Young adult fiction
Young adult literature (YA) is typically written for readers aged 12 to 18, and includes most of the themes found in adult fiction, such friendship, substance abuse, alcoholism, and sexuality. Stories that focus on the challenges of youth may be further categorized as social or coming-of-age novels.
The earliest known use of term YA occurred in 1942. The designation of young adult literature was originally developed by librarians to help teenagers make the transition between children's and adult literature, following the recognition, around World War II, of teenagers as a distinct group of young people. While the genre is targeted at adolescents, a 2012 study found that 55% of YA purchases were made by adults.