YA Star Wars Books Are Great, Actually
Why the YA label exists (and why it matters).
This week on the podcast, my producer and I thought it would be fun to share our most “controversial” opinions about Star Wars books. It’s all in good fun. And you may not agree with them, but hey, we said what we said.
This discussion has had me thinking a lot about labels in Star Wars publishing — particularly how the fandom tends to take these divisions a little too seriously. Especially when it comes to books not marketed specifically for adult readers.
You can listen to our Star Wars book “hot takes” below.
It turns out one of my most controversial Star Wars book opinions is that I think the YA books get too much hate. Let me explain.
What Is YA and Why Does It Matter?
There are a lot of misconceptions about Star Wars books labeled as “YA” because there are a lot of misconceptions about the YA label in general. Because that’s really all YA is — a label publishers and booksellers use to market and shelve a specific category of books.
“Young adult” does not mean “exclusively for young adults.” The YA classification, in publishing, in a nutshell means that the book’s main characters are of a certain age (young adult = between about 13 and 18). YA books are marketed toward audiences within these age ranges because they are the readers most likely to relate to the books’ characters. But teenagers aren’t the only ones who can read and enjoy YA books.
This is an extremely formative age, which is why many of these stories hit so hard (in a good way). These characters are growing up, learning about their places in the galaxy, facing heartbreak and figuring out who they want to become. If you remember these years of your life, you’ll find characters and experiences to relate to.
This particular group of books has a long history of not being treated with the same value as books marketed toward adults. Which is a tragedy, I think, because these are some of my favorite stories — and some of the most complex and important Star Wars books to date.
Why Star Wars YA Deserves Better
From readers especially, Star Wars YA deserves the same respect and attention as adult novels. Why doesn’t it get it? Always remember that the loud minority is loud for a reason, and not everyone is immune to all that shouting.
I’ll say what I usually say in situations like this: Don’t automatically agree with people yelling on the internet just because it’s efficient and easy. If someone says a book is pointless, badly written, or childish, keep in mind that those statements are (ideally) based on personal reading preferences, not fact. How do you know you don’t like it if you’ve never read it?
Which brings me to an important point: There is a big difference between not vibing with Star Wars YA and going out of your way to tell other people not to read it. You are not going to like everything. No one has ever said you have to. But you can quietly not like things. Other people might like the things you don’t, and it’s not a great look to make other people feel bad for liking what they like. Liking YA is fairly harmless.
There are many reasons some of these books get the wrong kind of attention (or none at all), and others have spoken on those reasons already. Unfortunately — and I will speak on this only briefly because you should listen to those with lived experience on this matter instead of me — much of the criticism in this particular group of Star Wars books arises from the fact that Star Wars YA is extremely queer. The representation across these books (and middle-grade too) is phenomenal. It’s a good thing. Not everyone thinks so, and for some reason, they take it personally. Sit with that for a while, on your own time.
How to Spot Star Wars YA Books In the Wild
Whether you’re seeking out these books in an effort to read more of them or you just like to know what you’re getting into, Star Wars books considered YA are fairly easy to spot once you know what you’re looking for.
They’re published by Disney-Lucasfilm Press. You might hear it referred to as Disney Books. Part of Disney Publishing Worldwide, DLP publishes the Star Wars fiction books that aren’t adult novels (those are handled by Random Hosue Worlds). You’ll see the publisher’s logo at the bottom of the inner title page. If the book has a Disney-Lucasfilm Press logo, it’s not an adult novel.
They’re smaller than the adult novels. Star Wars books come in different sizes, and while YA are not the smallest, they’re a size down from your Living Forces and Thrawns. In a bookstore, they might be shelved separately, but if you’re thrifting, you might be able to do a side-by-side comparison to check the size.
Many repeat Star Wars authors have mostly written YA. For example, E.K. Johnston has never written an adult Star Wars novel, so if you see her as the author, you can assume it’s YA. Claudia Gray has written multiple YA books, but she’s also written some adult novels. The more familiar you become with who tends to write what in Star Wars publishing, the easier it becomes to distinguish between their labels.
It’s OK not to like certain books or authors, but watering down an entire group of stories for personal reasons isn’t really fair. I don’t know why that’s controversial, but here we are.
What’s your favorite Star Wars YA book? I’ll leave this post open for comments, because these books deserve to be talked about!
Now This Is Lit is a podcast (and newsletter!) about Star Wars books, the people who make them, and the readers who just can’t get enough of them. You can find the show wherever you get your podcasts, and subscribe to the Substack for more deep dives, guides, interview transcripts, and book love.
I actually love the YA high Republic books more than the adult books!! The stories are fun, adventurous, lots of good character development, a focus on a single plot point (generally), generally lower stakes bc there are usually no deaths in those books 😂 I also love the middle grade books, but not as much as the YA bc the stories can be a bit too simplistic. BUT I love the middle grade characters (shout out to Avon!)
I really enjoyed Rebel Rising, Most Wanted and Ahsoka. I also have to give a shoutout to the Young Jedi Knights series from the 90s.