Book genres for school

Recently, I attended a discussion about reading in school. Specifically, it was about what book types or genres should be offered to get teenagers to read more. We discussed fantasy, sci-fi, young adult, and non-fiction.

In my opinion, fantasy and sci-fi, as well as young adult books, are most stimulating for teenagers. To explain why, I want to look at what kinds of movies and series teenagers watch. Because I think reading and watching Netflix/TV are very similar. In both cases, you get to immerse yourself in a different world and the lives of the main characters. Most teenagers watch fiction on Netflix, but I rarely hear teenagers talk about watching documentaries. Therefore, I think that fantasy and sci-fi would be the most interesting for teenagers.

However, according to some people, fantasy and sci-fi aren’t real literature. I think that’s not true. Literature is about stories with multiple layers—stories that make you think. There’s no reason fantasy and sci-fi books can’t also do this. In fact, I think they could offer unique, new perspectives on literature.

In the introduction, I also named young adult as a possible genre that teenagers would like. Young adult books are written specifically for young adults, which means the story should, in most cases, be relatable and familiar.

So in conclusion, I think that to get teenagers to read, we’d need to offer more fantasy, sci-fi, and young adult books. But why not just let them choose the genre themselves?