The MONSTER guide to middle grade and YA genres and subgenres

• Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

What genre is your book? Does it matter? What does genre mean? Is it even a word? Genre, genre – it’s starting to sound meaningless to me now so let’s move on before my brain explodes.

Middle grade (aimed at children around 8-12) and young adult aren’t genres, they’re audiences. I feel a little sad when I see booksellers, book reviewers, even publishing professionals, list middle grade and YA as genres because I think it does authors and readers of these books a huge disservice. It implies that the age category is all there is to them. A children’s book is a children’s book and they’re all the same, right? If you’re a kid, you’ll read middle grade and if you’re a teenager, you’re going to enjoy all YA – no need to narrow down your choices further. But that’s just nonsense! If you ask an eight year old, ‘Hey, what are your favourite kinds of books to read?’ they’re not going to say, ‘oh, I like children’s books!’ Most likely, they’ll say ‘horror!’ or ‘murder mysteries!’ or ‘anything with dragons!’ or ‘fast-paced multiple POV portal fantasies featuring a diverse cast and strong character arc’.

For absolutely BUCKET LOADS of information about genre in children’s and YA fiction, sign up for my brand new course, NAIL YOUR BOOK’S GENRE AND GIVE YOUNG READERS WHAT THEY WANT! It features a much more detailed, up-to-date version of the below genre guide with added book recommendations and extra subgenres plus downloadable genre bingo cards!

Or try my new £9 mini course, Become An Expert in Your Genre! It’s a taster of the bigger course and is packed with ideas and tips for studying up on your genre.

What genres can your middle grade or YA book be?

Underneath the middle grade and YA umbrellas lie all the usual fiction genres, although some don’t crop up often in children’s books because they’re inappropriate or inaccessible for a young audience, like police procedurals, splatterpunk and erotic thrillers for obvious reasons! It’s important to know where your novel fits in because genres come with conventions and expectations. It’s not always easy to stick a label on a story since categories and subcategories overlap and can mean different things to different people but understanding what these industry terms typically mean can help you focus your ideas and point you in the direction of similar books so you can find comp titles and study your genre. It also means you look knowledgeable and professional when you approach agents and publishers.

So, here’s a guide to literary genres and how the middle grade and YA audiences fit in. I’m a genre fiction specialist so I’ll focus more on fantasy, science fiction, mystery and horror here than on contemporary fiction but I will cover that too because ALL GENRES MATTER! I’m slowly publishing a blog series that goes through all of these subgenres in detail, one by one, so this will just be a brief overview for now.

Fantasy is a genre of literature that focuses on imagined settings, events or character that couldn’t exist in our world, usually because it involves magic or the supernatural. In The Magic Words, Cheryl B. Klein defines fantasy as ‘a novel that incorporates a supernatural power of some kind, creatures not presently known in nature, or both.’ It can sometimes get confused with science fiction and there is overlap between the two genres: I’ll talk about the distinction between the two in a moment in the science fiction section.

Here are some sub-genres of fantasy literature and how you might spot them in the middle grade or YA space. Note this list isn’t exhaustive and new sub-genres are popping up all the time:

High or epic fantasy

These stories are set in a whole other ‘secondary’ world, governed by alternative rules and societal norms that the characters accept as routine, even though they seem weird to us. Epic fantasies often revolve around quests or battles and follow a hero on an important journey. Look out for world-shattering stakes, complex plots and battles.

Examples in middle grade and YA:

• The Polar Bear Explorers’ Club series by Alex Bell (middle grade)
• Crown of Feathers series by Nicki Pau Preto (YA)
• The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill (middle grade)
• Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (YA)
• Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (YA)

Soft or low fantasy

These books generally occur in our familiar ‘primary’ world with all its rules and expectations, rather than some alternate universe. This subgenre is sometimes called intrusion fantasy because the magical elements are intruding on real, everyday life and you’ll often see characters discover some supernatural power or fantastical secret while going about their very normal real-world routine.

Examples in children’s & YA fiction:

• Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston (middle grade)
• The Girl Who Speaks Bear by Sophie Anderson (middle grade)
• The Strangeworlds Travel Agency series by L.D. Lapinski (middle grade)
• Fable by Adrienne Young (YA)

Historical fantasy

These stories incorporate magic and fantasy elements into a historical setting.

Examples in children’s & YA fiction:

• The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden (middle grade) 
• Dark and Deepest Red by Anne-Marie McLemore (YA) 
• The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi (YA)
• Root Magic by Eden Royce (middle grade)

Urban fantasy

These are typically low fantasies set in a real-world urban setting such as the streets of London or New York and often feature paranormal elements.

Examples in children’s & YA fiction: 

• Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (YA)
• The City on the Other Side by Mairghread Scott and Robin Robinson (middle grade)
• This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron (YA) 
• The Raven Boys series by Maggie Stiefvater (YA)

Dystopian

Dystopian fiction presents a bleak vision of the future. The official dictionary definition of a dystopia is ‘an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanised, fearful lives’ and it can crop up in lots of different genres like science fiction and horror. In these stories, the main character might be battling against a controlling government, a technological takeover or an environmental disaster.

Examples in children’s & YA fiction:

• The Firefly Code by Megan Frazer Blakemore (middle grade)
• Imposters by Scott Westerfeld (YA)
• We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia (YA)
• The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow (YA)

Magical realism

These stories are predominantly realistic, set in a realistic world like our own, but there are elements of fantasy. The distinction between real and magical is blurred and supernatural events are left unexplained, as though they’re completely normal. Magic doesn’t rule these fictional worlds, it’s just sprinkled throughout an otherwise realistic story. If it sounds similar to soft fantasy you’re right, but there’s a difference. While a soft fantasy story like Amari and the Night Brothers is all about the magic, magical realism offers fantastical elements grounded in a non-magical environment.

Examples in children’s & YA fiction:

• Bone Hollow by Kim Ventrella (middle grade)
• The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness (YA)
• Mańanaland by Pam Muñoz Ryan (middle grade)
• When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller (middle grade)
• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (YA)
• The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan (YA)

Animal fantasy

These stories typically feature animals as the main character and tell the story from their point of view. This approach is more popular in middle grade than in YA.

Examples in children’s & YA fiction:

• The Taken by Inbali Iserles (middle grade)
• The Mouse Watch by J.J. Gilbert (middle grade)
• The Last by Katherine Applegate (middle grade)
• Pax series by Sara Pennypacker (middle grade)

GameLit / RPG GameLit

GameLit stories take place within a game or employ gaming mechanics to varying degrees. They can pop up on any genre but often appear as a subgenre of fantasy or science fiction.

Examples in children’s & YA fiction:

• Ready Player One series by Ernest Cline (YA)
• Warcross by Marie Lu (YA)
• Homerooms and Hall Passes by Tom O’Donnell (middle grade)
• Level Up! series by Tom Nicoll (middle grade / chapter book)
• Wonderscape by Jennifer Bell (middle grade)

This is another genre that’s hard to define. Broadly speaking, sci-fi stories hinge on imagined scientific progress or technology, often within a futuristic setting. Though scenarios are invented, like aliens visiting earth or the ability to time travel, they typically rely on only a slight bending of the laws of physics as we know them and, though unlikely, seem within the realm of possibility if the technology were to develop. If sci-fi sounds similar to fantasy, take a look at Arthur C Clarke’s distinction:

‘Science fiction is something that could happen – but you usually wouldn’t want it to. Fantasy is something that couldn’t happen – though you often wish that it could.’

Or Rod Serling’s definition:

“Fantasy is the impossible made probable. Science fiction is the improbable made possible”.

Hard science fiction

Here, it’s all about real science and logic. Character development often takes a backseat and the focus is on accurate, plausible scientific ideas or technology. It might make guesses at where science will take us and how things would look if new discoveries were made but it will be impeccably researched. Max Gladstone says ‘hard SF is where the math works’ and Walter Jon Williams describes it as fiction where the ‘greatest emphasis is given to process’. There’s not a lot of true, hard science fiction in middle grade and YA because it relies on complex theories and heavy science which might not always feel accessible to young audience. So much so that I couldn’t find any recently published books that I was happy to definitively call hard sci-fi, so check out Losers in Space by John Barnes (YA – published 2012) and the Everness series by Ian McDonald (YA – published 2011-2013) for now.

Soft science fiction

Luckily, there is plenty of accessible sci-fi for children in the shape of soft science fiction! Author Lindsay Galvin describes science as ‘real-world magic’, which I adore as a definition. Character and story are king and the focus is on how characters are affected by the science elements of the plot. Nancy Kress says that soft science fiction might feature aliens with no real backstory or planetary lineage because ‘they are meant to represent ‘the other’, not a specific scientifically plausible creature’.

Examples in children’s & YA fiction:

• We’re Not From Here by Geoff Rodkey (middle grade)
• Cleo Porter and the Body Electric by Jake Burt (middle grade)
•  The Lion of Mars by Jennifer L. Holm (middle grade)
• If I See You Again Tomorrow by Robbie Couch (YA)
• Wilder Girls by Rory Power (YA)

Space opera

Not as bizarre as they sound, space operas are melodramatic, galaxy-hopping stories about epic battles set in outer space (think Star Wars). Expect lots of action, sumptuous world-building, and complex plots spanning centuries.

Examples in children’s & YA fiction:

• Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman (YA)
• Made of Stars by Jenna Voris (YA)
• The Disasters by M.K. England (YA)
• Mirage by Somaiya Daud (YA)
• Once & Future by A. R. Capetta  (YA)
• Space Runners series by Jeramey Kraatz (middle grade)

Cyberpunk

These books are typically based on AI and cybernetics, a branch of science concerned with communications and control systems. Stories explore humankind’s relationship with computers, typically in a gritty, dystopian high-tech future (science fiction author Bruce Sterling called it a “combination of lowlife and high tech”) and might feature cyborgs and virtual reality. You don’t get a lot of cyberpunk middle grade because the themes are typically dark, featuring drugs, violence and anarchy but you’ll find some on YA shelves.

Examples in children’s & YA fiction:

• Last Reality series by Jason Segal (YA)
• This Mortal Coil seres by Emily Suvada (YA)
• The Mechanists series by Olivia Chadha (YA)
• The Mortality Doctrine series by James Dashner (YA)

Apocalyptic

Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is all about the end of the world. It’s set before, during or after a major civilisation-ending event such as nuclear war or a flesh-eating virus and often focuses on how survivors cope and rebuild in the aftermath of a disaster. Apocalyptic and dystopian fiction can overlap but they’re not interchangeable: while a book might tell the story of a dystopian future that comes about as the result of an apocalyptic event, you can have one without the other.

Examples in children’s & YA fiction:

• The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow (YA)
• The Fever King by Victoria Lee (YA)
• The Last 8 by Laura Pohl (YA)
• All That’s Left in the World by Erik J. Brown (YA)
• The World Ends in April by Stacy McAnulty (middle grade)
• Wranglestone by Darren Charlton (YA)

Steampunk

Steampunk is a sort of mash-up between past and future. Imagine if technology hadn’t progressed beyond 19th century steam power, or if it had progressed in the way Victorians imagined the future to look. Picture a robot in a top hat, or Nancy from Oliver with a bionic arm and you’ve just met your first steampunk characters. It’s a really fun genre and Sharon Gosling thinks it particularly appeals to children because it has exploration and adventure at its heart.

Examples in children’s & YA fiction

• Brightstorm by Vashti Hardy (middle grade)
• The Cogheart Adventures series by Peter Bunzl (middle grade)
• The Eye of the North by Sinéad O’Hart (middle grade)
• Finishing School series by Gail Carrigher (YA)

Supernatural / paranormal

Examples in children’s & YA fiction:

• The Haunting of Aveline Jones series by Phil Hickes (middle grade)
• The Clackity by Lora Senf (middle grade)
• Small Spaces by Katherine Arden (middle grade)
• The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass (YA)
• Charlotte Says by Alex Bell (YA)
• House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland (YA)
• The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco (YA)

Monster / creature

These are stories about non-human antagonists like werewolves, vampires, zombies, giant spiders – you get the idea. It can be hard to distinguish between regular supernatural horror and monster horror and the below books could all be referred to as supernatural or monster horror. Ultimately it doesn’t really matter which subgenre label you choose as long as you feel it’s an accurate representation of your book’s content. Is the creature the focus of the story rather than, say, a ghost or haunted house? If readers go into the book expecting a monster, will they be satisfied?

• Small Spaces by Katherine Arden (middle grade)
• Dead Wood by Jennifer Killick (middle grade)
• The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black (YA)
• This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab (YA)

Gothic isn’t just a subgenre of horror, it’s a category in its own right and not all gothic fiction is horror. Gothic stories are typically dark and mysterious with a gloomy, sinister atmosphere, and the drama and suspense are high. They’re often set in old, decaying buildings like haunted houses or castles, and often feature a monster or paranormal being. Oh, and it’s probably raining a lot and the shutters are definitely banging in the wind.

Examples in children’s & YA fiction:

• Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell (YA)
• Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror by Chris Priestley (middle grade)
• The Companion by Katie Alender (YA)
• Horrid by Katrina Leno (YA)
• The Aviary by Kathleen O’Dell (middle grade)
• The Gravedigger’s Son by Patrick Moody (middle grade)

Psychological

Examples in children’s & YA fiction:

• After the Woods by Kim Savage (YA)
• White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson (YA)
• Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake (YA)

Slasher

Examples in children’s & YA fiction:

• Clown in a Cornfield series by Adam Cesare (YA)
• There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins (YA)
• Ten by Gretchen McNeil (YA)
• The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky (YA)

Cosy

Examples in children’s & YA fiction:

• A Murder Most Unladylike series by Robin Stevens (middle grade)
• Montgomery Bonbon: Murder at the Museum by Alasdair Beckett-King (middle grade)
• To Catch a Thief by Martha Brockenbrough (middle grade)
• High-Rise Mystery by Sharna Jackson (middle grade)

Thriller

A lot of YA novels that fall under the ‘mystery’ umbrella are thrillers, far more gritty than middle grade and with bigger stakes: a missing friend, an unexplained death, a wrongful accusation. Expect lots of lies, twists, scares and races against the clock.

Examples in children’s & YA fiction: 

• One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus (YA)
• Pretty Dead Queens by Alex Donne (YA)
• The Good Girls by Claire Eliza Bartlett (YA)

The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas (YA)

Historical mystery

• A Murder Most Unladylike series by Robin Stevens (middle grade) – yep, this is cosy and historical!
• Silence of Bones by June Hur (YA)
• The Curse of the Missing Moonstone by Jordan Stratford (YA)
• Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson (YA)

Just like it sounds, realistic or contemporary fiction is about characters and situations that could really exist in our world. There’s no magic or talking animals, and the themes and relationships are things young readers can relate to: first day of school, parents getting divorced, racism, bullying. This is the genre that handles big issues and social debates, like coming of age, family drama and sexuality.

Examples in children’s & YA fiction:

• No Filter and Other Lies by Crystal Maldonado (YA)
• Enter Title Here by Naomi Kanakia (YA)
• Sunny G’s Series of Rash Decisions by Navdeep Singh (YA)
• Girl (in Real Life) by Tamsin Winter (middle grade)
• Dream, Annie, Dream by Waka T. Brown (middle grade)
• Maizy Chen’s Last Chance by Lisa Yee (middle grade)

These are books that make readers laugh out loud and they can cross over into any genre (so you might be writing a funny sci-fi story, for example). Humour isn’t usually enough to pull a story along by itself so there should still be strong plot and characterisation

Examples in children’s & YA fiction: 

• Stand Up, Yumi Chung! by Jessica Kim. Kokila (middle grade)
• The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter by Aaron Reynolds (middle grade)
• How to Date a Superhero (And Not Die Trying) by Cristina Fernandez (YA)
• This Will Be Funny Someday by Katie Henry (YA)

Examples in children’s & YA fiction:

• Hunt for the Lost by Brian Anderson (middle grade)
• The Girl Who Stole an Elephant by Nizrana Farook (middle grade)
• Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter (YA)