Stuck in the Middle

Reading the right book at the right time
is like finding your soul mate.  The best
part, is this can happen over and over
and over again!

Young Adult books are all the rage these days.  I'm not sure if Hollywood is to blame (hello Hunger Games and Twilight) but everyone seems to want to get their hands on these books.  The trouble is, there is a group of books not getting the spotlight they deserve.  Yep, the unfortunate middle child of the children's book world, "Middle Grade" books seem to get no love. (Check out this article on the subject.) Don't get me wrong, I love reading YA lit.  The problem is, it just doesn't fit every reader.

I teach 4th and 5th grade students and when they hear about YA books they want to jump in and read them right away.  I know 3rd graders in our school who are dying to get their hands on The Hunger Games.  When I hear this I cringe.  Many of you know that I struggle with the notion of letting anxious readers pick up any book they want to read.  Instilling a love of reading is more my priority than matching an appropriate reading level.  However, matching a young person to a book that fits them is where it is really at.

To overuse the metaphor, "If the shoe fits,"  I actually have a shoe story.  I recently purchased a pair of boots for an upcoming trip.  I never splurge on things like quality boots but with the help of my fashionista sister, I was able to pick a pair that were moderately priced and that I liked.  (It helped that they were named poet boots.)  I waited anxiously for them to be delivered, opened the box as soon as they arrived, threw those suckers on, and wore them to school the next day...despite the 80 degree weather.

Man, were they gorgeous boots!  I got multiple compliments and felt like I was finally fitting in to this city of haves and have nots.  However, a problem soon arose.  The boots were too big!  I didn't want to admit it at first but my feet were wiggling all around in there, bumping the sides, struggling to take steps.  Yep, they looked good but they sure didn't feel good.  By the end of the day I was ready to walk barefoot through the streets of Hollywood.

I went home only to discover that I could not return them because they were worn down from my struggle to move all day.  Rats!  Now I had no boots to wear and no idea what to do with these fabulous and uncomfortable pair.  The rest of the story goes like this.  I hopped online, found another pair that were smaller in size (the last pair! oh miracle of miracles!), and had them rushed to me.  I gave the other pair to a friend who was pining over their beauty.  Now I have a pair of shoes that not only look good, but they feel good too.

So what is the moral of this story?  Yes, there are some YA books that are gorgeous, sexy little things on the shelves at your local bookstore.  Yes, lots of people wear read them. However, that doesn't mean they are the right book for your middle grade student.  Those kiddos might get some enjoyment out of them, just like it felt so good to be wearing beautiful boots.  However, they probably won't get the full enjoyment out of those books.  They won't notice the subtleties that were crafted for more sophisticated minds.  I say, let them try them on for awhile.  Then, help your 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders find a book that fits better.  They will dance around, just like I did in my just right boots, when they finally find a book that makes them feel as good as they imagined it could be.

Need some help finding good Middle Grade books?  I have read two in my two days of Spring Break so far.  Check out these great books!

I just finished reading this book that was suggested by one of my students.  She was right, it was sooooo good.  I have found that by 5th grade, my students start getting really concerned about what others think about them, who likes who, what happened over the phone/email/Mindcraft game.  This books tells what it is like when it all happens at once.  I love Raina's honest struggle with fitting in and how she gets the courage to make life work for her, even if it takes a few bumps along the way.

This book, by Carl Hiaasen, follows his trend of writing about kids who can make a huge impact on the world around them.  Just like Hoot, Flush tells the story of a kid in Florida who seeks to make a difference.  My students and I will read this book when we return from Spring Break.  It is a part of our ecoliteracy study we started this year.  In this book, two kids get involved in catching a big wig in Key West as he dumps, every night, tons of human waste into water.  When Noah and Abbey's dad is thrown in jail for attempting to stop the flushing, they decide they need to take things into their own hands.

Other favorite middle grade books?  Here are some of mine!

Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Coraline and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
The Tale of Desperaux by Kate DiCamillo (and anything else this woman writes!)

Happy Middle Grade hunting!  Don't let these amazing books get lost in the glitz and glamour of YA Lit!

Good books, like good boots, go with anything...
including pjs and breakfast.