Divisions of Young People's Literature

Divisions of Young People’s Literature

Text Book Reflection: Chapter 2

Literature for young people is divided by age. Children’s literature is for young people, birth to eight years old. This is a wide range that includes wordless books, picture books, easy readers, early chapter books and illustrated chapter books. Illustrated chapter books include those like Ramona the Pest and Charlotte’s Web where there are minimum illustrations. The next category is Middle grade which covers the ages of 8 years old to twelve years of age (or 3^rd graders to 6^th graders). Books like Roller Girl, George and Raymie Nightingale fit into this division. This age range can be difficult because reading ability is higher than emotional development. Next is Middle School which are books for those kids who are 11 years old to 13 years old. The books for these kids start covering tougher issues with books such as Drama or Lily and Dunkin. This is a delicate area in children’s literature. You must meet the student’s interest while making sure the book is the appropriate emotional level of the student. The next division is Young Adult which covers the ages of 13 years to 18 years. These books can be more graphic in nature, contain stronger language and focus on more adult topics. The last division is New Adult which is a relatively new category having been label in 2009. This division covers ages 18-30 and typically deals with college and/or leaving home, first romantic encounters and dealing with adult issues without parental guidance.

The age ranges given are guidelines and what each child is ready to read and comprehend will vary for each student and their maturity. This is something that I would consider as a librarian. You never want to be a gatekeeper, but you want to make sure that a 12-year-old is not reading material written for an 18-year-old. It is a delicate line to balance. As a librarian you would need to know your collection and your students.