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 The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

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'' by

E. B. White Elwyn Brooks White (July 11, 1899 – October 1, 1985) was an American writer. He was the author of several highly popular books for children, including ''Stuart Little'' (1945), ''Charlotte's Web'' (1952), and '' The Trumpet of the Swan'' ...

, the

Percy Jackson and the Olympians ''Percy Jackson & the Olympians'' is a series of five fantasy novels written by American author Rick Riordan, and the first book series in the ''Camp Half-Blood Chronicles''. The novels are set in a world with the Greek gods in the 21st centur ...

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 {{child-lit-stub