I have a confession: I absolutely love middle grade books.
They’re often some of the funniest, sweetest, strangest, and most eye-opening books I read.
One of my favorite things about middle grade is how many firsts the characters are experiencing.
The first crush. The first best friend. The first bully. The first big move. The first day of middle school. The first time a friendship changes. The first truly scary experience. The first time you start realizing that adults might not have absolutely everything figured out.
Okay, that last one might be the beginning of the end. 😂
There’s so much wonder at this age because the characters are still discovering who they are and how the world works. Even when middle grade stories tackle difficult subjects, there’s often still a wonderful sense of curiosity, humor, friendship, family, and possibility.
I’ve tried writing middle grade myself, and let me tell you: that voice is much harder to write than it looks.
You have to make your characters sound young without making them sound childish. You have to respect your readers and never talk down to them. Middle graders are smart, funny, observant, and extremely good at realizing when an adult is trying way too hard to sound like a kid.
So I’m still working on that particular writing muscle.
In my latest video/podcast, I’m diving into a massive middle grade book roundup featuring books and series that Simon & Schuster and their imprints have sent me. I haven’t read every title yet, but I’ve read some of the books and series represented here, and there are plenty that immediately caught my attention.
📚 Books Featured in My Middle Grade Roundup
Want to check out any of the books I mentioned? I’ve linked the titles below directly to their official Simon & Schuster pages, where you can learn more and find purchasing options.
• The Sherlock Society: Art Attack by James Ponti
• Socks & Secret Quests, Book #1 of The Wandering Shop, by Triona Murphy, illustrated by James Firnhaber
• The Intergalactics by Erik Jon Slangerup
• Adventure in the City of Stories, companion to Cousins in the Time of Magic, by Emma Otheguy, illustrated by Poly Bernatene
Venus Washington Series
• Venus Washington and the Lasagna Drama by Maisha Oso, illustrated by Courtney Lovett
• Venus Washington and the Birthday Blowout by Maisha Oso, illustrated by Courtney Lovett
• Venus Washington, Eye Spy by Maisha Oso, illustrated by Courtney Lovett
You can also find all three together in the Venus Washington Paperback Collected Set.
• R.A.P.T.O.R.: Mission Manta Ray by Philip Kavvadias
• Hardy Boys Clue Book Fall Mysteries 3-in-1: The Bad Luck Skate; The Pirate Ghost; The Great Pumpkin Smash by Franklin W. Dixon, illustrated by Matt David and Santy Gutierrez
• Muslim Mavericks: Mo Farah, the Boy Who Ran to Be Free by Dr. Seema Yasmin, illustrated by Noha Habaieb
• The Christmas Wish by Lee Heart, part of the Spotlight Sprinkles series
📚 Many of these books were generously sent to me by Simon & Schuster and their imprints for consideration. I haven’t read every title featured in this roundup yet, but I’ve read several books from these authors and series and wanted to share these new and upcoming releases with fellow middle-grade readers, parents, teachers, and librarians.
Come See Me at Funky Ferndale!
I’ll be at the Funky Ferndale Art Fair in Ferndale, Michigan, on September 26 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
I’ll be doing a special BOGO sale at my table. Buy one of my books or a signed book by one of my fellow SCBWI authors or illustrators, and you can choose one of these middle grade books to take home for free.
And if you’re a teacher or school media specialist, please stop by and say hello!
Any middle grade books I have left will be given away FREE to teachers and school media specialists who visit my table.
I would much rather see these books sitting in a classroom, school library, or kid’s backpack than continuing to build the increasingly dangerous literary skyscraper currently taking over my house.
So please share this with your teacher friends, librarians, school media specialists, parents, and fellow middle-grade book lovers.
And tell me: What middle-grade book made you fall in love with middle-grade fiction?
Happy reading!
—Kim
