This week: Age Appropriate, Necessity? Edited by: Dawn Embers  
More Newsletters By This Editor 
 
1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions
For Authors Newsletter by Dawn
Taking a look at the organization of stories based on age groups and how they aren't always followed. Considering how some teens might read adult fantasy while many adults have read middle grade and young adult stories. |
When it comes to reading, the question of age appropriateness is something that comes up occasionally. We often thing about making sure things are age appropriate for youth or children. Movies are rated a certain way to display levels of content for parents to decide whether their kids can see them or not. Some have age specific requirements. Books aren't necessarily rated in the same way, though we do have our own rating system here on WDC with the ratings like ASR and GC that give specific content level warnings.
However, another aspect to this question of what is appropriate to read is the specific groupings done in bookstores and in libraries so children and young teens know where to find books that are considered appropriate for them. they are also usually ones that have characters within the same age range but that isn't always the case, just often. That is the labelling between children's, middle grade, young adults and well, everything else.
While we do sort of organize books in concept of appropriateness by age, that doesn't mean readers are going to follow. Young adult books are often read by adults. Technically speaking, many adults read children's books out loud to their kids, so both age groups are involved. When I was a teenager, I would read books by John Grisham and V.C. Andrews that were found in the adult section. My stepdad prefers ones like Clive Kessler but he also loved the Harry Potter Series. And now, as an adult I will often read books that are middle grade or young adult because I happen to also write young adult stories.
There is also the factor that some adults might not be an adult in certain mental capacities. While I worked with some adults in the behavioral therapy career, it was common to read books like Dr. Seuss. The goal was for them to do some of the reading and those books are fun, so that made them helpful for the particular tasks.
So, we might think that it's appropriate for a kid to read a kid's books, a teen to read young adult and adults to read books by Robert Jordan but the question of appropriateness isn't always going to be a one size fits all in the given categories. There is nothing wrong with an adult reading middle grade stories. In general, as an adult, one can read whatever they want. Those who are below 18, well, there might be a reason to consider some level of appropriateness. That won't stop them from reading the books, like my mom as a young teen reading bodice ripper romances, because some will decide to read books considered not appropriate but it can help. Plus, it would be really hard to sell a book if you tried to market it to everyone. |
| | Merit Badge Magic (E) A magical way to inspire your Muse! New themes to write about every month. Not a contest. |
|
Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
Do you read things that are considered age appropriate?
From the last time that I worked on a For Authors Newsletter with feedback, this response was sent in:
Comment by Nostrum  :
For many Latin American countries, the equivalent of April 1st is December 28th, traditionally known as the "Dia de los (Santos) Inocentes" (or the Day of the [Holy] Innocents). A Catholic holiday, it commemorates the survival of baby Jesus from the orders of king Herod. In some countries, pranks are often followed by good-natured mockery (if fooled) as the prankster tells the pranked, "inocente palomita que te dejaste engañar" ([oh, you] innocent dove, allowing yourself to be fooled).
|
To stop receiving this newsletter, click here for your newsletter subscription list. Simply uncheck the box next to any newsletter(s) you wish to cancel and then click to "Submit Changes". You can edit your subscriptions at any time.
|
For Authors: February 18, 2026 Issue [#13603]
un: 
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Community Newsfeed
Puzzle Hub
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
