Comments on: What’s up with middle grade?

By: Liana

Liana — Tue, 02 Dec 2014 00:28:45 +0000

Hi! I have one question about MG: I was told that my upper MG novel is too literary or sophisticated for children of that age. I don’t know what to make of it (maybe I should be flattered, or maybe upset). Where would you draw the line in terms of style? My book certainly does not seem as if it was written by Joseph Conrad, but I didn’t want to be too plain either. I can think of examples of children’s books written in a very literary way. Is that something that agents tend to stay away from?

By: Victoria Coe

Victoria Coe — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:12:31 +0000

I’d love to hear your thoughts on age ranges within the overall category of middle grade. For example, I see middle grade books aimed at the lower range (ages 7-10) and others aimed at the upper range (ages 9-12) or somewhere in between. Do these distinctions apply primarily to reading level or subject matter or both?

By: Laurie Gray

Laurie Gray — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 22:13:18 +0000

As the author of a tween book (Summer Sanctuary/Luminis Books,2010)who is in the process of writing more, I wonder whether you think there are more accelerated younger readers (say 8 & 9 year olds) reading “up” or more challenged readers (15 & 16 year olds) reading “down” and whether this is something an author should consider regarding content. I look forward to the discussion!

By: Nova

Nova — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 22:45:21 +0000

Is there room in the MG market right now for a “quiet” coming-of-age story if the book has a strong voice and compelling characters?

—This question may or may not be from one of Michael’s clients.

By: Yat-Yee Chong

Yat-Yee Chong — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 17:10:03 +0000

I am very interested in listening in on the conversation. I have a MG novel that has garnered interest from various sources and even came close to landing a contract but hasn’t yet. Even though I have revised it 17,000 times, I am willing to find out if there are other things that will make it better.

By: IDA

IDA — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:56:12 +0000

My main character is 12 years old in the first novel so the target reader would be 2 years younger. I think it’s important to be aware that many middle grade books would be considered for school novel studies or in-class reading. Profanity would probably eliminate them from consideration as would graphic violence or any serious boy/girl relationships.

I knew I would be providing a teacher’s guide and student workbook on-line to accompany the novels so I considered aspects of literature circles and novel studies that could be incorporated into the book. Being a teacher in this middle grade age group helps me be aware of interests.

I believe this age group likes characters that that they can identify with, that have some flaws but also qualities they value such as loyalty and courage. I do think this category may be getting smaller. As is the case with children’s toys, by the time students are in Grade 7 and 12 years old they consider themselves YA as far as reading material. However, MG is probably not accessible to students younger than Grade 4 because of reading skills. So a genre with a 2 to 3 year age span of potential readers may be problematic, longterm. I hope I’m wrong.

By: Kim

Kim — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 20:52:21 +0000

I’m trying to write strong male characters in my two MGs. I’d like to know if books that give equal weight to a male and a female character are okay or if it’s such common belief that females will read about males that the demand is for females that take a back seat to one dominant male character, so to speak.

By: Elizabeth Larsson

Elizabeth Larsson — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 18:29:26 +0000

I’m curious about balance in MG, specifically to do with emotional subject matter.

On the one hand, there’s a need to help “kids deal with their situations,” as one commenter above puts it. That means writing about some of the tough situations children encounter. On the other hand, I was recently talking to the mother of a 10-year-old girl who shies away from books with intense emotional conflict and prefers to read books on the silly side. While the mom wants her daughter to read more emotionally challenging material in time (and the girl already has to do that for school), she feels that there’s also value to reading for entertainment, especially when her kid is still just a kid.

What’s your take on this as it translates to the actual writing of MG? Should writers aim to help those kids who are growing up at a mile a minute, or to entertain the kids who are going at a more traditional pace? Or does it all just balance out in the market, with different books available for the different kids who need them?

By: Sarah Henson

Sarah Henson — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:07:20 +0000

What is played out in MG? What exactly are agents looking for?

I have a MG adventure/portal novel that, quite frankly, isn’t ready to query yet, but I’ve been hearing from different sources that sort of thing is out. Not that I write toward trends or anything, but I haven’t had the motivation to revise it (I wrote it a few years ago) since it doesn’t seem to be the sort of story agents are looking for.

Then again, I keep hearing agents looking for MG, so I’m just a big ball of confused. What are your thoughts?

By: Gill Avila

Gill Avila — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 08:16:08 +0000

At Kristin Nelson’s Friday (02/17) Pubrants blog she has a video defining the meanings of YA and MG. Cleared up my questions.