Writing Fiction for Middle-Grade Readers
By Sophie Masson | July 11, 2016 |
Flickr Creative Commons: Andy Lamb
In my last WU post, I wrote about the building blocks of great YA fiction, and in the post before that, I wrote about writing picture books for the youngest readers. This time, I’m looking at an in-between age range: what’s known as ‘middle-grade’.
First of all, a definition: what exactly is meant by ‘middle-grade’? At its most basic, it means books for readers aged 8-12, or 9-13. These are the books you read after you become a fluent reader, and before you start to tackle YA fiction. It’s what you might call the golden age of reading, where you find the most readers—I would say the most readers of any age, including adults. But what works for an 8 or 9 year old might not work so well for a 12 or 13 year old—and vice versa–so within that broad category of middle grade, there are sub-categories of lower and upper middle-grade (sometimes the upper end is also referred to as ‘tweens’).
The age of the readership however is only a guide. There are other things involved in knowing whether your manuscript is ‘middle grade’ or should shift upwards into ‘YA.’ I’ve written a lot of middle grade fiction as well as YA—and in all kinds of genres, from fantasy to historical to mystery to contemporary to humor—and can personally testify to the fact that it’s certainly not genre that separates middle-grade books from books aimed at young adult readers. It’s an alchemy of elements that in any genre of middle grade makes you know that a story is for readers of that age, rather than their older siblings–or indeed their younger ones—what’s known, at least in my home country of Australia, as ‘junior fiction’, is for kids aged 5-8, new readers who are ready to venture into short ‘chapter books’.
So how can you tell if your manuscript is for middle grade?
- Age of characters—middle grade readers like to read slightly ‘up’, so a book aimed at 8-9 year olds might have main characters of 10 or 11; one aimed at 12 and 13 year olds, could have characters in a range from 14-16. Younger characters may also be found but they usually function as an annoyance or a source of humor.
- Careful! Even when characters in your middle-grade fiction are teenagers, don’t saddle them with teenage angst and issues better suited to YA.
- No over-emphasis of issues generally: which is not to say you can’t approach issues as such—it just means you need to do it carefully, within character and story, rather than as a message.
- A good plot: everyone likes that of course but middle-grade readers will turn away from a book if it doesn’t go at a good pace. They take no notice of awards for nice prose styles—which is not to say that good writing isn’t necessary, it just means that too much visible craft at the expense of story is a turn-off for readers of that age.
- Length: Middle-grade fiction tends to be shorter than YA though this is not a hard and fast rule—and middle grade fantasy regularly disproves it! What really matters, in a long or short middle-grade book, is whether your story is interesting enough to hold the road as it were!
- Outwardness rather than inwardness: even with the very popular diary form in middle grade fiction, the character’s musings are often directed outwards. Don’t spend too long in inward reflections by characters; this can bore your readers. This does not mean it should be all action and no thought—you just need to strike the right balance, and maybe err on the side of action!
- Inventive, sparkling language and concepts—despite their impatience with ‘too many words’ as it were, readers of this age do appreciate a bright, fresh voice and clever ideas.
- Humor—even in a more ‘serious’ novel, a touch of humor goes a long way with this age group! Gloom or too much solemnity is not something they appreciate.
- A touch of romance is fine, but only of the most innocent sort. No sex!
- Violence is certainly found in middle grade fiction, especially in fantasy and historical novels: but it is not dwelled upon and there are no graphic descriptions.
- The triumph of good over evil: middle-grade readers are not big on ambiguity. They want baddies to be punished and goodies to get their just rewards.
- Leave cynicism at the door—but irony, subtly used, will certainly be appreciated by middle grade readers!
Over to you: both as readers and writers, what do you think makes good ‘middle-grade’ fiction and distinguishes it from YA?
Born in Indonesia of French parents, and brought up in France and Australia, Sophie Masson is the award-winning author of over 70 books for children, young adults and adults. Her latest books include Sydney under Attack (children’s historical novel, Scholastic Australia, 2022) A Hundred Words for Butterfly (adult novella, ES-Press, 2022) and Cock-a-doodle-doo (children’s picture book, (illustrated by Kathy Creamer, little Pink Dog Books, 2022). In 2019, Sophie received an AM (Member, General Division) award in the Order of Australia honours list.
I tackled my first middle-grade novel a couple years ago (now with an agent). The first thing I learned is that I love writing for that age group and am even considering chapter books. The second thing I learned is that kids that age see the world from an entirely different perspective compared to adults and even teens a few years older. My novel is set in 1968, so I had to make mention of the darker moments of that year, such as the assassinations of Dr. King and Robert Kennedy. But I also had to be realistic. An 11 year-old will note these events, but not dwell on them. He’s more likely to be worried about the bully he’ll run into that afternoon or what’s for lunch in the cafeteria. Middle graders are still very self-centered. They haven’t learned to see the world through the eyes of another. In YA, teens are just getting to that point. In fact, their arc often ends with them becoming more compassionate and less selfish. While middle-graders will still be a bit self-centered at the end of the story, they should learn more about themselves and find the ability to face new challenges.
Thanks for the post!
Wow this is indeed insightful to me as a middle grade fiction writer myself. I have just written a MG fiction which was a relatively short story, approximately 32 pages in length, last year. Right now, I’m working on my second book. I am very much in awe of how tweens can really be influenced by the external world factors. At least, it is the start of their transformation in their thoughts before a dramatic change in YA stage.
Sophie, I’ll love to share your article in my blog and in fact, write about my perspective on this as well.
Thanks very much for your comment, Joanna, glad you found the article useful. Please feel free to share it on your blog and add your own perspective, I’d be more than happy for you to do that.
And good luck with your book!
I’m writing middle grade (unpublished, still). What I feel challenging in middle grade is that over the years, the stakes for characters have gotten higher and higher. There is often a family member with a disability or a serious medical condition, or a parent who has disappeared or run away. Death is a big theme–very often a parent or a sibling or a friend. But even murder and I’m not talking about just in fantasy–a murder at a convenience store frightens a girl with anxiety issues; three people die in a fire but did the bipolar mother set the fire?
Other popular elements of MG these days are magical realism and mystery. The quality of MG writing gets better and more competitive every year.
For myself, I don’t want to include death or illness or disfunction in my novels. But if I don’t, will I ever have a big enough hook to get published?
Excellent post. I’m forwarding it to a friend who’s writing a middle grade novel.
I’ve written a middle-grade book and now I’m trying to find a publisher. Any suggestions?
Check into SCBWI, Joyce. It’s a good organization to join and they keep files on all the publishers and agents. Grab a copy of the Writer’s Market for Children’s Writers and Illustrators as well. Each publisher is looking for something different, so it pays to do the research before querying them. You will almost certainly need an agent, though. More and more publishers won’t even consider a proposal from an un-agented writer.
I think a key difference is voice and topics. I once began a light hearted MG novel but midway it turned much too serious. The focus had shifted to the older sibling and I knew this was the story I wanted to tell, and it’s clearly YA. MG readers are all about discovering the world and their place in it, whereas YA is about discovering who you are, how you can make a difference. There’s overlap, of course, but there is a large element of interiority in YA that MG readers wouldn’t put up with.
By the way, I think some of the best MG fiction is appropriate for all ages :) Thanks for a useful post to keep us straight on MG vs YA.
Thanks for such a great article, Sophie!
As an author of both adult and young adult, and a private English tutor, I get to ask kids directly what they think about books!
Through my own observations, I have noticed that tweens (on the cusp of MG and YA), although much brighter than I at that age, really like edgy. They aren’t ready for “sex” yet, but they do not seem to mind a book that alludes to it, probably because it still represents a mystery. Boys included. And they respond positively when there is something they can relate to, especially readers who feel like underdogs and can relate to a story with an underdog as the MC.
What I find most interesting and wonderful about the tween group is how grown up they really are. If I use a sprinkle of older YA vocab, or throw in a scene of older YA angst, or toss in a twist or turn that surprises them in a mature way (don’t forget to drop subtle hints), they love it.
My real-life tween students see things in the news and have their eyes glued to the Internet. They hear arguments over presidential candidates, sex, drugs, violence, etc. Conversely, they still get ookies over a kitty video (don’t we all?) or a young hero saving the day.
To walk in another’s shoes for a time…that is the crux of tween writing.
One of the most popular older tween books is “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Eighth grade classes are now using it as part of History/ELA curriculum. The narrator is a little girl, but she’s a curious tomboy. The plot is filled with subtle hints of what’s to come, and a never to be forgotten trial. The setting is steeped in sleepy Southern culture. The story is rich with ever-current themes of racism and coming of age. The rape scene takes place as second-hand news during the trial and not as a scene itself. TKM shows how balance is used in writing for our younger audience. It is about walking the fine line: alluding to information instead of throwing it at them; subtly adding adult situations without making the whole story about adults.
Tweens are special. They are sponges yet have their own opinions. They are anxious to grow up yet want to know they are still safe. They are not shy about spouting their viewpoints, yet they are sensitive to those who are hurting.
I love tapping into the tween psyche, and love it when they respond in their special tween way! After 20 years of writing, they are my favorite audience.
Great post, Sophie. And I agree with Vijaya above – great mid-grade fiction for 10-12 year olds (and I’ve seen it called Junior Fiction as well), can be read by any age and enjoyed. In a way, it’s a pity these fabulous books are relegated to one shelf – there should be a category called ‘For Lovers of Story’.
I read a lot of books for the golden-age readers, not just because I write for that readership, but for enjoyment as well. Books like ‘Bird’ by Crystal Chan, and Jacqueline Kelly’s ‘The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate’, and well… many, many more. Challenging, intriguing, fabulous characters, and soooo well written.
Hi from a fellow Australian, Sophie. :-)
As a children’s book publisher, I agree with all your tips. Particularly with regard to a good plot and the need for action over introspection. Ron’s comment is right on the money with the fact that middle graders often still experience much more centration than their older counterparts. Their empathy is still developing which is why it’s actually a great age for stories that deal in empathy in a light, fun, subtle/hidden way. For example, give your baddies a reason for being baddies that the child could relate to; make the bullies get their comeuppance; write about a friendless child finding friends; great triumphs and glorious achievements; big actions that lead to big emotions that readers can feel for themselves by reading the story. The thing is, of course, that you want your core messages to be incredibly subtle, while your actual story (the entertainment factor) is right there in your reader’s face.
For me, the key thing I’m looking for is a story that will keep a reader engaged and entertained. I’m passionate about delivering books that inspire children to WANT to read (because I specialise in books for children with language and literacy difficulties who often aren’t inspired to want to read).
It’s also an age group where serial fiction works incredibly well because when a middle grade reader finds characters or stories they like they’ll hunt for more of the same. Resistant readers can get a great deal out of that because they can be very wary about trying new things but will be keen to read new books about the things they’ve loved in other books in a series.
Thanks for sharing a great post, Sophie. :-)
I write mostly Middle Grade fiction. Like Sheryl, I really enjoy reading MG books myself and working in a primary school certainly helps.
I definitely agree that there is a fine line separating MG and YA fiction and I had to tone down a few scenes that were threatening to tip my urban fantasy, Olivia Stone and the Trouble with Trixies, over into YA. I think I managed it… well I haven’t had any parents contacting me to complain about giving their children nightmares, yet. That could be in the sequel.
Thanks Sophie for an interesting article.