Pessimism in YA Literature

I read an article discussing the lack of positive energy and themes in young adult literature, an article which complained that “Readers are left with pictures of troubled teens living in a negative adult world and stories that end with little hope” (Dick Abrahamson and Betty Carter). In said article Carter and Abrahamson suggested that most young adult plots revolved around negative ideas from alcohol abuse to murder. When one first examines the plot and themes of The Fault in Our Stars, they would most likely agree. A book with a plot built surrounding two teens living with terminal cancer, one of them who ends up dying. It would seem that things could not get any more pessimistic. However the message and themes of the book somehow manage to help the reader see the story in a more positive light. A story where love is the strongest power, and in his last days of life one character puts all his efforts into making the dreams of his girlfriend, and true love, come true. The last pages of the novel are a eulogy Augustus writes for Hazel, in which he names all of the beautiful things about her, and proclaiming his love for her. That to me, seems very positive.