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" Even though I&amp;#039;m way past the age of consent, I&amp;#039;ve found a number of so-called &amp;quot;young adult&amp;quot; authors whose books I like. What defines this category, and can you suggest some YA writers who work well for grown-ups? Ellen responds: As far as I can tell, the YA designation is more about marketing a book than its actual content. Yes, it requires more simplicity of language and themes relevant to young people. But the most enduring authors in the young adult section of bookstores and libraries \u2014 C.S. Lewis, Madeleine L&amp;#039;Engle, Ursula K. Le Guin \u2014 are read by all ages. In fact, Le Guin says it&amp;#039;s harder to writer for young people than adults, because they demand truth more. This may explain why you&amp;#039;re drawn to the young adult genre! If your tastes fit the Watership Down world of animals who talk and think, don&amp;#039;t miss the work of one of my fellow Oregonians, Michael Hoeye. His novel, Time Stops for No Mouse, was a sleeper hit a few years ago, and the sequel is called The Sands of Time. Both feature a mouse who is a watchmaker, and a pretty wise one, at that.  Anyone who likes sassy characters might try Francesca Lia Block&amp;#039;s series of books featuring Weetzie Bat. Block&amp;#039;s character is a kooky girl who lives an alternative lifestyle in Los Angeles \u2014 too alternative for some parents, who have pushed to get Weetzie kicked out of their kids&amp;#039; school libraries. But Block just received a lifetime achievement award from the American Library Association because she has dealt frankly and sensitively with such subjects as drugs and homosexuality. In the latest Bat book, Necklace of Kisses, Weetzie, alas, has reached the awesome age of 40 as she mourns the lost love of her life.  If your tastes tend toward lighter fare such as chick lit, consider Bras and Broomsticks, by Sarah Mlynsowski. This update of the theme of Bewitched, the TV sitcom, concerns a teenage girl consumed with her looks, her popularity and her father&amp;#039;s plans to remarry. When she figures out that her younger sister has magical powers, she decides to use them to her advantage. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/a21558/books-young-adult-oct05/>