As we gear up to move into the new year, it’s always an interesting time to reflect back on the current state of middle grade, and see if there are clues to what might be in store for middle grade in the future. The last few years have definitely proved to be interesting ones for middle grade, with changes at major publishers and to the children’s section at Barnes and Noble, our last big book chain, bringing about a lot of upheaval and unknowns.
Even so, let’s gaze into the crystal ball and see if there are any hints at what might be in store for middle grade in 2025.
- Graphic novels domination will expand. A couple years ago, graphic novels accounted for a full quarter of all middle grade sales, and that number seems to only be expanding. Graphic novels continue to dominate the children’s bestsellers lists and keep young readers’ attention. With the reading joy and all the benefits that can come from reading these books, we say long live graphic novels!
- More middle grade authors will move to…LinkedIn? Yeah, as weird as that sounds, with all the instability that has plagued platforms like X and Instagram and TikTok in the last few years, LinkedIn has emerged as a place of calm and interesting dialog. In one survey, LinkedIn came in second (after Instagram) as the place authors where authors plan to focus their platform efforts in coming days. This may even trickle into the middle grade community.
- Less doom, more laughter. According to an informal survey of librarians across the country, the kids are looking for funny. “Since the pandemic, it’s been a lot of doom and gloom for these kids. There’s so much heaviness they’re coping with. They just want to laugh.” Perhaps in every genre from contemporary to fantasy, we’ll see a higher proportion of jokes on the page. And who can be sad about that?
- Fewer authors on tour, but more bookstore events. Things are getting local. Gone are the days when sending an author to cities around the country was a viable marketing strategy. One author who recently did one of these tours reports on actual numbers (including a no-show). However, bookstores, especially indie stores, are becoming more creative and resourceful than ever when it comes to bringing the community together to promote reading and children’s literature. We certainly hope to see more of this trend in 2025!
- Veering shorter. Only recently, big doorstopper middle grade fantasy series (think Shannon Messenger) were big hits. But reports from booksellers and librarians around the country are that reading attention spans are getting shorter. Blame our digital world, blame the pandemic. According to one bookseller, “They may be less likely to read a 400-plus-page book, so I think it’s important for a bookstore to have a variety of titles for this age group in terms of both page length and format.” So we may likely see middle grade books veering younger and shorter, with more play in the form too. This could be a very intriguing trend!
What predictions do you have for the state of middle grade in 2025?
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Sarah Allen is the award-winning author of What Stars Are Made Of, Breathing Underwater, The Nightmare House, and the Monster Tree. Her books have been Whitney Award winners, ALA Notable Books, and Jr. Library Guild Selections. Born and raised in Utah, she received an MFA in creative writing from Brigham Young University, and now lives in Orlando. She spends her non-writing time watching David Attenborough documentaries and playing at the Disney parks. Find her online at sarahallenbooks.com.
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