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Stay tuned for the last leg of our Skype tour coming this winter! For more information, please read the 
February 4, 2012: Sweet ReadsFor Writers
This website will offer many in-depth articles relating to the craft of writing middle-grade books. Consider this page your overview, a roadmap for writers new to the wonderful world of middle-grade books.
For many, the first question is, what are middle-grade books? In children’s literature, the major categories of children’s books are picture books, easy readers, middle-grade books and young adult. Picture books are the earliest books read to children, featuring illustrations on every page and fairly short sections of text. When children are ready to begin reading independently, they usually start with easy readers, which are books with simple vocabulary, easy sentence structure and basic story arcs. Middle-grade books are written for children who have mastered the basics of reading, and are ready to take flight in books with more complex characters, stories and themes. Young adult books are usually longer than middle-grade books, have adolescent characters, and typically have more mature themes.
Since this is a website dedicated to middle-grade books, you’ll forgive us for saying that middle-grade books are particularly wonderful and special. When you ask adults to name their favorite books from childhood, it is this category of book that is frequently mentioned: Little House on the Prairie, The Phantom Tollbooth, Harriet the Spy and, of course, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Within the middle-grade category, books may be further separated into lower middle-grade and upper middle-grade, based on the length and complexity of the book.
Many new writers ask how they can gear their stories to fit the middle-grade profile. The first concern of any writer, however, is to write the best story he or she can possibly write, and then concern themselves over the issue of what category it fits into. Generally speaking, a book is considered middle-grade when (1) the main character is 13 years old or younger, since most children like to read about characters their own age or older, (2) the manuscript is approximately 20-60,000 words, and (3) the story does not contain issues of an overtly sexual or violent nature. Of course, there are always exceptions to this rule, so please consider these factors as guidelines rather than hard-and-fast rules.
There are several excellent organizations and websites available to writers who would like to become more familiar with the children’s publishing industry. Here are a few to start:
The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators – This organization offers many resources to its members, including conferences, grant opportunities and a bi-monthly magazine. www.scbwi.org
Harold Underdown’s The Purple Crayon – Harold Underdown, a children’s book editor, provides a professional viewpoint on understanding the publishing process, business trends, and the craft of writing for children. www.underdown.org
Verla Kay’s Blueboards – The Blueboards offer the power of collective wisdom as published authors, newbies and everyone in-between come together to offer support, encouragement and advice to each other. www.verlakay.com
Hi!
Just stumbled onto your site. Wish I had found it sooner. I LOVE writing for Middle Grades readers!
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You all are doing a wonderful job with the blog! It has become a daily favorite. Thanks.
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This is wonderful. editors are great for grammar, plot, theme etc. bla bla. I rely on my 9yr old son to review my writing, if he doesn’t like it, then I’m not happy with it. If it never gets published, well I was only writing for him.
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This site is awesome! I get so much out of it. Thank you for keeping it going. BTW, do you review independently published books?
Hugs,
Lee Mandel
Author of “Frog Burgers”
http://www.frogburgers.net
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MsFishby Reply:
January 5th, 2011 at 7:35 am
We do not review books.
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Thanks for the gem- bulletins under “What is Middle-Grade?” especially the ones by Claudia Mills, Bruce Hale, Rita Williams-Garcia, and Tanya Lee Stone. Who wouldn’t want to write for middle-graders? Too much is made of their innocence, but there is a compelling purity of heart about them. They explore the world with hope and trust. They are quick to consider other possibilities. They haven’t learned not to care too much. Have you notice how hungrily some adults read middle-grade novels?
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I love everything about this site and I especially appreciate the delivery to my inbox announcing the content of the new posting. There are a lot of blogs out there but this one both showcases new books in a meaningful way and offers very helpful craft advice. I read, write, and love middle grade novels
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