'Dirty Girls'
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
The age of the protagonist.
Not always, though. Bastard Out of Carolina, for instance, is largely about a child, but it's not a YA book. It doesn't mean teens can't or shouldn't read it, but it's not marketed to them because the subject matter is really weighty, and it's an adult's perspective on the issue.
Winter's Bone is another example, while True Grit, if written today, probably would be marketed as YA.
A comment from Teppy that I'm replying to in this thread:
Also, and I realize this is the wrong thread for it, I just finished Heartless, and it actually made me say "Holy SHIT!" out loud, at about 4 different places in the book.
I KNOW, RIGHT?! I love the last image of the book. LOVE.
I finally caved and subscribed to Yen Press's digital manga magazine so I could read the monthly installments of the Soulless manga. I agree with Pete, that is NOT what Lord Maccon looks like. Not at all. But the manga version of Lord Akeldama is fantastic.
ITA; BOoC is NOT YA.
I taught it to seniors, and I have extremely liberal standards (and if a teen wanted to read it, I would never censor, but would be blunt about its graphic nature) but it's definitely adult fiction, told through the POV of a violently abused girl.
Neither is Winter's Bone. Although both were very good.
I haven't read The Book Thief yet, though.
Mark Zusak's other book I Am the Messenger is definitely YA. So maybe Book Thief is in that category because his other work is too?
Also Megan McCafferty's books straddle a YA/Adult fiction split. And I love her books. I've seen them shelved in both YA and in adult fic.
I'm pretty sure Pratchett said he didn't write Maurice or the Tiffany Aching books to be any different from his adult novels, just when the publishers suggested marketing them as YA or Children's Lit or whatever he didn't see any reason not to.
The publishers probably said, "Oh, the main character's a kid, market the book to kids", that makes sense.
Also, and I realize this is the wrong thread for it, I just finished Heartless, and it actually made me say "Holy SHIT!" out loud, at about 4 different places in the book.
I KNOW, RIGHT?! I love the last image of the book. LOVE.
Okay, my Holy Shit Moments were: (1) the revelation that Professor Lyall is bisexual, (2) the revelation that Professor Lyall was getting it on with Alexia's FATHER oh my god, (3) Felicity being a vampire snack/spy for the hive, (or, actually, the fact that it was all due to a decision Alexia made), and (4) yeah, that last image, HOLY SHIT.
Good stuff.
I really enjoyed Heartless. And I'd read it again but I sent it back with my Dad. He really enjoyed the other ones so I left them down at the beach. However I have no idea what his reaction to the bisexuality will be.
See, I had guessed Lyall's bisexuality , but Lyall and Alexia's father? HOLY SHIT. Did not see that coming AT ALL. And Felicity being a spy and tea-girl for the hive queen? Daaaaaamn.
I also loved the oath for the Parasol Protectorate. I'm really tempted to figure out how to paint it on a jacket sleeve in a nice script.