In the world we live in today, everyone is glued to their screens. Technology has consumed so many children’s lives that they don’t even go outside to play anymore, let alone pick up a book to read. Instead kids meet up in chat rooms online to play their favorite video game. However, even though most people think video games are bad for children’s minds, they are being credited to sparks of creativity. Even though video games can create creativity in children, reading and books are designed to impart knowledge and are considered more educating. Studies have shown that the more children read, the better readers and learners they become.
Young adult novels are usually fiction; therefore, it opens up a whole new world for children to explore and relate to. Fiction “causes a sensation of thought in the readers brain” (Faulkner) which leads us to experience ideas and feelings the author inspires within us. Fiction conveys the meaning of stories indirectly which causes the reader to think and trigger emotional responses and mental pictures. Fiction is more personal than non-fiction work. With non-fiction, two different readers can come away with the same understanding of the text. But, with fiction, we interpret the reading on our own account and put ourselves in the characters shoes. This creates an alternate universe for the reader to escape and immerse themselves in a way that cannot be done through reading.
While I was researching the topic of young adult novels and creativity, I came across this one question: can you learn to be creative? This simple question made me stop and think. Is creativity a learned skill or are others simply born with it? Can young adult novels condition children to becoming a more creative individual? Gerard Puccio from Buffalo State College argues that “it’s never been more important to arm people with the skills for creative thinking. It’s no longer a luxury. It’s about survival” (Puccio). Industries rise when creativity thrives and fall when it doesn’t. The world would be a boring place if we did not have creativity and imagination that is taught throughout the early stages of life. Of course, non-fiction text is a vital component of a child’s education, but it only presents the world as it was or currently is.
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So, “what does this have to do with children?” you might ask. Reading exercises the brain. For children, elementary school and middle school is prime time for their brain to learn and gain more knowledge than ever. Fiction and the plots of young adult novels today make children think, fantasize, and use their imagination that they simply cannot get through a lecture in school. “Inciting children’s curiosity and imagination by allowing them to explore realms of wonder and possibility through speculative fiction will help ensure they develop the skills necessary to successfully express themselves creatively” (Yellavula). Young adult novels broaden children’s horizons by introducing them to morals, concepts, ideas, and relationships that they might not experience in their everyday life.
For me, the earliest time I can remember where I actually enjoyed reading was in the fourth grade. I picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and I instantly fell in love with reading. I had read other books before, but they were required reading that never sparked an interest in me. I would stay up as late as I could to finish the next book, begging my mom to let me stay up just 10 more minutes to finish the next chapter. I was so engulfed with the series that I remember I would get in trouble in class because I was reading while the teacher was speaking. It didn’t take me long to become obsessed with the Boy Who Lived. To my surprise, I finished the series in less than a week, which is pretty fast and impressive for a nine or ten-year-old. I would come in everyday with a beaming smile on my face, showing my teacher the next book I was reading. I felt on top of the world and so accomplished after reading the series. After Harry Potter, I read almost every single dystopian young adult novel that was out at the time. During my free time you could not spot me without a book in my hand. I would even bring a book to read during lunch in between the conversations and food.
My teacher noticed how my assignments that required you to be more on the creative side were getting much better. This then led her to suggest me to try some creative writing and put me in a gifted and talented class for writing. I fell in love with the thought of me creating a story and universe all on my own. In fifth grade and all throughout middle school I entered in creative writing competitions, and I placed well. My writing style and technique derived from the books I was currently reading at the time. I will never forget coming home to my proud parents after they got the news that one of my writing pieces had placed in my school’s competition. Without young adult novels in my life, I would have never found joy in writing and I also would never have had the opportunity to be transported to a different universe while reading. Even down the road as a college student I lean more towards creative prompts than ones that are more cut and dry. I am allowed to let my imagination and creativity to shine when I have more freedom.
I think that kids today lean more towards playing video games, because the required texts in school are not geared towards children’s creative brains. Most summer readings are non-fiction and factual, however, they do not spark interest with young adults. They dread having to crack open the book and work on a project that they have absolutely no interest in. If teachers would gear their curriculum and reading to the child’s brain, then more and more children would be inclined to read. In eighth grade, my summer reading book was Divergent. This was the first book that I did not wait until the last week of summer to finally start reading, and it seemed like that was the case for most of my peers. The projects that were turned in for Divergent were some of the best summer reading projects I have ever seen. I believe this is because more people were intrigued and invested in reading a dystopian young adult novel, than a novel that was written in the early 1900s. This excitement that we all had to finish the book and do the project is the motivation that children need today.
As I get older and the books we are required to read get more challenging and boring, I do not find myself reading as much. Every once and a while I find myself longing to be transformed and taken into a different universe like the Harry Potter series did for me. By growing up with this life changing series, I had imagination, friendship, magic, and love that I could not get by looking at a screen. Harry Potter showed me that reading could really be enjoyable. It led me to read other books and explore the wonderful and magical effects of reading. If children read more young adult novels and let their imagination run wild, then I feel like they could mold into a creative thinker like me. Books are a window to the world, they let the reader have a glimpse of what life could be like through their own imagination.
References
- Faulkner, Rod T. “Why Children Should Be Encouraged To Read Fantasy & Science Fiction.” Medium.com, Medium, 23 Oct. 2015, medium.com/@RodFaulkner/why-children-should-be-encouraged-to-read-fantasy-science-fiction-1c1a8acc7fa3.
- Seiter, Courtney. “The Surprising Power of Reading Fiction: 9 Ways It Make Us Happier and More Creative.” Open, 7 Sept. 2018, open.buffer.com/reading-fiction/.
- Yellavula, Naren. “Fiction vs Non-Fiction, a Handful Guide for Better Reading.” Medium.com, Medium, 17 Nov. 2016, medium.com/aryas-books/fiction-vs-non-fiction-a-handful-guide-for-better-reading-7ea841549f1f.
