Please, please, please, before my head explodes, will everyone please stop calling The Giver a YA book? I don’t know why this offends me so much except for the fact that The Giver is SO CLEARLY a middle grade novel. The protagonist is twelve. The word count is 43,600. It is commonly assigned to middle schoolers. All kidlit genre indicators point to the fact that it is a MIDDLE GRADE NOVEL. And yet it is listed as a young adult book here and here and even on freaking wikipedia. Do people not know the difference between YA and Middle Grade?
Apparently not, because I also lose my mind when I see A Wrinkle in Time listed as YA. Here’s a hint: if the book won a Newberry Medal (like both The Giver and A Wrinkle in Time), then YA it is not.
More books that are commonly listed as YA but are CLEARLY MIDDLE GRADE:
- Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret
- A Series of Unfortunate Events
- Bridge to Terabithia
- Brown Girl Dreaming
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
- Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Sorry, I don’t know why this bothers me so much, except that it does. And I’m not the only one! Elizabeth Bird from School Library Journal recently wrote about this, too. In any case, I so badly want to clarify kidlit genres to the entire Internet that I made this infographic:
While we’re at it, let’s talk about Lord of the Flies, which appears on a lot of YA lists. It’s not YA, in my humble opinion. It was written as an adult novel for adult readers (which is why it’s so painful for all the poor high school kids struggling through it right now). It won a Nobel Prize, BTW. As far as I know they don’t give Nobel Prizes to kidlit. I could be wrong, but I think it’s an adult book with children as main characters. That happens sometimes, you know.
The Giver is not YA and Middle Grade novels are not 'Chapter Books.' Kidlit genres explained!Click To TweetOK, let me stop acting like a crazy person for a minute. I do realize that some books might fit multiple categories and some books might defy categories. The boundaries between categories can be hazy, and, for example, what one person might consider an upper Middle Grade another person might consider a younger YA.
I also realize that, for readers and writers, which kidlit genre a certain book belongs to doesn’t matter so much if we’re enjoying writing it or reading it. At the end of the day, maybe I shouldn’t be blowing a gasket because people think The Giver is YA.
Except that the categories DO matter to librarians and booksellers who need to figure out where to shelve books so that appropriate readers can find them. And the categories matter to agents and editors who need to figure out how to sell and market books to the appropriate people.
So maybe let’s try to all get on the same page about kidlit genres, shall we? There’s a lot to learn. Like the difference between upper Middle Grade and lower Middle Grade, or Young Adult and New Adult. Or what’s meant by YA crossover.
I know. It IS confusing. So let’s dive in.
Middle Grade:
- Reader Age: 8–12 (possibly as young as 7 or as old as 13)
- Protagonist Age: 10 – 12 (usually)
- Word Count: 25,000–45,000 words (may be longer for fantasy)
- Content: No profanity, graphic violence, or sexuality
- Themes: friends and family; the character’s immediate world and their relationship to it
When people hear Middle Grade, they often think “middle school,” but actually, Middle Grade books are often written for upper elementary school readers. By the time kids reach 7th or 8th grade, they have probably moved on to reading YA books.
Since kids like to read about characters who are older than they are, MG protagonists tend to be a year or two older than the age of the target reader. Middle Grade books are often full of adventure and/or wacky humor. You can often tell the difference between a Middle Grade book and a YA book by its cover — MG books are more cartoonish or simply look like they are targeting a younger audience.
Though Middle Grade books have chapters, they are not “Chapter Books.” When it comes to kidlit genres, Chapter Books are very short (5,000 to 15,000 words), heavily illustrated books for kids ages 7 or 8 who are just beginning to read independently. The Magic Treehouse books or the Judy Moody books are examples of chapter books.
A few examples of Middle Grade Books:
- The Giver by Lois Lowry
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rawling
- Matilda by Roald Dahl
- Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
- Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Patterson (see my post about Bridge to Terabithia)
- The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
- Wonder by R. J. Palacio
- One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
- Holes by Lois Sachar (see my post about Holes)
Though many books fall squarely in the Middle Grade category, others that read slightly younger or slightly older may be called “lower Middle Grade” or “upper Middle Grade.”
Lower Middle Grade:
- Reader Age: 7–10
- Protagonist Age: 9-10 (or maybe an animal)
- Word Count: 15,000–30,000 words
Here is the kidlit genre where you will find your animal stories, your family-friendly read-alouds, your younger protagonists, and your shorter-length MG books. These books tend to have more illustrations than standard MG.
A few examples of Lower Middle Grade:
- The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo
- Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
- The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
- The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
- Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
Upper Middle Grade:
- Reader Age: 11–14
- Protagonist Age: 12-13 (maybe 14)
- Word Count: 40,000-65,000 words
Here is the kidlit genre where you will find contemporary stories with more mature themes and longer books with more complicated plots. Protagonists are in middle school and so is the target audience.
A few examples of Upper Middle Grade:
- Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead
- Doll Bones by Holly Black
- The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin
- A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle (see my post on A Wrinkle in Time)
- The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
- Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
- Find Layla by Meg Ellison
- The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
Young Adult:
- Reader Age: 12–19 (and beyond!)
- Protagonist Age: 16-18 (usually)
- Word Count: 55,000–90,000 words (slightly more allowed if needed for fantasy or sci-fi world-building)
- Content: Profanity, violence, romance and sexuality (except for eroticism) allowed (though not required).
- Themes: World beyond friends and family; reflection on self and the meaning of things, coming-of-age, love and emotions
Young Adult is a tricky one because though the target reader age is 12-19, there are many, many adults who read YA. Some people worry that this has pushed YA into darker, more mature themes and blurred the lines between YA and Adult. To further complicate matters, there are YA crossover books (YA books that appeal to adult readers) and plenty of adult books that feature teen protagonists and coming-of-age themes.
How can you tell if a book is YA or an adult book with a teen protagonist? The general rule of thumb is this: if the narrator is looking back on their teenage years as an adult and reflecting on them, the book is probably adult. If the narrator is currently experiencing their teenage years, the book is probably (but not necessarily) YA.
How can you tell if a novel is YA or an adult book with a teen protagonist? It has to do with perspective, content, and the intended audience. Kidlit genres explained! Share on XAdult books may also have more mature content and themes and/or more adult main characters, but at the end of the day it’s all about the perspective, voice, and intended audience. An adult perspective, voice, and style makes for an adult book. A younger perspective, voice, and style geared towards a teen reader makes for a YA book.
And then it gets even more complicated because there are Alex Award Winners. These are adult books that have special appeal for teenage readers (often due in part to a young protagonist.) However, these books definitely have mature themes, and are more appropriate for older teens.
AND there are YA Crossover books, which are YA books that may appeal to readers of adult books. YA Crossovers are still YA, but they may be marketed to readers of both YA and adult.
Whew. Are we done yet?
A few examples of YA books:
- The Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer
- One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus
- Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
- Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
- To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
A few examples of adult books with teen protagonists (NOT YA):
- Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld
- Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
- White Oleander by Janet Fitch
- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
- Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin
Like in Middle Grade, there are some YA books that read younger (lower YA) and some that read older (upper YA). Oh, kidlit genres! Why are you so complicated?!
Lower YA:
- Reader Age: 12–15
- Protagonist Age: 14-16 (or possibly older if the themes are still appropriate for younger teens)
Here you will find your light-hearted contemporaries and PG romances. This is also where you’ll find your younger protagonists. I’m going to be honest, there are not a lot of these younger YA books, and I think we need more!
A few examples of lower YA:
- The Secret of a Heart Note by Stacey Lee
- The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot
- Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
- The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares
Upper YA:
- Reader Age: 15 and up
- Protagonist Age: 16-20
Here you will find books with sex, drinking, suicide, mental illness, and other mature subject matter. Here you may also find slightly older protagonists – 19 or 20, for example. Aimed at ages 15 to 19 (and beyond).
A few examples of upper YA:
- 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher
- The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma
- Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
- Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow
- We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
New Adult:
So… a lot of people in the publishing world don’t recognize New Adult. In theory the category makes sense: a bridge between YA and adult. A place for protagnoists between the ages of 18 and 25. But in practice, as far as I understand it, New Adult has become synonymous with self-published romance novels that are a little too racy to be classified as YA.
Now, I could be wrong. There’s plenty online to support NA as being a legitimate category and not just for racy romance. However, many agents don’t mention it in their list of what they’re looking for, and many of the books I’ve seen listed as New Adult I have also seen listed as YA. Examples: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell and Codename Verity by Elizabeth Wein. There’s no New Adult section at the bookstore, which is a big clue. And Alexa Donne has a whole video entitled “New Adult is Not a Thing!!! (In Traditional Publishing).” It’s now totally fine to have a YA book with a college-aged protagonist, and it’s also cool to have an adult book with a 22-year-old main character. So… it’s kinda like New Adult isn’t really necessary. A book is either YA or adult. Or maybe it’s YA or adult with crossover potential.
In my opinion, if you’ve written a novel for young people with characters who are in their early twenties, and you want to get it traditionally published, don’t call it New Adult. Decide whether it appeals more to a YA audience or an adult audience and go with one of the two established categories Then let your agent/editor/publisher decide if it’s something else.
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I guess by now it’s pretty obvious that there are some blurry lines, and while many books will fall clearly into the set kidlit genres (like The Giver, which is clearly freaking middle grade!!), there are others that are harder to classify. There are some books that could be called upper Middle Grade or lower YA. There are some books that could be called upper YA or New Adult. There are some books that toe the line between YA and adult.
For example, I’d call the first five Harry Potter books Middle Grade, but I’d call the last two books — with their older protagonists and darker themes– YA. The books grew up with their readers.
What are your thoughts on kidlit genres? Let me know in the comments!
This is so interesting. I am rereading The Giver as an adult because I read it numerous times in my classes while teaching. I didn’t realize she had a series on this so I am going through those, one book remaining. I just had a conversation this morning with a mom on the book, and she asked what I would classify it as and I said MG even though some say YA. I am right with you on this!! Great article – thanks!
Thanks so much! I haven’t read the other books in the series — are they good?
Yes! Just like The Giver you can’t put them down. I am on the last one and I would highly recommend reading them. It tells the whole story. I didn’t even know there were more until I found the bundle on sale at the library.
I am enjoying going back and reading some books that I read in childhood that I am sure others have not heard of, and ones that I either didn’t read or had forgotten.
I would calling “the first 5 Harry Potter books” Middle Grade is a stretch, considering there’s not much that distinguishes books 4 and 5 from 6 or 7, but there is a lot that distinguishes books 1 and 2 from the rest of the series, particularly books 4-7.
I think 1, 2 and 3 are Middle Grade and the big ones – 4, 5, 6, and 7 – are Young Adult.
OK, I will agree with you on that! In the first 3 books he is 11, 12, and 13 — the age of a MG protagonist. So it makes sense that the rest of them would be YA. Maybe the next two lower YA and the final ones upper YA. Thanks for pointing that out!
Would YA Crossover be the same as N.A., or what distinguishes the two? I see many agents saying they are looking for YA (SFF) Crossover on their wishlist.
This is such a complicated question! YA Crossover is a book that is YA but has appeal for readers of adult books and thus might be marketed to both YA and adult readers. (Similarly, you can have adult books that have appeal for YA readers, like books that win the Alex award). New Adult has not really taken off as a category in traditional publishing, as far as I know. It’s mostly used in the self-publishing romance world. So I’d shy away from describing your book to agents as New Adult. My recommendation is to describe your book as YA if it’s YA and adult if it’s adult and let the agent/editor/publisher decide if it has crossover potential. (P.S. YA books can now have characters who are in college.) Alexa Donne has two great youtube videos on this topic: “New Adult Is Not a Thing!!!” and “YA Crossover Frustrates Me.”
Children’s literature covers ages ranging from 6 to 19 years..Adult literature favors readers over 20 years old.
Children’s readers are classified into:
GRADE 1 (6-8)
MIDDLE GRADE (9-12)
YOUNG ADULT (13-19)
NEW ADULT(18-25)
The New Adult is an intermediate point between children’s literature and literature for adults and covers the last 2 ages of Young Adult (18-19).
Yesss I love this post!! It breaks these kidlit genres down so perfectly! I love that you used Prep for an adult book that’s billed as YA because I read it when I was a young teen and was mildly traumatized from some of the themes in there!
Thank you! I read Prep in my early 20’s, which I think was the right time. I’m a huge Curtis Sittenfeld fan, though, so hopefully you weren’t too traumatized to read her other books!
Such a good post. I constantly need to explain the differences especially when people misunderstand that a “chapter book” isn’t just a book with chapters!
Thank you! Obviously this is a pet-peeve of mine, too!
Where would you put a book series like The Hunger Games? I’m in AP Lit and my senior year of high school (I’m 18) and my teacher was discussing how she wouldn’t recommend writing about the Hunger Games on the final essay question where you answer with a book of your choosing because it is YA and YA isn’t really regarded in the same light as adult novels/not college level (even though we did an essay style response for All The Light We Cannot see lol). I can see her point, but to me, The Hunger Games (while listed and marketed as YA) definitely creeps into the adult territory. I mean- the topic is literally forced murder for the entertainment of the upper class. Is it written a little more plainly than, say, The Handmaid’s Tale? Sure. But there is a lot of complexity in the books (at least for me) that I didn’t understand when I was 12-14 compared to now. Everyone knows the symbolism of a Mockingjay, but what about Katniss being the symbol of the cycle of corruption that occurs in rebellion and the question of: does it ever really get better? Because the rebellion takes this child and forces her to be a propaganda piece for a war she wants no part in, dangles Peeta right in front of her as a way to cooperate, and creates this false image of her for the public to stand behind. Is the Mockingjay as simple as a symbol for rebellion, or a symbol of the inherent greed for power all humans hold. Because the second she puts on that pin, she has unwittingly become “The Mockingjay” and her story is corrupted to fit a narrative that suits the rebellion.
To me, that’s a more adult topic in the sense that at age 14, most of us aren’t thinking of Katniss as a victim in the cycle of politics, but the hero with the bow and arrow who saves the day. Yes, she is both, but in order to properly analyze these books it feels like one needs to have a better understanding of politics and philosophy that a young teenager just doesn’t. Older teens, yes, but older teens also understand The Kite Runner and The Color Purple. I know The Hunger Games is marketed and labeled as YA, but is it truly YA?
I would at least like to argue that The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is adult as well as Sunrise over the Reaping. I mean, (spoilers ahead) in TBOSAS Coriolanus literally has his best friend, Sejanus, hung in fear of the repercussions and tries to kill his girlfriend. That’s definitely not YA material.
This is also not to say that younger folks can’t/won’t read adult books. I read Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies in 8th grade and those topics are definitely not geared towards children.
If a book is labeled as a genre, does that make it that genre? Because there are plenty of YA books I would say aren’t really YA.
That is, if we are trying to ignore the New Adult genre. I honestly think New Adult is perfect for The Hunger Games series and books like Andrew Joseph White’s novels because they have darker narratives and commentaries interwoven with being a teenager and a young perspective.
I would put a book like The Atlas Six, which is marketed as adult fantasy, into the YA genre instead (or place it in new adult) because the themes aren’t really that mature- the characters just happen to be older. It reads like YA, at least.
Sorry for the rant, these are just my thoughts. Honestly I think we just need to do away with labeling books as for certain age groups with the exception of an age and a plus to indicate that it genuinely might not be appropriate for younger audiences.
Like a 13+ and 18+ book doesn’t mean that readers over 18 can’t genuinely enjoy and find depth in a 13+ book. It just means that the 18+ book isn’t appropriate for younger audiences. Because labels are frustrating, especially when it comes to art, and literature is so much more than a label. And if we keep adding labels we lose the significance of the original ones.
Anyways, I hope you have a nice night and thank you for the wonderful article!
You bring up so many good points! At the end of the day, the labeling is for marketing purposes — who they will market it to, where it will go in the bookstore. It’s an imperfect science, and some books don’t neatly fall into a category. I would still consider The Hunger Games as YA because of the age of the protagonist and because it’s told in first person present giving us the feeling that all of this is happening to Katniss now, and not, for example, an adult looking back and telling a story of their youth (which could make it more of an adult novel). That being said, YA books can be analyzed just like any other piece of literature. Just because it’s YA doesn’t mean it’s not “literary.” I actually wrote an essay in GRAD SCHOOL linking the Harry Potter series to Aristotle’s Poetics. At first, my professor didn’t want to approve the topic because he thought Harry Potter was childish, but I insisted I had a good argument, and you know what… he had to admit later it was a pretty good essay!
Good luck with your essay, and thanks for reading. The YA/New Adult/Adult landscape is a complicated and always changing landscape. Just a few years ago I was told New Adult wasn’t “a thing,” but now my agent wants me to age up my YA thriller to New Adult. It’s just a line in the sand!
Hi! I am actually having my Young Adult Fiction class read this essay. We just read A Monster Calls and are getting ready to discuss where it falls. Technically, it checks more of the marks of Middle Grade, but its handling of trauma and grief and the complexity of life (I’m going to argue) make it appropriate for YA audiences. Particularly given the fact that the loss of a parent is such a difficult and emotional experience, a YA reader might benefit from this type of text even if it might technically fall into Middle Grade. I personally bawl when reading it, which I think attests to its emotional resonance! Most of my students are going into education and so are looking for books they might recommend to their students and I think considering this for even older teens has quite a bit of merit.
I noticed your original categories a little thin for a 15 year old reader/main character. I’m not sure it is the author or publisher’s fault if a book finds its audience right smack dab in the middle of Middle Grade and YA. You made some additional categories which eased this conundrum a bit — at least for me. But I’m not sure the publisher likes these gray areas when they’re trying to find a sweet spot in promoting their books. “Make up your mind,” they shout to the fledgling author. “Is it Middle Grade or YA–you have to commit or we won’t consider publishing your book,” but is the battle over if the author commits to a single category only to find that its audience is split? I’m not sure irritation is the correct response if a book Middle Grade book like “The Giver” is perceived as YA when it is the audience that makes that decision, not the author, not the publisher, not the reviewer. And it’s all logical: The questions “The Giver” wrestles with appeal to an older audience and the book’s perceived market or label changes as a result. No one has made any mistake here. I read “Lord of the Flies” as a 13 year old, and considered it the best book I’d ever read. No teacher made me read it. No disrespect here. You’ve done a wonderful job — I’ve not see anyone do it better — to make these elusive book categories understandable to readers of all ages.