I was wondering if this would be middle grade...

[Haphazard]

I have an idea. I haven't started writing yet, but I'm curious.

My main character is a thousands-of-years-old curmudgeon-y god of sickness and disease. He rather likes to be left alone, but when a 12-year-old girl comes and asks for his help, knowing of the ages-old mythological offer that if she could get more than two words out of him, he'd help. Amused by this and her tenacity (she waits about a week, while considering the state of his lair most people can only stand a day or two), he agrees to help her with whatever she needs.

As it turns out, this girl is a girl with a destiny, and she learned of it prematurely -- so she's preparing, on her own. She's found a teacher and has become startlingly adept at magic for her age (which in this world is considered a desparate man's craft, so most don't know beyond taking care of themselves in the case of emergencies, if that), and has enlisted four gods into her service by their ancient offers and attempts to hide them in her room, away from her merchant father and the maid.

The story is mostly about her beginning what she's destined for while the gods simultaneously attempt to find loopholes and work their way out of their deals. If it helps any, the gods are the anthropormorphic personifications of disease (the main character), luck, love, and battle tactics.

So, judging from the idea, would this be middle grade? Even though the viewpoint is that of a god's, the main character is a 12-year-old girl.

[Chalula88]

The story itself is no problem for a middle grade novel, but why have it from the god's point of view? It would work better for middle grade if it were from the girl's point of view.

Either one could probably work, but it would be a harder sell from the god's point of view in my opinion.

[Haphazard]

The story itself is no problem for a middle grade novel, but why have it from the god's point of view? It would work better for middle grade if it were from the girl's point of view.

Either one could probably work, but it would be a harder sell from the god's point of view in my opinion.

Why have it from the god's point of view? Because I think he's a more interesting viewpoint than the girl. I don't think I'd be able to write the girl very well from her viewpoint, because she seems to be the knowledgeable one in this situation.

A major theme of fantasy, I've noticed, is writing from the point of view of an outsider, and usually that character is a teenager who is breaking into adult life, while also learning about some sort of magical world or destiny or etc (usually considered some sort of symbolism of puberty or something. Bleh.). In this case, the tables are turned -- it's the girl who knows more, and the main character, who has shut himself in his lair for hundreds of years because of his unwillingness to do any service is being dragged out, kicking and screaming and having to deal with (another person's) destiny.

I hope this doesn't sound like I'm just trying to be different for the sake of being different, because that's not what I want to do.

This probably isn't going to be published, anyway, so i don't think a selling point is really my main worry.

[Chalula88]

If selling points aren't your main worry than why do you care if it's middle grade or not? If you don't care about selling it just write it however you want to.

[The Grump]

Who would find the "God's" viewpoint more interesting -- you or a middle grade reader? I'd ask some kids what they think.

[Haphazard]

Who would find the "God's" viewpoint more interesting -- you or a middle grade reader? I'd ask some kids what they think.

Well, considering I am in YA agegroup... humm. I know even then, I'd find the god's POV more interesting, but that's just me, and I'm odd.

[MsJudy]

There are three things that determine the "grade level" of fiction:
1) the age of the characters. Kids relate best to kids close to their own age, and will read about kids older more often than about kids who are younger than they are. Will a kid relate to your old grump? I'd say, if he's funny enough, it could work.
2) the content being age-appropriate. 9-year-old girls are more likely to read about fairies, princesses and horses than 13-year-old girls are. Of course, some girls still will when they're forty, and some girls never will, so there's no hard-and-fast rule there.
3) the quality of the prose. That's why no one can really answer your question! Middle grade prose is straight-forward. Snappy, easy-to-read but not necessarily simplified. Vocabulary can be rich, but not esoteric! I could easily see someone writing the story you're describing in a very poetic, abstract language, and it would never do for middle grade. But if told in a breezy, fast-paced style, it could easily be middle grade.

[Haphazard]

There are three things that determine the "grade level" of fiction:
1) the age of the characters. Kids relate best to kids close to their own age, and will read about kids older more often than about kids who are younger than they are. Will a kid relate to your old grump? I'd say, if he's funny enough, it could work.
2) the content being age-appropriate. 9-year-old girls are more likely to read about fairies, princesses and horses than 13-year-old girls are. Of course, some girls still will when they're forty, and some girls never will, so there's no hard-and-fast rule there.
3) the quality of the prose. That's why no one can really answer your question! Middle grade prose is straight-forward. Snappy, easy-to-read but not necessarily simplified. Vocabulary can be rich, but not esoteric! I could easily see someone writing the story you're describing in a very poetic, abstract language, and it would never do for middle grade. But if told in a breezy, fast-paced style, it could easily be middle grade.

Poetic, abstract language? Exactly the stuff that I can't write. That last part was paritcularly helpful. Thanks. ^_^

[Jack_Roberts]

There are three things that determine the "grade level" of fiction:
1) the age of the characters. Kids relate best to kids close to their own age, and will read about kids older more often than about kids who are younger than they are. Will a kid relate to your old grump? I'd say, if he's funny enough, it could work.
2) the content being age-appropriate. 9-year-old girls are more likely to read about fairies, princesses and horses than 13-year-old girls are. Of course, some girls still will when they're forty, and some girls never will, so there's no hard-and-fast rule there.
3) the quality of the prose. That's why no one can really answer your question! Middle grade prose is straight-forward. Snappy, easy-to-read but not necessarily simplified. Vocabulary can be rich, but not esoteric! I could easily see someone writing the story you're describing in a very poetic, abstract language, and it would never do for middle grade. But if told in a breezy, fast-paced style, it could easily be middle grade.

SCORE! I've got all three! I was wondering the same thing myself.
Thanks!

And Haphazard, yours sounds MG to me. :)

[MsJudy]

SCORE! I've got all three!

always happy to help!