“Access to books and the encouragement of the habit of reading: these two things are the first and most necessary steps in education and librarians, teachers and parents all over the country know it. It is our children’s right and it is also our best hope and their best hope for the future.” –Michael Morpurgo
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I’ve spent the better part of my writing time in 2025 writing and publishing Middle Grade novels, and Sue Coletta’s recent TKZ post on Writing for Children inspired me to share some of the things I’ve learned.
I asked my good friend and TKZ contributor emeritus Dr. Steve Hooley to help me. I had interviewed Steve on my blog earlier this year about his Middle Grade Fantasy series, The Mad River Magic Series. Steve’s thoughts about writing for the 8-12 year old level were so insightful, I asked his permission to quote from that interview and from later email exchanges. So here are some thoughts about Middle Grade books from both of us.
WHAT CONSTITUTES MIDDLE GRADE?
Steve:
Most authors define “middle grade fiction” as being written for ages 8 – 12 (third grade through sixth grade), and containing no sexual content or realistic violence. I think that another way to look at it is the intelligence and information processing skills of the reader. “Children” of this age are reaching the age where they can understand adult logic and reasoning. And they are not yet filled with the adolescent hormone-driven physical and sexual attraction that is found in young adult material, and that clouds their thinking.
They differ from books for younger readers in that they are more like adult books, longer, with plot and structure. And they differ from books for YA and adult in that they usually contain no profanity, sex, or overt violence.
Kay:
I like what Steve had to say about adult logic and reasoning. In my books, the two main characters solve mysteries by looking at things from multiple points of view. I believe this introduction to analytical logic and critical thinking skills will serve young readers well. (And I know Garry Rodgers will like that.)
WHY WRITE MIDDLE GRADE?
Steve:
In my opinion, the age group of readers of middle grade books is in the innocent age of transition to adulthood. This permits the reader to learn principles from the book that will prepare them for their adult life. And it gives the author a unique opportunity to present material which the reader can evaluate and consider regarding choices for their adult life.
Kay:
I had included two young girls, 10-year-old Reen and her 9-year-old cousin Joanie, in my third mystery novel, Time After Tyme. The girls were very popular with readers, and several people encouraged me to give them their own series. Although I hesitated for months while I worked on another novel, the idea of writing books that would contribute to a child’s intellectual growth appealed to me. I decided to try to create an entertaining story that would have traces of problem-solving, teamwork, fair play, and persistence without preaching.
HOW MANY WORDS?
Steve commented on my blog that most of his Mad River Magic books are around 80K words, so I would put those books in the Older MG category.
Each of my books is around 30K words, so I think younger readers can handle the straightforward plotting and limited number of characters.
WHAT GENRES ARE ACCEPTABLE?
As we mentioned above, Steve’s books are in the Fantasy genre; mine are mysteries, but according to a recent post on Jenny Bowman’s site, MG books can cover a wide range of genres. She mentions mystery, fantasy, adventure, historical fiction, and even the re-telling of classic stories like Les Miserables.
In place of a romance genre, best friends and strong relationships are appropriate. And MG kids love to laugh, so humor is always welcome in Middle Grade fiction.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Steve included these thoughts in a recent email
- The name of genre (Middle Grade) makes no sense. It is not Middle “School” age.
- The wide discrepancy of reading skills in that age group. Some are reading adult books by the end of “middle grade”. Others (according to recent testing) are reading very poorly.
- Should there be two genres, a boys’ and a girls’ genre? Girls are always asking for romance by the 7th and 8th grade. While boys want adventure without all the icky girl stuff. (ex. Nancy Drew series vs. Hardy Boys)
- Marketing is difficult, unless you are trad published. Teachers want to recommend books that have won awards to their students.
- At that age, most readers are not buying their own books.
- At that age, readers can’t leave reviews on Amazon.
- Contact with students for beta reading must be handled with care. The best is to find a gifted and talented coordinator who will be the intermediary, because most teachers don’t have the time or the interest.
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So TKZers: Have you written any Middle Grade Fiction? Have you read any MG novels? What are your thoughts about writing for children?
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Whether they’re searching for hidden treasure in Bellevue or chasing tricky thieves through famous landmarks in Manhattan, Reen & Joanie are up to the job. Join the girls and make the world a better place.
Click the image to go to the Amazon series page.
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A hero on crutches, flying barrel carts, Indian magic, and a glow-in-the-dark magic pond, Bolt and the Mad River Magic gang have it all, living in the enchanted forest with their grandparents and practicing light magic.
Click on the image to go to the Amazon series page.
Kay, thanks for bringing Steve back for a guest appearance. I’ve missed his great posts on TKZ.
One other reason MG books are important is b/c they make the strongest, most enduring impressions on young readers. They are often the first books they’ve read all by themselves w/o help from parents, grandparents, or teachers. The new sense of independent discovery was exhilarating to me at that age.
Also those books are the ones I remember most—Charlotte’s Web, Dr. Doolittle, Nancy Drew, A Wrinkle in Time.
Thanks, Kay and Steve, for your excellent insights into MG.
Good morning, Debbie!
Great observation about the strong impression MG books make on children. The Nancy Drew books had a huge impact on me when I was growing up.
Have a great week.
Thanks, Kay, for including me in this post, and for making me sound intelligent.
I made many mistakes with my books, but I hope that my grandchildren will find some nuggets of wisdom that will help guide them in the right direction.
Thank you, Steve, for having been my guest on my blog and allowing me to use part of that interview here.
Your grandchildren are very fortunate. Those “nuggets of wisdom” will serve them well.
Have a great week.
Steve!!
This is a vital market. If we can reach this age group with stories they love to read, we might turn around the growing illiteracy trend in this country.
Morning, Mike.
Good point. I can’t imagine a better measure of success than changing those illiteracy numbers, one child at a time.
Great interview! It’s wonderful to see Steve here. Thanks, Kay for putting this together.
Steve characterized middle grade books well in his comments. MG readers can be very avid, enjoying humor, history, animal fiction, sports fiction, fantasy, mystery, spooky stories etc. Like YA, MG is really it’s own area of fiction which includes many genres.
Books can be short or long.
I’ve never written MG. One of my favorite MG novels is “King of the Wind,” by Marguerite Henry.
Hope you both have wonderful weeks!
Good morning, Dale.
There’s so much opportunity in the area of MG. As a librarian, you must have seen the effect this genre has on kids. (I’d like to see you give it a try.)
How did I ever miss King of the Wind when I was growing up?
Hi Kay and Steve!
If there had been no children’s book authors when I was growing up (never did, though, really…grow up, I mean…), I’d have been a sad kiddo.
I say, kudos to both of you and all of the other authors who write for children. I hold you in high regard. If the wee folks don’t develop a love of reading, which spawns curiosity IMHO, there will be a hole in their lives.
Thanks for this excellent and encouraging post–and go forth and conquer!
🙂
Thanks for the encouragement, Deb. Maybe you should join us in the quest to improve literacy! 🙂
While I don’t write middle grade books, I have a tremendous interest in them because I have a 10-year-old grandson (as well as one who’s six and learning to read) and a granddaughter who’s 12. So I’m constantly on the look out for books they will like. Keeping track of their reading preference is a big job and I rely on my daughter to keep me posted. Carson, who’s 10, is big on graphic novels. He started out reading all the Dogman books, but he’s widened his interests a lot as his reading has improved (he struggled because of the COVID shut-down, which hit when he was in kindergarten.) Brooklyn, 12, has read all the Harry Potter books, and is now making her way through Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson books. But she also likes historical fiction. I’m amazed at how broad their interests are. Kudos to my daughter for reading to them constantly as toddlers and taking them to the library frequently. Books were my best friends growing up and I love seeing that blossom for them. The most important rule, to me, is never write down to kids. They have so many options now. They’ll shut the book and go watch YouTube.
So great to hear of your grandchildren’s interest in reading, Kelly. I do wish all kids had that opportunity.
You’re right about the range of options —it’s important to craft stories that are relevant *and* entertaining.
Have a good week.