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...And They Called It Puppy Love: Love, Sex and Relationships in Young Adult Lit
A first kiss means everything in junior high school. Whether a person is quaterback of the football team or alto sax player for the marching band, relationships and sex are things that young adults are all preoccupied with. It is not surprising, then, that the plot of countless Young Adult novels centers around the theme of love. Not all of these novels, however, illustrate teen romances and relationships in the same type of way. By examining novels throughout different decades, it is easy to see how Young Adult literature is influenced by the cultural standards and norms of the time it is written. The novel Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones by Ann Head, published in 1967, paints a very conservative and cautionary tale of young love. Forever, written by Judy Blume, was published in 1975 and illustrates some realities of young love while still presenting the characters as having options. Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr, published in 2007, depicts a relationship (or lack thereof) as relationships between youth most often truly are-complicated and most definitely not perfect.
Forever Judy Blume
Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones Ann Head
Story of a Girl Sara Zarr
