Middle grade fiction is fiction intended for children between the ages of 8 and 12. While these books are sometimes grouped together with books for other age bands and called collectively "children's books", middle grade is distinct from, and is intended for older audiences than, picture books, early/easy readers, and chapter books (which have larger print and more illustrations). Most of the winners of the
Newbery Medal have been middle grade books.
The category beyond middle grade is
young adult
A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...
(YA), which is for ages 12–18. In addition to differences in word count and the age of the protagonists, middle grade and YA differ in content. Middle grade works don't include profanity, graphic violence, or sexuality, and they tend to focus on the characters' friends, family, and immediate surroundings as opposed to the world beyond their friends and family.
Examples of middle grade fiction include ''
Charlotte's Web
''Charlotte's Web'' is a book of children's literature by American author E. B. White and illustrated by Garth Williams; it was published on October 15, 1952, by Harper & Brothers. The novel tells the story of a livestock pig named Wilbur and his ...
'' by
E. B. White, the
Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan, and the early
Harry Potter
''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...
books.
References
Children's literature
Fiction
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