Mandee Farley's blog

Genre Book Lists for Youth

Anyone who has ever helped, or tried to help, a young person find a book they enjoy knows how tough it is. The tween (pre-teen) and teen audiences are particularly tough customers. They either seem to have incredibly specific interests or they have no idea what they like. It’s always a game of twenty questions. One very important question to know the answer to before embarking on this literary quest is this: are you looking for Middle Grade or Young Adult (YA) fiction? Many people think this is one in the same, but they cater to very different audiences. This distinction reflects reading level, world view, thematic interests (the theme of the book), and the maturity of the readers. Please note that this does not always transfer to Accelerated Reader (A.R.) points. A.R. does not take the maturity of themes into account.