Julie's Journal : On Cataloging J, Y, and YA Fiction

We have been inundated lately by many, many new good books written for young people.  We house these books in the vault and have them broken up into three main categories, J, Y, and YA.  It can sometimes be difficult to decide where to put the books, and parents are sometimes unclear on what each category means, so I thought I would go over the basic requirements for placing a book in each level.

Juvenile (J) Fiction - Juvenile Fiction is where we put beginning level chapter books.  These books are for kids anywhere from 2nd to 6th grade, (ages 8-12).  They have short chapters, an occasional picture, mildly adventurous story lines, and no bad language or sexual situations.  Titles included in this section are the Junie B. Jones series, the Magic Tree House series, the Boxcar Children series, and the Bailey School Kids series.

Youth (Y) Fiction - Youth Fiction is for grades 7-9, (ages 13-15).  Y books have longer chapters with more advanced vocabulary.  They may tackle tougher subjects, such as parental divorce or loss of a loved one.  Characters may have more intense adventures and become involved in perilous situations.  These books may contain an occasional curse word.    Romantic scenes at this level may include kissing, but will generally be considered PG.  Titles in this section include the Percy Jackson series, the Harry Potter series, the Maximum Ride series, and the Fablehaven series.

Young Adult (YA) Fiction - Young Adult books are for grades 10-12, (ages 16-18).  Young Adult books include difficult story lines, intense adventures, some graphic violence, and implied sexual situations.  There will be more instances of curse words, with occasional "very bad" words included.  Romantic situations will be more intense, and while graphic descriptions are not included, the reader will know that the characters have engaged in sexual behavior.  Titles in this section include the Hunger Games series, the Divergent series, the Beautiful Creatures series, and the Gone series.


Recently, we have had to add a fourth section as an off-shoot of the YA section.  New Adult (NA) books are written at a YA level and contain story lines similar to the YA books, but also contain very bad language and graphic sexual scenes.  We have labeled these books as 17+, but they are still housed in the Vault.  Many of the authors of these books have books in both the YA and NA sections.  I recently added Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses series to this section.

Now, we don't worry about who checks out what.  The categories are so that patrons will have an idea of content before choosing a book.  If a 10 year old brings up a YA book to check out we will let them have it.  And if a 90 year old brings up a J book to check out, we'll be glad to let them have it as well.  We depend on parents to help their children choose books that are appropriate for their reading level and maturity.  We want everyone to find books that they will enjoy!  Happy Reading!