Young adult fiction or
young adult literature, often abbreviated as
YA, is
fiction written, published, or marketed to
adolescents and young adults. The Young Adult Library Services Association (
YALSA) of the
American Library Association (ALA) defines a young adult as someone between the ages of twelve and eighteen. Authors and readers of young teen (YA) novels often define the category as literature traditionally written for ages ranging from sixteen years to the early twenties, while Teen Adult Fiction is written for the ages of ten to fifteen. The terms
young adult novel,
juvenile novel,
young adult book, etc. refer to the works in the YA category.