There has been much discussion recently among publishers & booksellers on the topic of defining age categories for children's/YA books. When I was a kid, the kids' section of the book store had novels for under 12, and a section of "YA" books for 12 and up. Today, while some bookstores still may not offer more than these two areas for novels, assigning age categories for these books has become a great deal more convoluted. There are first novels (beginning chapter books), Middle Grade, Upper Middle Grade, YA, New Adult, and figuring out where these books fit is an even bigger challenge. Is there really a difference between Middle Grade and Upper Middle Grade? Is there/should there be a such thing as junior and senior YA?
Defining an Age Category
Defining an Age Category
Defining an Age Category
There has been much discussion recently among publishers & booksellers on the topic of defining age categories for children's/YA books. When I was a kid, the kids' section of the book store had novels for under 12, and a section of "YA" books for 12 and up. Today, while some bookstores still may not offer more than these two areas for novels, assigning age categories for these books has become a great deal more convoluted. There are first novels (beginning chapter books), Middle Grade, Upper Middle Grade, YA, New Adult, and figuring out where these books fit is an even bigger challenge. Is there really a difference between Middle Grade and Upper Middle Grade? Is there/should there be a such thing as junior and senior YA?
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