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TONE
A lot of editors will say they know if a book is MG or YA from the tone. How angsty is the main character? Super angsty and brooding? Sounds like YA. Tons of humor? Could be MG.
Subjective? Absolutely. As someone who writes humorous YA, I find the MG humor stereotype somewhat annoying. And I’m sure if you’re a MG writer who leans toward serious or angst in tone, you do too. Here are some of my favorite funny YA books if you’re looking for YA with comedy: An Abundance of Katherines, Spanking Shakespeare, and Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac.
13 comments:
This is always asked! And for some books, it's so clear. Others, not so much. I feel like I have a grip on my own stuff currently in the works.
And there is always Rennison's Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging series! Hysterical!
I write both YA and MG, and I agree that the stereotypes are quite frustrating.
I sat beside Cindy Pon at a recent signing. She was a blast!!
Hook: GREAT point! I've heard there's a new, similar series...something about a Chaz? Err, it's on Bookshelves of Doom's blog...
I like the word, angsty. And I like the way you deciphered the two genres - very simply. :)
Thnx for the link. I'll check it out!
Hey Beth! You left an interesting question on my blog, which makes me want to write up my answer in a post. So thank you, and look out for the answer soon (I hope). :)
Beth, I hate the stereotypes too. I don't think of the humor as being the difference at all. YA books can be hilarious and MG books can be very angsty. It just depends.
What does MG stand for? I've never heard of it before. We don't really use the term YA a lot in the UK, it's just children's books and teenage fiction.
I went and read the article/blog it was great!!!! I do write humor in my YA, I wonder where it will land it?
Kate: I didn't know those terms weren't across the pond! MG = middle grade, as in books for kids about 8-12 years old. Harry Potter was MG. YA = young adult, which is for teens--like Twilight.
Steph: Oh, good! :)
This is a good point. And I often think a lot of about this. I still think that there almost needs to be another category more evident for the tween. I know technically its there, but I think it's a very real market. For those middle grade students.
What a troll ):<
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