Why I Read Middle-Grade Books as an Adult

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Adventure, mystery, action, fantasy, or science fiction? Middle-Grade books have so much to offer that I wanted to provide the reasons why I love reading middle-grade books and maybe even convince you to pick one up.

What Is a Middle-Grade Book

First, we should really understand what middle-grade books could be classified as. Crossing over into the categories of children’s books on one end, to young adult on the other, middle-grade covers a pretty hefty chunk of ages. If one was to search for middle-grade books, one would receive a wide-looking variety of books. Not only in writing style, genre, and book covers, but also in length.

Some examples of popular middle-grade books would be:

• Harry Potter
• Goosebumps
• Percy Jackson
• A Series of Unfortunate Events

These could all be classified as middle-grade books, children’s books, or even young adult. Each one varies in genre and length, but all are written with the ideal audience of middle graders in mind. The targeted age group could vary anywhere from 9-13, to 8-14, or maybe even 10-13, there isn’t an exact age range or grade when it comes to middle-grade books, just something within those ranges. As for the potential age range of middle-grade novel readers? Well, that can and should be anything from 7-70+.

Just About Any Genre You Want

One of the absolute best things about middle-grade books is the incredibly wide variety one can choose from when going up and down the middle-grade book aisle. There is a middle-grade book out there for just about everyone. If you are into mystery, they have it. If you fancy some fantasy, done. If you love relationships, check and check. The fact is, middle-grade novels have an incredible amount of variety for those of all ages.

I mean, it makes sense, right? Middle grade is a time of growth and discovery for humans. The lives of middle schoolers are still heavily controlled and run by the amount of creativity they have. It also happens to be a time when new discoveries of their world are happening and tastes are being defined. Taking a science fiction novel, and combining it with a coming-of-age story, all while making new friends, helps the middle schooler develop and grow into the human that they want to be.

This leads me to the next point.

Finger on the Pulse

As adults, we are often the ones teaching the younger generation what they should know or want to know about the world around them. However, this can be difficult, and we most likely don’t have all the answers. Middle-grade books help young readers get the answers they are looking for. It is a collective of life lessons thrown into stories by those with the possible answer.

There are actually two different pulses I like to keep up to date with.

The first is what adults are trying to teach the younger generations. It is a way for adults to convey their beliefs, theories, and or answers in a fun format for young readers to digest. When I read middle-grade books, it allows me to know what adults are trying to convey to the younger generation. Helps me feel a little more up-to-date on the issues of the world and escape my little bubble without feeling so depressed by only monitoring the news channels.

Second, my middle school years were a long time ago and a lot has changed since then. My memory is spotty and I may not always remember the challenges of the time. However, when authors write middle-grade stories, they are often placing their ideas into a world that they remember from their unique time in middle school, but more importantly, what their kids are currently teaching them. This allows me to get a perspective of what middle-grade students are dealing with and how they are handling it. This essentially means I am getting the question and the answer when I read middle-grade books written by parents.

Quick Reads

Let’s be honest, reading adult books can sometimes be a drag. While there is so much to learn and an endless supply of books to dive into, this is a blessing and a curse. Humans don’t have an incredibly long lifespan. When you add in all the other adulting responsibilities such as work, basic maintenance of life, relationships, and the other hobbies we want to tackle, well, there just doesn’t seem to be enough time in a lifetime to read all the books I want to read. Which is why I love reading middle-grade books. They allow me to escape into a rich world of imagination at a reasonable cost of time.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a thought-provoking and touching story about the main characters living through the great depression. Or maybe a powerful story about the sole survivor of a car crash. These books make me think about my life, appreciate it, and learn from others. However, when I start getting into 500-1000 page books, this eats up a good amount of my time. I can just see my reading list dwindle as time drops away from my days. Enter middle-grade. When I pick up a middle-grade novel, it provides the escape I need for shorter periods of committed time with just as much satisfaction as that 700-page, 22-book, fantasy series I am told I must read.

Nostalgia

Ok, so this is probably one of the biggest reasons I love to read middle-grade novels. The nostalgia.

I wasn’t an active reader as a kid. Most of the time I was either outside in a fort I built with my friends or playing SNES with my siblings. Though, when I did read I loved it! There was a great feeling when I picked up the new Goosebumps, another Ghost Writer novel, or something I never even heard of but loved the way the cover looked. Searching the shelves and embracing the excitement of my classmates as the Scholastic Book Fair came to our school. Spending a rainy fall weekend inside all cozied up in my bedroom. Those types of days are the days I still try to recreate to this day.

Nostalgia is a powerful tool that can help guide us through many challenges we may be facing. Throw in a good book that takes you back to the days of your youth, well, you can just practically feel the stress of an adult 9-5 job melt away.

Summary

At the end of the day what I am really trying to say is that one is never too old to read some middle-grade books. In fact, I recommend taking the time to read a few more here and there. You never know what memory or piece of knowledge you may uncover.

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