Welcome back to YA Cafe, where book lovers can gather and chat about teen literature. I’m your barista, along with Gabriela from iggi&gabi. Each Friday we pick from a menu of topics and share our thoughts on our respective blogs.

We’ve also got plans brewing for interviews, events and even some exciting giveaways, so stay tuned! Join the discussion by responding in the comments, on your own blogs or on twitter using the hash tag #yacafe.

Today’s Special: Fear in Teen Literature

Before I get to today’s post, I want to tell you about our new YA Cafe Book Club. It’s back, with a twist! Gabi and I love the idea of discussing YA literature with you guys, but thought picking one book each month was limiting. Instead, we’re going to open it up so you can talk about whatever book you want. Here’s the new format:

• On the first Friday of each month, we’ll announce a general theme. All of our weekly posts that month will relate to that theme. At this time, you can start thinking about what book you want to read for the book club at the end of the month.
• Our book club will be on the last Friday of the month. We’ll each discuss a book of our choice that fits the theme, and invite you to do the same on your own blog. You can share your blog link in the comments of our posts so we can all check them out.

Make sense? We think this idea will allow more people to participate and it’ll be a great way to discover more books each month.

October’s theme is…FEAR! Our book club discussion will be on October 28th so get ready!

To ring in this month’s theme, I thought I’d talk about why teens should read scary books:

1. They’re entertaining. There’s something satisfying about reading a creepy story in the safety of your own home. It’s like watching a horror film. You curl up with a mug of hot chocolate and a blanket. If it’s raining, you jump when thunder booms. You’re terrified of what you’re reading, but it’s fiction. That type of thing couldn’t happen to you. Or could it? you wonder as you double-check the locks and close the blinds. Fun times!

2. They’re cautionary tales. Realistic scary YA shows teens why it isn’t a good idea to do certain things. Take Crank by Ellen Hopkins. If I read that as a teen, it’d be reason enough for me NOT to do drugs. Have you read Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott? As a teen, I’d want to do whatever it takes not to get into that situation. As an adult, I don’t want to get into that situation! *shudders*

3. The world is a scary place. All teens need to do is turn on the news to see how scary the world is. There’s murder, rape, terrorism and more. Even I need to limit my news intake. Books that touch on these subjects give teens perspective and something to relate to. I just finished reading Between Shades of Gray by Ruta E. Sepetys. It was beautifully written but horrifying. I’m grateful teens can read it so they can learn about Stalin’s genocide and discuss it together.

4. They saves lives. YA books about eating disorders and self-mutilation scare me. It’s terrifying what teens do to themselves. Kids dealing with these kinds of issues need to read these books so they know they’re not alone. These books also encourage teens to get help. The #yasaves campaign proves this is true.

One thing I realized when writing this post is that I haven’t read much (or any) YA horror! I’m going to choose a book to read this month and discuss during our book club on the 28th. Anyone have any good recommendations?

Gabi posted about the different types of fear in YA lit so check it out!