Young Adult Literature; Coming-of-Age; Historical Fiction
Young Adult Literature
Let's see if everything is present.
Teen perspective? Check.
Parents out of the picture? Yup.
Hopeful conclusion? Absolutely.
Young adult literature it is, folks.
Historical Fiction
This one is easy: The Sign of the Beaver takes place in 18th-century Maine, and the characters are fictional. That about sums it up.
Coming-of-Age
At the beginning of the novel, Matt's an obedient and immature kid, who's willing to risk his life for a tablespoon of honey and assumes he knows better than the Indians he fears. But by the end of the book, Matty boy's whittling furniture for his family, confident in his survival skills, and respects the Indians as his friends and brothers. He's gone from being a kid to being a young man, which means this book is definitely in the coming-of-age genre too.