Red Scarf Girl Genre

Autobiography; Young Adult Lit

Red Scarf Girl is written by Ji-li, about Ji-li, and that makes it an autobiography. In case we didn't catch it, she tells us as much, too:

This book tells of my experiences between the ages of twelve and fourteen. I have presented my family as it was, but in order to protect the privacy of friends and neighbors mentioned in the story, I have changed their names and some details of their stories. (E.6)

Notice how she's explaining where the story came from? It's not something she made up to sell oodles of copies—this is all how it went down with her family. It's a totally true story. That said, with its simple language and tween leady lady, it isn't just an autobiography; it's young adult lit, too.