Millie asked 7 years ago
Dear Polly and Sarah, If the protagonist starts as a fifteen-year-old, but over the course of the series grows into her twenties, would it still be a YA series? I\’m given to understand that as long as there is no mature content (it is a fantasy adventure series, so this is very unlikely in the context of the story) it could still be classed as YA, but I wasn\’t sure. Thank you, -Millie
Sarah Davies Staff answered 7 years ago
Hi Millie
This is a tricky one! In my view, a 20-something protagonist will take you out of the YA age band. Because it’s not just about “age” in some vague way, but more that the life of a 20+ person is going to be different to that of a 16 year old. In your 20’s you’ve generally achieved a level of independence, left education, and are quite likely in some long-term relationship. It’s no longer the teen experience.
My advice would be to try and keep your protagonist between 15-18, if at all possible. Is it necessary to increase her age in each book? Can you not compress the various episodes into a shorter time span?
I hope this helps!
Sarah