Young Adult Fiction defined –
Young adult fiction is typically targeted towards readers in their youth, with the target age being 12 to 18-years-old but approximately 30-35% of YA readers are adults (**raises hand in air and waves frantically**). Common themes include friendship, first love, and identity, with a growing focus on diversity in recent novels. The main characters are usually teenagers themselves, facing internal struggles of some sort and this category of fiction is meant to bridge the gap between children’s and adult literature.
Young Adult Fantasy (Magic, Kingdoms, Lost Royals, Fae, etc)
Young Adult Sci-Fi (Space, Crazy advances in Science, Aliens, etc)
Young Adult Paranormal (Witches, Vampires, Werewolves, etc)
Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel by A.W. Jantha
Middle Grade Fiction defined –
Middle Grade books feature pre-teen characters in situations of interest and are targeted at kids ages 8 to 12-years-old. The books are generally shorter than YA fiction and the struggles of the characters are more external than internal, with the protagonist reacting to external situations and events and not as much time spent “walking around” in character’s heads.
Middle Grade Fantasy
The False Prince (The Ascendance Trilogy #1) by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Middle Grade Contemporary
Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina
Middle Grade Mystery
West Meadows Detectives: The Case of the Berry Burglars by Liam O’Donnell
Middle Grade Historical Fiction
Zora and Me – The Cursed Ground
Picture Book defined –
A picture book, which is typically written for children, is a book in which the illustrations are just important as the words telling the story. In come cases, the pictures are even MORE important. There are typically pictures on every page. There have been some award winning middle grade picture books published in recent years so the genre is expanding.
Picture Books
Libros para niños en Español