Thursday, February 23, 2012

Let's Talk About Middle Grade!


A couple days ago, literary agent pal Michael Bourret and I got to talking about middle grade books--about what makes the great ones so great, and about how we're both eternally hungry to discover that kind of memorable middle grade for our own respective lists. And the more we chatted, the more we thought it would be an interesting conversation to have "out loud."

So in a week or two, we're going to have a two-part blog conversation about middle grade (or as some folks call 'em, tween books); the first half on the Dystel & Goderich Literary Agency blog, and the second half right here on 10 Block Walk. In other words, exciting bloggish times are ahead, oh readers!

But first, we want to know: what curiosities and questions do you have about the writing and craft (and publishing) of MG books? Leave a comment here, or on Michael's post today on the D&G blog (or tweet me or Michael) and we'll use some of your comments as jumping-off points for our upcoming chats.

P.S. No question's too big, too small, or too silly!

23 comments:

  1. Thanks for the opportunity to ask a question! I'd like to know how difficult it is to place an upper MG novel, one directed towards readers in the 10-14 age range. I used to teach 7th grade, and find myself drawn to writing for that age group, but I rarely find books targeted there.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love this! Thanks so much.

    Question: What POV and tense do you find most successful in the current MG market and why?

    ReplyDelete
  3. It seems historicals are on the rise, what's your take?

    ReplyDelete
  4. I agree--the best MG books are better than everything else. I would love to see a list of the MG books you and Michael love. Beyond that, I'd love a discussion about what you guys think matters to MG readers--what their worldview is like.

    Great topic. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is a fantastic topic - thank you! What is the outlook for contemporary, upper MG in the vein of Jordan Sonnenblick, Jerry Spinelli, and Gary D. Schmidt? Are (family)issue driven books a hard sell?

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is a great idea!

    It feels like there is such a huge range of great but different MG novels out there. A Diary of Wimpy Kid feels so different than When You Reach Me, which is so different from A Monster Calls. What, besides age, do you feel makes a book MG?

    I second the request for a list of MG you both love. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Like others have said, I'd like to see a list of books you and Michael love, and I'd like to know the specific elements within those books that make them so appealing to you. Thank you for opening up this discussion!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I've noticed a lot of MG fantasies seem to be coming from UK agents. Is there just no market in the US?

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm also interested in the question about targeting 10-14 year old readers. Middle school is such fascinating ground, but it seems like it could be easy to write something that fails to hit an MG audience but also isn't appropriate for YA. How can you tell if you're hitting the right audience?

    Also, I love the idea of this discussion in general. Thanks for creating this opportunity!

    ReplyDelete
  10. New follower... found you over at YA highway and I'm so glad I did! I can't wait to see the MG blog post! MG is one of my favorite genre's to read and write!

    ReplyDelete
  11. What is the transition point from MG to YA? What about the content or style designates a book as MG vs. YA for a publisher?

    How does MG vs. YA influence a publisher's marketing for the book? How would a publisher market a MG fantasy book vs. a YA fantasy book? Perhaps this would help guide authors.

    Thanks for the opportunity.

    ReplyDelete
  12. New follower. I'm waiting anxiously for the article.

    ReplyDelete
  13. What are the ages of the main characters in upper MG novels for 10-14 years old readers? What is the average word count for upper MG novels? What are the guidelines for a romance between a 14 years old boy and a girl? Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oooh... you can count on me to join in! I'm interested to know about the amount/degree of acceptable violence in current upper MG lit. Thanks for the opp!

    ReplyDelete
  15. What about humorous, fun MGs? Do they all have to BIG adventure books to succeed?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Is it wiser to write with both male and female readers in mind at this age, or is it effective to keep a slant from one gender's collective experience ... like, say, in a coming of age type theme?

    Thanks! I'm looking forward to the conversation.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Do you think there is a MG cannon?

    ReplyDelete
  18. I am so looking forward to this. I second (or perhaps third at this point) the request for discussion of POV and what works for MG. I am also interested to hear about your favorite MG books out there. THANKS!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hi, Molly. I write for MG boys. That said, in reality boys don't tend to notice their surroundings. I have two boys, 12 and 14, who probably couldn't tell you if it was sunny our cloudy out much less what their classroom looked like on a given day. Setting is one of my favoite elements in books I read, but I feel limited in writing details of place for my MG books. Do you have any tips on this? Maybe a way to balance?

    Thanks,
    ~Kerry O'Malley Cerra

    ReplyDelete
  20. Thanks to elaborate about Middle Grade & give us way to think about it Genre! Thanks
    printing services

    ReplyDelete
  21. Years ago, I worked in the production of dramatic films for kids. We found that girls would watch stories where a boy was the main character, but boys weren’t very interested if a girl was the main character. When I began writing MG books, I chose this template. My adventures & mysteries are written with a boy as the main character. Some stories include other boy characters, and some include girls. The responses I get are very similar to my experience with films produced for this age group. http://booksandboys.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  22. I'm currently in the planning stages of a MG. My question centers around conflict. I realize there should be a main conflict / problem the MC faces and resolves, but what about including minor conflicts or having these minor problems being subplots? I recently read in a writing craft book that MG shouldn't deal with subplots. I personally feel tweens can handle more than one major plot, but I'm not an expert. :) I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Yes!! We want more discussion. Please.

    ReplyDelete