From the Classroom

Longer Picture Books Are “Gateways” for Middle-Grade Readers

By on May 26, 2025   /   Articles, For Teachers, From the Classroom  

On a middle grade blog, I feel the need to confess up front: I love picture books. As a fourth-grade teacher, I read picture books to my class nearly every day. As a mom of two elementary-aged boys, I read picture books to them every day. And as an author of picture books, I read picture books every day! So many picture books, in fact, that when I check out books at my library, they give me a cart to wheel them to my car.

So why am I talking about picture books on a middle-grade blog? Because longer picture books can be “gateway” books for our middle grade readers–particularly our more reluctant readers. I think of gateway books as a bridge between picture books and traditional middle grade books. Gateway books are still in that familiar large book (usually hardcover) format. They are still highly illustrated yet have more text per page, which makes for a longer read.

Examples of “Gateway” Books

Battle of the Butts by Joselyn Rish is an example that always comes to my mind. At around 6,000 words, it is definitely not a traditional picture book. (Traditional nonfiction picture books are typically less than 1,000 words, though some are longer.) Engaging writing draws readers into a topic that is sure to interest middle grade students. Plus, the book features the interactive element of rating each butt on a scale from “Boring Backside” to “Terrific Tushie.” A butt that can breathe?! I think that’s one “Remarkable Rump.” How about you? Be sure to check out the sequel: Battle of the Brains.

Spooky Lakes by Geo Rutherford is an oversized picture book with dense text on each spread. The pages contain enough intrigue to captivate middle grade readers whose interest will be piqued by the haunting illustrations. Beware! These pages mention dead bodies!

Plants: The Sneaky Ways They Survive is another oversized picture book. Even though it contains longer blocks of text, the book leaves plenty of room for stunning illustrations. And there is loads of intriguing information to keep older readers engaged. I mean, who doesn’t want to learn about rats that use flowers as toilets?

Sensational Senses: Amazing Ways Animals Perceive the World by Rebecca E. Hirsh is aimed at an older audience, yet still packaged in a picture book format. Photographs, diagrams, and sidebars break the text into manageable chunks. The information will fascinate students and keep them reading. Did you know star-nosed moles blow snot bubbles underwater and then suck them back in to “smell” the water? What?!

The Wisdom of Trees: How Trees Work Together to Form a Natural Kingdom by Lita Judge pairs poems about trees with detailed expository information. These chunky blocks of text are packed with interesting information. I’m fascinated every time I read about how trees communicate and share resources underground.

The Scientists in the Field series is a set of texts written more specifically for middle grade. (The suggested grade level is 5-7.) Yet because this series is in a picture book format with lots of illustrations, the books can be more approachable for reluctant readers.

For some readers, longer, high-interest, nonfiction picture books with colorful illustrations and interactive elements can seem more manageable than staring at an entire page of words. By incorporating gateway books into your classroom, you are helping students to find books that, to them, are less daunting and more delightful. Bottom line: you are doing everything you can to help your students develop a love of reading (and perhaps, their knowledge of butts.)

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Summer Reading Prep – From the Classroom

By on April 28, 2025   /   For Parents, For Teachers, From the Classroom  

It’s that time of year when testing is winding down, classroom celebrations are taking hold, and the whiffs of summer are permeating the air. What better time to talk about summer reading with all your favorite middle grade books!

Why Summer Reading?

Experts agree that summer reading is a great way to prevent the summer slide – where students have the potential to lose the academic gains they’ve made over the school year. This is especially true for students who may struggle with reading and writing. Specifically, by sixth grade, the cumulative effect of summer reading loss creates a gap of 18 months or more between struggling and proficient readers. Over time, this summer reading loss accounts for about two-thirds of the gap between economically disadvantaged students and their wealthier peers. Summer Reading, therefore, is great for building vocabulary, comprehension, strengthening writing skills, and building background knowledge.

Most importantly, it can be fun!

Inspiring Students and Kids to Read This Summer!

While students are still in school, Rebecca Alber recommends the following ideas to drum up excitement for summer reading:

  1.  Invite students to give booktalks to the class. Want a great way to have students celebrate what they’ve read all year? Have them share their favorite books to inspire summer reading lists.
  2. Introduce students to book series. Banish the “I don’t know what to read next” whining with great book series that students can race through.
  3. Consider setting up a social media platform for students to share their favorite summer reads. Middle schoolers are probably all talking to each other anyway, so why not steer their conversations towards great summer reads?
  4. Advise families to take their kids to bookstores and the library. Send a note home with a list of libraries and bookstores (independent if possible) in the area and region. Have them travel to someplace new to check out a new bookstore!

At home, Reading Rockets recommends the following ideas:

  1. Read with your child every day. Whether this is family reading time or sitting down and reading aloud to your kid (please, please, please read aloud to your middle schooler!), having a daily reading schedule should be part of the routine!
  2. Start a kid’s book club. Keep it simple, keep it fun, and encourage reflection. Check out Read Across America’s tips for book clubs.  
  3. Connect the reading to real life. You might already have a vacation planned this summer or you might want to explore somewhere new. Either way, find ways to reinforce what your children are reading about through all your trips and activities this summer.

 

Finding Books

Chances are your library already has a summer reading list ready to go for children. They are the first and best resource for you. If you want more ideas on where to find books to read, check out the following.

  1. Best of Book Lists. Here is School Library Journal’s Best of Middle Grade Books 2024 list. Browse their archives for more books!
  2. Children’s Literature Expert Maria Salvadore has booklists from 2008 until present along with more book ideas on her popular blog.
  3. Check out the classics. There are amazing new middle grade books all the time, many featured on this blog. There are also books that have been recommended throughout the ages. Diversify your reading list as best as you can!

 

What are your plans for summer reading with students and kids?  Share in the comments below!

 

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From the Classroom: Using Graphic Novels to Explore Transitions

By on February 24, 2025   /   Articles, From the Classroom  

Let’s face it – students in the middle grades face lots of transitions. These can be moment-to-moment transitions (i.e. we’re best friends and five minutes later we aren’t), place-to-place (i.e. moving or starting a new school), and body-to-body (i.e. what is puberty doing to my body?!). Authors Rene Rodriguez-Astacio and David Low recommend using Superhero Graphic Novels to help students navigate these transitions as the graphic novel medium, with spaces between panels, force middle grade readers to fill in the gaps which can contribute to them doing the same in their transitioning lives.  And superheroes, in particular, are super popular with this age group!  Below are some superhero graphic novel titles, how they can support middle grade readers with all the transitions they face, and how teachers might consider using them in the classroom.

Spider-Man

cover of Miles Morales Shock Waves graphic novel with miles morales running in center of the cover.

In Miles Morales Shockwaves, Miles Morales, a biracial middle grader, helps raise funds for Puerto Rico to support his mother’s lost family home after an earthquake. He organizes a block party sponsored by Harrison Snow, CEO of Serval Industries. Miles (as Spider-man) is led to uncover a conspiracy when it is revealed that Snow is providing financial support to Puerto Rico to excavate valuable crystals unearthed after the earthquake. Rodriguez-Astacio and Low recommend that teachers provide some background on the relationship between the U.S. and Puerto Rico, especially in light of the 2020 earthquakes and the 2022 devastating hurricane. This graphic novel explores the various transitions associated with identity, place, and family, something middle schoolers may be facing.

Ms. Marvel

Cover of Ms. Marvel, Stretched Thin with Ms. Marvel running away from a helmeted villain.

Ms. Marvel’s super power is her ability to contort her body, but in Ms. Marvel – Stretched Thin, Kamala Kahn wakes up with big feet and a lack of control on how to fix them. This funny image is a great metaphor for the awkwardness of puberty and the various ways middle schoolers often don’t have control over their bodies. All the various ways Kamala’s body contorts throughout the book relates to the coming-of-age themes in the book and middle schoolers accepting new responsibilities, often with great struggle. Ms. Marvel can relate as even though she may do one thing well, her inability to excel in every aspect of her life leads her to feel like a failure. Kamala feels like she is stretched “too thin” when trying to be successful at everything and she is also literally stretched thin! Teachers can use graphic novels like Ms. Marvel (or the Hulk or the X-men) to examine the literal and metaphorical representations of body change and how gender, race, class, and power create different contexts with which transitions occur and are interpreted.

Finally, Rodriguez-Astacio and Low remind us that graphic novels should be seen as more than “transition books” for reluctant or resistant readers. Graphic novels are great for interpreting deep issues and themes. In the comments below, share what types of books you use to help with all the transitions your middle grade readers face on a daily basis!

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