What happens when one of the picture books you’ve been working on evolves into a chapter book due to too much back-story? Then it’s recommended to be a middle grade novel because it’s getting too scary for a chapter book reader? One of the first things is to start reading more in that genre, so for me, it’s Welcome to Middle Grade!
I figured one of the best places to begin is with the Newbery winners, so I went to the ALA site. I also found another site which gives brief summaries of the Newbery winners (all genres) from 2000 to present and makes middle grade novels easier to identify. It also happens that the feature article of the Children’s Writer Newsletter this month is “Walking the Tightrope of Peril in Middle-Grade Fiction.” Jackpot! That’s a good read, plus they list many MG novels within the article which I’ll look into soon. And then I’ve gotten a few recommendations from my writing group, sooooooooo ….
The titles I’ve selected to start with, which have particular appeal to me, are these (in no particular order plus some have been moved down to the bottom list as time passes)
- The Underneath – Kathi Appelt
- Savvy – Ingrid Law
- The Graveyard Book– Neil Gaiman
- Star Girl and Eggs – Jerry Spinelli
- Crispin – Cross of Lead – Avi
- Holes – Louis Sacher (saw the movie, never read the book)
- Higher Power of Lucky – Susan Patron
- Invention of Hugo Cabret – Brian Selznick
That should keep me busy! Do you have any really great MG suggestions?
MG books that I’ve read recently, enjoyed, and recommend are:
- Skellig – David Almond (one of my favorite books.)
- Kit’s Wilderness – David Almond
- Walk Two Moons – Sharon Creech
- Hope Was Here – Joan Bauer
- Indigo – Alice Hoffman
- Green Angel – Alice Hoffman
- Because of Winn Dixie – Kate DiCamillo
- The Tale of Despereaux – Kate DiCamillo
- Pictures of Hollis Woods – Patricia Reilly Giff
- A Single Shard – Linda Sue Park
Local library – here I come!
Still A Dreamer 
HAHAHAHAHA!
Loved Walk Two Moons, as you know…
Thought Savvy was OK. Laurie, I think, loved it.
COuld not understand for a second why The Graveyard won this year (sorry. I do mean this with all due respect, Mr. Gaiman)
Eggs – one of my most favorites – also as you know. Such an amazing example of SHOW not TELL.
Holes, another excellent example!
Higher Power of Lucky I never finished… but will when I feel like it. Haven’t felt like it.
Invention of Hugo is brilliant, but I wouldn’t categorize it as MG at all… Personally… we read it as a family and my younger one wrote a letter to Mr. Selznick to tell him how much she loved it and HE WROTE HER BACK a HANDWRITTEN LETTER!
A few more to add to your list
The Big Wave by Pearl S. Buck. Oh, the beauty and sadness of this book! You can read it in a day. It’s short
Schooled by Gordan Korman – interesting lesson in writing from different POVs
Love That Dog by Sharon Creech – you can read in an hour and bring the box of tissues! Seriously.
And Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse – completely written in prose! Amazing.
Welcome to the MG world!
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Hi, Sheri!
Some of my choices were definitely due to your recommendations – so thank you – and also for the new ones. I will add them to my growing list. (Yes, Laurie did recommend Savvy.) I’ve got a huge selection – who knows what my little library will even have on hand when I get there?
I don’t know why Hugo was categorized as MG either – I just research and go accordingly. Whatever genre it is, I look forward to reading it.
Now my only problem is – what about all those great adult books I picked up at the HC Library Annual Book sale?! (not to mention the few I got Sunday at the book sale at Tinicum?!
Can we say `reading all hours of the night?’
Jeanne
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Jeanne, have you read Alex and the Ironic Gentleman? I think you’d love it! It was amazing! Which reminds me, I need to pick up her second novel!
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I haven’t heard of it, but I like personal recommendations from people I know who found a book amazing. I’ve just added it to the list. (great title, too!)
Thanks, Ame!
Jeanne
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