January 1, 2010 – December 31, 2010

I only started reading YA literature a few years ago and tend to read current books. With the recent release of the Shelf Discovery by Lizzie Skurnick, which looks back at teen lit from decades past, I’ve been itching to read some older YA books. So, why not start a reading challenge?

There’s some debate about when YA lit first started. In Michael Cart’s “Naming Names” column from March 15, 2009′s Booklist, he lists The Outsiders (1967), Catcher in the Rye (1951), Seventeenth Summer (1942), Sue Barton Student Nurse (1936) and even Little Women (1868) as contenders for the first book for teen readers. For the purposes of this challenge, though, I’m defining early YA pretty broadly, in that the book should feature a teen point of view and be accessible to young people, even if it wasn’t published for teens.

Rules:

1. Books should be considered YA or, for older books, should feature a teenaged main character or point of view. Let’s say from roughly ages 12-18.
2. Read at least one book from each decade: 1930s or earlier; 1940s; 1950s; 1960s; 1970s; 1980s; 1990s; 2000s. Re-reads are fine.
3. Sign up either by commenting or signing the Linky on the original challenge post. You can use the graphic on your blog to promote the challenge if you wish. You can start this challenge at any time during the year.

Optional

Post your reading list on your blog!

When you read a book for the challenge, post a review to your blog and comment on the main challenge page, send me a link, or comment on the periodic challenge posts. I will have prizes periodically for a random review!

That’s it! I will be reading my books in chronological order, starting with the oldest. As the host, I will post a mini-overview of the YA literature of the decade along with thoughts on my chosen book. The eight time periods will be spread out over the course of the year. Winners will be chosen for each of these posts.

Here’s a small button you can add to your blog:

Here are some ideas for books from each decade:

1930s and earlier
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1868)
Sue Barton, Student Nurse by Helen Dore Boylston (1936)
Seventeen by Booth Tarkington (1916)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (1884)
Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene (the first 16 books were published in the 1930s, though have been revised since)
The Hardy Boys series by Franklin W. Dixon (the first 18 books were published in the 1920s/1930s, though have been revised since)
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (1908)
The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (1938)

1940s
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (1943)
Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes (1943)
Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly (1942)
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (1948)
Heaven to Betsy, Betsy in Spite of Herself, Betsy Was a Junior, and Betsy and Joe by Maud Hart Lovelace (1945-8)

1950s
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (1951)
Lord of the Flies by William Golding (1954)
Fifteen by Beverly Cleary (1956)
Donna Parker series by Marcia Martin (1957-1964)
The Seagulls Woke Me by Mary Stolz (1951)
A Separate Peace by John Knowles (1959)
Farmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein (1950)

1960s
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton (1967)
The Pigman by Paul Zindel (1968)
My Darling, My Hamburger by Paul Zindel (1969)
Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones by Ann Head (1968)
Lisa, Bright and Dark by John Neufeld (1968)
The Contender by Robert Lipsyte (1967)
Why Not Join the Giraffes? by Hope Campbell (1969)
Camilla by Madeleine L’Engle (1965)

1970s
The Chocolate War by Robert Cromier (1974)
Go Ask Alice by anonymous (1971)
Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan (1978)
Forever by Judy Blume (1975)
Are You in the House Alone? by Richard Peck (1976)
Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack! by M.E. Kerr (1972)
The Cat Ate My Gymsuit by Paula Danziger (1974)

1980s
A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L’Engle (1980)
Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block (1989)
Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers (1989)
Izzy, Willy-Nilly by Cynthia Voigt (1986)
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (1987)
Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden (1982)

1990s
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (1999)
The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (1999)
The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney (1990)
Blood And Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause (1997)
If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson (1998)
The Giver by Lois Lowry (1993)
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher (1994)

2000s
I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak (2005)
Looking for Alaska by John Green (2005)
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (2000)
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares (2001)
Feed by M.T. Anderson (2002)
The First Part Last by Angela Johnson (2003)
Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood by Benjamin Alire Saenz (2004)
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie (2007)