When people ask me what genre I write, I immediately answer middle-grade. The response is usually something like a smile, followed by a nod, and then a "what?"
I'm always baffled that many adults do not know what constitutes a middle-grade (MG) book. "You mean, young adult fiction, right?"
Umm...no.
I then explain that it's for readers 9-12, sometimes up to 14, but that I really stick with the 9-12 age range. That I write boy-based stories that revolve around, or involve, hockey. My audience is that reluctant reader who may or may not play hockey, but has an interest in the sport.
There's still more nodding and then I usually just give them a spiel about my stories.
Why is there such a discrepancy between MG and YA? Do parents just not understand what their kids are reading? Or, do they just classify them all as "young adult" or "kids books"?
Do they not know about The Book Thief or the Percy Jackson series? How about Diary of a Wimpy Kid or The Graveyard Book? Maybe they know about The Name of this Book is Secret or The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Surely they've heard of a certain character named Harry Potter.
What do you say when someone asks you what you write? Or if you're a parent, do you know what your kids are reading?
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I have enough trouble saying I write children's books without explaining what MG is...but maybe I should! I think most adults who think back to what their favourite book was when they were a kid would probably mention a MG book (e.g. Charlotte's Web).
ReplyDeleteGreat point, Andrea. I always try to think of something current since I was born in the stone ages! But yes, asking the person what was their favorite book as a child would most likely solicit an MG response.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, I was absolutely clueless too. I had no idea what MG meant or what it was when I first heard the term. And I'm a voracious reader...of everything regardless of age group. It took some explaining (and my almost 9 year old) to understand about this category of fiction. Before that, I was classifying them as "children books".
ReplyDeleteNow, when people ask what my kid is reading, I purposefully say "Middle Grade" stories. Which, of course, gets me that blank expression, but at least then I have the opportunity to explain what it is. Once they know, they'll explain it to the next person and MG authors will (hopefully) get a leg up when they're books hit stores.
I think the confusion stems from the term not being in use until more recently. When I was growing up it was pretty much children's books and adult books, and the children's books category covered everything from Dick and Jane to The Secret Garden. LOL It makes more sense to put them into separate categories though, since there are different interests as well as reading levels.
ReplyDeleteDonna
E.C., glad I'm not the only one who gets the blank face. I like you're idea of passing on the term to other non-writers (and writers that don't write MG). Maybe it'll catch on like that shampoo commercial - MG is ..., and she told one friend, who told two friends, and so on and so on and so on... :)
ReplyDeleteDonna, I agree that MG is a relatively new term and most adults don't know what it is. Still, some of the expressions I get are like I just said I write stories about true alien abductions! I always find it as an opportunity to explain my genre and hope that they'll be more aware of what their kids are reading. I think it strikes me hard when parents of 5th graders say, "Oh, my kid is reading Hunger Games. You know, that's a kid's book." And my response is "No, it's a young adult book. Your kid should be reading MG books."
ReplyDeleteBut Hunger Games being solicited to young readers is a whole other blog. One that would make me lose friends for sure!
The MG term didn't exist when I was a kid but when blogging recently about the Tarzan books, I realized they'd probably qualify, what with the gee-whiz attitude, the initially-young protagonist & general absence of sex.
ReplyDeleteI find a lot of kids and parents erroneously call MG chapter books, which are the books that transition kids from easy readers to mid-grade. As a former teacher, I'm THRILLED to see you aiming your work at boys and reluctant readers. Boys love action, goofy, and the downright weird.
ReplyDeleteMy ten-year-old son has decided my historical fiction novel is rather dull because it's not funny. Of course, he's basing all his knowledge on the copies of old manuscripts he's found in our scrap box.
Melissa, Like I said, being born in the Stone Age (which includes other parents in my generation as well), MG wasn't classified as MG. So I sorta get why parents don't know what I'm talking about. But I make it a point to discuss this genre in hopes that they will understand that it is different than easy readers and YA.
ReplyDeleteCaroline, I love your comment about your son and the old versions of you'd mss that he's read! I think boys love funny and gross and silly and stupid. Look T the Wimpy Kid series...talk about all of those concepts! My stories are fun, yet they do teach a lesson-either by showing that working together is often better than working alone (being a team player), as well as teaching that we are all the same, no matter what we look like. I have a reluctant reader; that's why I'm so passionate about writing a good story. I want my son to want to read it again and again.
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