Middle Grade Books I Love: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

 Yes, you've probably seen the movie. I've watched it many, many times. As a child, it was part of our Thanksgiving Day tradition to watch it on TV. But it veers so far from the book many times . . . You should really read the book of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Or the series! Despite what the movie depicts, Oz is absolutely real, and Dorothy (who is a child younger than ten, not a teenager) goes back many times. 

A Kansas farm girl named Dorothy ends up in the magical Land of Oz after she and her pet dog Toto are swept away from their home by a cyclone. Upon her arrival in the magical world of Oz, she learns she cannot return home until she has destroyed the Wicked Witch of the West. 

My childhood was ruled by Oz. Not the movie, the books. I have 34 on my shelf right now, though some are possibly original and would fall apart if I tried to read them. I also still have my childhood Oz bedsheets printed with illustrations from the first book, just sure I’ll do something interesting with them, like make a quilt. My best friend and I were Ozma and Glinda one Halloween, and her mother painted a beautiful Oz mural on her bedroom wall. One sleepover, when we were in maybe second grade, her mother found us sound asleep on our individual cots but holding hands in the middle. Because you have to hold hands when you cross the Deadly Desert or someone won't make it. Oz was at the center of our play life. 

Despite the fact that this first book in the lengthy series (14 by Baum, an additional 19 by Ruth Plumly Thompson, and a few others added later by other authors) was published in 1900, it’s still listed as a #1 Bestseller at Amazon. The 7th grade reading level pushes the top end of middle grade, but that hasn’t stopped millions of kids from devouring these stories for generations. Maybe it can be a read aloud bedtime story for your middle grade child. Cuddle up and enjoy!

There are delightful (and scary) characters to meet! If nothing else, read the original Oz book and enjoy comparing it to the movie. Which one do you like better? 

PS We won't talk about Return to Oz, which was very close to the books it covers but visually nightmare inducing. Some things are better left on the page. 

Middle Grade Books I Love: Socks

 For the second spot in my series, I'd be remiss not to talk about Socks by Beverly Cleary. She was a librarian who often struggled to find appropriate books for voracious young readers, so she started writing them herself. Socks was one of the later stories (1973), but it is my favorite. 

Socks is one happy cat. He lives the good life with his affectionate owners, Mr. and Mrs. Bricker. Ever since the day they saved him from a life spent in a mailbox drop slot, Socks has been the center of their world. And he always has everything he needs—tasty kitty treats and all the lap room he could want! But when a new baby arrives, suddenly the Brickers have less and less time for Socks. Little Charles William is the one getting all the attention. Socks feels left out—and to show it, he starts getting into all sorts of trouble! What will it take to make Socks realize just how much the Brickers care about him?

This was one of my favorite books growing up, and based on the majority of my published books at this point, it obviously influenced my choice of writing subject as an adult. Cleary announced to young Meg that it was perfectly fine to write about your beloved cats. And I certainly have! I own an original copy (or a very early one) on my shelf still. It has been read dozens of times. Just writing about it now makes me want to pull it down and curl up with Socks again. 

If you are looking for wonderful middle grade stories, anything by Cleary is a good bet. 91 million copies of her books have been sold. Ramona and Henry and Ribsy the dog, not to mention the mouse and his motorcycle, are still popular choices! 

Middle Grade Books I Love: A Wrinkle in Time

 In March of this year, I was asked to speak to a group of college students at the Beebe campus of Arkansas State University about the history of middle grade books. Middle grade is one of my favorite age levels to read and write for, and I had a wonderful time doing research on this topic. Mainly, I discovered that, until the 1970s, there were a limited number of books that would meet the middle grade qualifications of today. This is why most of my friends and I went from picture books and Little Golden Books directly to our parents' bookshelves. I was reading Dragonriders of Pern when I was ten or eleven. Good readers would devour what was available for elementary school kids and then move straight to adult novels. Not usually the best plan because the subject matter is far from appropriate.

So I'm going to take a few months here and feature the middle grade novels I loved when I was the age those are written for, as well as the ones from more recent history that I've loved. I'm aiming for twenty books in this series, but it may be hard to stop. Too many good books in the world!

Just to clarify, middle grade books are:

• written for ages 6-12 and that reading level
• focused on the child having and solving the problem, free from adult assistance (though there is often a mentor who helps and supports)
• featuring a main character who is 6-12 or maybe 13--the same age as the reader
• addressing issues for 6-12 year olds, like bullying, school, family, and very little on romantic relationships beyond crushes

It seems only proper to start this series with the book that was one of my favorites in elementary school. Thanks to the recent movie version (which was actually pretty well done for a book-to-movie translation), kids are still well-aware of this book. But I'll start there anyhow, just in case.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

Originally published in January of 1962, Amazon still lists it as a #1 Bestseller, and the day I checked, it ranked #1 in Children's Time Travel Fiction. The heroine inspired and impacted me so much, I literally changed my name. I’d grown up a Margaret who was called Molly. But going into a new school for 6^th grade, I announced my nickname was now Meg. It stuck. Attachments to a book character don't get much stronger than that!

This is Book 1 of the Time Quintet Series.

It was a dark and stormy night. Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.

"Wild nights are my glory," the unearthly stranger told them. "I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me sit down for a moment, and then I'll be on my way. Speaking of ways, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract."

A tesseract (in case the reader doesn't know) is a wrinkle in time. A Wrinkle in Time is the story of the adventures in space and time of Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O'Keefe (athlete and one of the most popular boys in high school). They are in search of Meg's father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government on the tesseract problem.

A Wrinkle in Time is the winner of the 1963 Newbery Medal.

If you've never read this fabulous book, grab a copy right away. One my absolute favorites!