---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I write, if you have to label it, is…"
description: "\"What I write, if you have to label it, is crossover, and I think that much of the stuff that is called children's or YA is in fact crossover and is equ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/robin-mckinley-1591_children_what-i-write-if-you-have-to-label-it-is_2334234.png"
---

#  What I write, if you have to label it, is crossover, and I…

![“What I write, if you have to label it, is crossover, and I think that much of the stuff that is called children's or YA is in fact crossover and is equally valid for anyone who likes to read fantasy.” quote by Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/robin-mckinley-1591_children_what-i-write-if-you-have-to-label-it-is_2334234.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/robin-mckinley-1591_children_what-i-write-if-you-have-to-label-it-is_2334234.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/robin-mckinley-1591_children_what-i-write-if-you-have-to-label-it-is_2334234.png)

> “What I write, if you have to label it, is crossover, and I think that much of the stuff that is called children's or YA is in fact crossover and is equally valid for anyone who likes to read fantasy.”

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Children’s and YA fantasy often overlap with adult crossover, offering universal appeal.

**In simple terms:** Fantasy for all ages can be crossover.

Key Takeaway

Embrace genre fluidity and read widely.

Themes

literature genre blending fantasy

Mood

thoughtful enthusiastic

Type

analysis reflection

When to use this quote

- book clubs
- library curation
- writing workshops
- marketing strategies

Key Concepts

crossover audience inclusivity

Questions to Reflect On

- How does labeling affect readership?
- Can crossover broaden literary appreciation?

A Different Perspective

Market categories may limit exposure.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Crossover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crossover/) [Crossover Equally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crossover-equally-5626914/) [Crossover Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crossover-think-5626913/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy/) [Labels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labels/) [Likes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/likes/) [Read Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-fantasy-1042747/) [Stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stuff/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [“Your letters became harder to read and you became a fantasy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randolph-randy-camp/your-letters-became-harder-to-read-and-you-became-a-fantasy/)

[Randolph Randy Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randolph-randy-camp/)

> [“Reality is the strip malls of Burbank, the smokestacks of Cleveland, a parking garage in Newark. Fantasy is the towers of Minas Tirith, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/reality-is-the-strip-malls-of-burbank-the-smokestacks-of-cleveland-a/)

[George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/)

> [Jerel Law has crafted a fantastic story that will leave every reader wanting more. Stop looking for the next great read in fantasy fiction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-liparulo/jerel-law-has-crafted-a-fantastic-story-that-will-leave-every-reader/)

[Robert Liparulo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-liparulo/)

> [When I was a kid, I read the science-fiction shelves, and I read the fantasy shelves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/when-i-was-a-kid-i-read-the-science-fiction-shelves-and-i-read-the/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [Back in middle school, Catherine and I had gone through this stage where all we would read were fantasy books. We'd consume them like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/back-in-middle-school-catherine-and-i-had-gone-through-this-stage/)

[Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/)

> [So, when people try to give you some book with a shiny round award on the cover, be kind and gracious, but tell them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/so-when-people-try-to-give-you-some-book-with-a-shiny-round-award-on/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [My own novel, 'The Silver Bough,' about the inhabitants of a remote town at risk of being overwhelmed by Scotland's mythological past, was once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-tuttle/my-own-novel-the-silver-bough-about-the-inhabitants-of-a-remote-town/)

[Lisa Tuttle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-tuttle/)

> [People read vampire novels and say, 'Oh I want to read another vampire novel.' People read fantasy, and they're like, 'Oh I love fantasy.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/people-read-vampire-novels-and-say-oh-i-want-to-read-another-vampire/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“Webb read fantasy; Jude read realism”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/webb-read-fantasy-jude-read-realism/)

[Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/)

> [I've read fantasy my whole life. Quite literally; my mom read me The Hobbit before I could read stuff to myself. So I love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/i-ve-read-fantasy-my-whole-life-quite-literally-my-mom-read-me-the/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [If you are going to write, say, fantasy - stop reading fantasy. You've already read too much. Read other things; read westerns, read history,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/if-you-are-going-to-write-say-fantasy-stop-reading-fantasy-you-ve/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [I really can't write fantasy. I cannot invent a world which does not exist. And I can't read fantasy either. As soon as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-morpurgo/i-really-can-t-write-fantasy-i-cannot-invent-a-world-which-does-not/)

[Michael Morpurgo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morpurgo/)

> [We read fantasy to find the colors again, I think. To taste strong spices and hear the songs the sirens sang.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/we-read-fantasy-to-find-the-colors-again-i-think-to-taste-strong/)

[George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/)

> [So let's not get frightened when the children read fantasy. It's the compost for a healthy mind. It stimulate s the inquisitive nodes, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/so-let-s-not-get-frightened-when-the-children-read-fantasy-it-s-the/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“The best fantasy is written in the language of dreams. It is alive as dreams are alive, more real than real ... for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/the-best-fantasy-is-written-in-the-language-of-dreams-it-is-alive-as-2/)

[George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/)

## More by Robin McKinley

> [It's hard to look too grand when you're led by someone who looks like a pudding with legs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/it-s-hard-to-look-too-grand-when-you-re-led-by-someone-who-looks-like/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [“The most serious drawback to the telling-nothing approach is that it made that much more of a mystery of what had happened, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/the-most-serious-drawback-to-the-telling-nothing-approach-is-that-it/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [The magic in that country was so thick and tenacious that it settled over the land like chalk-dust and over floors and shelves like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/the-magic-in-that-country-was-so-thick-and-tenacious-that-it-settled/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [“There was something very odd about the carpet this morning… More hedgehogs? Many more hedgehogs? Positively a lake of hedgehogs?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/there-was-something-very-odd-about-the-carpet-this-morning-more/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [He didn't look insane or inhuman. He did look uncooperative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/he-didn-t-look-insane-or-inhuman-he-did-look-uncooperative/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [People forgot; it was in the nature of people to forget, to blur boundaries, to retell stories to come out the way they wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/people-forgot-it-was-in-the-nature-of-people-to-forget-to-blur/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [“But he hated to see his people people unhappy--because he was a good king, not because he was a nervous one--”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/but-he-hated-to-see-his-people-people-unhappy-because-he-was-a-good/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [ “\[the sheep\] sidled up beside him and bumped him lovingly with its head. Val looked at it sadly. "I am sorry, you ugly creature,"… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/the-sheep-sidled-up-beside-him-and-bumped-him-lovingly-with-its-head/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [I long for another human face just as I fear it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/i-long-for-another-human-face-just-as-i-fear-it/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [“Rosie hated her curly golden hair. When she was old enough to hold minimal conversations, the itsy-bitsy-cutesycoo sort of grown-ups would pull the soft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/rosie-hated-her-curly-golden-hair-when-she-was-old-enough-to-hold/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [“There was, too, a reality to her new life that her old life had lacked, and she realized with a shock that she had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/there-was-too-a-reality-to-her-new-life-that-her-old-life-had-lacked/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [Oh,' she said, too bone-weary to pretend: 'I would far rather that I love you as I saw yesterday I do than that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/oh-she-said-too-bone-weary-to-pretend-i-would-far-rather-that-i-love/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [But I'm going to try to tell the truth. Except for the parts I'm leaving out, because there's still stuff I'm just not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/but-i-m-going-to-try-to-tell-the-truth-except-for-the-parts-i-m/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [“The magic in that country was so thick and tenacious that it settled over the land like chalk-dust and over floors and shelves like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/the-magic-in-that-country-was-so-thick-and-tenacious-that-it-settled-2/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [Roses are for love. Not silly sweet-hearts' love but the love that makes you and keeps you whole, love that gets you through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/roses-are-for-love-not-silly-sweet-hearts-love-but-the-love-that/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

[Explore all 225 Robin McKinley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

## More Children quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/)

[Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/)

> [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/)

[Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/)

> [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/)

[Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/)

> [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/)

[Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/)

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/)

[Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/)

> [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/)

[Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/)

[Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/)

> [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/)

[Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/)

> [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/)

[Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/)

> [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/)

[Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

[Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What I write, if you have to label it, is crossover, and I think that much of the stuff that is called children's or YA is in fact crossover and is equally valid for anyone who likes to read fantasy.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robin McKinley"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/what-i-write-if-you-have-to-label-it-is-crossover-and-i-think-that/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Children"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/what-i-write-if-you-have-to-label-it-is-crossover-and-i-think-that/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/robin-mckinley-1591_children_what-i-write-if-you-have-to-label-it-is_2334234.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/robin-mckinley-1591_children_what-i-write-if-you-have-to-label-it-is_2334234.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/robin-mckinley-1591_children_what-i-write-if-you-have-to-label-it-is_2334234.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What I write, if you have to label it, is crossover, and I think that much of the stuff that is called…” — Robin McKinley",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Robin McKinley",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What I write, if you have...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/what-i-write-if-you-have-to-label-it-is-crossover-and-i-think-that/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/what-i-write-if-you-have-to-label-it-is-crossover-and-i-think-that/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
