harrowing details of the young protagonists life with empathy, compassion, and yet with an observant distance. As I did with many stories happening around me that weren't easy to bear. I do not think just any young adult is capable of this though and it would be wise to be cautious when introducing this book to just any young adult. There are descriptions, both pictorially, and in words, of abuse. There are scenes of extreme neglect, and some of a child forced to deal with issues way beyond his years. Yet the story spans this young boys life, who not only escapes this harsh past, but transcends it to become a person who is capable. Of love, of self examination, and even forgiveness toward those who've done him wrong. The message in there is a wonderful one.
I appreciate your comment about how we actually classify readers into genres. It is hard to determine who exactly is a Young Adult reader and who qualifies as 'Middle Grade.' A child's understanding of something is based on experience and therefore often cannot be categorized by age.
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