BEST BOOKS FOR Middle Grade

Life gets busy for our young people with homework and after school activities and around the tween years, reading for pleasure often declines - even in children who have previously loved reading. The pressure is on to help them find a balance between reading, social media, socialising, studying and extracurricular pursuits.

It is also a challenging age in terms of book choices as they begin to transition from younger reader books to books for more mature readers. This is where ‘middle-grade’ comes into play. Middle grade novels are most suitable for readers from 11-15 and are a great way to ‘hold the hands’ of young readers as they walk/read their way from younger fiction…to the world of YA fiction; a more gentle transition than if we went from say, junior fiction fairy books to hard core young adult novels with *all* the mature themes!

Middle-grade novels often feature themes of friendships, family, social issues and community or wider world issues, with relatable central characters. It is common for children to want to read novels with characters who are the same age or slightly older, using the experiences, mistakes and successes of characters to question how they might face similar realities in their own lives. Through the vicarious experience offered by reading novels, they have the opportunity to step into other peoples' shoes, developing empathy and understanding.

*NB: Please check theme and age suitability for your individual reader.