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CASD 1717 – Fall 2024

As part of your fairy tale research assignment, you are finding one variation that is for Middle Grade, Young Adult, or an Adult reader/audience and you will be using it for your third presentation and your annotated bibliography. We’ve talked in class a bit about what each of these publication distinctions means, but this article and two videos will add more details to the evolution of these genres.

Read

This outside-linked article offers an overview of how the publishing industry classifies expectations for children’s books at various ages. 

Journey to Kidlit Age Level Overview

Watch: Video Explanations of Young Adult literature

Is there anything that surprises you about these distinctions? Would you consider them all children’s literature or where would you make distinctions?

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Modern Fairy Tales for Kids

Comments

22 responses to “Ages and Books”

  1. Anthea longville Avatar
    Anthea longville

    No there is nothing that surprises me about these distinctions.I would not exactly consider them all children’s literature because they serve different age groups and developmental needs. Also because of their more mature topics and material, young adult books are frequently considered as bridging the gap between children’s and adult literature.I would make distinctions because middle school literature has simpler topics and a more straightforward plot, making it more obviously intended for younger readers. On the other hand, because they address the distinctive facts and feelings of adolescence, young adult literature frequently lies at the center of children’s and adult literature.

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  2. VANESSA Avatar
    VANESSA

    I was a little surprised to hear that an age as early as 8 is considered middle grade. I guess this comes from dividing the term ” middle grade” to middle school which usually runs from 12-14 years of age. However, after watching the video I understood why we consider those ages groups for middle grade and young adult. I wouldn’t consider them all children’s literature. All books have a different message and we wouldn’t want to have a child of 8 years old reading a book that is suppose to serve the mind and emotions of a young adult. I would make distinctions due to the topic of the books. Middle grade students need topics that will be a little more narrow rather than having them read and imagine different scenarios vs a young adult who can hand all the plot changes and the emotions of others and have an understanding of reasoning. This is a good way to keep them engaged.

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  3. Victoria Lucenti Avatar
    Victoria Lucenti

    A couple of things that surprised me while watching and learning about the distinctions from the videos above is how authors intentionally use certain areas of complexity within plots for specific audience groups, which in this case would be the comparison from middle grade and young adults. Another thing that surprised me was learning the average word count that is purposely intended as well while an author is writing plots and its storyline. Also, another thing that surprised me that I also learned for the first time is that depending on the intended age group within a book you are writing, a character should be a tad older than the audience of readers, as readers tend to enjoy reading and learning experiences from characters who are older, but still range in the same age group as the reader. I would not consider all children’s literature the same, and I would make distinctions by looking especially at what has surprised me while learning and listening to the videos. A clear distinction I could make is the word count seen within a book, but although authors can also go above a “normal” word count for their readers age group, another distinction I could make is the complexity of the plot, and the storyline its includes. In the second video, Ellen mentions how within intended and older age groups in books, the storyline can include more darker, and sometimes vulgar themes, such as drug use, sex, and etc. These themes within a storyline/plot are intended more so for young adults and older, as these themes would not be allowed to be written about inside of middle school books. Also, even if it was allowed to create these themes for middle schoolers, there has been research done to review how this age group would not and does not entirely connect/relate to these themes, and the complexity of the themes are just too above a middle schoolers understanding, interests, and experiences.

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  4. Anifat Abumislimova Avatar
    Anifat Abumislimova

    It was interesting to read about how much books change as children grow older, from simple words to harder topics. I would not consider them all children’s literature because they are meant for different age groups. I would make distinctions because middle grade books have simpler topics, while young adults books have more complex ideas.

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  5. Nitzan Naim Avatar
    Nitzan Naim

    Nothing really surprises me about these distinctions; they all make sense to me. However, to consider all of these age groups as children’s literature doesn’t. When I think of children’s literature, I think about books for children under eight years old. Maybe someone associates children with a different age group, but I think that the (quite new) distinction between YA and middle-grade books is important because books for young children are so different from books like Harry Potter or The Princess Diaries (which I loved when I was 10 years old!) Speaking from personal experience, it is true children want to read about characters who are a bit older than them – I’ve never thought about it before). Yes, all these books are books for children, but it just feels weird to consider all of them as children’s literature…

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    1. Ariana Loyfman Avatar
      Ariana Loyfman

      I feel similarly to your points. When I think of children literature I automatically think about picture books and books in that area. I think that children who start with reading many picture books and short children’s literature eventually become interested in books such as Harry Potter and more. As well, I was always interested in stories about characters older than me not only in books but also in television shows and movies.

      Reply
  6. Mahnoor Avatar
    Mahnoor

    Something that surprised me about the distinctions in books is how impactful the young adult genre has been to various age groups. Books like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games have opened so much possibility in the writing scenes, and through these, so many new books have been developed. It is not just kids but also older people who get to enjoy the stories as they explore such broad topics. It was also interesting to learn how women pioneered this genre to what it has become today. I would not consider them all children’s literature; rather, I would make distinctions depending on age and maturity. While some books work for a younger audience, others with more mature themes should be left to middle grade kids and older. 

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  7. Alexa Mendez Avatar
    Alexa Mendez

    What surprised me the most was how stories are defined depending on the different age groups. As young as 8 years old can be categorized as a middle school reading level. The idea that as you simply get older the stories you read grow as well.

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  8. Naurah Romulus Avatar
    Naurah Romulus

    I never realized that the characters should be a couple of years older than the intended audience. Thinking back to all the YA books I read in high school, it’s true that I found people older than me more fascinating. There’s nothing that surprises me about the distinctions. Children are not monoliths. There are significant changes throughout childhood, so I agree that there should be distinctions in how we present stories to them.

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  9. Sofia Buttaro Avatar
    Sofia Buttaro

    There’s nothing about these unique distinctions that surprises me. Because they cater to various kinds of ages and capacities, I wouldn’t classify them as all children’s literature. Furthermore, I believe this because of the more sophisticated subjects and information. A common belief is that young adult bridges the gap. Secondary school literature is more geared for younger readers and contains simpler themes and a more linear plot, so I would draw the same conclusions. However, YA literature can and often does serve as the central point of both adult and children’s literature since it deals with the unique realities and emotions of puberty.

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  10. Tory Sen Avatar
    Tory Sen

    I was astonished to see that “middle-grade” literature typically targets youngsters aged 12 to 14, however, this does not imply that all such works are classified as children’s books. Various age demographics ought to have access to distinct genres of literature. In middle school, students need to focus more on their work. However, teens and young adults can handle changes in stories and feelings. People of all ages have had to make changes because of the young adult market. Novels like “The Hunger Games” and “Harry Potter” have given writers new ways to look at their work. Both children and adults enjoy this genre of music, and it is noteworthy because women were the ones who first popularized it. The distinction between middle-grade and young-adult literature should be based on age and maturity level. Certain books are more suitable for younger readers, while those containing adult topics are more appropriate for middle school students and older.

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  11. Camille Connor Avatar
    Camille Connor

    I am not surprised at all. I think the point of view for the chapter books for adults is very similar to children book but with less pictures and more words. With the books being made for adults is helping them use their brains to vision what the store is about and have a better understanding on what they are reading.

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  12. Selina Chen Avatar
    Selina Chen

    I was surprised when the video mentioned that some publishers are okay with graphic depictions of sex in young adult books. Young adults books are for teenagers within the age of 13 to 18 which is high schoolers. I was also surprised that the video mentioned how some upper middle grade books might include topics of abuse or sexual concepts as well. I think the reason why these are kind of surprising to me is because I’ve never encountered those books when I was younger so hearing that there are books like that for young readers is something new for me to hear. I would not think these are all children’s literature as I think that children’s literature should be innocent.

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  13. Brittany Giler Avatar
    Brittany Giler

    The distinction that surprises me the most is that the character’s age is purposely older than the age of the reader that the book is targeted for in order to get the reader’s attention. I would not consider all of this as children’s literature. A lot of the concepts in the Young adult category are way too advanced to be considered for “children”. The young adult age group of 13-18 means the characters in the book could be aged towards the older end of the category which is not appropriate for children.

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  14. Kateryna Senkovych Avatar
    Kateryna Senkovych

    I was surprised that the book characters must be a bit older than the target audience, I never realized that. I think it is good for us to understand the different distinctions between the books because it is not appropriate for children who are 7-8 years old to read books intended for 14-15-year-old young adults. There are a lot more mature concepts and things happening in young adult books that someone from a younger audience could not understand. I don’t think they are all children’s literature. Young adult books should only be read by young adults because the themes in those books are more mature than children ages 7-10 could understand.

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  15. Michelle Cortes Rodriguez Avatar
    Michelle Cortes Rodriguez

    There were a few surprises about the distinctions between books targeted at certain age groups. The part that stood out the most was the importance of the age of the character. The fact that authors keep the age of the protagonist so close to that of the target audience makes sense. By keeping the age in a certain range, the reader will be more likely to relate to the story, possibly empathizing or relating to an experience of their own from their own life that may be similar to what the character is going through. If the character is too old, there may be certain experiences that they may not have experienced yet or know enough about to connect, and if the character is too young, it can either be boring, since they have already experienced it, or simply not somebody the audience would care about.

    I would not consider them all children’s literature and I would draw the distinction in certain themes. As said before, there are experiences that may not have been touched yet because of the age gap, so children would not be able to completely get what the young adult in the story is going through. They may understand parts, but that may not be enough when investing yourself in a book. There are certain topics that have to stay within their age groups.

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  16. Amy Khait Avatar
    Amy Khait

    I don’t think all of these age groups are considered to be children’s literature. I would associate the books with the age group based on the themes of the story and how advanced the plot is, as well as the age of the main character. That would be the difference between a children’s book and a book for young adults. Depending on this, the reader would either be able to relate and connect to the story or the child would not fully understand yet. Even if they would be able to get bits and pieces of the story, they still would not have reached the maturity level or age range that would help them be better invested in the story.

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  17. Kaylee Pontone Avatar
    Kaylee Pontone

    These distinctions were very interesting to hear and I can’t say I was surprised by any of them! I would definitely argue that Harry Potter begins as middle grade but develops into a more mature book, maybe for teenagers, as you’re supposed to “grow” with the characters.

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  18. Amna Syeda Avatar
    Amna Syeda

    I’m surprised by how broad children’s literature can cover everything from simple picture books to complex stories with mature themes. Some works, like fairy tales, appeal to children and adults due to their deeper meanings. Stories with moral lessons and imagination fit children’s literature, but darker or mature retellings might suit young adult or adult audiences. The distinction depends on the themes, language, and the intended age group.

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  19. Emma Avatar
    Emma

    It surprised me to learn that kids at a certain age begin to become interested in different types of books, eventually leading to what they are interested in as they grow up. Kids who stary by enjoyed picture books filled with words that children can understand will group into reading more books that contain imagery and such.

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  20. Jaylyn Calles Avatar
    Jaylyn Calles

    I wasn’t quite surprised about these distinctions because depending on the age of your audience you need to give them books thatll intest them and that will teach them to the grade level theyre in. I would make distinction by the amount of pictures, theme, words inside of the book.

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  21. ashley dai Avatar
    ashley dai

    I am going to go against the grain that’s been established here by my classmates and say that I like that more mature themes such as drug use/abuse/sex are topics that are explored in YA books and support cataloging such books under the umbrella of children’s literature. I think that our society forgets that the brains of teenagers are still incredibly underdeveloped. I also think that exposure to topics that are considered more taboo are necessary for teens who otherwise may not have access to such conversations.

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