Williams, Lori Aurelia - When Kambia Elaine Flew in from Neptune

[oyceter]

Shayla's twelve and living in a poorer section of Houston with her mother and her sister Tia. She wants to be a writer, but the poetry classes she wants to take at the community center get cancelled; she loves her sister, but Tia's been hanging around a boy lately and pissing off their mom; and she's found a new friend, Kambia, only Kambia tells strange stories and seems to be in a lot of trouble.

This sounds a lot like a problem novel and feels like one in places, though I'm still not sure if I would classify it as such. It addresses issues like teenage mothers and poverty and abuse, but I was surprised and pleased by how the Tia plot played out. Then again, the resolution of the Kambia plot was obvious from the very beginning, and I could use with fewer "very odd friends who tell stories" characters.

I think what ended up saving it from being a problem novel was how real Shayla felt, particularly her relationships with her mother, grandmother and sister.

Not a horribly exciting book, but not a bad one either, and I'm curious enough to check out the sequel.

On a side note: how do you guys define a YA problem novel? And how can authors balance including issues in their books without making the book into a problem novel? Because I do think it's important to address things like class and race and sexuality, but I hate anvils.

Comments

[estara.livejournal.com]

I don't analyse so well, but if you read the Tamora Pierce YA novels, you will get successfull class and sexuality addressing without being didactic.
I think she tried addressing race with Trickster's Queen and Trickster's Choice but it wasn't all that problematic and so not very successsful (it was more an addressing of species differences). Her novels are fantasy, however, so maybe that already softens the issues?

[oyceter]

I've read her Circle books, which I like, but I haven't gotten around to the Kel books yet, which are on my list. I've heard the same re: race in the Trickster books as well, thanks!

[estara.livejournal.com]

All the other series address the issues of race and class, though. Her newest start, Terrier, is especially successful as the heroine wants to become a police officer (or rather what goes for one in her time), so Pierce really dives into the territory of poor people and crime, versus the expectations of Lords & Ladies.

[estara.livejournal.com]

darn, that was supposed to be "gender equality and class"