The MG/YA Confusion: Why Do Lists for Young Adults Always Contain Children’s Books?

The purpose of this blog has been, and always will be, a consideration of children’s books for kids. The wide and wonderful world of YA it out there, and I respect it, but it has little to do with me. I leave the YA discussion to the talented librarians, booksellers, teachers, and actual physical teenagers that love it so well. There’s really only one time when I pay an inordinate amount of attention to it and that is when someone, somewhere, produces a list.

Let me say right off the bat that I LOVE making booklists. Honestly, if I could find some way to do it as a full-time job, I’d be the happiest librarian alive. Instead, I make lists in a variety of different capacities. I make the 31 days, 31 lists every year in December. I produce the 101 Great Books for Kids list of Evanston Public Library with my highly trained crew. I serve on the Mathical Committee, making lists and awarding good books alongside mathematicians. And should anyone ask me to make another list, I’m happy to do so.

All this is to say that I appreciate how difficult making lists truly is. And when I see something like TIME’s The 100 Best YA Books of All Time, I appreciate how truly hard it must have been for its contributors. After all, the judges were entirely contemporary YA authors. They’ve probably read a lot of YA in their time, but finding 100 books, particularly from the past, is no easy task. YA didn’t really come into its own until relatively recently. And sure, there have been objections to this list in some ways (the contributors included themselves, the list has an odd lack of nonfiction and comics, the list skews too contemporary, etc.) but none of that interests me. What interests me is the title of the list.

You see, the title is, and I’ll repeat it again, “The 100 Best YA Books of All Time.” When explaining their process (How We Made the List) TIME writes, “To create the list, TIME focused on books marketed toward grade levels 8-12 or with characters in that age range and books that explore adolescence, all while recognizing that some books defy categorization.” Fair enough, but it almost immediately negates that statement by stating not three paragraphs later, “Ultimately, the books on this list are ones that have afforded readers of all ages around the world an opportunity to recognize themselves in all kinds of narratives.”

So…. YA, according to this definition, is for grades 8-12 but is for readers of all ages. Okey-dokey.

Still and all, the list says it is for YA readers. And so, I’m just a little baffled by the sheer number of middle grade novels on this list. It’s not a new problem, of course. When Harry Potter initially came out it was referred to as “YA” once Twilight and Hunger Games came out. The media had a difficult time distinguishing between books for kids and books for older readers. And lists of YA books often end up including a lot of middle grade stuff.

You may point out, and rightly, that many teens love reading middle grade novels. Absolutely they do! But if I were to make a list for them, wouldn’t I assume that the best way to honor these teens would be to keep the MG books to a bare minimum? The crux of this question is this: What is the purpose of a YA title? Because if it is to send kids off into the world with a courage and understanding they’d hardly find anywhere else, doesn’t it make sense to keep the books originally intended for younger readers out of the mix?

The TIME list is fascinating because of its choices. Swiftly Tilting Planet could be shelved easily in a middle school library, but why chose it over A Wrinkle in Time? From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler crops up in the occasional Wes Anderson film but you’d be hard pressed to call it YA. Ditto Ella Enchanted, which I’d say is strictly MG but does have a slightly more YA cover as of 2012. They opt instead to present the original cover, which, in turn, makes it look so very young.

Obviously the authors creating this list knew that these books skewed young indeed. Tuck Everlasting, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, The Westing Game, etc. are children’s fare at their hearts. Meanwhile Annie On My Mind, The Outsiders, etc. don’t crop up. But TIME made this list in 2015 and back then it included even younger fare! Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlotte’s Web, Danny Champion of the World, Fridle (FRINDLE?!?), etc. One suspects the fault lies not in the judges and perhaps more with TIME itself. Perhaps it doesn’t see the value in providing a thorough accounting of YA alone. Maybe it was scared to trust all their choices.

In ten years time, we may see another list. Maybe when we do, TIME can invite some YA authors that are also librarians or booksellers. And maybe then, it’ll be unafraid to explore the vast, wide wealth of YA titles, past and present, that don’t fall under that “classic” MG label. Cause while I love my Holes and Lightning Thief, I bet that there are some lesser known, but very important, YA books out there that deserve their own moment in the sun.

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