Exploring Young Adult Genres

Get to know major YA and middle-grade genres and what readers enjoy about each.

Knowing genres helps you explore beyond what you already read. Realistic fiction tells stories that could happen in real life, often about family, friendship, and identity. Fantasy builds imaginary worlds with magic or impossible creatures. Science fiction imagines how science and technology might change people and societies. Mystery and thriller center on a puzzle or danger and keep readers guessing. Historical fiction places invented characters in real past events.

Dystopian fiction shows societies that seem perfect but have hidden problems. Novels in verse tell stories in poems. Each genre offers a different pleasure: realistic fiction lets you see yourself, fantasy lets you escape, mystery rewards clue-spotting, and historical fiction lets you live in another era. A useful challenge is to try a genre you've never chosen, using a feature you already like. If you love mysteries, try a historical mystery set during an old-time voyage.

The puzzle keeps you reading while the genre stretches you.

• 1Genres include realistic, fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, historical, dystopian, and verse novels
• 2Each genre offers a different kind of enjoyment
• 3Try a new genre through a feature you already like