All Things Middle Grade
- Thread starter timp67
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Congrats! I hope she finds a great home for your novel.
Keep us posted. I love buying/reading books written by my AW peeps.
RUTH!!!! That's AWESOME!!! Yay for you!!!
double-chocolate brownies for everybody. (I already ate mine...)
double-chocolate brownies for everybody. (I already ate mine...)
Thanks! My feet have not touched the ground yet. Maybe some sugar will ground me.
(scoops ice cream onto the brownies...)
(scoops ice cream onto the brownies...)
I also write MG and nonfiction PBs, but MG is my favorite. Congratulations on the latest step of your journey Ruth!
Sorry I didn't see this earlier, Ruth.
Congratulations to you! Hope everything turns out beautifully. I always get super excited when someone I (know) has good news.
Congratulations to you! Hope everything turns out beautifully. I always get super excited when someone I (know) has good news.
Congrats Ruth!
And hi all, my name is Patricia and I've been stalking this forum ever since I decided to stop writing young adult so I can write middle grade. Middle grade is much more imaginative, exciting, adventurous, and funny! The characters are flawed and so real. I stopped reading young adult when I went to the library and found a book in the middle grade section. The book was Walk Two Moons. It was the first middle grade book I've read since I was 12. I'm 19 now. And I loved the book. I've got a whole list of middle grade that I want to read this summer! I can't wait. I'm also looking for recommendations because I'm new to the genre again after being away for so long.
Now, I want to write middle grade. I want to do something set in the south during the 60's or something. I know that will take some research. But what are agents looking for when it comes to middle grade?
I have way too many questions... XD Send me a message. I need answers. Please?
(Sooo glad I found Middle grade again)
And hi all, my name is Patricia and I've been stalking this forum ever since I decided to stop writing young adult so I can write middle grade. Middle grade is much more imaginative, exciting, adventurous, and funny! The characters are flawed and so real. I stopped reading young adult when I went to the library and found a book in the middle grade section. The book was Walk Two Moons. It was the first middle grade book I've read since I was 12. I'm 19 now. And I loved the book. I've got a whole list of middle grade that I want to read this summer! I can't wait. I'm also looking for recommendations because I'm new to the genre again after being away for so long.
Now, I want to write middle grade. I want to do something set in the south during the 60's or something. I know that will take some research. But what are agents looking for when it comes to middle grade?
I have way too many questions... XD Send me a message. I need answers. Please?
(Sooo glad I found Middle grade again)
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Welcome, Ali S! I'm glad you've come out of lurkdom, and hope you continue to hang out with the kidlit gang.
Wow, darkdawn, that's great!
Most of the time, agents don't really know what they want till they read it. So my advice is to write the story you'd like to read, tell it as best you can, and go from there!
Most of the time, agents don't really know what they want till they read it. So my advice is to write the story you'd like to read, tell it as best you can, and go from there!
Sorry, darkdown, when I posted earlier this morning (when I should have been alseep; stupid insomnia 
), I totally missed your post! Welcome to the kidlit gang.
The standard advice elsewhere goes here: read lots and lots of MG. You can also read agents' blogs to see exactly what they personally want. And Casey McCormick's blog, which spotlights agents/editors and keeps an archive of previous interviews, is a great resource.
), I totally missed your post! Welcome to the kidlit gang. The standard advice elsewhere goes here: read lots and lots of MG. You can also read agents' blogs to see exactly what they personally want. And Casey McCormick's blog, which spotlights agents/editors and keeps an archive of previous interviews, is a great resource.
Sorry, darkdown, when I posted earlier this morning (when I should have been alseep; stupid insomnia
The standard advice elsewhere goes here: read lots and lots of MG. You can also read agents' blogs to see exactly what they personally want. And Casey McCormick's blog, which spotlights agents/editors and keeps an archive of previous interviews, is a great resource.
Sorry about your insomnia smish! Sometimes I can't sleep either. It's so frustrating!
Thanks for responding though. I checked that blog out and it's really helpful. And you already know that I'm going to read lots of middle grade!
Kidlit gang? That's so adorable. I'm going to have lots of fun here.
Welcome, Ali S and Patricia! I second Smish's advice to read lots of MG. A great place to get book recommendations is the "talk about the kidlit you're reading" thread here in the Writing for Kids forum.
And thanks, everybody, for the nice wishes & congrats. My agent said she'll send me revision notes in early June. Now that school's out (and now that I've calmed down a bit), I'm trying to use the time productively by working on a sequel. I've never written one before, but it's fun, because I already "know" the characters.
And thanks, everybody, for the nice wishes & congrats. My agent said she'll send me revision notes in early June. Now that school's out (and now that I've calmed down a bit), I'm trying to use the time productively by working on a sequel. I've never written one before, but it's fun, because I already "know" the characters.
Wow, darkdawn, that's great!
Most of the time, agents don't really know what they want till they read it. So my advice is to write the story you'd like to read, tell it as best you can, and go from there!
Good advice. So, just read, figure out what kind book I want to write, then write it? This is easy! ...Or is it?
(cue dramatic music)
If I have any more questions, can I ask? Pretty please?
Thanks for the kind welcome, Ruth. I have so much respect for you. You wrote a novel and you got an agent? Go ahead with your bad self! 
Darkdawn--read One Crazy Summer--it's a recent award-winning MG novel set in the 60s (in California though, but it's super good). Also, Moon Over Manifest, The Healing Spell, keeper, Ninth Ward, Countdown, are all super great books set in the south or in the 60s (ish).
I LOVED The Healing Spell. Of course, I really like books about the south. I wrote one, and it was based in the 60's, and several agents actually requested a full on it.
But it was really too young for YA and too long for MG, so I'm gonna rewrite it one day and fix that, if I can.
Yeah, one day I'm gonna do lots of stuff.
But it was really too young for YA and too long for MG, so I'm gonna rewrite it one day and fix that, if I can.
Yeah, one day I'm gonna do lots of stuff.
Thanks for the recommendations! I took a look at Countdown on amazon, and it looks so good. And my library has it so I'll definitely be reading it