Older characters may be pushing out younger readers, study finds

OXFORD – Despite its name, the young adult genre is increasingly dominated by stories about older teens and even adults. But as protagonists get older, younger readers are getting left behind, a University of Mississippi study indicates.

Ally Watkins, research and instruction librarian at the J.D. Williams Library, published her research into the increasing age of young adult protagonists in the New Review of Children's Literature and Librarianship.