Although novels specifically marketed towards young adults began to surface in the early 20^th century with the appearance of Sue Barton Student Nurse by Helen Boylston in 1936, which quickly became one of the most popular books in the history of young adult literature, it was not until much later that fantasy and science fiction were marketed towards those who were not children yet not quite adults (Cart, 2010, pp. 10). Many of the early iterations of young adult literature were romances or realistic fiction that appealed to youth, providing them with a liberating experience (Cart, 2010, pp. 13). This feeling was supported when the New York Times published the Teen-Age Bill of Rights, allowing teenagers to stake their claim as an important demographic with specific wants and needs (Cart, 2010, pp. 13). S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders and J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye paved the way for what was known as “adolescent” literature, and is now known as young adult literature utilizing these “rights” set up for teens (Chance, 2014, pp. 1). Because teens were free to explore their base desires and romantic impulses, fantasy fell to the foreground as for young children who were imaginative and adults who wished to escape into other worlds.

There is much debate as to what was the first mainstream fantasy/science fiction for young adults, with J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit (1937) as an early contender due to it being too advanced for young children yet containing fantastical elements appealing to those who have not transitioned into adulthood. Although it was not published specifically for young adults, Much later, Robin McKinley’s 1978 Beauty, a retelling of “Beauty and the Beast” opened up the door for young adult fairy-tale retellings (Crowe, 2002, pp. 117). Representation within fantasy books was scarce in it’s earlier years, yet did exist as demonstrated by 1973’s Sweetwater by Laurence Yep, a fantasy book that served as a metaphor for Yep’s experience as a Chinese American of growing up as an outsider between cultures (Cart, 2010, pp. 44).

The 1980’s saw a rise in popularity surrounding young adult literature, with the trend returning to romances and books within a series (Hardy, 2015, January 16). Many of these series published for young adults were quick, easy reads that were meant to be consumed rapidly, such as the wildly consumed realistic fiction world of Francine Pascal’s Sweet Valley High series (Moss, 2018). This was the first time in that teens searched for books themselves rather than have a parent, teacher, or family member select them, and teens wanted to relate to the characters (Moss, 2018). Although romance was predominantly the overarching theme regarding these paperbacks, many authors includes fantastical, supernatural elements to their horror stories such as Christopher Pike’s 1995 Starlight Crystal (Moss, 2018). These books were typically around 90-150 pages and meant to be read quickly in order to ensure the monthly released newest book in a series would be purchased; while this brand of literature was popular with teens, it was often considered “fluff” and not looked at as high literature (Moss, 2018).

The way young adult fantasy, and young adult literature in general, was viewed changed drastically with the release of J.K. Rowling’s 1997 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The success of Harry Potter (1997) over the series 7-book span was so significant that the New York Times created a new best-seller's list specifically for children at the request of adult publishers (Cart, 2010, pp. 96). Previously, works for young adults had been small works meant to be read quickly, yet Harry Potter (1997) showed that it was possible to maintain complex storylines and provide character development within a book for young people (Chance, 2014). J.K. Rowling’s series revolutionized works for young adults by becoming mainstream and revitalized interest in fantastical fiction.

After the success of Harry Potter (1997) young adult fiction saw an increase in fantasy and science fiction works. Since 2000, fantasy accounts for almost fifteen percent of the 577 books on annual Best Books for Young Adults lists (Cart, 2010, pp. 102). Within the realm of fantastical works lives science fiction, which was recently revived due to the rise of the “dystopian” genre, in which communities or societies are restricted (Chance, 2014, pp. 94). Recent popular science fiction/dystopian young adult novels to gain critical and commercial acclaim include Divergent by Veronica Roth and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Chance, 2014). Fantasy and science fiction novels for young adults have gained so much popularity that many have been made into feature length mainstream movies, areas within theme parks, and billions of dollars' worth of related merchandise.