I was recently chatting over email with journalist, educator, and Kirkus critic Chintan Girish Modi, who wrote, “I feel sad for people who dismiss young people’s books as not being worthy enough of their time or intellect. They’re missing out. I think that seeing the world through a younger person’s eyes can help us shed some of the baggage we accumulate as we grow up and become jaded.”

While it’s no secret that a significant percentage of literature for teens is read and enjoyed by adults, the reasons for this are continually debated in think pieces and on social media with a not-so-hidden subtext: These readers should be challenging themselves with serious literature for people their own age. Unfortunately, as anyone who’s spent time perusing online reader reviews can attest, even those grown-ups who openly love YA are prone to complaining that characters are “immature.” Is there any group of people in society who are openly treated with more disdain than teenagers—while also being expected to save the world and fix the problems we adults created?

I understand why older readers would be drawn to the great storytelling that is a hallmark of YA. But it’s critical to remember that we’re guests in the world of young readers’ literature: We’re welcome to enter and enjoy, but their stories are not “for” us. YA exists to serve the developmental needs of teens—and that’s the precious gift it offers us: a window into the challenges that teenagers face, many of which (particularly family- and school-related traumas) are created by adults who owe them better. Much teen behavior that annoys grown-ups stems from the same intense passion and keen awareness of unfairness that drives their idealistic zest—traits that are easy to lose as we slope into sensible, bland maturity. Adults can grow in empathy and understanding, which may help them heal rifts and forge priceless intergenerational bonds, by reading YA books like the ones below with open hearts and minds.

In Joanne Yi’s gut-wrenching debut, All the Tomorrows After (Atheneum, August 19), Winter Moon bears adult financial responsibilities for herself, her doting Korean immigrant halmoni, and her selfish, spendthrift mother. These struggles lead her to accept payment  from her long-absent father in exchange for spending time with him.

My Perfect Family by Khadijah VanBrakle (Holiday House, August 26) thoughtfully immerses readers in African American Muslim community and culture alongside 16-year-old Leena, who’s shocked to learn that her single mom hid her history and childhood faith. A health emergency brings Leena the big family she’s longed for.

Angeline Boulley’s latest novel delivers thrills and astute social commentary. In Sisters in the Wind (Henry Holt, September 2), 18-year-old Lucy entered foster care after her white father died. An explosion at the diner where she works lands her in the hospital—where surprise visitors inform her that she has Ojibwe family.

In his YA debut, King of the Neuro Verse (Atheneum, October 14), Idris Goodwin uses verse to vividly present the story of Pernell, a Black teenager with ADHD and a gift for language, who struggles in a hostile school setting where his quick wits and talent for rap go unappreciated.

Laura Simeon is a young readers’ editor.