Teen Writing: Genre Mashups!

We challenged our Writer's Block members to imagine what happens when you play musical chairs with the biggest trends in YA Lit. After being given a random pairing of popular YA genres, the teens were instructed to write the summary that would be on the back of their hypothetical book. Here's just a sampling of what they came up with:

Coming of Age + Sherlock Holmes
Young Sherlocka Holmes just wants to be a normal teenage girl. However, she can't suppress her intense desire to solve mysteries! And after one too many run-ins with the police for investigating crimes, she's moving away. Away from her school, her friends, and everything she's ever know. However, when people begin mysteriously disappearing and ghosts are seen around her new town, it seems like Sherlocka just can't escape her detective side. And when questions arise about her family history, Sherlocka finally begins to uncover the mysteries behind the unusual town... and the mysteries within herself.
Written by Elizabeth P., age 15

Breakup novel + Outer space
Number 8376, known as Arsenie, has just about had it with her boyfriend. It's time to call it quits, but that's going to be difficult, considering they're about to embark on a three year journey through the universe, on a search for the last hope of saving their home planet. Three years. Together. On a spaceship. Not to mention she'll be dealing with asteroids, space creatures, and an annoying stowaway who just might have a crush on her would-be-ex-boyfriend. So a breakup isn't really in the cards right now. A story of adventure, discovery, and an arrogant fool who spends too much time looking in the mirror, Hormonal and Hopeless is a heart-warming tale of how much one girl can stand before pressing the self-eject button.
Written by Marissa C., age 16

Vampires + rural setting
Fifteen-year-old Abigail Perkins has just moved to Missouri after her parents' recent divorce. She is expecting small town life to be nothing like her glamorous one in New York City. She surely wasn't expecting to meet Damien, the mysterious boy who lives next door. Initially, she is intrigued by the strange things she notices about him. She wonders: why does she never see him during the day? Why did he refuse to accept her garlic bread on National Garlic Day? And why does he have a coffin in his house?! She's about to find out...
Written by Daria M., age 15

Fallen angels + High school dramedy
You know that singer with the "voice of an angel"? The popular starlet with an "angel face"? The charity founder with a seemingly "angelic" disposition? Well, heavenly attributes don't come free, and Shane wants his back. Kicked out of Heaven so that a rising celebrity could reach the height of their fame, Shane is miserable. Once a citizen of the sky, he has become just another pimply high school loser. He finds himself unable to bear life without his perfect hair, smooth skin, and angelic glow. Desperate, Shane uses the last of his heavenly abilities to enroll in the prestigious former high school of the wannabe star who stole his angel wings. Determined to reclaim what is rightfully his, he's about to find out that high school is hard -- but it's even harder when you're a fallen angel.
Written by Maya J, age 15

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Are you as blown away as we were? I'd totally read some of these books, if they were real! Join us for creative games, writer talk, and fun writing prompts like these at Writer's Block, the teen creative writing club. Check out our event calendar to register for this month's sessions!