That teen craze for the paranormal

Did you realize that the craze for Twilight and all things supernatural seems to be a large building wave of teen (and younger and older) fascination with the supernatural and paranormal. Vampires, werewolves, zombies, wizards, unusual beings of all sorts are beginning to possess many teenagers (and others) despite their being plugged into their cell phones and laptops 22/7. Maybe it's excapism, maybe it's a reaction to gain some (second hand fantasy) power in the face of a world gone crazy. Regardless, it's very widespread and it's not automatically discardable as an avoidance of life. Reading good fantasy fiction can give readers all kinds of mental practice in decision-making, romance, problem-solving, and focusing on the positive powerful aspects of their lives. Librarians are often fond of saying, "Well, at least they're reading something." It's not necessarily a "woebetton, second best" kind of response. There are plenty of good YA books out there with solid writing appealing to ages 10 through 90. If you're reading them, don't feel guilty. If you aren't, maybe you should give one a try.