Seven Basic Plots Examples in Young Adult Fiction

Last updated on 5 May 2023

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase with one of these links, I recieve a small commission at no additional cost to you. Read the full Affiliate Policy.

Did you know there are only seven basic plots in fiction? Well, that is according to Christopher Booker. But if you think about, and you dive into these story types with books that you know, you come to realise that he might be on to something.

Think about it – how many times have you thought ‘This book is so similar to XYZ’ or ‘This story reminds me of this other story in which the characters pretty much have the same experience’? Probably quite a few, right?

And this isn’t necessarily because the book is so similar to another that you feel ripped off, but rather because if there are only seven basic plots in the world, then the chances of you reading the ‘same plot’ over and over … they’re high. Very high.

So what does this mean for fiction reading?

It really means we have to be more flexible with our expectations, perhaps, or it means we can easily latch on to one or two types that we love and read everything we can find that matches that plot line. You know, either way.

I really do like the concept of the seven basic plots. It makes a lot of sense to me, and I like trying to figure out what books I read fit into what plot line, or what combo of them (see below for more). That’s why I thought it would be fun to do a bit of a round-up of some Young Adult novels that fit into these seven basic plot lines.

But first …

What are the Seven Basic Plots?

The concept of the “seven basic plots” was popularized by Christopher Booker in his book The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories. According to Booker, there are seven archetypal plots that are really the foundation or undertow of every story there is.

Overcoming the Monster: A story in which a hero must defeat a dangerous monster, often to save the hero’s own community or family.
Rags to Riches: A story about a character who rises from poverty to wealth, power, or success.
The Quest: A story about a hero who embarks on a journey to attain a goal or to retrieve an object of great importance.
Voyage and Return: A story about a character who leaves their familiar environment and encounters strange and wondrous experiences, only to return home with newfound wisdom and a changed perspective.
Comedy: A story in which humour and humour-based plot twists drive the narrative and lead to a happy resolution.
Tragedy: A story in which the protagonist is brought down by their own flaws or by circumstances beyond their control, leading to a sad or disastrous outcome.
Rebirth: A story in which a character undergoes a profound transformation, often as a result of facing their own mortality or facing some other life-changing event.

So that’s the seven plots of stories! But it’s important to note that even though they make a good foundation for most stories, many stories will fit into a couple of these plots, or be a blend of multiple elements.

The Seven Basic Plots in Young Adult Books

Overcoming the Monster

The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien is a brilliant example of this, and while it also has elements of The Quest and also Voyage and Return, the overarching theme is Overcoming the Monster. Here are some YA options if this is your jam. Though do note that I think the ‘monster’ in some of these is more the system or the traditions. The characters work towards not only completing a certain task (making it very Quest-like) but also taking down the monstrous powers that be.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and C.L. Herman
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
Shadow and Bone series by Leigh Bardugo

Rags to Riches

The classic in Rags to Riches is Cinderella. A main character born or thrown into the depths of a terrible upbringing, living on barely anything, but then, through various circumstances and events, are pulled from their raggy life into one full of abundance and riches. Here are 3 Young Adult stories that fit into this plot line.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Everless by Sara Holland
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Quest

The Hobbit also by JRR Tolkien is a good example of The Quest; the dwarves, with Bilbo in tow, are off to find the great treasure that the dragon Smaug has stolen from them. It’s also a Voyage and Return story. We love the safety and warmth of a hobbit hole. These quests below are, for some, more subtle in their approach, perhaps, but all have a quest of some kind involved.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
A Gathering of Shadows by VE Schwab
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Tomorrow When the War Began series by John Marsden

Voyage and Return

There are quite a few stories that involve an element of Voyage and Return (we all long for home, right?), but there are some such as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll that are prime examples, as well as stories like Peter Pan by JM Barrie – Wendy and the kids head out on an adventure only to return home once again. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis is also another perfect option. I did struggle to think of more books for this one, so if you have any ideas, please pop them in the comments!

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee (to some degree)
Shadow and Bone series by Leigh Bardugo (again, to some extent)

Comedy

Oh the comedy! I don’t actually read a lot of comedy stories, and it’s not that common that I find myself laughing out loud. However there are some great comedy plots out there, and some good examples are, of course, Shakespeare’s comedies (As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing and The Twelfth Night). If Shakespeare’s not your thing, stories like Bridget Jones’ Diary by Helen Fielding are a great example, too. I did find it hard to think of books that I have read, so I headed to Goodreads to see what the people say. Here are some books in the top 10 books in this YA Humor Books list.

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand
Winger, by Andrew Smith

Tragedy

Again, Shakespeare knew what he was doing. Think Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet. Some other classic books in the tragedy plot are Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, and even The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald. A full-blown tragedy like Romeo and Juliet isn’t that common in YA, though there are definitely novels that have tragedy in them.

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (more middle grade, but still counts)

Rebirth

The Rebirth is all about transformation. Not a physical transformation per se, but an emotional or personal or character-driven one. These are stories such as Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, or, to take a Disney movie example: Beauty and the Beast. It can also be more of a darkness that takes hold, and how the character copes both through that and coming out the other side.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas
King of Scars duology by Leigh Bardugo

So what do you think? Are you taken in by the idea of the Seven Basic Plots? What about in YA novels? What other novels would you include in this list?