Character Age

[Alina]

When I was reading this book, I wasn't entirely convinced that Joel and Melody were 16 years old. For some reason they felt younger than that to me. Is this just me or did anyone else pick up on that?

[Mike]

I had that thought as well. But, I think at least part of it has something to do with the YA books that have their 16-yo characters act/speak/think like they're older, because that seems to be pretty common. I think teens in fiction tend to be written as more mature than their ages, so a kid sounding like a kid sticks out more.

[Perry]

Mike wrote: "I had that thought as well. But, I think at least part of it has something to do with the YA books that have their 16-yo characters act/speak/think like they're older, because that seems to be pret..."
I absolutely agree that teens in fiction are sometimes written too mature for reality. It spoils the book experience for me. On the other hand, Joel and Melody were represented as studious (nerdy) 16 year old students prone to bite off more than they can chew. Sounds believable to me.