Students are to post reactions (minimum 350 words) to the assigned reading linked below. Students are encouraged (but not required) to additionally respond to other student reactions.
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Middle Grade: A Conversation w. Editor Molly O'Neill: "As
you know, I have a marketing background, which means that whether or
not I intend it, one of the first things my brain starts thinking about
for a book is its readership: who is a book FOR? What kind of reader is
it going to reach, and how? Maybe instead of asking “What is middle
grade?” it’s easier to think about “Who is the middle grade reader, and
what is he/she looking for in a book?” I think that a middle grade
reader is often (and note, I’m speaking BROADLY, here) reading for one
of two reasons: to understand, or to escape. Middle grade readers who
read to understand look for stories that help them piece together the
truths that seem to be opening up all around them, about the world and
their place in it, and the connections between themselves and their
family, their community, their friends, etc. Or they’re reading to
understand about a different time/ place and what it was/would be like
to be a kid then. Or they’re reading to just understand how stuff works,
period—from the everyday mundane stuff to big concepts like justice and
honesty and friendship and happiness and love. Click heading to read the rest of the interview.
"A Definition of YA" by Brooklyn Arden: "So I've been thinking off and on about a practical definition of YA literature -- something I could look at to help me decide whether a manuscript is an adult novel or a middle-grade novel or, indeed, a YA. Such delineations don't matter to me as a reader -- a good book is a good book -- but they do matter to me as an editor and publisher, because I want every book I publish to find the audience that is right for it, and sometimes, despite a child or teenage protagonist, a manuscript is meant for an adult audience
An SFWA Introduction to Middle Grade & Young Adult: "For writers who are interested in writing middle grade or young adult fantasy or science fiction, the first step is puzzling out what exactly those categories mean. Science fiction and fantasy, after all, has a long tradition of featuring young protagonists — including such classics as Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey, Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings, and Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey — even if those novels weren’t originally published as middle grade or young adult books." Click heading to read the rest of the article.
"Middle Grade and YA: Where to Draw the Line?" by Judith Rosen: "Since Harry Potter first hit these shores in 1998, there’s been confusion over where best to shelve it: put it where most kids look for it, in middle grade (ages 8–12), or where the later, darker novels belong, in young adult (ages 12–up)? But J.K. Rowling’s books aren’t the only ones that fall into a gray area, especially as more kids aspire to “read up” because of popular films like Divergent and The Hunger Games. At the same time, adults have begun reading down, not just YA but also reaching for middle-grade books like Wonder and Out of My Mind, because they don’t want to miss out, either." Click heading to read the rest of the article.
1 comment:
After reading the following assigned readings, my instant reaction was at how far a rabbit hole the discussion of MG and YA can go, which broke my initial simplistic view of the genres. Even calling these two distinct genres, in my opinion, feels like a mistake, and Abigail Ranger, senior editor, seems to agree that "'Middle grade' and 'young adult' describe audiences, not genres..."(Lo). With the number of books, each dealing with diverse levels of maturity, it isn't easy to classify them to one area and another--what these age distinctions do is categorize the novels into what the norms believe kids 8-12 and 12-18 should be reading. Which, by itself, feels wrong. The article "Middle Grade and YA: Where to Draw the Line?" continues that argument with "children's reading levels are incredibly varied and their life experiences cover even a wider range.'" (Rosen). Ultimately, the YA and MG are more for selling than really servicing the readers, "who is a book for? What kind of reader is it going to reach, and how?" (dgandbarchive). These questions are more so for publishers than what readers are asking themselves. Besides, hypothetically speaking, if I had a kid, I wouldn't be bothered if they were interested in reading a novel that'd be considered in the higher grade range. If that garners their attention and brings the spark to want to read, I wouldn't want that book to be missing from the shelf they're looking at purely because a publisher thought the book isn't 'meant' for them. When I was younger, in 2nd or 3rd grade, I wanted to read "The Hunger Games." My teacher called my Mom to warn her that I was reading the book, and to my benefit, Mom ignored the warnings and allowed me to read it anyway. That's another point I liked mentioned in the article "Everything you ever wanted to know about middle grade ... and were willing to ask"-- the authors reiterate the importance of a memorable book. Around this age group, it's where a child or young adult can find a book that'll set them on a path to feel passionate about reading, the kind of book that "a reader of today will recall decades from now as being 'the book.'" (dgandbarchive). I remember that book being "Harry Potter" for me, and those feelings of nostalgia remind me of why I love to read and write. Without "that book," I wouldn't have a passion as strong as I do now.
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