Friday Freebie: What I'm Reading in Ten Minutes or Less: MG vs. YA

If you are an author or a teacher, you probably know exactly what the title of this post means. If not, please allow me to explain. MG stands for "middle grade" -- books written for upper elementary/middle school/pre-teen readers. YA stands for "young adult" -- books written for teenagers, but often read by avid middle school readers…and sometimes precocious elementary school readers as well.

What's the difference? From my perspective, the biggest difference, generally speaking, is the themes that are explored. The ages of the protagonists are different, too; most kids like to read about characters who are a little older than they are.

But the line, never very clear in the first place, is becoming even more blurry. And last month, Publishers Weekly had a great post about how booksellers decide to shelve these boundary-blurring titles and how they help patrons to make sense of the options. (Yet another reason to go to brick-and-mortar stores when you're choosing books for kids of any age).

If you're the parent of an elementary or middle school reader, you'll find this article worth a read. And, you may find the comments that follow the post just as interesting as the booksellers' perspectives.