Why A Middle-Grade Novel May Be Your Best Next Read (Plus 5 Books To Try Out)
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I clearly remember the joy of reading an absorbing and enthralling story when I was in late elementary and middle school. Nancy Drew and her boyfriend Ned were a few of my favorite characters, and I had hours of free time in my days when I could curl up in my dad’s chair after school (while he was still at work, of course) and get lost in a mystery. I forgot any preteen drama from school, probably ignored a few chores, and let my mind rest from dividing fractions.
The books themselves didn’t overwhelm me in their length or vocabulary (though the best ones always held a few new intriguing words), and yet these stories helped form my character and view of the world.
C. S. Lewis is well known for his own love of youth literature. He valued it highly, writing several novels for the ages we know as “middle grade,” and yet he never thought the reading of these stories should be limited to, or dumbed down for, only those ages 8-12.
He wrote, in an essay entitled “On Three Ways of Writing for Children,” “I am almost inclined to set it up as a canon that a children’s story which is enjoyed only by children is a bad children’s story. The good ones last.” I couldn’t agree more.
Many of us already have several beloved books that fall into this category of middle grade: Anne of Green Gables, The Secret Garden, Heidi, Little Women, and of course the Narnia series by C. S. Lewis himself.
We revisit these books, often with our children, hopefully several times over our lives, because they continue to speak to us, both of truth and beauty in the world, and of the nostalgic days of our own early coming of age.
The good ones continue to challenge us, even as adults, to rise in grace and valiancy, reminding us of what we valued when the everyday cares of adulthood had yet to push aside our dreams for life, and making us laugh with the simple humor and joy of quirky and beloved characters that remind us of ourselves at that age, and sometimes even now.
Whether you have children you are sharing these with or not, I firmly believe that every adult should include a few middle grade novels in their bedside table book pile, even just for their own enjoyment. They have the added bonus of being quick reads (not generally too long or having overly complicated vocabulary for adults) and thus not intimidating. Sometimes, that is exactly what our days need: quality and depth without taxing our literary perseverance.
If you haven’t yet read the examples I listed above, I would highly suggest starting there. However, if those are already on your bookshelf and you’re ready for a few new options, here are five more of my favorites (which all happen to be the first in a series, so the fun keeps on going!):
01 | What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge
This story, published in 1872, is the story of a 12-year-old girl who has aspirations of being beautiful and beloved but who, like Ramona Quimby or Anne of Green Gables, seems to always find herself a bit of a mess and opting for outlandish schemes.
A shocking and life-altering event happens to her one day, however, which challenges Katie to go beyond her superficial goals and asks each of us what we would do if we were in her position.
This novel treats tragedy and suffering with both compassion and courage, and asks the reader to use disappointing circumstances for inner growth as well.
02 | Nory Ryan’s Song by Patricia Reilly Giff
Set during the Great Hunger (1845-1852), Nory Ryan’s Song, the first of three novels, follows an Irish family as they struggle and fight their way to America. They leave behind their land, their family legacy, and their feeling of belonging for the shores of a new and sometimes unwelcoming country, to flee what would have been almost certain starvation.
Written by the great-granddaughter of real-life Great Hunger survivors, Patricia Reilly Giff brings to life in this historical fiction series the hardship and the hope that drove 3 million Irish out of Ireland to foreign shores, along with the self-sacrifice of those who stayed behind.
03 | The Unlikely Story Of A Pig In The City by Jodi Kendall
A modern tale, I came upon this story while helping shelve books at my childrens’ elementary school. Jodi Kendall sets us in the middle of a large family, the Shillings, who live in a small house in the big city. The middle child in the middle of a busy family, Josie feels invisible.
When her older brother brings home a piglet, Josie’s empathy prods her to speak up and take on the challenge of caring for it, allowed only under the parental conditions of a strict deadline to find this rambunctious and hungry farm animal a home in the country.
With time running out, we get to follow along with Josie as she enlists her friends, struggles with her family dynamics, comes to discover a passion for animals, and finds out through it all what makes her an important part of her family. Laugh-out-loud funny in parts, the Shillings are a very real portrayal of the joys and pains of growing up in a large family.
04 | The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale Of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, And A Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall
If you are a fan of Little Women and wish there were a modern-day equivalent of the March family, this series is the closest thing I’ve yet found. Following a widower dad with four daughters named Rosalind, Skye, Jane, and Elizabeth (nicknamed Batty), the first of the five-book series starts with the family headed off on a vacation adventure.
Here they meet another boy, named Jeffrey, whom they befriend, despite his mother’s protests. The personalities of each of the girls, their hopes and dreams, their arguments and love for each other, and their creativity in the face of hardship are both inspiring and endearing.
Filled to the brim with clever characters, hilarious antics, and four heroines instead of just one, this book series brings the joy of discovery that the original readers in Alcott’s day must have felt with Little Women’s first publishing.
05 | The Mistmantle Chronicles: Urchin Of The Riding Stars by M.I. McAllister
Written by a British author, Margaret I. McAllister’s Mistmantle Chronicles was the most wonderful of new treasures for me several years ago when I read about these stories on the blog of a fellow book lover, Thea Rosenburg, over at Little Book, Big Story.
She was touting their literary value and asking for others to join her in campaigning for this out-of-print series to be reprinted. I promptly decided that despite her warning of the last book of the five-book series being difficult to find, I was going to start reading them. I did find books one through three, and spent more than I ever had on a book to obtain volumes four and five. They were worth every penny!
This series follows the main character, Urchin, a small red squirrel of unusual honey coloring, from his sad but prophesied birth through battles and disasters, betrayals and romance, deaths and new births, adventures, invasions, and knightly crownings.
Set on an island mantled by mist, where the characters are all animals, you will become caught up in their stories as if they were very human. These books have strong Christian themes of light and dark, goodness and evil, self-sacrifice, and a creator who gives strength and works all, even the hard and dark times, together for good.
These books do cover some harder topics, including death and loss, adoption, betrayal, how evil can change people, and the intentional killing of those who aren’t seen as full contributors to society due to physical or mental disability.
These are big topics for young readers, yet McAllister covers them in a way not at all gratuitous, where questions are raised for the reader to contemplate, and the answers offered as every life is shown to be invaluable to the society of Mistmantle.
I am able to now offer these books on this list only because they are finally back in print! As of October 2023, all five books will be back in print, thanks to Purple House Press.
Each of my children who have read these books, and all of their friends that I have lent our copies to, have enjoyed them immensely and ripped through them. Beautifully written, suspenseful, and full of danger, courage, love, and hope, they span the ages of all readers, from middle grade through adult.
In short…
With so many tantalizing new adult fiction novels that are coming out monthly, along with all the foundational classic novels that many of us want to experience and add to our “to be read” book piles, I hope you will add in a few of these middle-grade novels. They not only can satisfy your desire for a quality story, but often also add a nostalgic and sweet bit of fun to your day.
Books mentioned in this article:
