Middle Grade Books
When I wanted to try writing a middle grade series, there was so much to learn. Now that summer is upon us and you may be encouraging your children to read, especially upper elementary kids, I’m hoping this information will be helpful as you help select books for those readers who fall between 8 and12 years old.
Middle grade has become an umbrella term and it encompasses ages that may surprise you. In fact, many people incorrectly assume middle grade is meant for middle school, but this is false. Middle grade reading is now broken into three subgroups: lower middle grade, classic (standard) middle grade, and upper middle grade. Each subgroup has a standard word count, topics covered and those that are avoided, as well as, the average length of the majority of the chapters.
A lower middle grade book is the graduated step after early chapter books. The child would be considered an ‘independent’ reader who is typically in the 7-10 age range. This would equate to a 3rd to 4th grade student. The word count for most lower middle grade books is from 15K-30K words. The protagonists are usually between 10 and 11 years old. However, the upper age of the protagonist could go up to age 12. These stories are typically G-rated without profanity, graphic violence, or older teen activities. These middle grade stories may revolve around family relationships, friendship, and the question of where do I fit in is often addressed. The risk-taking focuses on stepping out of one’s comfort zone or to take on a new responsibility. The following themes are often found at this level: friendship/bullying, family dynamics, self-identity and belonging, school life, as well as, every day challenges and empathy. In keeping with the maturity levels of children ranging from ages 7 to 10; the books avoid using profanity, gore/graphic violence, explicit romantic relationships, alcohol or drug abuse, and an inappropriate dark themes.
As a child ages out of lower middle grade, they move into what is called standard or classic, middle grade books. In this subgroup, the reader ranges in age between 10 to 12 and would be in grades 5 or 6. It may be noted that the subgroups overlap each other in ages. The protagonists for these stories tend to be between 11 to 13 years old. The word count for these books, range from 30K -50K words, which increases the numbers of chapters and the chapter’s length. The classic middle grade books tend to focus mainly on self-discovery, friendship, and family. These books build upon the lower middle grade book by adding more complex emotions and relationships, as well as, social and moral dilemmas that are heavier and have greater complexity due to the ramifications of choices made. While similar to the lower middle grade books regarding graphic gore and violence, it is different in its approach to romance. Classic middle grade romance may include crushes and the fluttering emotions that come with a first crush. There could be innocent interactions such as brushing of knees, longing looks, and hand holding. Classic middle grade romance is usually well balanced as it addresses the growth in coming of age with simple romantic subplots without anything explicit.
The next jump in level is to the upper middle grade subgroup. This may also be referred to as the crossover into young adult. Book descriptions will help greatly to identify if a book is upper middle grade or one that crosses over into the young adult realm. Upper middle grade is typically read by readers who are ages 11 to 13, grades 6 to 8, and have protagonists in the age range of 12 to 14. The average word count is between 50K to 80K words, with much longer chapters. As a crossover text it may broach more complex themes, much is either alluded to or inferred to maintain appropriate developmental content for ages 11 to 13. Upper middle grade books still avoid explicit content of graphic violence, sexual situations, or heavy drug use.
Middle grade writing is not static due to the changing needs of fictional writing that meets the appropriate development levels of today’s readers. Young adult text has also changed and it too is now broken into three subgroups similar to the middle grade. As a parent and educator, these new subgroups help me guide children to the correct subgroup that not only addresses the readers academic needs, but also their appropriate social-emotional needs.
Today I leave you with a thought on writing,
“There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they’ll take you.” ~Beatrix Potter
Cheers to the storyteller in all of us!