I propose a new genre: “Extra-Ordinary”

[pambachorz]

When people ask me what kind of book CANDOR is, my first answer is “it’s a novel for ages twelve and up”. But I know they want more. Is it realistic fiction? Well, no, unless brainwashing is a reality (that’s another post for another day!). Is it fantasy? Mmmm, I guess not, since it’s set in our modern everyday world and there’s a distinct lack of

Comments

[ex_kmessner]

When I book-talk CANDOR with my 7th graders, I always call it dystopian, and that seems to capture the sense of the book well for them (we do a unit on dystopian stories, so that's a genre they know).

[kristin_briana]

Extra-ordinary. That's PERFECT! Now I have something to call my novel besides "dystopian" (which causes people to say, "Huh? What's that?" entirely too often. :P)

[bondgwendabond]

Hmmm... It seems the younger audience has less baggage tied to these labels, since--especially on the fantasy side--those are the best-selling books for kids and YA. And I think even in the adult literary world the prohibition against genre elements and the concept of them as "dirty" or "unliterary" or "limiting" has taken major blows from writers like Jonathan Lethem, Alice Sebold, Michael Chabon, etc. It feels like everyone is returning to a much broader definition of literature.

As far as the YA audience is concerned though, I'd think "science fiction" would earn more readers than it would turn off, especially given the endless complaining about the need for more SF for this age group.