Middle Grade or Young Adult?…. How do you know what your novel is?

I was just reading about how people in the writing industry distinguish between a piece of work that is for Middle Grade (‘Percy Jackson’, ‘Harry Potters 1-3’) or one that is for Young Adult. (‘The Maze Runner’, ‘The Hunger Games’) Personally, I’m going to have an open mind about this subject because of course it all depends on what your story is about/who the characters are.P

Personal Analysis

My novel, ‘The Black Rainbow Slayer’ has a protagonist called Will. He’s 15 years old and it soon becomes clear that he must be the boy to save the world or everyone is going to die. Now, in my eyes I had always thought my book lay under the Young Adult bracket. It’s very dark in places and I wouldn’t have put it in the same group as, say, ‘How to train Your Dragon….’ but after exploring this more and reading other’s work, it was brought to my attention that my novel could actually be in the 9-12 age range. Interested and determined to conclude this puzzle, I have made a comparison debate

Evidence that my novel is for Middle Grade readers:

There is no sex, drugs, or any hints of those. Although I juggle with ideas that romance could feature in the arc of the plot, it is mild compared to YA books. The most I’ll reach (if anything) are tentative pecks on the cheek, awkward speech etc.

The comedy in my book is childlike, and I even have pirates that definitely make children laugh because I have experimented with the character at a birthday party, pretending to be the main pirate, Grimsby (while running about and playing Hide and Seek) My performance had a brilliant reception!

The description is not long winded. Although I do describe many things in the book, it is not down to every detail that some YA books and Adult books do. For me, the pace of the story is far more relevant and important when writing for MG.

The plot gets off quickly. Sometimes in YA books, there’s a lot of character introducing before you’re launched into the core of the plot, but with MG their attention span is shorter. That’s not to say we should at all be patronising, but they like to be taken on a ride right from the first word.

Evidence that my novel is for Young Adult readers:

There are many dark moments in my ‘Worthington Chronicles’ and this includes a fight scene, which although not graphic is hard hitting for the reader who is vouching for a certain character…… How much can I get away with in a scene like this? I’m not entirely sure, but really I need look no further than Anthony Horowitz or Darren Shan books.

The concern I have is that my work is sitting on a fence and then I remember how dark ‘Percy Jackson’ was and that’s for MG….

Also, my villain is 18 years old. I wanted to make him older, so it makes Will in an even more vulnerable position, but if I’m writing for MG, is this something that’s possible?

Conclusion:

My conclusion after looking at everything is that my series possibly starts off as MG and then ascends into YA. I am very, very confused by this whole genre defining world.

What do you think mine is from what I’ve said and what are yours?!

I would love to hear in the comments….