#middle grade author

[sandydgreen]

Sandy Green's Interview by Author Michelle Nangle

Michelle Nangle, or as she’s known by her author name Shelly Mack, is a fellow Monarch author who writes YA and picture books. She graciously interviewed me on her blog in early December 2023. Here is the interview: Meet the Author: Monarch Showcase One of the loveliest parts of my journey is connecting with writers. When Monarch decided to publish Landis, I was introduced to a team of authors…

[jesncin]

Indu, the Lunar Boy. Child from the sky.

[haveyoureadthispoll]

This winner of the Newbery Medal and the National Book Award features Stanley Yelnats, a kid who is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnats. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys' detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the warden makes the boys "build character" by spending all day, every day, digging holes five feet wide and five feet deep. It doesn't take long for Stanley to realize there's more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake: the warden is looking for something. Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime, punishment, and redemption.

[aroaceleovaldez]

i hope this doesn't sound like a silly or weird thing to send you, but i'm autistic and have long thought of nico and a handful of other riordanverse characters as autistic and i love your posts about why nico in particular seems intentionally autistic-coded. but i've been thinking, if rick did intend for any of his characters to be autistic, why wouldn't he say so outside of the text at least? i can't think of a good reason why not, when he goes out of his way to be explicit about so many other characters' various marginalized identities and has confirmed things like reyna being asexual outside of the original text. so it gives me this nagging sort of doubt that maybe rick just made nico come off as so extremely autistic coded by accident, somehow. if it wasn't an accident i do kind of wish he'd say so because there's next to zero explicitly stated autistic representation in, like, any media so it'd be nice to have here even if not strictly necessary. either way though, like i said, i love your posts and i agree with you 100% about autistic nico! some others i like to think are autistic are annabeth and leo.

(Most of this is gonna be kind of a tangential ramble to your point and i apologize in advance just bear with me)

This actually touches upon something I've been meaning to do a write-up on recently, which is: depending on the coding, that is our explicit statement. In most coding, actually, that's kind of the point. (Also something something Death of the Author.)

You may have noticed a recent trend across media of characters saying things directly rather than expressing them in a natural way, and often this includes incredibly stilted dialogue of characters explaining things in very politically correct, wikipedia-esque descriptions and terminology that make absolutely no sense for the characters' personalities or mannerisms. This is born out of the idea that if something is not stated in explicit terms, no amount of evidence below an outright direct exact statement will ever count - if two characters of the same gender have an explicit kiss and wedding on-screen, it doesn't matter because they never said the word "gay," etc etc.

In PJO, prior to more recent books, we get plenty of examples of characters explaining parts of their identities without direct statements. Percy never needs to say in outright terms that he has PTSD from Gabe - and it doesn't make sense that he would! He's 12! He's never been diagnosed for that. He probably doesn't even know what PTSD is really. But we, the audience, know without a doubt he has PTSD, because it is clearly expressed to us. That is coding. Tyson is coded as having down syndrome. Nico is coded as being autistic. It doesn't make sense for Nico to turn to the camera and explain that he's autistic and what that means, because he definitely never got diagnosed for it and probably doesn't know what that means cause the diagnosis literally did not exist when he was growing up - and heck, autism terminology was still kind of getting sorted out back in 2007 when TTC was published, so it's unlikely we could have feasibly gotten any exact terminology wink-wink-nudge-nudges short of something like how Percy outright mentions other students called Tyson the r-slur in Sea of Monsters. And in fact we see that same exact style of coding with Nico later on in the series. Nico never turns to the camera and says word-for-word "I am gay, I am mlm, here's me wearing my exact pride flags" (until TOA/TSATS, which... did the exact thing i mentioned about characters speaking like theyre trying to get a good grade in therapy, or giving a powerpoint presentation). But it is never unclear that HoO is telling us outright that Nico is gay. It's not just hinted at. It's there, in your face. But entirely because no one ever outright says "gay" specifically it's technically still only coding. We know he's gay, we know the characters have trauma/ptsd, etc etc. We don't need it spelled out - that's just kind of condescending. It's like if you said describing a character with "eyes like moss" means they were "green-eye coded."

Nico being autistic-coded isn't hidden. It's not a secret. It's very overt. If you know what autism looks like, well, yeah, there he is. Even if you only know very vague 2007 media presentation of autism, Nico in TTC is easily recognizable enough as autistic because that's the point. Tyson is easily recognizable as being coded as having down syndrome and it's very clearly very intentional! It's just never spoon-fed in exact terms to the reader because it's not necessary! You've already been told the information necessary to tell you what is up with this character, so just plainly going "oh they're [x] in exact terms" is very much telling-not-showing and feels redundant. And while there are places for that kind of thing, most of the time it's very unnecessary. Sometimes coding is subtle, sometimes it's obvious, and yeah there are times where writers code characters unintentionally, but the textual evidence is there, and that's the whole point.

And that's what Death of the Author is about - it doesn't matter what the author intended at the end of the day, because if it's in the text it's in the text. You can look at author intent to try and figure out what that text means, but the text is the text. A Separate Peace is a very classic example - author John Knowles denies there being homosexual subtext, and meanwhile one of the protagonists living in 1942 puts on a pink shirt while saying he doesn't mind of people think of him as gay. What the author says after the fact doesn't matter - if it's there, it's there. So Rick saying anything outside of the books is completely irrelevant. And Rick talks about this a lot - he actively tells people that his statements outside of the books are just his own thoughts, but what's in the books is what's in the books, and if the text supports it then that's all the evidence you need.

Nico specifically is a case where yeah, he's clearly autistic-coded. It's very obvious and very obviously intentional when he's younger, and as the books progress it remains a background trait of his but is still notable (except for when it gets forgotten in TOA/TSATS like everything else, including the adhd/dyslexia, but i digress). It's a clear pattern within the first few books that Rick is intentionally including. It doesn't make sense, especially for the year the book was published, for the reader to be directly told in explicit terminology that Nico is autistic, because the reader is already being told that Nico is autistic.

And yeah, Rick doesn't mention Nico being autistic-coded outside of the text, but he also doesn't mention Tyson being coded as having down syndrome. He also said one time that Percy doesn't have PTSD at all, which is very incorrect starting from book 1. Again, Death of the Author. Whatever Rick says outside of the books does not matter, because he already said it in the books. And there's plenty of other stuff in the books that Rick doesn't touch upon, particularly relating to character identity - did you know Leo is Native? Sammy mentions that the Valdez family is Native in Son of Neptune but we don't get any specifics and then it's like never brought up again anywhere. That happens all the time in the series - and outside of the series - Rick can't possibly address every single point to confirm/deny everything from the books. That's what analysis is for! And that's why my blog exists 👍

[greenvillainredemption]

Just comparing the drafts of these covers. 💚

[thatsbelievable]

Book Birthday!

We’d like to take a break from whatever it is we do here to mention that a brand-new middle-grade book we wrote comes out today!

It’s the second volume in the AGENT STITCH series, and it’s called THE TROUBLE WITH TOOTHOIDS, featuring awesome illustrations by the talented Arianna Rea. 

This continues the story from Book 1 (A STUDY IN SLIME) — but good news! Even if you didn’t read that book, THE TROUBLE WITH TOOTHOIDS is totally accessible. Everything you need to know is in this book! Speaking of which, it details the further adventures of Stitch (working for the Galactic Detective Agency, headed up by the Grand Councilwoman), Lilo, Jumba, Pleakley, and Cobra Bubbles, as they investigate strange doings in New York City. If you like Pleakley, you’re going to love this book.

It’s available at bookstores everywhere — like the awesome indie children’s bookstore, The Curious Reader! Also Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books a Million, Target, and more!

Thanks for listening, and we now return you to our usual nonsense.

[theotherverge]

I need everyone's help! What do you all think about a 140-page middle-grade fantasy book that's accessible to neurodivergent kids and kids who have a hard time reading long, wordy stories? Accessible to lgbtq+ kids who feel unsafe in this current landscape where the biggest book series of all time actively doesn't want to welcome them in its world? Accessible to anyone who isn't a total bigot?

What I'm wanting to do is craft a fictional world that's welcome to anyone. Something akin to Harry Potter and his whimsical time at Hogwarts, MINUS THE QUESTIONABLE STUFF AND THE BIGOTRY! An expansive story with an insane amount of worldbuilding that doesn't involve some inherent shadiness or prejudice baked in. This isn't me saying I want to make the next big thing, I just want to create something with the passion I've had for something with my own style and voice.

If you've seen the show The Owl House, and how that series went out of its way to be a Harry Potter-esque thing without all the terrible junk all over it, that's a big inspiration for me wanting to create a world of my own after a prejudiced author tarnished the magic of one I once loved. (For real though, if you haven't seen Owl House, check it out.)

------‐-------

If you are a lost soul, (Someone who doesn't know what to do with their life, someone who feels like they don't belong, or someone who doesn't even have a loving family to turn to), you may find a permission slip for a summer program in your desk.

The Lost Soul Program is kinda like signing up for the Girl Scouts: Gaining confidence, finding new hobbies and friends, discovering new things about yourself, just... you know... with more rats.

Sign your name on the slip, and on the day of summer break, a school bus will appear in front of your house with other fellow lost souls riding along. Once you grab yourself a bag of clothes, you're on your way to Otherverge, The Land of Endless Nights.

Otherverge is a part of Earth where the sky is always dark and the big cities are always lit up by colorful streetlights. It's a place where the trees glow in the dark and fireflies roam all over the fields. A place where you ride giant, friendly rats as transportation. A place where up on the tallest mountain of the land, an all-knowing bat the size of a whale can tell you the deep dark secrets of why things are the way they are. You could even catch humongous shrimp that roam in the sea, with the help of a local "shrimper" man! I mean, if you want to. (I promise, that'll be the only bad pun in the story.) It's a huge comfort zone, you can do whatever!

Becoming a member of the Lost Soul Program means you can traverse all over the land and then some, earning badges for your sash by doing awesome and unbelievable things to truly find or regain a part of yourself by the end of the summer. From a desert with purple sand and talking cacti to the dark, seedy underbelly of the Raccoon Swamp, Otherverge is a place where you can find yourself while you get yourself lost.

Follow me and stay tuned for more about the story and its world. I will be introducing the main character next time and why she's signing up for the program, so keep your eyes peeled! I will very very VERY much appreciate all the help I can get to make this project a reality, as I feel like the world needs more comfort zones in their bookstores and libraries without having to turn to you-know-who.

P.S: The main character may or may not be based on another character that was done dirty by you-know-who.

[arcadialedger]

Not me writing my middle grade series like “I’m going to create a character who is so traumatized, she’ll get YouTube episodes of Therapist Reacts”.

No but seriously, this is up there with The Underland Chronicles for traumatic, dark middle grades. I’m evil.

[bookwyrminspiration]

it DOES matter and DON'T you DARE take the easy way out you MOTHERFU—

[desdasiwrites]

– Neil Gaiman, Coraline

[ladygoofus]

Happy Pride Month from me and my many queer OCs! Here are the first words that these two middle-grade lesbian icons say to each other in my upcoming graphic novel, STAND UP! If you like wholesome, silly queer comics, here's link to preorder through my local indie: https://www.thirdplacebooks.com/book/9780316538930

[morganeboydauthor]

Hi, everyone! This week, we dive into a review of The Hampton House Mystery, the newest installment in Ellen Alexander's Dinswood Chronicles! Hope you enjoy!

[goodpointsandbadpoints]

Thinking about episode 9 of A Kind of Spark.

-

I love how Keedie reengages with an old interest to help herself recover. That is a real thing that autistics do a lot to help themselves feel better. Whether it's an object that we love, or a topic that we used to learn everything about, going back to those old interests can make us feel safe and whole again.

I love that the show had that. I'm so used to stories about autistics that use the same five tropes over and over again (which isn't bad...but it starts to feel impersonal). You don't really see autistic characters do things like get burnt out and then recover with a special interest. I'm so happy about that being portrayed.

[haveyoureadthispoll]

This irresistible first novel tells the story of a quiet boy who embarks on a dangerous quest in order to fulfill his destiny—and find his father—in a strange world beneath New York City. When Gregor falls through a grate in the laundry room of his apartment building, he hurtles into the dark Underland, where spiders, rats, cockroaches coexist uneasily with humans. This world is on the brink of war, and Gregor's arrival is no accident. A prophecy foretells that Gregor has a role to play in the Underland's uncertain future. Gregor wants no part of it -- until he realizes it's the only way to solve the mystery of his father's disappearance. Reluctantly, Gregor embarks on a dangerous adventure that will change both him and the Underland forever.

[aroaceleovaldez]

a quick helpful reference guide:

Children's books - Target demographic is generally up to like age 10 - basically elementary school and below, for us Americans.

Middle-grade books - Target demographic is approximately middle schoolers (ages 11-15).

YA (Young Adult) - Target demographic is about 15-20ish year olds, so high schoolers and early college.

There is such thing as "upper middle-grade books" (targeted more towards the upper range of middle grade, so middle schoolers going into high school) and other such more specific intended target demographic age ranges within those groupings.

What these ranges mean is that the books differ in how they present subject matter to be appropriate to the intended audience demographic. Obviously, books geared towards younger kids are going to be shorter, use simpler language, and present concepts in ways that are easier to understand for younger children. As the target age demographic increases, the length, word choice, and presentation of topics will become more complex. The actual subject matter within the book itself is unrelated to this classification system for the most part - the books are graded on what's presumed appropriate for that age-range in terms of how children learn and their presumed literacy and reading comprehension at that age, rather than the topic itself.

Rick Riordan is a middle-grade author, and his books are usually middle-grade - including the entirety of the Riordanverse and Daughter of the Deep. The only exception is The Sun And The Star, which is loosely either upper middle-grade or YA, as Mark Oshiro is a YA author and co-authored it.

[adhdnojutsu]

Rainbow beyond the Fire, an MG animal adventure available on all Amazon sites! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXMX4NZJ

Their farm burnt down, three dogs and a cat help the other animals escape slaughter. When a frantic young doe bites a dog catcher to save her friends, all four are forced to flee the human place. Winter in the wild tests their loyalty to one another as each has a different idea of survival. But can they afford to break apart as the snow runs red with blood spilled by an invisible enemy? And can the tiny cat truly rely on his canine friends out here, or was their friendship only ever the caprice of a sheltered pet life?

Maryam Haroon's Rainbow beyond the Fire is a heart-warming adventure for animal lovers of all ages.