Summary
School Library Journal's Teen Librarian Toolbox is sponsoring a 2024 initiative called MIND THE MIDDLE that will shine a spotlight on middle grade books, and you are invited to participate.
Still reeling from Goodreads’ elimination of Children’s & Middle Grade and Graphic Novels in their 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards?
Still upset about Barnes and Noble’s drastic reduction of hardcover middle grade books?
Still shaking your head about Scholastic’s off-again, on-again support of diverse books?
Then we have just what you need: some good news about middle grade books! Courtesy of School Library Journal’s Teen Librarian Toolbox, we bring you the MIND THE MIDDLE PROJECT. The idea is to dedicate 2024 to highlighting middle grade and young teen literature.
Why is this important?
Well, beyond the obvious reasons, let’s take a look at some data. According to SLJ, “test scores for this age group are falling, and youth are reporting that they read less for fun.” Noting a powerful correlation between those two data points, an emphasis on the promotion of books for this age group is a genuinely great idea.
And the best news is that YOU are invited to become a part of the MIND THE MIDDLE PROJECT. Authors are invited to share book cover reveals, participate in interviews, and talk about the writing process. The idea is to connect kids and their gatekeepers with the books they’re looking for.
Teachers and librarians are invited to participate as well, by sharing themed book lists, book club information, and any ideas that inspire reading among this age group.
How can you get involved?
Would you like to sign up to make a guest post on the Teen Librarian Toolbox? Visit this link and find out how!
Ready to sign up? There’s a Google Form for that!
Let’s give our support to SLJ and the Teen Librarian Toolbox as they promote books and inspire readers with the 2024 MIND THE MIDDLE PROJECT.
Share this:
I love the idea of the Mind the Middle Project. This has been a hard year for middle grade authors, an it’s great that 2024 will be the year to support them and remind kids of all the fun books there are to read for pleasure.