What is wrong with Young-adult fiction?

On August 26, "The Revenge of Seven" by James Frey will be out. It's the fifth book in the "Lorien Legacies" series. "I Am Number Four" (2010), the first book, was adapted to the big screen one year after its first publication. But it was a commercial failure. The novels have a following, but something went wrong.

You must be imagining things

It's true that many titles in the genre tackle the same themes, so it comes down to the author's imagination. Frey's series is about a group of teenagers who found out that they have extraordinary powers, but not all of them figure it out right away. They are all over the world, without any communication except their guardian whom they call Cêpan. They are also in hiding.

These youngsters are descendants of the Loric people, sons and daughters of the Garde, a special group who are born to rule Lorien. The Mogadorians, another alien race, have their eye on the planet for some time. They came, they conquered, and they ruled. But it left the planet depleted of resources. A Krypton-like ending was inevitable, so the Garde thought of saving their nine offsprings in hopes that they would rebuild Lorien. The Mogs know this, so they hunt them down.

"There were NINE of us who escaped . . .

Number ONE was killed in Malaysia

Number TWO was murdered in England.

Number THREE was hunted down in Kenya.

Before they come for the others, they'll come for me . . .

I AM NUMBER FOUR."

The premise has all the elements of a good read, but readers sometimes think differently.

Good read can be good entertainment

Frey did nothing wrong, aware that Young-adult books were made to entertain. Humor kept it engaging, knowing that youngsters have short attention span. It wasn't hard to relate to the main characters, who have to deal with issues that other teenagers do. John Smith, a fifteen-year-old who discovered that he was Number Four, had to cope with long-distance relationship. This was on top of other problems, like his conflicting feelings towards Maren Elizabeth, a.k.a. Number Six.

Readers were looking for something else.

When "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" was first published in 1997, producers were wooing J.K. Rowling in hopes of getting the rights to the bestselling novel - and its sequels. Harry Potter was a special boy, an accidental hero who survived a fatal curse and had a scar to remind him how lucky (or unlucky) he was. When he reached the age of eleven, he was sent to Hogwarts, a magic school like no other. Fans couldn't get enough of it

Up next

Fans of "Lorien Legacies" know that "The Revenge of Seven" will be the same as the previous books. Two more books remain before the series is completed, which will be released during the next two years. Frey haven't decided on his next book (or series), but don't be surprised if it will be another Young-adult novel.