Ever want to tell people how you really feel about something but were afraid they would not like your opinions? Is there such thing as free will (Howe 8)? These are both questions that the characters of The Adventures of the Blue Avenger and The Gospel According to Larry face. In each novel, the main characters David Schumacher (Blue), and Josh Swenson (Larry), are confronted with the deaths of their parents. Facing death can be frightening, and it is not uncommon for teenagers to confide or find help outside their family (Hospice 30). The death of a parent is a life-shaking event for which few are prepared. This experience can wound us deeply, leaving lifetime scars. In each character's case he seeks outside help, which takes him on unimaginable journeys. The setting of each book is centered close to home, and only their mind and the Internet take them far beyond what they believe. Each novel incorporates humor to a serious topic that appeals to the adolescent sense of optimism. Due to Josh Swenson and David Schumacher's experiences with death, their perseverance of a role model, freedom of expression, and self-determinism make each character comparable in many ways.
             The genre of young adult literature has stood the test of time in the American literary culture. Its acceptance to the literary world was overlooked for years and years. "By the end of the nineteenth century, a few authors had begun to write novels pretty clearly aimed at readers who were neither children or adults"(The Literary Value of the Young Adult Novel 277). As times changed, so did the styles of writing. "Serious social and personal problems began to be treated in the context of teenagers lives, and many
             literary techniques, familiar in adult literature began to be used more commonly"(The Literary Value of the Young Adult Novel 280). Young adult literature are written to address serious topics in a way that children and ...