The Importance of Middle Grade Fiction Today, a guest post by Dawn Dagger

In 2022, over 4 million books were released via traditional publishers and via self-publishing. According to author Sam Subity, less than .02% of those published were middle-grade books. Middle-grade book sales were down 16% in the same year. According to Publisher’s Weekly, however, there was an overall increase in sales of Young Adult novels. (See Karen Jensen’s TLT post Mind the Middle: Middle Grade Fiction by the Numbers for the First Half of 2024 for more stats.)

Middle-grade books target the golden age of reading, ages 8-12. Phenomena like Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Harry Potter are middle-grade books. Harry Potter, which started from the middle-grade novel Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, is one of the top 25 highest grossing franchises in the world, just behind powerhouses like Pokémon and Hello Kitty (which also targets middle-grade age, primarily). Middle-grade books are some of the most prolific in the world. Yet, every year, the list of middle-grade releases grows smaller and smaller.

There are a few factors contributing to this decline. The first is the rise in popularity of Young Adult books, due in part to the ‘BookTok’ section of the media giant TikTok. Young Adult novels target teenagers 13-18, those who are high school age. Young Adult novels usually tackle complex relationships, romance, sexuality, and are generally darker than their Middle-Grade counterparts. Both teenagers and adults alike enjoy reading Young Adult novels because of their vibrant complexity and ease of reading. The stories have compelling, relatable characters and problems. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Maximum Ride by James Patterson, and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green are all examples of explosively popular Young Adult Novels.

Young Adult novels are all about pushing the boundaries. In fact, Young Adult novels often receive the most ire and are banned because of their boundary-pushing content. 

Middle-grade novels are tamer when compared to their Young Adult counterparts but are equally important. The themes and lessons of middle-grade novels are less about challenging boundaries and center more on personal growth and interpersonal relationships. The themes prevalent in middle-grade novels include courage, healing, forgiveness, bravery, and kindness. 

The rise in popularity of Young Adult novels does not directly take away the impact that middle grade novels make, but there has been one very specific unintended consequence: novels that are middle-grade have been reclassified as Young Adult to appeal to a broader audience and to encourage adults to read them. Yes, Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Harry Potter are being widely considered as Young Adult, despite their essential place in the middle-grade genre. 

Middle-grade novels should not be seen as just ‘kid’s books,’ in the same way that Young Adult novels are not just ‘teen books.’ They are important in many ways: from fostering empathy and optimism to planting a love of reading. They are the bridge between picture books and the ever-beloved Young Adult novels. The ages of 8-12 is one of the most important to instill a love of reading in a child, and middle-grade books serve this purpose.

Additionally, middle grade books offer richer vocabulary than ‘my first chapter books,’ impacting children’s scholastic achievements and helping to prepare them for those more sophisticated books. 

Middle-grade novels provide young readers with recognition and empathy. Many disenfranchised readers will find characters that look, think, and write like them. African American characters are the heroes of fantastical novels like The Seven Wonders pentalogy by Peter Lerangis and The Menagerie duology by Tui T. Sutherland and Kari Sutherland. The Mysterious Benedict Society: The Extraordinary Education of Nichaolas Benedict features a main character with narcolepsy, bringing awareness to the neurological disorder. Deborah Edmisten’s award-winning A Nose Between series explores intellectual and physical differences, racial issues, and substance abuse in a gentle way that gives readers a peek into others’ struggles without being overwhelmed. Other books permit readers to embrace who they are. Shanon Hale’s Princess Academy is a beautiful mix of capable female characters and their varying levels of femininity. Though some like dresses and balls more than others, they are all capable and educated. Most importantly, none of the characters are patronized for liking (or not liking) the more feminine aspects of their life.  Middle-grade novels introduce children to new religions, problems faced by those who are not like them, and new ways of viewing the world in an unintrusive way.

But beyond the love of reading, the prospect of doing well in school, or even increased empathy for those around the reader, middle grade books offer something far more important: optimism.

Middle grade novels generally have themes of overcoming struggles, happy endings, and positive, healthy friendships and relationships. They are about accepting other’s differences and enjoying the world around you. It can be hard to be positive in the face of tumultuous times, and young adult and adult novels often capitalize on this feeling. There is something special hidden in the pages of middle-grade novels that doesn’t cling to the horrors of the world, but instead to friendship and light and hope.

I often attribute surviving my childhood to reading. Despite the troubles I faced, I clung to books like The Chronicles of Narnia for comfort. Middle-grade books depict situations that seem impossible to beat, but almost always have happy endings. No matter what the main character goes through, loss, depression, or death, they come out whole at the end. This is one of the most important things that these books can offer a world that seems to be drowning in darkness and despair. The stories of people whose lives have been changed by books are endless.

Middle-grade novels are some of the most important and underrecognized pieces of work in the literary world. But we can continue to support these essential novels by introducing them to the readers in our lives, reading and writing them ourselves, and embracing the title of middle-grade. So, next time you see a middle-grade display at your local bookstore, consider reading one of the stories: it might just change your life.

Sources

https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/the-50-most-banned-books-in-america/3/

Benefits of Middle Grade Books

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fiction/why-we-should-read-middle-grade-fiction-as-adults

https://www.titlemax.com/discovery-center/money-finance/the-25-highest-grossing-media-franchises-of-all-time/

Middle Grade Landscape

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/89778-we-are-bullish-on-stores-in-2022-npd-gauges-the-children-s-and-ya-book-market.html

Meet the author

An avid reader and writer for as long as she can remember, Dawn Dagger is a free-spirited author who loves everything fantastical and caffeinated and is the founder and CEO of Queen Anne’s Lace Publishing.

Dawn lives in Ohio, where she works as the marketing specialist for her local library. She enjoys adventuring with her husband, friends, and two cats.

Dawn makes art at every opportunity she can. Whether cross stitching, designing websites, making commentary and gaming YouTube videos, teaching herself the piano, or something entirely new, she’s always busy.

You can find Dawn’s books, social media, and website through the Linktree below:

Queen Anne’s Lace Publishing: https://linktr.ee/queenanneslace
Dawn Dagger: https://linktr.ee/dawndagger

Filed under: Guest Post, Uncategorized