Middle Grade Fiction [Especially Horror] for All (with a giveaway)

Longtime readers of this blog know that I am a huge proponent of Middle Grade Fiction. As I posted in my 2020 Resolutions (before Covid) and then returned to in September of 2020:

As I said in my review of the latest Jason Reynolds book, I think every adult should read that book, but also, more middle grade in general. Not only are the books excellent, this is what today's children are reading and it will shape them and our future. You want to understand the future, you want to fix the dumpster fire of a world we are living in? The best place to start is with the youth of today. I always try to have a resolution that revolves around reading in an area that I think needs more attention and that I am also less well versed in, so this fits the bill. I no longer have young children and I need to stay connected to this age group. This resolution will help me achieve that overall goal.

And actually, this commitment to reading Middle Grade as an adult reader, and suggesting it to adults in general, goes back to this post in 2018 where I wrote: 

I especially think middle grade works better than YA for more adult readers because they don’t judge it as much. By this I mean, with some adult who are new to reading YA, all they do is complain how it isn’t as "complex” or isn’t as “well written,” as adult titles [both comments are useless and wrong as criticism]. They spend too much time trying to feel superior to the book in front of them. But, with middle grade, the adult reader already knows that the book HAS to be written at a different level than adult and is more willing to let the story unfold on its own merits. They expect it to be “easier.” They spend no time judging and all of their time experiencing the book, and almost always, they are honestly surprised by how deep, moving, and intricate these books are.

I have found that adult readers are often surprised by how much middle grade has to offer to them as a reader. This is why it makes such a great suggestion. You are helping them to find a book they would never consider on their own. And when they love it, you get the credit. If they don’t like it, they blame it on the book being for kids. You are off the hook. This is a no lose proposition people. 

By making it an official resolution in 2020, I made a commitment to integrating MG fiction into my regular reading life. I started thinking about it in 2018, but made it a habit in 2020, and I am happy to report that this is one resolution I have stuck to every year since.

In fact, this year I doubled down on Middle Grade Horror in particular as I was a major advocate for and am currently the jury chair of the inaugural awarding of a Bram Stoker for Superior Achievement in Middle Grade Horror. We will be giving out the first haunted house statue for this age group in June of 2023. Currently our jury is hard at work making our final recommendations for the preliminary ballot. 

My work with Summer Scares has allowed me the space to explore the last 10 years of MG Horror offerings, and even with my background in both Horror and a rewed interest in MG fiction, I was surprised by the depth and skill on display in MG Horror. And because I have a front row seat to the 2022 offerings, I can tell you that they are all awesome. It ia going to be hard to only send 10 recommendations on to the Stoker Chairs.

I have a giveaway of one of those titles on the Horror blog today. Click here to get the details and rules on how to enter the #HorrorForLibraries ongoing giveaway, which this week features a copy of The Clackity by Lora Senf.

But here on the general blog I wanted to remind everyone that Middle Grade Horror in particular makes for an excellent suggestion to all ages of readers, any time of year. Some of it is NOT that much less scary than adult horror; in fact, in many ways I find it more unsettling because much of it is so tied to the large issues of growing up and anxiety about who these kids want to be. There are monsters, but the existential terrors are intense.

Getting a MG Fiction display up for adults in general is a great idea. Again, a link to the post in 2018 when I wrote about doing this anytime of year. But when you do it, make sure you have titles from all genres of MG fiction and make an effort to only include books from the last 2-5 years so that you can show the adult readers how sophisticated and enjoyable a MG read can be. Focusing on today's MG and not the MG of their youth, will be eye opening to many readers. You can use this link to see my posts about MG fiction, with resources and links to reviews of the books I have read. 

Specifically for MG Horror, NoveList has beefed up all of their Middle Grade Horror offerings on their site and our Summer Scares programming guides from the last few years not only have 3 chosen MG titles per year, but 4 readalikes for each. That is a great FREE place to start exploring MG Horror.

I also want to promote Spooky Middle Grade as another great free resource. This a collection of Middle Grade Horror authors who will provide free virtual panels, resources, and programs for your library. I have heard from multiple school libraries who have used Spooky Middle Grade to set up authors visits and all of theme loved it.

This time of year things can get hectic. People are in a rush, the library is even more short staffed than normal, and many readers are looking for a good read that they can escape into for a few hours. Set them up with some excellent MG choices in the adult section. Remind them with your displays and lists that the entire library is there to help every patron at all times. Give them permission to think about MG by putting it in their section of the library. Just make sure to sprinkle in some horror while you are at it.