Footnotes: 5 Articles on the Differences Between Middle Grade and Young Adult

Footnotesis a recurring series on the GLA blog where I pick a subject and provide several interesting articles on said topic. Two of the most popular writing categories these days are Young Adult…

Footnotesis a recurring series on the GLA blog where I pick a subject and provide several interesting articles on said topic. Two of the most popular writing categories these days are Young Adult and Middle Grade. They encompass many of the same characteristics but are shelved in different areas. Here are 5 articles on their differences.

1. Where is it shelved? One librarian gives her view.

2. Make ‘em real. Children Book insider publisher Laura Backes gives her tips for creating believable Middle Grade and Young Adult characters.

3. Perspective, Perspective, Perspective. The main difference between MG and YA lies within the perspective of the main character, writer Ruthanne Reid explains.

4. Drawing the line. Agent Michael Stearns breaks down the differences between middle grade and young adult.

5. Get out of the gray area. Agent Mary Kole gives her advice in determining if your story’s MG or YA.


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Nancy Parish runs the blog, The Sound and Furry. She is a contributing editor to the GLA blog and runs the Footnotes seriesShe is currently writing novels for children.