"All that I see or seem is but a dream within a dream"
Edgar Alan Poe

         Think back to what you read in high school, or college – for your own pleasure, not school assignments – what you read when you didn’t have to read. Was it Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, Edgar Alan Poe? Yes, I’m blending characters and authors here because each has introduced numerous young writers to the challenge of solving a mystery in story or verse. Although targeted by the authors to an adult readership, their themes, plotting, and characterization intrigue and enrapture younger readers as well.

         Although the Young Adult (“YA”) (most commonly categorized as readers aged 13 to 18) section of bookstores is growing, there are not many new mysteries by current authors. Some authors of adult mysteries have written also for teens and young adults, i.e., Clive Cussler, Neil Gaiman. A number of YA authors write an occasional mystery or suspense story, and there is even an Edgar Award for YA Mystery , but the market is wide open for today’s mystery writers of prose and poetry. Yes, poetry – check out Mel Glen’s “The Taking of Room 114; a Hostage Drama in Poems.”

         Older teens who already enjoy reading easily gravitate to adult mysteries, but what about enticing new or reluctant readers – engaging their innate curiosity and creativity with an edgy mystery, peopled with characters with whom they can relate. Once they’ve sampled Jeffery Deaver’s Rune series, whether or not it’s their first realization that reading is fun, how many young adults have sought out his Lincoln Rhyme novels and his short stories?

         Mysteries challenge the mind while entertaining young readers. Mysteries are an engrossing escape from the mundane or scary reality of growing up; where solving clues along with or one step ahead of believable characters leads to a satisfying, if not always pleasant, resolution. Young adults seek to be entertained, but also want to create some of their own entertainment. So a mystery for the young adult would engage both these desires, if written with this dual ‘personality’ in mind.

         Okay, then what sets the Young Adult Mystery apart from the police procedural or cozy or suspense mystery written for adults? Consider the following -

          I think Young Adult Mysteries are character-driven more so than other stories. Characters to which the YA reader can relate in some way, either with empathy or scorn (initially), but somehow ‘caring’ about the character. You need not reveal everything you as Writer know, but allude to depth of character and relationship with other characters, whether or not sentient, that the reader can sense from the start.

         Young adults like to feel more mature, so they gravitate towards a protagonist who’s in the upper range in age (16 and up), or even college-age or embarking on a career. The protagonist, like the young adult, whether or not flawed, needs to be dynamic - to grow or change as he/she solves the mystery you've crafted along with your reader.

          Young adults like being scared, on edge. Secondary characters can help to foster this, although the story need not be dark. Ancillary characters can be weird - just peculiar, quirky, or perhaps morally ambiguous. The setting can also raise a chill, but avoid the overused clichés (i.e., the summer camp with the only adult a hatchet-wielding nutcase).

          Young adults are impatient. Consider the instant connection of their cell phones and the Internet, which provide real time information on demand, and if they don't get it quickly enough, they hang up. So introduce the main character or subject early on to allow your reader to identify or empathize with the protagonist, and not hang up on your mystery. Expository paragraphs developing picturesque surroundings or lengthy back-story takes the reader out of the moment. Make the ending of each scene, chapter, and verse, add to the suspense, and compel your reader, make him/her need to read on before time’s up to solve the mystery. In a YA Mystery, don't give your protagonist forever to solve the mystery; set a time finite that the reader discerns early. Your reader will be able to relate, empathize with your protagonist in that regard, and want to keep turning pages and following the trails you've set with clues,

          Yes, clues, and red herrings, throughout your mystery will keep YA readers engaged in solving the puzzle you’ve created. Be straight with your readers, misleading with a red herring or two while alluding to the real clues that the protagonist and your reader can solve to move the story forward. Like children, young adults are frustrated by phony trails that go nowhere, and quick to snub whomever they believe has cheated them of their time and effort. Be accurate also in researching the setting and character development so your reader’s instant access to historical facts or world events doesn’t catch you up.

          Show and don’t tell setting, action, and characters. Know them well yourself, but allow your reader to see them as they relate to each other. As with the clues, subtle allusion will allow the YA reader to enter the story and embark on solving the mystery in the ‘otherworld’ you’ve created. Whether that is in the past - historical, or in the present day, or a blend of the two (check out Elise Brough's Shakespeare's Secret, or a leap to the future, research and know the world you design. Make it real, or you'll be caught out.

          Edgy topics, such as murder, suicide, kidnapping, identity theft, cybercrime, terrorism, and other current issues are as relevant as peer pressure and age-related social and family matters are to young adults. A well crafted story or poem where a like-aged protagonist is confronted with such issues while solving a mystery will not only entertain, but harness the imagination and challenge a young adult's mind.

         Your YA Mystery may be the spark that ignites a lifelong passion in a young adult for mysteries and other reading prosaic and poetic.