I was actually answering Satima. I agree that there are some not good books out there for YAs (although as Sean points out, there's plenty of choice) and I too feel that Twilight is a poor book choice for teenage girls.

But I don't think the writer of the article was so concerned about books like Twilight. She was more unhappy re the more realistic books.

And what was going on with the people in the comments on that article? So many of them were digging out their own teenage reading and advocating that as suitable for today's teens?

True, lots of YA readers who enjoy reading would be happy with a range of reading. I too loved Seven Little Australians — but people like us are not typical of today's teenagers. There was one commenter who thought teens should only get the classics!!!

I found the WSJ article to be poorly done in terms of research. It took one instance of a mother being unable to find a suitable book and pursued a tried and true line. The market is not that flooded that a decent bookseller could not find and recommend an appropriate book. About 5% of my reading would be YA and I could think of at least three books she could have bought.

Some extreme examples of objectional material and no in depth, objective analysis of what is actually contained in the books or any evidence that reading about abuse or cutting will cause those behaviours to be mimicked.

I also think that the commenters on that article live very sheltered lives.

The 2 girls who are pregnant in my year eight classes are not readers, if they had read a bit more about the pitfalls of becoming pregnant at age 13-14 from a fictional character, if they had had a fictional role model who knows perhaps things might have turned out different.

But on the other issue – YA books – I'll play Devil's Advocate. I really don't see how "vampires and suicide and self-mutilation, this dark, dark, stuff" can teach kids anything about life. Some of them, the ones in which the girl (it's almost always a girl) stands up for herself and won't take any shit from the vampire/shapeshifter/angel or whatever are really useful. Those girls, methinks, will never be conned into joining an Obedient Wives Club.

But many of the current crop of books – notably Twlight and its ilk – seem written with the aim of glorifying codependency and showing girls that it's OK if your boyfriend stalks you and is abusive. It's OK to forgo any life of your own and try to become what he wants you to be.

Sorry, no one will ever convince me that books of that kind are wholesome reading for vulnerable young people.

This woman doctor and her cohorts have all the earmarks of brainwashed cult adherents.

An insult to all thinking women everywhere. Especially insulting when you think of the Muslim women in other parts of the world are struggling to be treated with common decency, standing up with courage, knowing they can be killed.

This woman and her club are privileged women who want to return to their coddled babyhoods because they have no courage at all.

It is terrible to realise that this kind of thinking is still around in a "modern" world.

You missed The Little Mermaid, I wept buckets over that when I was a kid. The book, not the movie which has a happy ending.