Divisions of Young People’s Literature

Part 2: Divisions of Young People’s Literature

Some important divisions or distinctions within Young People’s literature include Children’s Literature, Middle Grade or Tween, Young Adult, and New Adult. Library Media Specialists and teachers should consider audience when recommending reading material, and keep in mind that some divisions are more appropriate to some ages. For example, YA may be too adult for middle schoolers, though they may seek reading about older teens, and feel that lit geared at their age group is too young.

At the youngest end of the spectrum, Children’s Literature for children from infancy to approximately age eight includes picture books to easy readers. It also encompasses illustrated chapter books, early chapter books, up to chapter books with very little illustration, if any. Charlotte’s Web may fall into the top range of this category.

Middle Grade or Tween Lit is directed at students approximately eight to twelve years old, which is between children’s lit and teen lit. It may include books such as Newbery-winning novels, possibly upper children’s literature, but more geared at middle grades. This is not “middle school” or junior high per se, but instead refers to upper elementary immediately prior to the teen years. Middle school books, by contrast, may address more mature social issues, romance, or other tough topics, with protagonists who are themselves twelve to fourteen. These novels may be inappropriate to younger students classified as middle grades.
Young Adult, often thought of as teen reading, is geared toward readers ages thirteen to eighteen. Some may be appropriate to middle school or junior high, however, based on subject matter, it may contain too much profanity, sexuality, violence, or other difficult topics for middle school readers. While appealing to younger readers, it may not be well-suited for their maturity level. Adults, on the other hand, have embraced YA in recent years.

New Adult, or lit for readers aged eighteen to thirty approximately, began in 2009 with a “cutting-edge” fiction writing contest sponsored by publisher Macmillan, who wanted to increase the market for adults already purchasing and reading YA. Subject matter often centers on college experiences, otherwise living away from home for the first time, or first serious relationships. These older protagonists deal more often with adult issues without the context of older guardians characters or parents. This literature may crossover from YA to adult, such as the writings of this category’s influential author, Colleen Hoover.

All of these categories or divisions within literature for young people are uniquely important, all with award-winning authors and--sometimes--illustrators. These divisions address age and appropriate reading levels and topics, not genres. In listening to the explanations, I was most interested in New Adult, with which I have the least familiarity. I feel that this is a division I need to explore further.

Some of the subject matter also brought to mind a recent author’s talk I took part in via Skype at a junior high campus. The author, Laurie Morrison, spoke about her latest novel, Up for Air, which captured my attention. She went on to emphasize the importance of middle school literature for middle school students, and that this is a division of literature in need of more authors and installations. This particular novel is categorized as suited for ages ten to fourteen, as are her other works.

I had never particularly considered there to be a great need for novels with protagonists falling in this age range, and myself read either YA or adult fiction by those grades. However, since then, I have been far more interested in seeking out good literature within this division for recommending, and have been more attuned to the different reading needs of different ages and levels. This meshes with what I hear being stressed in this chapter on divisions within young people’s literature.