What Makes A Book YA, Adult, MG, and NA

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[@matthewsawczyn6592]

Gandalf is 2,000 years old, so I consider all his parts "Super Adult"

[@EytsirhcChristye]

Matthew Sawczyn If you need a proofreader, I can help you.

[@drogadepc]

Or "Super Elderly"

[@invaderzod8092]

Man Gandalf is older than the Universe.

[@williamozier918]

New genre: Immortal. It's always just a bunch of blank pages then the words, "what's the point, it's always the same. Forever. The end."

[@ThePoliticrat]

I honestly consider it “fictional/alternate mythology”. And on a deeper, more metaphysical level, a work of theological fiction - before anything else. Other than the writings of Chesterton, It is the single most definitive piece of 20th century Roman Catholic literature.

[@EEVictory13]

I feel like Harry Potter started as middle grade then changed into young adult. Not just because Harry’s age changes but rather the content changed.

[@EmphaticNod]

I think that's fair. The tonal shift that happens in books 4/5 is significant enough that the latter half of the series almost feels like a different story. Its definitely a series that grew along with its readers...

[@emiloberg2110]

Yes! I read the Goblet of Fire while being middlegrade age and got nightmares (according to my parents who think it went too dark around there). I however went and borrowed the book in the library to have as my benchbook in school heheh.

[@SpookyyV]

It grew with its audience which is absolutely one of my favorite things about harry potter.

[@tenshiangelina]

The market grew, that happens with series that take that long to publish. It's a common thing in marketing, to adapt to the market.

[@Mikemk_]

I've seen an interview where J.K. Rowling said that was intentional. Book 1 is meant to be read by 11 year olds, Book 2 by 12 year olds, ... Book 7 by 17 year olds.

[@Hadrian1616]

"Teenagers read adult books back in the 70's and survived." Yes, this.

[@lordvenusianbroon]

My 'Young Adult' was the work of Stephen King in the 1980s. Perhaps we grew up faster in those decades? ;-)

[@narata1541]

Not me. I literally died when I read an adult book.

[@licenciado1970]

Lord knows I did.

[@twit7380]

Agreed, but boy do I wish I had been older than 10 when I read the Stand...

[@twit7380]

Agreed, but boy do I wish I had been older than 10 when I read the Stand.

[@katrinaslayton4942]

I can't believe that parents were actually writing the author angry because their kids read a book that was not appropriate for them. Be a parent and do the research and take responsibility for yourself! Or read it.... just sayin

[@Blake4625kHz]

Katrina Slayton , hear hear!

[@elizalagonia1049]

Yes, please. It's like those parents angry at McDonald's in the mid-'90s because they advertised Jurassic Park so they took their 5-year-old to see it.

[@elliotpole8596]

Those parents are still better than the ones who deliberately take their kids to see Joker, though. And have them come out crying and shaking.

[@katrinaslayton4942]

Agreed!! We saw a couple bring their 3 kids (all under the age of 8) to see the movie "IT". So the rest of us had their movie ruined because the middle child ran up and down the stairs or in front of the screen while the youngest screamed and cried the whole time.

[@cakt1991]

I said this in a conversation in one of my online reading groups, and some person I had never spoken to turned it around and made it about kids without parents and why she holds authors and publishers responsible 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@toshomni9478]

Growing up I never thought about labels like YA or Adult. I just read books that seemed interesting.

[@Bookdragon11]

Tosh Omni me too 😊

[@holbvgbbbbkfz]

“am the greatest earth bender in the world"

[@masteryoda7207]

Unless there's something that's specifically inappropriate for younger audiences, I think that's the way it should be.

[@ammeliahdeguzman1249]

For a second there I thought you were wearing a backpack.

[@carolinesch.]

I did too!

[@samtepal3892]

It was her trusty backpack which can go invisible at will. Legend has it, it was built with Unicorn carcass and thus has divine powers beyond understanding.

[@bobbyhill2951]

Hahahaha same

[@jwcarlson]

That would be middle grade or young adult.

[@samtepal3892]

@@jwcarlson elementary my dear Carlson

[@Aranneas]

there's actually a proven trend that books written by women & feminine folk tend to get categorized as YA much more often regardless of the content of the book. several authors have spoken out about this, but it hasn't changed much yet

[@Eric-ef5qm]

As a children's librarian, I would add one more category of chapter books. "Lower Grade" or "Easy Chapter" books appeal to 6-9 year old children who are just starting chapter books. These books tend to be very simple adventure, mystery, or humor books. Magic Tree House, Captain Underpants, Geronimo Stilton, and Junie B. Jones are some examples of this age category. Most books are less than a hundred pages still have some pictures or have a semi-comic book approach. At this age, kids can be reluctant to start a new series. Luckily, the books are episodic and tend to have dozens of books in the series. Sadly, because of this older readers rarely read this unless to co-read with their own kids. Due the episodic nature of the books, character development and coming of age elements tend to be minimized leaving little appeal for older audiences.

[@EytsirhcChristye]

Eric If you need a proofreader, I can help you.

[@lavendermarshmallowplant3229]

Speaking of Stilton, I loved the Thea Stilton series. It's been years but I'm planning on reading the books I haven't yet read on my own. I remember them being so fun.

[@lilitudeluna6296]

I read VC Andrews books at 7; LOTR at 6. And Vampire Chronicles at age 10. Easy chapter books rotted my brain and were filthy pandering masses of bs. (Personal experiences abound)

[@everestcanyon5647]

I liked some of them when I was younger, especially Magic Tree House. I'm not actually sure if I outgrew the series even, I think the books just stopped being as interesting after book 36. I actually think that is the problem with those types of series, because even more recently than I lost interest in Magic Tree House (but still awhile back) I found and really liked Andrew Lost. I think those series often tend to start out strong, but after awhile, the stories begin to loose the momentum they once had, and because of that, I start to fall onto the middle grade series I've been reading. And just because I was bored by my previous younger chapter books (because the series has grown weaker over time), I just don't tend to pick up too many of them anymore. I do want to look into these Zack Files books though. I sort of read them as a kid, but they were hard to access chronologically, so I was never able to get into it. But it does look fun.

[@everestcanyon5647]

Middle Grade series don't always run on endlessly, so they usually end before they grow boring. Because of that, it provides the opportunity to pick up another series and renew your interest in the age group before you run into a line of boring after boring. And many series that do run on (Warriors) are divided into story arcs, so you have plenty of options to leave. On the other hand, somehow that series is still running strong, if not as good as the earliest books.

[@user-zn7gh6uy4b]

Read Stephen King at 10. Still sane. Mostly.

[@pinkradiohandlerr]

My mom and her friend read It when they were thirteen and she said she was scarred lmao I read it at twelve and to this day it’s one of my favorite books.

[@willow8186]

Me too :) I was exploring my library, left the kid’s section and found the adult section ... never went back, haha.

[@bellathebookworm5156]

Same here. I started It for the first time when i was 9 years old. Wasnt super impressed. I've reread it since and was still not impressed

[@azmodanpc]

Yeah, and Frank Herbert at 12. Most of the Dune stuff went over my head at that age. But SK, o no, it was gripping and terrifying. Had a blast.

[@stephennootens916]

I have seen Stephen King's The Stand in the YA section of a library.

[@black1blade74]

Adult is just p everything that isn't aimed at a specific demographic. Makes sense for adult to be so broad since we spend the majority of our lives as adults.

[@Sanchara]

I remember reading adult novels at middle-grade age, and far from the content damaging me I feel that some of it helped me be prepared for the reality of the world. I write for adults but at the back of my head there's always this nagging "what about the gifted kid who's reading this at ten? What am I teaching her?" I don't let it hold me back but it does make me mindful to avoid writing things just for spectacle.

[@booksandteawithanna-marie6395]

I’d LOVE to see a list of your favorites for each genre!! 😁

[@carolinehoel1997]

Tropes and Tea with Anna-Marie ❤️

[@Eldyra]

People overthink all those categories so much nowadays, especially overprotective parents. . My first adult book was "Needful Things" by Stephen King and I read it when I was 9. Throughout my teens I mainly read adult books. I was trusted to stop in case it ever became too much for me and I'm not traumatized 🤣

[@spikey0034]

Sometimes I'd discover a saucy book in the library (discovered Gena Showalter one day, which had work penis on first page), and just keep quiet about it, coz I know they'd remove it if I blabbed. I was in fact pissed if anyone grassed up. Didn't traumatise me in the slightest

[@RandomPerson8908]

I read Stephen King as a teen and I survived, haha. My first King novel was 'Salem's Lot, which I would still highly recommend.

[@leonmayne797]

Same.

[@martamorrison2828]

I was one of those people who didn’t have any YA. Being a teacher I started reading ya and I loved it. I never had enough time to read a dense adult book because I was so busy. Now that I am retired I enjoy all levels.

[@ev6564]

I'm only college aged, but I enjoy all levels too. I feel like a lot of people actively dislike a few of the levels (especially with YA), which is fine since as that is their preference. But it's nice to see others enjoying all 4 levels too. Oh, it's been a while since I read middle grade. Like at least 6 years give or take. I need to reread School of Fear or some Poison Apple books.

[@carlosmansolrac0774]

“And Nevernight himself”

[@sethhale235]

This was a great video and it was really well done, but I really don't like these age distinctions in general. I feel like it's caused a lot of issues, especially in YA (which isn't me saying anything negative about YA, just that it's made for some problems). I love the way Neil Gaiman related an adjacent topic to the similar distinction in comics. Some of them just say for mature readers. That's it. And as he said, he's met mature readers that are 15 or 16 and immature readers that are 38.

[@banjotiki3910]

Yeah, the age classification isn't that important, I'm 13 and I have read "adult" books and my mom has read "YA" and we both like the experience. (Sorry for bad English, I'm still learning)

[@manaalsidd]

This confusion of age of the protagonist vis a vis the category of the book is most common with Harry Potter. Parents constantly sue or complain about the later books of Harry Potter “not being suitable for their children to read” It’s just that the plot had to get darker as the story progressed. I mean it was predictable from the very first book.

[@carynschmidt5061]

I read all the HP books as an adult, bought them as they were released. I felt like even her writing style changed in the later books. It makes me wonder whether they would have been reclassified if the publisher had known what the later books were like from the outset. Not that I had a problem with them. My kids all read them after me

[@megapichu4372]

@@carynschmidt5061 I think the exact classification would change throughout the series. I don't think that a series has to keep the age categories the same all the way through.

[@matthewthepirate44]

The books definitely had a very noticeable shift from book 3 to 4 from children' books to YA, but honestly any parent sueing over its suitability was a moron. The very first book starts out with parental murder, and the most severe line in the entire series is in the final book, where molly calls bellatrix a bitch. Literally anyone can read HP if they have any degree of fortitude.

[@drafezard7315]

@@matthewthepirate44 What fucking universe do you live where someone calling someone else a bitch is worse than people literally torching and killing others?

[@Ali-zn6sg]

I think the one thing missing from this discussion is marketing. YA is first and foremost a marketing term. I took a class for my English minor, I took an adolescent fiction class where we read YA and discussed it on a higher thematic level. But the discussions were always interesting and nuanced because YA isn't a genre or something written with much intent; it's primary purpose from its conception to this day is the fact that it's marketed to a YA audience, even if it isn't necessarily written with that audience in mind. The history of YA is really interesting, and it follows a similar route to children's literature. For a lot of history, society viewed age as you're either a baby or you're an adult. That's it. But in Victorian times, this idea that childhood exists, that there's a time in between being a baby and being an adult when you're at a different developmental stage and have different needs, was new and up-in-coming. Enter some of the first children's stories like Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Oz, etc. Something similar happened kind of throughout our lives with YA. Around 50's/60's, this idea that being a teenager in bw childhood and adulthood, needing something more than children's stories but not quite being reading for adult stories, was new. By the 2000's, publishers saw the market for it, especially calling it young adult instead of "teenager books" which encourages them to go shop in that part of the bookstore. I REALLY love discussions about YA themes like the ones you've given here; YA is so so important for teens to have access to, and the responsibility that YA books have at teaching good morals and having relevant themes. Even though bookstores and publishers may treat YA just for marketing, it's super important for readers to discuss them without that muddling. I've seen arguments that we *really* need a separate NA section because PROTECT THE CHILDREN! And to that I say: 1) I agree with your video... YA didn't always exist, and none of us are corrupted. If anything, parents and teachers should be more involved w what their kids are reading and be willing to explain, so this is a great opportunity for that. and 2) I'm sure NA will be its own section of the library within our life times, but only if publishers see that it's a viable marketing option.

[@prigg88]

I'd be interested in the emergence of film age categories alongside the literature age ones. I think the US has less categories than UK. PG-13, R and NC-17(? I think it is but understand is rarely uses) I think there is maybe a general one for under Pg-13. UK are U, PG, 12A, 15, 18. I don't see the need for a New Adult category because for me its like trying to create a 21 film category. But I know if it can be used to market books NA will happen.

[@elliotpole8596]

YA fantasy the last few years is pretty much all dark. There's some YA from previous years that younger people can probably read just fine, example William Sleator.

[@Ali-zn6sg]

@@prigg88 G PG PG-13 R [NC-17 don't get shown in theaters so it almost doesn't exist]

[@lovelydaywithholly]

What categorizes a book a classic or what gives a book ‘literary merit’v

[@carrina1006]

Fern And Lace generally? Thematic complexity. A book with enough meat to be reinterpreted for years. And not just by applying a new school of criticism. If you ask the question “what is this book about” and the answers are as numerous and dissimilar as the people reading them, it might be a classic.

[@lovelydaywithholly]

@@carrina1006 very interesting!

[@elsewhere989]

Classic is also what is considered an achievement for a generation which is why Twilight will probably be considered a classic. The book isn't literary fiction but it has had a HUGE impact on the publishing industry.

[@amonicareads6392]

I'm glad you enjoy making these videos, because I LOVE watching them!

[@lunarmuse5918]

Well, that explains why I like middle grade books

[@outi3852]

This was interesting. YA, NA and adult often confuse me, but I'm probably not alone since I've even heard that sometimes a book can get marketed as YA in one country and adult in another.

[@rosabowen731]

I read Mistborn at eight years old, and that’s often called an adult book. I’ve never been good with age ranges for books.

[@CraigUntlNytTym]

I remember My friends reading A Song Ice And Fire in secondary school

[@nonfictionfeminist]

I categorize the various age ranges by writing style. To me, YA and Middle Grade tend to have very simplified writing styles, while New Adult and Adult tend to have more nuanced writing styles. I've never differentiated them by age of protagonist, since I've read coming-of-age stories about people across all ages (example, I consider The Color Purple a coming-of-age, coming-into-you-own book about an adult, but I wouldn't say it's Young or even New Adult). I struggle to read a lot of Young Adult and Middle Grade, because I categorize it by the writing style, and it tends to be too simple for me to really enjoy (I feel like I'm explaining this badly?). I rely SO HEAVILY on really 'good writing.'Wasn't there a lot of confusion in the marketing for Mistborn? Like, it was marketed to different age groups throughout the years?

[@outi3852]

I often enjoy middle grade, but while the more simple writing doesn't bother me in that, it's one of things I hate in YA. Of course all YA isn't like that, and I tend to enjoy the ones with more elaborate style.

[@EmphaticNod]

I think you might be generalizing. Modern MG and YA might trend towards simplified writing, yes, but if you look past the last few decades - maybe even further back than the current classifications existed - and you'll find a whole bunch of MG and YA that feature impressive nuance and style. The Hobbit is up there, but even better examples might be the Chronicles of Prydain series, or the Earthsea books (MG and YA, respectively).

[@vitoriaassuncao7716]

I disagree with you on this. I think that middle grade tends to have a more simplify writing,cause it's supposed to be more accessible for kids, and that's great. However,when it comes to YA and Adult books I dont think that the writing style is the most distinguish factor. For example,the Raven Boys series is categorized as YA but it has a complex,intricate and flowery writing, when The Mistborn Trilogy is considered adult but it has a overly simplistic,plane and one dimensional writing style. 🤷‍♀️

[@outi3852]

@@EmphaticNod Good point, I should've remembered that, too, since I grew up loving the books you mentioned 🙂 Maybe something that should be mentioned more often when we talk about writing style in MG & YA, might make it easier for ppl to find the kind of books they enjoy.

[@elliotpole8596]

If YA really had as simplified a writing style as you claim, I'd have less apprehension about getting published. It seems to me that this was somewhat true ten years ago, but I'm nto so sure about the present day at least with YA fantasy, which is what I write.

[@1cakesz]

This was interesting. I find New Adult to be interesting and I’m looking forward to seeing that genre come through more. I read (one chapter) of Six of Crows and it’s marketed as YA even though the characters come across as far older.

[@amybuchler8874]

Even MG books can be be enjoyed by adults and teenagers. There are alot of great books that got categorized as MG books but are great books for all ages. Check out alot of the Newberry Honor and Medal Winners. Examples of wonderful books that have mature topics that could be read in MG school assignments that are great reads regardless of age are "Island of the Blue Dolphins", "The Cay", "Hatchet", and "The True Confession of Charlotte Doyle".

[@pinkradiohandlerr]

One of my favorite series is Keeper of the Lost Cities, I started it in fourth grade (for the reason the second book had a unicorn on the cover) and to this day I’m still a pretty avid reader of them. It started as series for kids. It is not anymore. This series has changed greatly in tone, and it was pretty dark to begin with. I recommend this series to literally everyone. It’s fantasy, and has such an amazing world. It’s got characters of every kind of personality, and it has romance and I hate romance but it doesn’t matter to me because the plot is so good! Just go read it please.

[@7_ty_]

Thank you for the age range point! My favorite novel is The Little Friend by Donna Tartt, and the protagonist of that novel is a twelve-year-old girl, and it’s definitely not a novel for children.

[@danecobain]

I think you make some of the best educational content of this type on BookTube! I always learn stuff even when I think I already know whatever subject you're covering :D Keep it up!

[@charleypatterson9956]

Merphy...I learn so much from your videos, thank you for your efforts! I've always been curious about what all these categories mean, and you cleared that up. Yay! Oh, and FYI...your hair looks fantastic since you've grown it out. Very pretty! Keep going, dearheart...you're doing great!

[@graysonweatherly4440]

Obviously I don't love ads (totally understand the necessity of them) but I was surprised by the professionalism of your square space ad lol. It was narrated really well. I will have to check out your audio book narration.

[@lyannastarkweather]

Great explanation video! I definitely agree that New Adult should make a comeback. It definitely fills a niche that I think many readers would appreciate. At 23, I still mostly read Young Adult. I let my mind gloss over the ways in which the themes and content of YA have skewed more mature. A few popular YA series come to mind. For instance, I believe the Six of Crows series could be categorized as NA. I do feel like those books should exist and deserve the level of buzz they get in YA circles. However, I believe that the YA category itself still needs to exist. Teenagers deserve to have books that are written for them and reflect that stage of their life. Every reader is different. Some kids can handle some heavier topics in their books and they can figure out some of their limits. From the age of 12, my parents pretty much let me pick up whatever books piqued my interest. Most of that was YA, but there was the occasional adult fiction in there. For instance, my high school library had the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. I borrowed and read the whole series at age 15/16. No questions asked. I definitely can't say that most of my classmates could handle those books at that age. But I don't hold it against the librarians for having it.

[@jessicacann6169]

Thank you!! I so needed this video.

[@Boringguy55]

I have loved these clarifying videos you have made. I have been getting back into reading HARD, so everyone keeps telling me to find what genres I like, but so many of the books I read are categorized all over the place sometimes. I guess I'm not crazy when I read something on somewhere like good reads and I think to myself "Are you sure?" haha

[@igailartzi6758]

YES! I need this video so badly so I can sort out what genre I’m writing in!

[@CimoreneTheRebel]

This video proves that I am right to be confused when I'm at the big Powell's and looking for certain fantasy books and have to run up and down the stairs to check both the YA section and the adult fantasy section. I sure wish they'd put those sections on the same floor.

[@authorkylerkuehler1380]

I also feel like the writing and pace of the story can define whether a story classifies as one of these categories. Like the MG and YA seem to be more easily written and have a faster plot where NA and Adult have a steady pace with a few faster scenes here and there.

[@ouwetruckert366]

Good clear explanation , thumbs up.

[@thesolitaryhedgewitch7748]

Very informative, thank you I was in contact with a YA agent who was interested in my novel, but decided against it once she found out that the protagonist was actually 20. I hadn't heard the term NA before, I think that category fits my novel better

[@bellathebookworm5156]

My first experience with a character who did not match the age category of the book i was reading was September in The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. She is a 12 year old girl in a book i would categorize as new adult bc it's kind of dark and reads above a young adult level. But i really enjoyed it!

[@GraceHOsborn]

This cane at the perfect time! Thank you!!

[@BreeBuonomo]

I love this topic and I thought you clarified it very well! Though I may be biased because I have an upcoming video on my channel about the same topic, though I’m coming at it as not only a reader but a writer, and bringing some psychology into the mix 😊

[@alainnamacpherson2521]

This is golden! I’ve had plenty of people ask me what makes a book, particularly mine, a YA.

[@letahogge9776]

I think categories do more harm than good. I've read mostly adult fiction since I was 14 because there wasn't much YA back then. Yet I've read, and loved, Harry Potter and The Fault in Our Stars as an adult. No one ever policed my reading, I survived and grew up to be an English teacher. Readers don't have to personally relate to everything in a book. Some parts will resonate at the time and some will later. Be the adult a kid can talk to if they are confused or uncomfortable about a book. Don't forget that most kids will realize if a book isn't right for them and stop reading it.

[@staceysantos4564]

This is very helpful. Thank you for this. :) I think any break-down video you will do will be very interesting. ;)

[@ragragrec1]

Shoutout to Merphy for being the only Booktube channel that explores almost everything about books!

[@Bookdragon11]

Good video! 😃 And I have also had problems really finding a description for what makes a book adult 😊🤔.

[@user-ng9ld7yo4v]

I'm a big fun of of middle grade books. There's a special innocence in them that is charming to me.

[@everestcanyon5647]

I wish the real world was as innocent as that. I'm 24 and I say I want to be with somebody who's Soul is innocent, and people take that the wrong way. I want to be with somebody who is around my age, but why does being in one's 20's mean one can't be innocent as well?

[@percydoeseverything]

The ending of that book 🤯🤯 I hope book 2 gives us SOOOO MANY answers because there are so many questions 😱😱

[@teatimewithtraceyandcrew]

I would love to see a breakdown of the Horror genre as there is so many types, troupes I get confused by all the names lol. I love your breakdown videos. Peace love and happiness ~ Tracey

[@Megan.Shines]

My library had one copy of Lies of Locke Lamora shelved in YA with a YA fantasy sticker, and a different copy with a different cover and the sequels shelved in the normal fantasy section (my library doesn't call any section "adult"). I chuckled imagining some angry parents flipping through and seeing the excessive swearing.

[@MrsDixon-ip8vb]

Thank you for this video !

[@mattpreece6106]

I loved the outsiders... it was on the curriculum here in the UK at school ... first book I could NOT put down

[@JayGTheAwkwardBookworm]

Ooo this was actually super interesting!

[@CupCakeUnleashed]

I'm writing a Fantasy NA atm inspired by The Great Hunt. Hopefully NA will get a bit bigger over the year.

[@oonam3519]

In my city the liberies often have MG and YA together and I cringe every time I see Sarah J Maas books in the children’s section.

[@elliotpole8596]

I'v elooked it up and Sarah J. Maas is apparently New Adult but since that category isn't recognized it's classified as YA. But my local library has MG and YA separated. Ther MG books are on shorter shelves, something like half the size of the regular library bookcases.

[@_evelynn8025]

I read lots of adult novels when I was younger in high school, and upon re-reads I have found that I really didn’t grasp the scope of what I was actually reading the first time around lol

[@marinap4874]

I remember being twelwe and reading LotR and Dorian Gray. I first discoverd adult literature and then came stuff like Harry Potter. To this day I read both, but prefere adult fantasy to the YA but only because there are just much better series in adult. I know of very few YA series that are as good as Kingkiller Chronicles, Gentleman Bastards, Song of Ice and Fire or the Sevenwaters Triliogy!

[@ELPages]

So true about the teens reading adult and adults reading YA. My favorite french authors I discovered around 14 and they write for adults: Jean Gionno and Alain Damasio. And I read so much YA now that I’m 27. Are we weird or should the publishers rethink the categories?

[@michelleannelynne]

there are topics like these that im not too invested in...so i basically i tune in just to hear you talk about them :p

[@AikiraBeats]

I feel that books like girl in pieces and her body and other parties are considered young adult but should really be considered as adult books. Because of the serious content that is discussed with in the books.

[@MaryAmongStories]

I'm loving these videos!

[@SleepParty30]

The first novel I read was Hatchet at 6 years old. And my second was Tales of the Vulgar Unicorn. And third was Copperhead. I don't know why I remember that so clearly.

[@ishitaasen3733]

For a seventeen year old who is currently reading Chronicles of Narnia, I would say categories doesn't really matter

[@nshortfield]

When I was doing my Ph.D (which I dropped), my thesis was actually on the representation of teenagers in books. My research lead me to think that Y.A isn't determined mostly by the purpose of the book, even more than themes. A YA novel wants to teach something to teenagers whereas a regular novel about teenagers is using its young casting as a mean to express something about youth, or life or whatever. There is a book called "do i dare disturb the universe" that explains brilliantly the history of YA fiction and why it's a problematic genre. To summarize: it's a genre made to teach teenagers how to grow up. Characters find out that they are powerless and they defy whatever society they live in, then eventually realize that in order to actually have power they have to accept to become a part of the society they were living in. YA literature is about teaching teenagers how to become functional adults in a modern liberal society. If it was a school class, that would be ok, but as literature material, the problem with that is that it's pretty close to propaganda in terms of purpose. It doesn't encourage reader to question or challenge the values and status quo of modern society like art (and literature) do but to accept them. There are a few YA I like but I kind of find the genre very bleak to the exception of a few authors who defy expectations and sometimes just had their book branded as YA because their publisher wanted to. I also really don't think that previous books branded as YA like Outsiders, or Catcher in the rye are YA novels. I think authors were writing novels without this marketing strategy in mind and it makes those books feel completely different and less "planned", or at least the editor edited it with a different selling strategy in mind.

[@nshortfield]

Also a good author to read to feel the difference between YA and adult novels is Joyce Carol Oates because she wrote both YA and adult novels about young adults and got some good ones in both categories!

[@koldskalbanden7991]

How is this true at all? Hit YA books like The Hunger Games, Harry Potter and Divergent is all about challenging society

[@onfaerystories]

That was really useful to me, but you should've mentioned the writing style and the general complexity of the book (for adult books). I first read an abridged version of Les Misérables at 18, and it reassured me as I knew it was quite a big book. I now have the full story on my shelves and I started "rereading" it. The details in these books would have been too much for me to digest as a teenager. I don't think the themes are too hardcore, but the historical references and vocabulary demand more investment and for you to actually look up quite a few words. Plus, I want to add that teenagers will be more proned to love characters in whom they recognize themselves as they're usually dealing with some existential crisis. They want to know why they're on earth and who they are. They can figure that out through adult books, but they'd have to pick up the right ones (and I believe there are many ^^).

[@cherilyncleveland1284]

There are a few books out that shouldn't be in the young adult section. I wish they would split certain things. The biggest one I found was Sarah J Maas books. I started reading the A Court of Thorns books and my daughter tried to take them and read them. I had to hide those. Since then I have started reading or skimming her picks before I give them to her. Excellent breakdown btw. It is definitely something I needed to know since my kids are in a few different age ranges.

[@UdyKumra]

Daniel watching the end of this video going "NEVER LOOK AT GOODREADS"

[@yubyubcommander]

The stigma that YA is age-based only is something I have been fighting about at the library region I work for for years. We have many books that should be NA and Adult that are shelved in YA simply because the person is under 18 years of age. We also apparently put books that are by a same author in YA because it makes it easier for people to find them with no thought on the content that a 13 or younger may pick up thinking it's a YA by an author who they've only ever know to write YA.

[@nyxian_grid]

Really good video! I think it could be enriched by a point you sort of glanced over at the end, how readers classify books in their shelves. Sometimes even publishers change their classifications of a certain book. Why would this be important to talk more about? Because recently there has a been a big debate how women writers have their books considered immediately as YA, while men writers don't face that.

[@taniaaguirre]

I read Madame Bovary when I was 12. I just didn't understand a lot of it lol. I read it again as an adult and liked it a lot more. So I wasn't traumatized, just didn't get it

[@tuyg]

I would say that the theme for Adult books could entail the individual’s attempt to discover what the meaning of life will be to them, with the approach to such being broad and exempt from any limitations, except for those allowed by the author, that is.

[@rebeccafitzgerald2817]

Honestly growing up, my Mum never went by book age when it came to what I read, she always looked at the book before buying it for me, because I was quite an advanced reader for my age

[@pollorican787]

I wonder what would Romeo and Juliet be categorized at least in today’s age 🤔

[@chelseadanico877]

Thanks for explaining what young adult fiction is , I didn’t know that up until know. I’m also writing a book that is actually a book series called chronicles of Archaeiya. Book 1 that I titled the great battle for amarykhanta is already published on Wattpad. My main characters in that book are a father and his brother who are both 30 years old and his sons who are 13 and 12 year olds , while their cousins are also 13 and 12. Right now I’m currently writing book 2 that I titled tales of the old West: haunting legends of the superstition ancient mountains. My main characters in that story are a 29 year old man and his 13,14 and 15 year old sons. But the story I’m writing is not young adults coming of age , it’s something completely new and different that I myself invented

[@surfpassion19]

This video got me thinking about an interesting idea... What are some books that everybody ready when they were younger that they probably should have waited for until they were a few years older? For me, it was Twilight (which I read when I was nine) and Pretty Little Liars (which I started reading when I was ten). With the content matter and the subject material, and in the case of Pretty Little Liars, the amount of swearing and dark themes, I probably wasn't ready for those books at the age I read them. I turned out fine, of course, but I'm just thinking back now and maybe those books should have been ones I picked up a lot later. I think this would be a great video idea for Merphy, as I'd love to hear her opinion on this!

[@sgeist1981]

Great video, thanks!

[@wielandsmith]

Yeah. My friends and I were reading adult novels by 7th and 8th grade. I didn’t know YA was an actual thing at that age. We just read whatever seemed interesting.

[@ellislove7516]

I didn't really like books until I was like 12 because as a kid only books I've explored before were really childish or fact books or just didn't really appeal to my tastes but I really love young adults now I have a book on my shelf every day from the library big fan of romance, novels , fantasy , trauma

[@elizalagonia1049]

New Adult has never really been embraced by traditional publishers, but that could change in the next few years because I know a lot of Authortube, booktube, and bookish influencers are really calling for one. One I saw actually took off review points because they felt the characters would have made more sense if they had been 3 or 4 tears older making them new adult age.

[@FlockofCherubs]

I really hope NA makes a full resurgence. I rarely read books with a protagonist under 18(exception with HP and Percy Jackson, etc). I think it provides a better line with smut as well.

[@skynikan6075]

The Song of the Lioness series is quite similar from an age point of view to your example why the age of the protagonist doesn't "matter" always. In the first book the protagoist is... I don't know, 11? In the second she's young adult and in the last two she is an adult and within these books, the themes have changed. Actually the themes of the age ranges fit pretty well. The first book is really focussed on friendship, it has the most amazing firendships I've ever read, in he second she learns how to identify with herself as a woman and in the last ones she... well, technically she tries to find her place in the world, but she's more exploring the second love and her new life like in new adult. I read the series when I was around 12 and I didn't die from reading an adult protagonist. I didn't understand some of the author's decisions that I now support and think are amazing, but as a kid I wanted the simple ending, the typical happy ending. I understand the whole story of my childhoof way better now, thanks to you Merphy! But wow, I just looked it up and it's YA..... I would have never guessed that, haha.

[@annah.1569]

Sometime next year, my Horror novella will be published and my protagonist is 21 years old. She has to battle a stalker and technically serial kills a random, sleazebag security guard on the street, her stalker, and the stalker's half-brother with a 3-year vendetta dating back to their high school senior year on prom night. Because of the violent content and ages of the characters, I consider them to be New Adult.

[@susanbuckminster282]

Thank you!

[@katie68]

I used to track the age ranges of the books I was reading in my bullet journal to see how many of each I was reading but honestly I just gave up lol I used to look to goodreads as my source but that was not helpful

[@eskvar]

Aren't there typically also differences in vocabulary and grammar level? A book written for 10 year olds is probably going use a smaller number of different words and have less complex grammar and imagery than a book written for adults. It's also one of the arguments I see against adults reading YA, that as a society we're dumbing ourselves down and writing that was once viewed as high school level is now seen as college level. About a series going from one category to the next - the first "adult" series I remember reading was Anne McCaffery's Dragonrider books, because my library at the time had the first couple shelved in the YA and rest in Adult. And there were definitely some things in that series that were very adult.

[@ultraprincesskenny6790]

You'd think that but ARbookfinder has diary of a wimpy kid, the hunger games, and game of thrones at a fifth grade reading level. Classification matters more about the contents of the books.

[@prigg88]

With MG into YA - the vocabulary is also relevant. MG & YA will also have simpler language and sentence structures. I'm not sure the themes are particularly definitional for the age categories because you can deal with other themes in MG & YA but I think how its portrayed will define where it sits. I don't know I think its just a murky topic because unlike film you don't have clear age categories.

[@elliotpole8596]

YA doesn't necessarily have simpler sentence structures, not anymore from what I noticed. Btu I want to do MG with characters older than twelve.

[@prigg88]

@@elliotpole8596 of course because YA is for a wide age range - 12-18 so the upper range is adult reading age but the 12-14 age range should perhaps have simpler sentence structure.

[@licenciado1970]

I see YA and I run for the hills. I was reading “adult” books at 12 and I feel, overall, society is wayyyy too sensitive.

[@DTGMRuns]

Emilio Rodriguez Any data to support your idea that societies sensitivity is even slightly correlated with their reading preference? I doubt it.

[@licenciado1970]

So let me get this straight: something becomes a societal norm and it would not affect anyone’s general preferences? I doubt it.

[@gingerluigiwithnomoustache7411]

What? Way to gatekeep

[@DTGMRuns]

Emilio Rodriguez So, no you don’t have any data and you’re more than happy to accept your own ideas without evidence, even knowing how flawed human estimation and bias riddled our version of conceptual ideas are? I think that says enough.

[@licenciado1970]

I’m ecstatic to accept my own ideas based on what I see and experience on a daily basis. It’s enough for me. In a day and age where criticism is looked upon as “hating”, yeah, people have become overly sensitive. Social media has made communication possible on levels unheard of in human history and yet SJWs have caused sensibilities to be way more fragile than they used to be.

[@Skittlesjosette]

Beloved broke me when I had to read it for school. I'm in my thirties and remember the horror from that I felt.

[@WhitneyDahlin]

I feel like adult novels tend to deal with having families and parenting a good chunk of the time and tends to be more graphic with violence and sex and there is no happy resolution most of the time. Compare an adult apocalyptic novel, 1984 to a Young Adult one, Hunger Games. They deal with a lot of the same themes but adult novels goes into more graphic detail and doesn't have a happy ending or resolution. Compare the Other Boleyn Girl, an adult historical novel to Strands of Bronze and Gold (which is a young adult retelling of the fairy tale Blue Beard set in Louisiana in the early 1800's). The themes tend to be the same but the way the story is told is really what makes an adult novel. The choice of wording and graphic exploration of themes and lack of a happy ending or resolution is really what makes an adult novel in my opinion. It seems most of the other genres have a happy ending or resolution and I don't think that's a good thing. Novels aren't just for entertainment, they are there to teach lessons and give people tools on how to deal with situations in their own lives. By having 99% happy endings where the bad guy is punished and the good guys rewarded is really a detrimental lesson to teach young people. The truth is that in life there is no guarantee of a happy ending or reward. In real life a lot of the times the bad guy wins and prospers while the good people suffer and die, poor and alone. You can do everything right and still be cheated on or betrayed or thrown in prison or murdered or fired. Life isn't fair and I think its far better to prepare young people for that. Stories make it easier to learn a lesson. I'm sure most young people intellectually know life isn't fair but because all the stories and entertainment they consume tells them otherwise some part of them still believes that good things will happen to good people when that isn't the case most of the time. Sorry went off a tangent but I feel it has to be said

[@veronikaparrone1778]

I'm not sure I would consider the end of Hunger Games a happy ending. I've noticed that endings for middle grade and young adult novels are becoming more complex where the characters live and have something to look forward to but they've also experienced something that has changed them forever. Exceptions to this might be books like Marie Lu's The Young Elites trilogy or Rick Yancey's The Fifth Wave where main characters end up dead by the end.

[@WhitneyDahlin]

@@veronikaparrone1778 yeah but that is the exception. MOST of the endings have the big bad defeated. The heros may be dead but their sacrifice isn't in vain. The bad guy never truly wins and it's a dangerous mindset to teach people

[@robertblume2951]

I'll give you two quotes. From Chesterton "Fairy tails tell children that dragons can be killed. " From the importance of being Ernest "Good end happily, the bad end un happily. That is what fiction means."

[@sarahschreffler5407]

@@robertblume2951 I love that quote. And yes, I'm living in reality. I don't need my fictional escape world to be even more depressing. "Fairy tales, then, are not responsible for producing in children fear, or any of the shapes of fear; fairy tales do not give the child the idea of the evil or the ugly; that is in the child already, because it is in the world already. Fairy tales do not give the child his first idea of bogey. What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogey. The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides for him is a St. George to kill the dragon."

[@_AngryNoodle]

I wasn't even aware of this kind of categorization before I got into booktube and started reading books in English, in Italy for example it's not usually a thing to divide books this way, I don't even know how you wold translate "young adult" because "giovani adulti" is not something that anyone would say lol I was always just based on genres names like fantasy/horror/sci-fi etc

[@katietaylor7822]

Great video! 🙂

[@Firehazardmon]

My protagonist are 24 years old an 11 years old so I was breaking my head over this, you’ve helped me a lot thanks 🙏

[@DanicaChristin]

I agree very much with what you say in this video. When I was young, YA was not a thing, at least not here in Germany. So I started reading adult when I was 11/12. And as you said, I survived 🤣 A ciuple more good example of adult books with teenage protagonists are Red Rising and Name of the wind

[@HistoryWithCharacter]

I mean, I read The Godfather in late middle/early high school. It's still my favorite book of all time.

[@jessi4894]

I read nothing but Stephen King and Dean Koontz from ages 12-16, and survived. It was Where the Red Fern Grows that broke me.

[@chantalgoupil5281]

I would like a video on how to make a good book review. How to have good arguments to recommand a book, other than "I liked it!"