What Constitutes YA Fiction?

I say just write it and then figure out what it falls into.

bethany said:

and I'd say for the sake of arguent that Catcher, (a book I love) is no more YA that Huck Finn. Both have teen protags and were written for adults. Though the attitude and voice were...different for that time period.

I'd call the Outsiders the first great and true YA book.

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I agree, if only because a YA book wasn't Salinger's intention, while it really was Hinton's.

Shady Lane said:

I think you did.



Dreamer, I am not by any stretch of the imagination a Catcher fan, but OMG OF MICE AND MEN. I basically slit my wrists with the spine of that book.

I'm obviously a Great Gatsby fan, though. **points to avatar**

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I don't remember what I liked about it. I read it about 10 years ago. LOL I am a big Great Gatsby fan too, but again this is another book I haven't read in a REALLY long time.

MG is a GREAT age bracket too, with a built in audience. I love MG, but so far have never written more than a few pages of one. And a book can be MG or YA and have great literary merit. They're just different- usually heavier on dialogue with less description...

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I'll pick up Walk Too Moons. I'm curious to see.

MG being heavier on dialogue with less description intriques me.

Btw, I'll going to hang in the YA forum so I can learn about the genre. You'll be seeing me around.

Skin Deep is a new YA novel that definitely has literary merit.

Any MG from the Newberry List is probably good, but Walk Two Moons is exceptional. Belle Pater's Boy is an older MG that has that literary quality to it. These are often referred to as quiet books. They have an audience but are a bit harder to sell than a flashy high concept book, just like in adult fiction!

Belle Prater's Boy!!!!!!

My favorite MGs are the Casson Family series by Hilary McKay. Saffy's Angel, Indigo's Star, Permanent Rose, and Caddy Ever After.

oh, and I think it makes perfect sense to know who you are writing for... doesn't mean you have to, but it sure can't hurt!

As I mentioned, I'm still in the beginning stages. I should clarify, however, that I mean in the beginning stages of editing. I have a very loose first draft (55,000 words). Before I get into heavy editing, I'll read the books that were recommended. From there I'll determine which audience is best.

Thanks everyone for your help.

escritora said:

Then maybe it's a good idea to make the MC thirteen and change things around a bit (I'm still in the beginning stages) in case the agent or publisher wants to market the book as YA.

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If you are interested in looking at some adult fiction with young protagonists, check out Heather O'Neil's novel Lullabies for Little Criminals. The MC is thirteen and it is a beautifully written book-- I loved it.

I also just read one which was unusual in that it was marketed as "a novel for all ages"-- Joyce Maynard's The Usual Rules. Again, a thirteen year old MC.

Enjoy the writing, whatever you decide.

Peace Like a River--11 year old MC.

Anything by John Irving typically features the MC at a young age for a bunch of the story.

mirrorkisses said:

I say just write it and then figure out what it falls into.

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I agree. I also wrote a novel that I initially thought would be YA (a 17-year old protagonist, coming-of-age story), but someone from my writer's group said the horror elements are more for adults (as in 'scary').

Although with the R-rated stuff that is in "YA" now, being more "adult" doesn't seem to matter.

Merging thread with others of its ilk.

Pink Ink said:

I agree. I also wrote a novel that I initially thought would be YA (a 17-year old protagonist, coming-of-age story), but someone from my writer's group said the horror elements are more for adults (as in 'scary').

Although with the R-rated stuff that is in "YA" now, being more "adult" doesn't seem to matter.

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I always thought that it was defined depending on the age group that you want it targeted at (which is usually the MCs age or a little younger.) They do get away with a few more things in young adult books today than they did yesterday don't they? (I blame Rowling and her dark 4th book)

It was around way before Rowling. Harry Potter is like a walk in the park compared to what some YA books deal with.

What about Judy Blume?!

YA is a tale that can work for both teens and adults, as so many get crossed over. In YA you're just expeiriencing life whereas in adult you can have a MC that's 60 and lived a great full life. YA is an in-between genre and one that is challenging to write for, which is why it is so important to talk to them to find out what makes them tick without sounding nosy. (They might still think you're nosy, but don't take it personally.)

I am self published and the one thing that I have noticed my first novel has been read by adults, which was not my intention I assure you. I original wrote it for Young adults, being on myself lol.
It has the two qualities that seem to encumber young adults, it 34,565 words exactly. So why has more adults read it then kids.

I have a rough draft about a family of five kids during the Great Depression. Their ages range from 3 to 14. I'm not sure where it fits, especially with the "coming of age" criteria. Kids of that time didn't have the luxury to "come of age". They worked right alongside their parents to help the family survive. But in their spare time, they possibly had more adventures than today's kids. My setting is the southwest, and the older boys explored caves and Indian dwellings, found an old car they restored enough to ride down cactus-strewn hillsides, camped out in box canyons to hunt, and played numerous pranks. Even the youngest girl, 3 years old, saved a younger cousin from drowning.

Is this YA or general fiction? Would todays teens enjoy this kind of book?

Chrisla, that sounds like it would make a great middle grade novel, rather than YA.

stormie said:

Chrisla, that sounds like it would make a great middle grade novel, rather than YA.

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Agreed. Think about the All-of-a-Kind Family, where the sisters range from 6 to 13 or so in the first book.

I assume the All-of-a-Kind Family is a series of books about the same kids? What I had in mind with mine is the story of a family and it's fight to survive the depression, with more emphasis on the older boys in the first book. I could take the books through history as the family grows. As the older ones grew up and fought WWII, the next group would take on the wartime homefront. By the time the younger ones came of age, it would be in post-war America. The third boy would grow up in time for the Korean War.

As I've stated before, these are much more mature kids than today's children. The boys were chopping wood, milking cows and feeding livestock before and after school. Yet, that farm was Camelot to them, compared to their prior life on their grandfather's farm, where they, and their mother, had worked even harder. They worried about their mother's workload--she'd already lost one stillborn child--and tried their best to relieve it. They had a vested interest in that farm and its success.

So I have adult themes with a lot of fun thrown in. Does this material sound like middle school or YA? The writing would have to be slanted that way, and I want to be sure where I'm goling with it.

I love fairy tale / fantasy settings, and it can be confusing. Some automatically push that in children books. Would you say Shrek is YA? There is no teenage protagonist or coming of age theme, but I think it fits YA?

Wow, Shrek is definitely not YA at all...

I mean, nor is it a book...

There are a bunch of YA fantasy novels.

Tamora Pierce, Garth Nix, Libba Bray, Melissa Marr, etc, etc.

If you're thinking of straight fairytale fantasy, you can look into Meredith Ann Pierce and this other novel, Goosegirl. Also look into all the fairytale retellings in YA.