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 6th 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!
It's still going strong, after all these years!
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