I saw in another thread that someone said an agent recommended changes to make their book a tween book. What exactly is a tween book? The reason I'm asking is that I think my book is a little old for MG but a little young for YA. The MC is 14.
So what are tween books?
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Tweens are actually a little younger than that, in the 10-12 bracket. Too old to still do little kid stuff, too young to do teenager stuff--hence "between" or "tween." They're the girls who have stopped buying Barbie dolls, but will buy a Bratz doll (because Bratz dolls aren't pink and fluffy. They wear makeup, "bling" jewelry and leather jackets.)
If your book walks the line between MG and YA, it might be considered tween. 14 yo is pretty good age for a tween MC because tween girls want to read about slightly older kids. I've seen tween as 10-12 and even broader, 10-14. It's a growing market niche.
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Wow, I'm being referred to.
Anyway, the age group I was going for was 11-13. I made my MC thirteen years old and in the seventh grade.
A new tween line is Aladdin Mix. If you look up The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney or The Melting of Maggie Bean, maybe that will help you get a better grasp of what tween is.
I think it's pretty similar towards Upper MG, but the tween label seems to apply more to books where romance, friendships, or popularity are central to the plot.
Anyway, the age group I was going for was 11-13. I made my MC thirteen years old and in the seventh grade.
A new tween line is Aladdin Mix. If you look up The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney or The Melting of Maggie Bean, maybe that will help you get a better grasp of what tween is.
I think it's pretty similar towards Upper MG, but the tween label seems to apply more to books where romance, friendships, or popularity are central to the plot.
So it's specifically aimed at girls. Boys of the same age would still be considered upper middle grade?
My MC is 14 and in the ninth grade. Sometimes, I think it might be fine for YA, but then other times, I think it's definately a little younger than that. I wonder if I should start calling it a "tween" in my query letters.
Thanks again.
Thanks again.
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Yes, in general. Check out Hilary McKay's line....Saffy's Angel, Indigo's Star (possibly my favorite book ever), Permanent Rose, Caddy Ever After. I think of them as MG's, although the protags are 12 or 13ish...because tween is more than just a particular age. It has, (if you'll excuse the profuse use of the word) a bubblegum implication.
A book with a fourteen-year-old male protagonist could me either upper MG or YA, depending on the subject matter, but would likely not be shelved as a tween.
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My MC is twelve-turning-thirteen, and I'm calling it tween. She's not really a kid, because she faces some older situations (nothing explicit or anything), but she's not really a young adult because she doesn't know how to properly handle these situations. She's at that fine line of "who am I?" To me, that's tween.
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Most kids like to 'read up' meaning if you're aiming at 10-12 year olds, make your MC a little older than that.
My first book the MC is 11, then in the second she's fourteen.
My series, the MC starts at 13, and she'll get progressively older, but the series will end when she's 15 or 16. Because I think readers will follow her, and they'll get older as she does.
My first book the MC is 11, then in the second she's fourteen.
My series, the MC starts at 13, and she'll get progressively older, but the series will end when she's 15 or 16. Because I think readers will follow her, and they'll get older as she does.
I was stuck in the Tween aisle in BAMM during the HP release, and it did look like it was aimed almost exclusively at girls (except for the fantasy). Maybe because there's a clearer transition for girls? Boys are still playing the same sports and video games they did as kids (well, maybe not the same video games, but the same theory). Also, most of the books tended to be geared toward the "preppy" crowd (i.e., lots of make-up and boys and getting into fights with your best friends over insanely superficial stuff).
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The MC of my new book is eleven years old, and she's starting middle school. She is very disappointed that middle school is not the way she pictured it. She's a a bit boy crazy, wants to act more grown up, is into fashion, striving for glamour, etc. I've been thinking it was MG, but now I'm thinking it might be tween.
What do you all think?
I probably will put up a sample in SYW later (much later) and ask that question, because it might be hard for people to give their thoughts without reading some of it first.
What do you all think?
I probably will put up a sample in SYW later (much later) and ask that question, because it might be hard for people to give their thoughts without reading some of it first.
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Hmmm. It's interesting how as kids become 'older' younger (or vice versa) the genres blur. Traditionally eleven would definitely be MG, and I think you'd still have to call it that, but the issues at hand definitely seem more common fodder for the YA market.
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Yeah, it's confusing, because she's younger but she wants so bad to be older, so it delves into a little, tiny bit older territory. Really there's nothing risque, except for some trampy dressing and some pre-teen rebellion. I guess I'll decide when it's finished.
I'd go for tween... I said in the other thread that I think a book about a less sophisticated and more innocent MC (than those awful Clique girls) would be a refreshing character.
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