Sparrow, the protagonist of my novels for Dutton, is sixteen. That's why I found Time's series of essays authored by sixteen-year-olds so fascinating. What are sixteen-year-olds thinking about? Pressure, decisions, relationships, academics, careers, racism, how they differ from their parents ... Check it out, especially if you write or read YA novels. How do the fictional sixteen-year-olds we're reading and writing about match up to these real teens, many of whom dwell between cultures?