What do Harry Potter, Hazel Lancaster and Katniss Everdeen have in common? They’re all heroes of young adult (YA) fiction. As the name suggests, this literary genre is generally aimed at teenagers, but it reaches a much wider readership than you might imagine, as a recent survey reveals.
The figures speak for themselves: 74% of readers of young adult novels are over 18. The 18-22 age group is particularly fond of this type of fiction (28%), as is the 13-17 age group (23%). The heterogeneity of YA readership can be explained by the fact that, these days, “youth” seems to last longer and longer.
This is one of the great paradoxes of society: there is an earlier entry into adolescence than ever before, with “pre-teens” acquiring a certain independence at a very early age, when their parents give them their first smartphone, for example.
Conversely, people in their 20s are slower than their parents to become financially independent and leave the family home. It was to define this new population of young people that psychoanalyst Tony Anatrella coined the term “adulescent” in the 1970s.
In this sense, YA literature appeals to both tweens and the so-called adulescents; but it’s interesting to note that different age groups don’t turn to novels in this literary category for the same reasons.
“Younger readers want to feel more mature – for example, aspiring to first love – and older readers want to feel comforted and nostalgic, for example remembering first love,” note publishers HarperCollins and Farshore in their report.
YA literature owes much of its success to fan culture, or fan communities: readers often talk to each other on social networks, and especially on TikTok, which gives them a powerful sense of belonging. By talking about the books they love, they give voice to their own experiences and identities.
“Identity is formed through experiences, relationships, and a feeling of belonging; the essence of YA fiction and being part of the community come together to create a sense of self that is linked to reading,” the research says.
In other words, fans of YA novels are asserting their status as readers and taking pride in it. It’s the perfect way to dispel preconceived notions that young people are no longer interested in books, and even to encourage non-readers to take the plunge.