I have been finding a great deal of comfort in reading (and re-reading!) middle grade books and young YAs. I will be posting a list of my favorite middle grade books later today but there is one thing about middle grade and YA books that fascinate me – Where Are the Parents?
It seems like the first order of business for every author is to get rid of the parents. This makes sense because kids can only really make mistakes and grow when they are out from under the ever watchful eye of parents. And, the more modern the setting, the more inventive the authors are in getting rid of the parents.
Hence, my Book Bingo!
I can think of a middle grade book for each of these bingo spots and some books manage to cover several different squares (achem, Harry Potter). But, if you are reading middle grade books or have someone you are quarantined with that is, this might be a fun addition!
Tell me, please!
What is your favorite way an author has gotten the parents out of the picture?
Silver Button Books 
This is hilarious! Love the Bingo board!
LikeLike
Thank you!!
LikeLike
I find it really repetitive in YA fiction, especially when the main character has that conversation with their parent/parents near the end about how they’re unique and can’t do what’s expected of them. That being said, I enjoy the result of that, when the parent realises their kid isn’t as useless as they’d thought
LikeLiked by 1 person
I couldn’t agree more! I get so annoying but I love the reveal!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m rereading some older books that could be considered YA since they deal with kids in crisis and elves who actually care about them and try to get them out of abusive situations (Mercedes Lackey Bedlam Bards series), and they actually include hotline numbers etc. in the backs of the books, and pretty much every way mentioned above has happened in the last six or so books in the series that I’ve read. The only one I don’t seem to see is ‘reduced to vegetable status by having brains sucked out by evil creatures from vortex but they had planned that to happen to the kids to enforce discipline and got sucked instead so it’s sort of fair’.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am freakin’ dying. I spit coffee everywhere! Thank you for the ginormous laugh! Seriously though I would add this but the box size is so limiting (eye roll). I haaaaaave to read this series.
LikeLiked by 1 person
ahahaha! I’m glad you got a kick out of it. The series is imperfect, worthwhile in many ways, and it helps if you are old enough to remember the 80s and 90s–
LikeLike