Category: Middle Grade

After defining what middle grade is and isn’t, the next question is, why write middle grade fiction? If you’re writing for the children’s market today, the allure of writing for young adults can be strong. Heavy hitters like Twilight and The Hunger Games have shown how young adult fiction can hit the best seller lists and be read by adults and young adults alike. Compared to that, middle grade fiction might seem overshadowed.

But think back to the books that impacted you the most as a kid. Although I remember some wonderful picture books, and I’m sure I read plenty as a young adult, the stories that captured me the most were the ones I read from ages 9-13.

Mary Kole says in Writing Irresistible Kidlit, “when you’re this age, you’re finding a place in the world without straying too far from the comforts of childhood…During this time, you start to make tough choices and wrong choices, and pay the consequences of your actions and decisions.”

This age is such a critical one, perhaps even more than the teenage years for our current generation, who are confronting these choices at a younger age. Middle grade writing gives uncertain kids a safe place to venture out and explore, characters to recognize themselves in, and stories that help walk out some of the choices they’re facing. And these stories don’t have to take place in a contemporary context.

Middle graders, or tweens, still easily make the jump from reality to fantasy. A story like Savvy, about a girl who comes into her magical power on her 13^th birthday, or Harry Potter, who discovers he’s a wizard when he’s eleven, speak just as strongly to tweens as any modern day story. Kids reading Caroline Starr Rose’s May B. see the young protagonist facing similar emotions they’re experiencing, even as May overcomes the struggles of homesteading on the Kansas prairie.

If you want to write and read great stories and impact the lives of young readers, middle grade is where it’s at.

What was your favorite book from your middle grade years?

This month I’m looking more closely at middle grade writing. I think one of the biggest questions about middle grade is this: What is the difference between middle grade and young adult fiction?

The most obvious answer is age. In middle grade, the main character can be anywhere from ten to fourteen, but writers need to keep in mind that young readers like to read about characters slightly older than themselves, so age your character one to two years ahead of the age of your target audience.

Ten would probably be a little young and closer to chapter books. Fourteen is edging into young adult. I find eleven to twelve is the age that works well for most middle grade stories. Harry Potter was eleven when he received his letter from Hogwarts. Percy Jackson is twelve when he finds out he is a demi-god. Harriet is eleven when she decides to become a great writer and spy.

Age is only the first distinction in middle grade. Plot and theme are two other distinguishing factors between middle grade and young adult. In young adult, the plot tends to focus more on the internalization of the teenage character and her transition into adulthood. The issues the character faces can be complex and the character can deal with some edgy situations, including drugs, alcohol and sex. Romance is usually an integral part of a young adult novel.

Middle grade, though not less complex, is less upfront about that kind of content. Characters are more concerned with discovering who they are and how they fit into the world, along with a more action packed plot that results in less internalization and more dialogue and external conflict. Middle grade protagonists are also starting to confront romantic feelings, but these relationships are usually more of a puppy love discovery than the intense, driven relationships of young adult.

Have you noticed other differences between these two genres? Which do you prefer?

 

The best way to get a feel for the difference between middle grade and young adult fiction is to read them. Here are some books I enjoy from both groups.

Middle Grade:

Artemis Fowl Series by Eoin Colfer

Possum Summer by Jen K. Blom

Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling (even though Harry ages through the series, the books remain middle grade in theme and plot)

Young Adult:

Divergent Series by Veronica Roth

The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins

Graceling by Kristin Cashore