Librarians and researchers have been discussing anecdotally for some time that the protagonists in young adult literature are getting older as time passes. This study looks at popular young adult literature in the United States (via Young Adult New York Times Bestsellers) over a 10-year period and tracks the ages of the protagonists to find out whether this perceived phenomenon of aging up is truly occurring and what it could mean for teen readers and those professionals who work with them.
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Ally Watkins (2025) studied this question.
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