Lauren Johansen

What’s the difference between middle grade and young adult novels? Well, that’s not the easiest question to answer because publishers, booksellers, librarians, parents, and readers often disagree about which category best fits a given book. Beyond that, some books break one or more “rule” of a given category or straddle the line between them (I try to mark straddlers on my recs page—you’re welcome). And yet there are some general distinctions that can help authors know how to market and pitch their books and how to edit them to fit more squarely in their chosen category.

I’ve recently taken classes on YA Literature and Writing for Children and Adolescents, as well as attended many panels on similar topics, and I’m a long-time reader of both MG and YA novels. However, what I feel most qualifies me to write this post is my recent experience preparing to pitch my own YA Fantasy to agents and editors. Hopefully I can share a little of what I learned through that process.

So there I was, having finished draft 4.5 of my YA Fantasy and drawn up a query letter and pitch to use in a pitch session. Multiple people I showed the first chapter to remarked that it was a solid start to a middle grade fantasy. I couldn’t understand why so many people thought it was middle grade when it was so clearly YA. A friend, after reading my entire novel, confirmed that the story was definitely YA, but said that the writing style felt MG.

But before I launch into my journey of discovery, what makes something YA? Chris Crowe (fantastic author and professor. He wrote, among other things, Mississippi Trial, 1955) says that there are 10 rules YA fiction tends to follow:

1. The novel has an acceptably exceptional protagonist. This protagonist should have strengths and weaknesses. For example, Katniss from The Hunger Games is exceptional in a lot of ways. She’s incredibly skilled with a bow, she’s smart and determined, and she knows how to survive. At times, she’s also selfless, especially when it comes to protecting those she loves. But she’s definitely not perfect. She’s hopeless in social situations, squeamish about healing, and naturally distrustful. She’s acceptably exceptional.
2. These novels tend to be shorter than adult novels, but aren’t always (especially when it comes to SF/F). Save the Cat! Writes a Novel lists as industry standard 60,000 to 90,000 words for YA novels and 70,000 to 100,000 words for adult novels (p. 28).
3. The main character is generally about two years older than the target audience (this is true of MG as well), so usually 15 to 18 years old. Older is usually considered new adult (which is sometimes shelved with YA) or adult.
4. It has a teen point of view. So not only is the MC a teen, but the MC has a teen’s thought process and way of seeing the world.
5. There’s an absence of helpful adults. This is another point that’s also true of middle grade, though it might be true that in YA, adults that the protagonist is close to—parents and teachers, for example—are often more complicated than they are in MG, and at times function as antagonists. In both age groups, the main character needs to be the one to save the day. Never a responsible adult.
6. There are few boundaries or taboos. For example, swear words can make a middle grade novel hard to sell, but swearing is accepted in YA novels. In Crowe’s class, we talked about religion being one of the few remaining taboos, but multiple YA novels we read dealt with religion, such as Marcelo in the Real World and The Poet X, so even that taboo is at times accepted.
7. They’re generally optimistic. This doesn’t mean that YA can’t be dark or gritty or complicated. In fact, there are many YA novels that fit that description. But in YA, endings are often new beginnings. Compare the ending of your favorite YA novel to the ending of an adult novel I recently read. It ended with the complete erasure of the human race, all because of humanity’s overwhelming greed. Another brilliant author and professor, Kristen Chandler, once said something to the effect of “a person has no business writing YA while they have a hopeless outlook on life.” Another part of optimism is that the protagonists of YA novels are often working toward something worthwhile.
8. They include emotions and issues important to teens and elicit visceral responses. I tend to be an underwriter, and my most common feedback from my writing group is to include more: more dialogue tags, more description, more blocking, and more of the protagonist’s thoughts and feelings. After my friend told me my YA novel’s prose felt YA, I went to the YA section of the bookstore and started pulling down books to study. What I realized about my YA novel is that the feedback I normally received was even more true for it than for my MGs (except maybe the dialogue tags). Where I’d successfully conveyed emotion, I needed to linger in it. Where I’d evoked setting, I needed to make it even more personal to the protagonist, even more real (through the five senses) to the reader.
9. They tend to be fast-paced, with no overly long descriptions.
10. They reflect current trends and issues. This is related to number 8. YA novels generally include much more nuance and specific real-world problems, like discrimination, drugs, and bullying. Romance (important to teens) can go beyond a single kiss (the limit for MG).
11. This wasn’t included as one of the ten characteristics, but we also talked about how the YA genre is experimental, and that YA authors have more room to experiment with form and style than adult authors do (in my books recs list I included a few experimental middle grades, so I’m not sure if this is a point of deviance or not. I’d assume that YA tends to be more experimental, however).

In my case, I had to go through and revise my entire novel to make it better fit in the age group I wanted. Some easier fixes you might be able to employ if you find yourself needing to conform are adjusting the protagonist’s age and making sure they make the most important decisions. Larger story problems might be not having enough nuance to characters or the world or the main character not having a teen’s POV. At which point, you might consider whether the story you want to tell really is YA, or whether you’ve been writing a MG all along.