Middle Grade Fiction - What is It?

In 2024,  SLJ's Teen Librarian Toolbox blog will be doing a deep dive into examining and illuminating middle grade fiction. Karen Jensen recently kicked off their "Mind the Middle Project" with a resource, infographic-filled post. The series will continue throughout the year.

Karen writes: "This year as we kick off our Mind the Middle Project, I thought we would start at the beginning and talk about what, exactly, middle grade is and how it compares to YA (young adult/teen fiction). As someone who has dedicated their life and this blog to working with teens, you may be wondering why we have decided to dedicate portions of 2024 talking about middle grade literature. The truth is, just as each generation evolves and changes, so does the literature that is written for them. A lot of middle grade fiction today is written for the younger teen audience. In fact, many long writing YA authors are also now writing middle grade fiction. This is that evolution that I mentioned. I feel that a lot of middle grade fiction that is published today would have been published as young adult 20 years ago. But markets, like demographics, change. And I find myself reading and recommending more and more middle grade literature to young teens.".

Click here to read all about it and access the great resources. [Mind the Middle Project: What IS Middle Grade Fiction Anyway?. Jensen, Karen. Teen Librarian Toolbox blog, School Library Journal. January 1, 2024.]