On Becoming a Middle Grade Author, a guest post by Amalie Jahn

In 2022, with the stress of the pandemic weighing heavily and a nearly a decade of writing for young adults under my belt, I decided it was time to shake things up. To try something new and stretch myself as an author. A quick brainstorming session with my agent revealed that the obvious choice was for me to dip my toes into the middle grade fiction pool.

At first, I didn’t think there was much difference between stories written for the two age groups, but once I filled my Kindle with as many middle grade novels as the library would allow me borrow, I realized there were more than a few key elements setting them apart.

Writing for tweens was going to be far different from writing for teens.

And maybe even a little more difficult.

One of the most obvious differences I encountered between YA and MG was point of view. While I’d written all of my young adult titles in first person, the majority of middle grade books I encountered were written in third. It didn’t take long to realize the difference in POV could be mostly attributed to voice. While the young adult characters in my books spent considerable time reflecting on what was happening to them and analyzing the meaning of life via internal dialogue, it became clear that the middle grade characters in the books I was reading spent more time reacting to what was going on around them and rarely took time to self-reflect. In addition to voice, it became apparent that YA and MG characters were compelled by different motivations. For example, the majority of my young adult characters’ choices were influenced by their desire to find their place in the world, but most of the MG characters from my research were more concerned with fitting in with immediate friends and family.

With this in mind, I began thinking about my favorite middle grade books from my own childhood, and of course, The Baby-Sitters Club by Ann M. Martin was at the top of the list. As I began drafting what would eventually become Team Canteen Rocky Road, I knew I wanted it to be an homage of sorts to Mary Anne, Claudia, Stacey, and Kristy. A book about four friends who had each other’s backs. Who helped each other with the ups and downs of middle school life—from family drama to school assignments to first crushes. I wanted to write the sort of book that kids would escape into on the bus ride home from school the way I did back in the 1980s. A book that would help kids fall in love with reading the way The Baby-Sitters Club helped me.

And so, with my new appreciation for all things middle grade, Claire, Billie, Raelynn, and Tasha were born—four characters with diverse backgrounds from various parts of the United States, with different family dynamics and life challenges.

Claire and the shame of her family’s financial hardships.

Raelynn, whose love of gaming fuels her fraternal twin sister’s rejection.

Billie, the ice hockey goalie with a secret passion for figure skating.

And Tasha, whose life’s turned upside-down when her orphaned cousin joins her family.

Suffice it to say, I was thrilled when my publisher immediately saw Team Canteen as companion series to The Baby-Sitters Club, describing it as “a smart, soaring celebration of the highs and lows of middle school, and the unbreakable friendships that see you through, no matter what comes next.”

My two-year transition from young adult to middle grade author was not without its difficulties, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t do a lot more research about farts than I ever thought possible! But I’m thrilled to share the Team Canteen kids with this next generation of readers and hope the members of The Baby-Sitters Club would choose to sit with them in the mess hall. 

Meet the author

USA Today Bestselling author Amalie Jahn is the recipient of the Literary Classics Seal of Approval and the Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal for her debut YA novel, THE CLAY LION. Her first YA contemporary, THE NEXT TO LAST MISTAKE, won the prestigious IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award in 2020 and A WALK BETWEEN RAINDROPS was selected by Kirkus as one of the Best Indie Books of 2023.  A TED speaker, human rights advocate, and active promoter of kindness, she lives in North Carolina with her husband, two children, and three extremely overfed cats.

Website – www.amaliejahn.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AmalieJahn

Twitter – @AmalieJahn

Instagram – @amalie.jahn.official

About Team Canteen: Rocky Road

A hot pink boa that might be magic bonds 4 unlikely friends from summer camp and gives them the courage to face down the challenges they face back home.

This sassy, diverse series debut for tweens is perfect for fans of XO, Kitty, The Baby-Sitters Club, and Julie and the Phantoms.

On the final night of summer camp, Tasha, Raelynn, Claire, and Billie get busted stuffing themselves with ice cream in the mess hall’s walk-in freezer. But when they slip away without being punished, they’re convinced the pink feather boa Billie put on to stay warm is magic.

Back at home, each member of Team Canteen tests the boa’s powers as they face their own challenges. When her little cousin moves in with her destructive dog, Tasha struggles to find her place inside her adoptive family. Claire’s scared the kids at school will find out how hard life’s gotten since her dad lost his job. Raelynn longs to be someone other than her sister’s twin. And with a hockey-obsessed family charting his every move, Billie’s worried he’ll never be able share his dream of becoming a figure skater.

It’s going to be a rocky road from the start of the school year back to Camp Happy Hollow. Will the boa continue to protect Team Canteen, or will their friendship end up being the most magical find of all?

Alternating among the friends, Rocky Road is a smart, soaring celebration of the highs and lows of middle school, and the unbreakable friendships that see you through, no matter what comes next.

ISBN-13: 9781645952565
Publisher: Pixel+Ink
Publication date: 09/03/2024
Age Range: 10 – 12 Years

Filed under: Guest Post