Teen Books Or Adult Novels In Disguise? Inside YA’s Aging Up Trend

UNIVERSITY, Miss. — Parents browsing the young adult section of their local bookstore or library might notice something troubling: the protagonists in today’s most popular teen novels are getting older, potentially leaving middle schoolers and younger high schoolers without relatable characters to connect with.

New research analyzing a decade of bestselling young adult literature reveals that an overwhelming 90% of main characters are over age 15, with most falling between 16 and 18 years old. Even more striking, roughly 8% of protagonists are adults in their twenties, well beyond the traditional teen years that young adult fiction is supposed to represent.

This “aging up” phenomenon has been whispered about in library circles for years, but now researchers have the data to prove it’s real. The discovery raises serious questions about whether the publishing industry is inadvertently abandoning its youngest readers in favor of older teens and the surprising number of adults who purchase young adult books.

“If there are far less popular young adult books for middle school and younger high school readers to pick up in their school or public libraries, will they read ‘up’ and pick up the books with older protagonists, or will they stop reading at all when they do not find themselves reflected in their young adult literature?” asks study author Ally Watkins, a research librarian at the University of Mississippi.

The study, published in the New Review of Children’s Literature and Librarianship journal, notes that teens sometimes choose books based on character similarities. According to Watkins’ research, “Sharing similarities with the author (e.g., a common cultural background), or reading a book with a protagonist with a similar identity to their own, may help readers become more immersed in stories.” When a 13-year-old picks up a novel about an 18-year-old navigating college life, that age gap might create a disconnect.

How Researchers Tracked Character Ages

Watkins examined 509 unique titles that appeared on the Young Adult New York Times Bestseller List between December 2013 and December 2023. Rather than relying on literary awards or critical acclaim, she focused on pure popularity (the books that teens and their parents were actually buying).

For each book, Watkins first checked publisher descriptions and official marketing copy, which often mention a protagonist’s age. When that failed, she turned to cataloging data found in most books. As a last resort, she read the first 100 pages of each title to find age references.

Of the 509 books studied, 316 contained clear information about their main character’s age, providing a robust sample of roughly 62% of all bestsellers during this period.

Among books where age could be determined, 258 titles — a staggering 81.6% — featured protagonists between ages 16 and 18. Only five books in the entire decade featured main characters under age 13, despite young adult literature traditionally serving readers as young as 12. Meanwhile, 11 books featured protagonists in their twenties.

Adult Readers Drive Teen Literature Trends

Part of the explanation for older protagonists may lie in who’s actually purchasing young adult literature. The paper cites data showing that “Fifty-one percent of YA books are purchased by those aged 30–44, which might be explained by parents or guardians purchasing books for teens, but 78% of those purchasers said they intended to read the books themselves.”

This adult readership might be driving demand for more mature characters and storylines. As researcher Angela Carstensen points out in work cited by the study, this adult audience is “alarming” and means “we need to be even more conscious of what appeals to our teen readers, and why.”

The blurring lines between middle grade and young adult literature add complexity. Middle grade books, traditionally aimed at ages 8-12, increasingly tackle topics once reserved for teen novels. The study notes that “it is often the case now that middle grade books are tackling topics that were in the past seen solely as the purview of young adult literature, for example: sexual identity, mental illness, eating disorders, etc.”

Some age concentration stems from practical considerations. Fantasy novels, which made up 64% of books that didn’t specify character ages, often feature immortal or non-human characters where traditional aging doesn’t apply.

Real Impact on Libraries and Young Readers

School and public librarians report challenges in serving younger teen readers. The study notes that when librarians work with young patrons seeking books with younger teen characters, “bestsellers might not be their best go-to in terms of readers’ advisory.”

According to the research, libraries “play a vital role in the literacy development of youth, and are ‘essential sources of books for young people.'” The study also references research showing “that library users read more and watch less television than non-users, meaning that library use actually encourages reading.”

When popular literature doesn’t reflect younger teens’ experiences, libraries face challenges maintaining engagement among readers transitioning from children’s to teen literature.

“Librarians play a huge role in helping all teens find books they can relate to! Your local public librarian is trained in collection development and reader’s advisory services,” Watkins tells StudyFinds. “Having a conversation with them about your reading tastes, what you’ve liked and disliked, and what you’re interested in is a great way to find new titles that you never would have picked out for yourself.

What This Means for Teen Reading

The study raises concerns about the publishing industry potentially “risking losing readers by not putting out popular young adult titles that have main characters of more varied ages.”

The data makes clear that popular young adult literature has aged up, but the trend appears stable rather than continuously increasing. The average protagonist age remained between 15.5 and 17.5 years throughout the study period, suggesting “the ages of the characters started high and continued to be high.”

Whether the publishing industry will respond by creating more books for younger teens remains unclear, but librarians and educators now have concrete evidence supporting what they’ve long suspected about bestselling teen literature.