Julie Just’s essay in this Sunday’s New York Times Book Review, “The Parent Problem in Young Adult Lit,” is already provoking some discussion on facebook and twitter. After considering various trends and books over the last few decades, Julie ends with an approving look at Miranda’s 70s mother in Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me. And it struck me when reading this that the 60s parents in Miranda’s (and my) iconic YA book A Wrinkle in Time aren’t too problematic either. Interesting indeed.
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educating alice 
What a great article! I remember particularly loving books where evil parents presided (lots of Dahl books) I suppose because I just thought adults in general were buffoonish. I still do like these books (maybe because I never grew up : } ) though the Voight novels took me to a place that I didn’t like but couldn’t look away from. Those books were so different than my own upbringing that they seemed unbelievable yet also spoke to a powerlessness I think most kids feel. In any case, I have noticed how bad parents sort of have disappeared as if it’s almost un-PC to include them in books. I’ll have to think about this one…
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