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Picture books are now starting to be seen as the books for the little kids, and even chapter books are starting to lose their luster. Sometime during elementary school, readers move past chapter books and into middle grade. If chapter books are where readers begin the journey of lifelong reading, then middle grade cements that journey. And with a wide variety of genres and formats, there are plenty of different books to choose from. Here are three things to consider when writing middle grade novels.
Middle grade does not equal middle school. Middle grade readers are typically between the ages of eight and twelve years old, and an eight-year-old is usually in second or third grade. Some middle schoolers will also be reading middle grade, while others will have already moved on to YA.
The books and topics that an eight- or nine-year-old wants to read about will be different from what a twelve-year-old would be interested in, so word count and story complexity will vary from one book to the next. You will also hear authors and people in the publishing industry refer to lower middle grade and upper middle grade. Think of lower middle grade as shorter novels for eight, nine, and ten year olds with ten-year-old protagonists, while upper middle grade will be longer and more complex and feature protagonists that could be twelve or maybe even thirteen.
While we see this a little bit in the previous categories of kidlit, middle grade is where it starts to become more noticeable. Kids want to read about characters who are a year or two older than them and starting to experience things that they haven’t experienced yet. This is where the eight-year-old middle grade reader starts to read about what the ten-year-old is doing, and a ten-year-old reads about what life as a twelve-year-old is like. So when you’re thinking about the age of your ideal reader, know that that won’t often be the age of your protagonist as well.
While kids are starting to grow up and express their independence, they’re still typically reliant on their family and friends for support and basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter. Many middle grade books will feature stories that focus on the main character at home and or at school, with stories featuring sibling relationships, best friends, rivalries, and adventures they experience along the way.
Kids are learning how to make sense of their role in their family units and within their group(s) of friends. It’s about feeling a sense of belonging, not setting off on their own.
Middle grade has exploded in popularity in recent years, from shorter, simpler novels, to longer, more complex novels with subplots. Ttweens have the opportunity to see themselves in books of all kinds — from contemporary to historical, fantasy to sci-fi, and mystery to horror. Even the format of middle grade has options, as graphic novels have grown in popularity too. The possibilities are endless.
So choose your genre (or genres), create a main character and decide how old they are, and begin building out your story. What kind of middle grade novel will you create?
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📚 I offer book coaching and editing for authors of picture books, chapter books, and middle grade and YA novels. Are you ready to get started? Send me a message to tell me about your book.
Jennifer Navarre is a kidlit editor and book coach who spends her days helping authors refine their audience and their story as they develop their picture books, chapter books, and middle grade and YA novels.
She’s worked in prose and rhyme on books for kids, tweens, and teens and led presentations on writing and education at conferences across the US.
Jennifer is a part of many online writing communities as both a writer and an editor and is a champion procrastinator when getting her own stories out of her head and onto the page.
