What is the difference between a YA novel and an adult novel? That was the question Kiirstin at A Book a Week posted a couple of days ago, and now I’m really intrigued. I made some comments over there — and please go there and make your own observations and suggestions, because I know she’ll be pleased at the conversation.
But I’d also like to hear from others here too. I know that it has to be significant that so many good YA novels are loved by adults as well. So some of the qualities that make them different are going to be things that have universal appeal. Yet there are also things that separate these books out, and allow them to be classified as YA novels.
So I’m going to summarize the points I made at Kiirstin’s blog, and ask if you can add to them. As I remarked to her, these are completely off the top of my head, so I can’t guarantee any validity to any of them. 
- Main characters, the ones who drive the action, are younger people.
- More action, and less contemplation? Because younger readers will be less patient the longer the story goes without something “happening.”
- Lots of emotion. (The word “emo” came from somewhere, after all!) Not meaning these novels are all-melodrama-all-the-time. But for younger people, frequently the emotion of the moment is the most! important! thing! in! the! world! So these characters might be less inclined to take the “long view,” and would have to grow a lot before they can see it. That might indeed be the goal of the novel, to grow the characters like that.
Those are the first things I think of, in trying to decide what the difference is. Anyone else have any ideas? I’ll add them to the list.
And go make the suggestions to Kiirstin too!
I don’t know the answer. Heinlein, one of my favorite authors, wrote many YA novels long ago and, most of them I can barely stand (though the humor is often delightful). Even when I was a young adult, I read many things “too old” for me and, I’m sure, many YA without knowing that’s what they were. I like Artemis Fowl, for instance, but don’t care for either of the other two you show.
I think much of it has more to do with whether the protagonist is young than whether one can identify with the protagonist – i.e. that it speaks to children and YA (and that audience can change). More adults probably enjoy Chronicles of Narnia than younger folks today (though I loved them when I was younger and can appreciate them as I’m older). I have written a YA novel with younger protagonists and some adventure, but I’m not sure that the “in the head” thing is true. Twilight, for example, spends a great deal of time in Bella’s head (more than even I care for, in fact) and yet it really appealed to teenagers, particularly girls. That may be a key element. It may be that what boys and girls are looking for in the YA genre is not the same. That may also mean that the “emotion” part of it may go with more of the thinking book and less so with the adventure except for those kinds of emotions still acceptable in the public forum.
Just a thought.
Here are my off-the-top-of-head thoughts:
I think you do hit the nail on the head with the age of the protagonists. I have a sneaking suspicion that some publishers (and librarians, and booksellers) automatically assume that a novel with a teen protagonist is a YA novel. EXCEPT that lots of novels classified as middle-grade tend to have teen protagonists too. And there are some novels that are being re-packaged as YA, like Pride and Prejudice, when they would normally have been found in the adult sections. And I’m not sure I agree with that — sometimes it smacks of marketing as opposed to reality.
Something interesting I have noticed in my little library microcosm is that the teen boys tend to read more “adult” classified books than “YA” books — this could be for a number of reasons but I think one of them is that there simply *aren’t* as many YA books for boys — I wonder if it’s a niche that very few authors have found yet. Anthony Horowitz, Charlie Higson, maybe Cory Doctorow… those are really the only two that seem to appeal much to guys at our library, and they mostly go straight from the middle-grade books to the adult. So I think there’s something to Stephanie’s thought too.
And thanks for continuing the discussion, Phyl!
I continued this in my own blog Rocket Scientist because I knew a) I’m not an expert on this and b)I know several people who are, including my friend, flit, (who will likely also come here), and my sister, Shakespeare, who writes/reads almost exclusively YA novels and has a Ph.D. in English.
Shakespeare had already put in her two cents over there.
The three elements you list are all true, Bookishgal. I did add my own comments on Rocket Scientist’s blog, too, but I think your point about boys not reading YA lit. because there is simply not as much to pull them into it are dead on. I know a few writers who’ve published one or two YA books for boys, and I admit that although I love YA lit. in general, I don’t like these books. Not sure I could write one for boys if I wanted to.
I have heard, too, that girls will read books with a male protagonist, but boys won’t read one with a female protagonist, with few exceptions. Girls seem to be able to step over gender better than boys. At the same time, at least in the circles I follow, reading is considered cool in girls’ groups, but not in boys’, who are more likely to be steered towards sports and video games. Then again, role-playing video games are often YA books in disguise, though with more violence and more freedom of choice with the characters.
Interesting discussion on both blogs! I’m adding you to my blogroll (unless you’re there already). Thanks!
There are some excellent YA novels for boys – Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet is my favourite – trick is to convince ‘em to read it!
Sorry I’m so late in replying, everyone! Really bad week. I’ll go back to all your blogs too, over the next day or two.
Stephanie, I did wonder, even as I was doing the post, how I might fit something like “Twilight” in there. And I had actually heard some booksellers too, on a panel, talk about how boys wanted very different types of stories than girls, and — Flit’s point — that it was often hard to get boys reading the stories to begin with.
So it might be that the “emo” stories are more attractive to the girls, and perhaps “Twilight” would fit in there. (I do plan to read at least the first book.)
Shakespeare, I hadn’t thought of video games in this connection, but that really does make sense. And in a way, it reinforces the thought that it’s the “action” that makes much YA so attractive.
Must visit your other blogs now!
One thought. Whereas teenage girls and women will often flock to a movie because they liked the book, boys have frequently pulled out books based on movies. Lee, as a teenager, had the Macross series and many animes/mangas get an audience twice. Star Wars became a very successful set of books, written by many different authors.
Betch some book version of Avatar comes out not too far in the future.
Late in replying again — holiday stuff, as you can imagine
That’s an interesting point, about boys going for the books because of the movies, and girls vice versa. I wonder if this means that their preferences aren’t quite so diverse, but their best ways of acquiring information differ. That latter certainly seems to be the case, according to many educators.