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The YA/MG Battle is Now Just MG

I can not say that this displeases me. It's funny because this final round could have gone one of three ways based on the four books that went into Round 3: two Aussie YAs duking it out, one Aussie YA and one MG (repeating both versions of round 3), or two MGs. I kind of like the MG books are ruling they day as that is where my heart of hearts is. (And I did have a hand in facilitating that.)

Tune in Monday to fine out the ultimate winner between:
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Comments

Charlotte said…
I think of The Perilous Gard as YA.....
March 28, 2015 at 9:42 PM
Anonymous said…
Hahaha, Brandy, you know I agree with you that it's MG, but everyone seems determined to disagree with us!
March 28, 2015 at 10:30 PM
Brandy said…
I do wonder what it would be marketed as if released now, but it probably wouldn't be published at all...

When I use it with students, their always 5th -8th grade. I think it fits into that group of books that sort of straddle upper MG, younger YA like The Thief, Gary Schmidt's books, RJ Anderson's Faery Rebel series, The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place)-all books I think are essentials in a middle school library. Also, I feel like The Perilous Gard fits better on the same shelf with Greenglass House, The Westing Game than with Melina Marchetta, John Green, etc. So that makes it MG for me.

Speaking of the books that straddle that line, have you read Murder is Bad Manners yet???? Finished it yesterday and loved it. Boarding school plus mystery plus girl power. So. Good.
March 29, 2015 at 3:58 PM
Brandy said…
I pontificated in my response to Charlotte. ;) For me, it's not the age of the characters that make a book fit an age category, but who would enjoy reading it most. Perilous Gard sort of defies categorization with that criteria, but if forced to pick, I pick MG.
March 29, 2015 at 4:00 PM
Charlotte said…
8th graders, even 7th graders, are 12-13 yrs old, making them YA....maybe today it would be one of those Tween books for 10-14 yr olds.....
March 29, 2015 at 6:08 PM
Brandy said…
Ah, we aren't defining YA by the same parameters which is why we don't agree. That's why I hate the age category thing more and more.

I still think The Perilous Gard belongs in J shelves of a library and not Teen. My old library had it in J, but my new library doesn't have it at all. Such a tragedy!
March 29, 2015 at 6:36 PM
Katie said…
For me, it's not the age of the characters that make a book fit an age category, but who would enjoy reading it most

Okay, that's a really great argument. I might have to switch sides.
March 29, 2015 at 7:07 PM
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