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13 Funny Twitter Responses to the Idea of Rating YA Books

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Danika Ellis

Associate Editor

Danika spends most of her time talking about queer women books at the Lesbrary. Blog: The Lesbrary Twitter: @DanikaEllis

At least once a week, I turn to my partner and ask, "Do you want to hear the latest YA Twitter drama?" It seems like there's always something happening, always someone to be righteously angry at. This week's edition was a proposed rating system for YA that categorizes books based on whether the vape use is "excessive" or reasonable, whether kissing includes "light travel of hands," and whether it uses profanity like "h*ll" or includes a main character taking a "sip" of alcohol — among other things.

https://twitter.com/erin_clyburn/status/1437967649779109888

And there is definitely room to be angry about this, especially when they have been reaching out to literary agencies to ask them to categorize all their books using this system. Not for nothing, it's also a system put together by four white women from Utah, and it seems to be more concerned with how books conform to Mormon values than a more general set of criteria — despite being marketed as a one size fits all system.

These kinds of classifications — which the founders want to be indicated by a sticker on the covers of books — can be really damaging for teen readers. They're weaponized against queer people and people of color. They tell many kids that their personal experiences are obscene, inappropriate. They deny teens safe ways to explore difficult subjects.

https://twitter.com/mollykh/status/1437815940150857728

At the same time, this has received a unilateral rejection from the YA community, both readers and authors. I can't imagine it's going to become a reality in any sort of overarching way. In fact, at the time I'm writing this, the site is already down — likely crashed from people curious what all these joke tweets are referring to.

So instead of outrage, let's take a minute to admire the ways YA Twitter absolutely roasted this categorization system.

Rebecca Mix, author of the upcoming YA fantasy The Ones We Burn, invented an alternate system, including the big questions, like, "Is there a cat?" and "Could someone write Shrek fanfiction about this?"

https://twitter.com/mixbecca/status/1437878398454538246

I mean, this one from the author of Counting Down With You is legitimately useful, though.

https://twitter.com/tashiebhuiyan/status/1437917725934989318

There's only room for one categorization scheme in my secret heart, though, and it's this one.

https://twitter.com/artfromafriend/status/1437899764805222401

Of course, as soon as a meme or joke gets started on Twitter, it gets remixed. Here's an Avatar: The Last Airbender take.

https://twitter.com/mollyxchang/status/1437931228146151426

And a Met Gala version from the author of Never Saw You Coming.

https://twitter.com/erinhahn_author/status/1437943134776922112

Then there's…this.

https://twitter.com/samanthaistan/status/1437900395750346761

Some authors scoff at the YA-4 categorization, like the author of These Violent Delights.

https://twitter.com/thechloegong/status/1437900513127936006

Remember Lev AC Rosen, author of Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts)? The one that got challenged in Irving, Texas? He's understandably done with this shit.

https://twitter.com/LevACRosen/status/1437904370985840647

Other writers just took the guidelines as a writing prompt.

https://twitter.com/ieatkillerbees/status/1438165253725069322
https://twitter.com/LibraryofBees/status/1438150105975115780

Despite all the big talk on YA Twitter, most of them are living that YA-1 life.

https://twitter.com/SierraWritesYA/status/1437890347661766657

Sometimes you need to call out your friends when they're not living up to the standards of your YA category.

https://twitter.com/mixbecca/status/1437961958624534532

And finally, let's not forget the real star of these categories: "Light Travel of Hands."

https://twitter.com/what_eats_owls/status/1437867647174012930

Want even more book Twitter shenanigans? Check these posts out: