The Appeal of Mysteries
(Two Boys and a Body: Mystery Fiction for Teenage Boys)
by Tom Reynolds
"YA mysteries are built around a few basic plot points: a murder, a disappearance, a teenager in danger, or all of these things. They provide the tension that gets and keeps the reader turning pages. Often the first line of the book, or a paragraph or phrase in the first chapter, conveys the essential hooks of the story. Think about the phrase, "two boys and a body," a line from chapter one of Craig Silvey's novel, Jasper Jones"....(snip)
(Click on link above to read the rest of the article.)
(This article originally appeared in the April 2012 RA News Newsletter.)
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