A MIddle Grade Book versus a Young Adult Book

I’ve been finding lately that a number of clients don’t understand the difference between a middle-grade (MG) book and a young adult (YA) book.

So, let’s go over a few of the basic differences.

Also, keep in mind that there are simple MG and upper MG as well as simple YA and upper YA.

The Reader Age Group for Each Genre

Middle-grade books focus on readers aged 9-12. According to editor Mary Kole, “That’s really the sweet spot.” (1)

Along with this, there is an upper-middle-grade group that caters to readers ages 12 to 13. They’re not quite ready for YAs, but they’re more advanced than a nine or 10-year-old.

There is also a lower-middle-grade group that caters to the 8-10 age range.

Another factor to consider is the age of the protagonist.

Generally, the protagonist is between 11 and 12 years old, as kids want to read up. They want the protagonist to be as old or older than they are.

If it’s an upper MG, the protagonist is usually 12-13 years old.

It is important that the protagonist isn’t in high school, thus the 13-year-old limit for upper middle grade.

Young adult books focus on readers aged 13-18.

This genre is also divided into lower (younger) YA and upper (older) YA.

For the younger YA readers, the protagonist is usually 14-15 years old.

For older readers, the protagonist is usually 16-18 years old, but he shouldn’t be in college.

I’m currently ghosting a YA that starts with the protagonist at 14 and will follow him through high school to 18 years old.

What Can and Can’t be in the Story

With middle grade, especially younger middle grade, the story should still be simple, and it’d be a good idea to keep it to a single point of view.

For upper MG, you can use two points of view, but my preference is still only one.

While the subject matter may be more mature than that of chapter books, it should still be age-appropriate. Keep in mind that the MG age group is still young. They’re not experienced or mature enough to handle complex or mature topics.

Things like fitting in, simple crushes, and all the other things that go into the middle school years are fine.

If you’re writing for upper middle grade, things can get a bit more advanced. Kids are experiencing the world. They know what they’re seeing on TV and other media. You still want to avoid dark or explicit subject matter, though. And, profanity should be avoided.

In the young adult age group, kids are becoming more savvy. They’re experiencing everything from terrorism, violence, pandemics, and so on.

YA stories can explore the darker, grimmer side of life.

While you still want to tone it down a bit for the younger YA group, you can pretty much explore all issues and themes for the older group. However, explicit sexual content should still be limited. This is not the place for adult content.

You can, though, add two or more points of view.

The Word Count

The word count for middle grade is 15,000-65,000. Although my fantasy adventure, “Walking Through Walls,” is about 12,000 words and great for the reluctant MG reader.

The general parameters are:

Young MG is usually 15,000 to 25,000
MG is usually 25,000 to 45,000
Upper MG is usually 45,000 to 65,000

There is also the fantasy or sci-fi MG, which can have a higher word count. But it’s not advisable to go beyond 85,000 words.

The word count for young adult is 50,000 to 75,000.

For the younger YA, keep it on the lower end of the word count.

While these are just the basics of the differences between MG and YA, they give you a general idea of where your story should fit.

According to an article at Writers Digest, “a book that doesn’t fit within the parameters of either age category is a book you won’t be able to sell.” (2)

An example of this:

With the story I mentioned earlier that I’m ghosting, it started as an MG. But since the client wanted older content and for the protagonist to go through high school, I had to change it to a YA.

The client actually wanted the protagonist to go through college as well, but I had to pull in the reins.

You need to stay within the genre limits.

References:

(1) https://marykole.com/how-to-write-middle-grade-fiction
(2) https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fiction/the-key-differences-between-middle-grade-vs-young-adult

Let me take a look at your notes, outline, or draft. I’m a working children’s ghostwriter and rewriter. I can turn your story into a book that you’ll be proud to be author of.

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