Posts Tagged contemporary realistic middle-grade fiction

New April Books for Middle-Grade Readers!

cover art Indigo and Ida

Middle-grade readers will be showered with many new books being released in April.

A middle-grade debut from Angie Thomas. Graphic novels.  A new adventure story by author and illustrator Brian Selznick (The Invention of Hugo Cabret). PLUS, an MG debut from MUF’s very own Heather Murphy Capps: Indigo and Ida! This month’s lineup of new releases for middle-grade readers will help beat the blahs when those April Showers arrive. Enjoy!

I’m Still Here (Adapted for Young Readers): Loving Myself in a World Not Made for Me, written by

Austin Channing Brown, Convergent Books, April  4

Austin Channing Brown’s first encounter with race in America came at age seven, when she discovered that her parents had named her Austin to trick future employers into thinking she was a white man. Growing up in majority-white schools and churches, Channing Brown writes, “I had to learn what it means to love Blackness,” a journey that led to a lifetime spent navigating America’s racial divide as a writer, speaker, and expert helping organizations practice genuine inclusion.

In this adaptation of her bestselling and critically acclaimed memoir, she explores how America’s racial dynamics show up in the classrooms, friend groups, and conversations kids inhabit every day. “I love being a Black girl,” she writes. “And sometimes being a Black girl in America is hard.” Covering topics like representation, self-love, allyship, and being Black in public, Brown helps kids nourish their identity and make sense of how they fit into the world.

For students navigating a time of racial hostility, and for the adults and educators who care for them, I’m Still Here is an empowering look at the experiences of young Black kids, inviting the reader to confront apathy, find their voice, and discover how Blackness–if we let it–can save us all.

School Trip: A Graphic Novel, written by Jerry Craft, Quill Tree Books, April 4

New York Times bestselling author Jerry Craft is back with the newest adventures of Jordan, Drew, Liam, and all the characters that fans first met in New Kid, winner of the Newbery Award and the Coretta Scott King Author Award! In this full-color contemporary graphic novel, the gang from Riverdale Academy Day is heading to Paris, for an international education like you’ve never seen before …

Jordan, Drew, Liam, Maury, and their friends from Riverdale Academy Day School are heading out on a school trip to Paris. As an aspiring artist himself, Jordan can’t wait to see all the amazing art in the famous City of Lights.

But when their trusted faculty guides are replaced at the last minute, the school trip takes an unexpected–and hilarious–turn. Especially when trying to find their way around a foreign city ends up being almost as tricky as navigating the same friendships, fears, and differences that they struggle with at home.

Will Jordan and his friends embrace being exposed to a new language, unfamiliar food, and a different culture? Or will they all end up feeling like the “new kid”?

Indigo and Ida, written by Heather Murphy Capps, Published by Carolrhoda Books/Lerner, April 4

When eighth grader and aspiring journalist Indigo breaks an important story, exposing an unfair school policy, she’s suddenly popular for the first time. 

The friends who’ve recently drifted away from her want to hang out again. Then Indigo notices that the school’s disciplinary policies seem to be enforced especially harshly with students of color, like her. She wants to keep investigating, but her friends insist she’s imagining things.

Meanwhile, Indigo stumbles upon a book by Black journalist and activist Ida B. Wells―with private letters written by Ida tucked inside. As she reads about Ida’s lifelong battle against racism, Indigo realizes she must choose between keeping quiet and fighting for justice.

 

Good Different written by Meg Eden Kuyatt, Published by Scholastic, April 4

An extraordinary novel-in-verse for fans of Starfish and A Kind of Spark about a neurodivergent girl who comes to understand and celebrate her difference.

Selah knows her rules for being normal.

She always, always sticks to them. This means keeping her feelings locked tightly inside, despite the way they build up inside her as each school day goes on, so that she has to run to the bathroom and hide in the stall until she can calm down. So that she has to tear off her normal-person mask the second she gets home from school, and listen to her favorite pop song on repeat, trying to recharge. Selah feels like a dragon stuck in a world of humans, but she knows how to hide it.

Until the day she explodes and hits a fellow student.

Selah’s friends pull away from her, her school threatens expulsion, and her comfortable, familiar world starts to crumble.

But as Selah starts to figure out more about who she is, she comes to understand that different doesn’t mean damaged. Can she get her school to understand that, too, before it’s too late?

Spy Camp the Graphic Novel, written by Stuart Gibbs, Illustrated by Anjan Sarkar

The second book in the New York Times bestselling Spy School series continues in graphic novel form as aspiring spy Ben Ripley must spend his summer in top-secret training–and is thrown back into danger.

Ben Ripley is a middle schooler whose school is not exactly average–he’s spent the last year training to be a top-level spy and dodging all sorts of associated danger. So now that summer’s finally here, Ben would like to have some fun and relax. But that’s not going to happen during required spy survival training at a rustic wilderness camp, where SPYDER, an enemy spy organization, has infiltrated the spies’ ranks. Can Ben root out the enemy before it takes him out–for good?

Warriors: A Starless Clan #3 Shadow, written by Erin Hunter, HarperCollins, April 4

A crossroads for the Clans–and the warrior code!

The warrior code now allows a cat to formally change Clans, but ShadowClan’s newest arrival feels increasingly unwelcome–and though ShadowClan warrior Sunbeam thinks every cat deserves a chance, one of the loudest voices of opposition is her own mother. Meanwhile medicine cat apprentice Frostpaw scrambles to help RiverClan stay afloat under the watchful eye of a second Tigerstar, and the shadow of growing conflict looms over them all…

This seventh epic Warriors series is full of action, intrigue, and adventure–a perfect introduction for new readers and for long-time fans eager to discover what unfolds after the events of The Broken Code.

Big Tree, written by Brian Selznick, Scholastic, April 4

“Hello, stars. I thought I heard you calling me.”

A mysterious voice has been speaking to Louise in her dreams. She and her brother Merwin are Sycamore seeds, who hope to one day set down roots and become big trees. But when a fire forces them to leave their mama tree prematurely, they find themselves catapulted into the unknown, far from home. Alone and unprepared, they must use their wits and imagination to navigate a dangerous world–filled with dinosaurs, meteors, and volcanoes!–and the fear of never finding a safe place to grow up. As the mysterious voice gets louder, Louise comes to realize their mission in life may be much bigger than either of them ever could have imagined!

Brimming with humor, wonder, mystery, and a profound sense of hope, Big Tree is a trailblazing adventure, illustrated with nearly 300 pages of breathtaking pictures. It is Selznick’s most imaginative and far-reaching work to date and a singular reading experience for the whole family!

Nic Blake and The Remarkables, written by Angie Thomas, Published by Balzer & Bray/Harperteen, April 4

Internationally bestselling superstar author Angie Thomas makes her middle grade debut with the launch of an inventive, hilarious, and suspenseful new contemporary fantasy trilogy inspired by African American history and folklore.

It’s not easy being a Remarkable in the Unremarkable world. Some things are cool–like getting a pet hellhound for your twelfth birthday. Others, not so much–like not being trusted to learn magic because you might use it to take revenge on an annoying neighbor.

All Nic Blake wants is to be a powerful Manifestor like her dad. But before she has a chance to convince him to teach her the gift, a series of shocking revelations and terrifying events launch Nic and two friends on a hunt for a powerful magic tool she’s never heard of…to save her father from imprisonment for a crime she refuses to believe he committed.

The Little Mermaid: Guide to Merfolkwritten by Erin Geron, Disney Press, April 11

Learn everything you ever wanted to know about mermaids and more from Disney’s new live action film The Little Mermaid inside this gorgeous guidebook!

From Prince Eric’s royal library, this beautiful guidebook deep dives into the legends and lore surrounding the mermaids and their world from The Little Mermaid live action film. Learn more about the Seven Seas and the mermaid princesses who rule them, discover stories of sirens and sea witches, and come to know the legend of the coral moon. With gorgeous full-color illustrations throughout, this book is perfect for any reader who can’t get enough of mermaids.

Creatures of the In Between, written by Cindy Lin, HarperCollins Publishers, April 11

Princess Mononoke meets How to Train Your Dragon in this magical middle grade adventure from Cindy Lin, author of The Twelve, featuring a blend of East and Southeast Asian folklore and mythical creatures, and starring a boy with a hero’s destiny.

Prince Jin is running out of time.

He must find a monster companion before his thirteenth birthday or lose the throne completely.

And that means travelling to the only place where monsters still live: the legendary, dangerous Whisper Island.

But untold perils await Jin there. The magical creatures he seeks are not so easily swayed, and an even greater threat looms on the horizon–one that could threaten everything Jin hopes to achieve.

Fireborn: Phoenix and the Frost Palace, written by Aisling Fowler, HarperCollins, April 18

Twelve journeys to new lands and embarks on even more perilous adventures in this sequel to Fireborn, which B.B. Alston praised as “the best kind of children’s fantasy story.”

Twelve is now a full-fledged hunter, with a new name worthy of her fiery powers: Phoenix.

But with her new powers come new responsibilities. When a plea for help arrives from the long-lost witch clan, it’s clear Phoenix’s newfound fire is their only hope. Phoenix and her friends must travel to Icegaard, the witches’ home, to combat the mysterious darkness there—one that grows stronger each day.

But deep within this darkness lies an enemy that could destroy Ember entirely . . . unless Phoenix can find the strength to stop it.

A thrilling adventure and poignant journey all in one, this second novel in the Fireborn trilogy—perfect for fans of The School for Good and Evil and the His Dark Materials series—will take Phoenix and her readers to enchanting new worlds, where unexpected friends, untold dangers, and a treacherous new enemy await.

 

Some thoughts on Writing and RITUALS

Writers are known to have rituals. Light a candle, sit in your favourite chair, arrange your paperclips at right angles, and only then can/will the the magic at the keyboard begin.

I’m not exactly kidding. Patricia Highsmith apparently started her writing sessions off with a stiff drink; Truman Capote claimed he could only write when horizontal, coffee and a cigarette in hand; Haruki Murakami has said that when he is writing a novel he wakes at 4 am and works for five or six hours straights, runs or swims in the afternoon, and goes to bed by 9 pm. 

 

I do have a Pavlovian response when I hear the opening bars of Mozart’s Sonata for Piano and Violin in G, K.301:2. Allegro

As a mother of four kids running a busy home, however, I can’t really afford to get too picky about a lot of that stuff. Mostly I need to do whatever I can to carve out time, and try and use it to the best of my ability. That includes: not peeking at the myriad tabs open as I compare ballet tights, dog food, birthday gifts, name labels on sale, other items on sale; ignoring pinging from any number of WhatsApp groups re: carpools, playdates, football training; not scheduling doctor/dentist/hairdresser appointments; and not checking something else off the endless to-do list. I do have music that I like to listen to when I write. With Honey and Me I basically listened to a Mozart for Morning Coffee CD I had from my kids until eventually technology advanced but I was still slogging away and I switched to Mozart for Study playlists on Spotify. I don’t actually know anything about classical music, but when I hear the opening bars of Sonata for Piano and Violin in G, K.301:2. Allegro my mind jumps to my characters Milla and Honey and their world. 

But I can also write in cafes, on airplanes and anywhere there’s white noise rather than the mom-specific noise of someone asking me what’s for dinner or have I seen their shin pads. 

There is one ritual I do have though. It’s not exclusive, meaning I can write without it and otherwise go about my day. But it does bring me joy and internal structure—an expectation of what I’m meant to be doing— and there’s something to be said for that. 

My ritual is: mugs.

The first thing to know is that I drink tea all day long. Green tea until 2 pm. And then chamomile, and sometimes rooibos or mint. But that’s not really the important part. The important ritualistic part is which mug I am drinking said tea in. I used to have two. One has Elvis Presley on it. It comes from an Elvis-themed truck stop on the road between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. It was purchased for me by a taxi driver who took me from Tel Aviv to the cemetery just outside Jerusalem where my friend had buried her son; waited for me during the service, standing on the outskirts with a kippa from his glove compartment; and then took me back to my children waiting for me at a hotel in Tel Aviv before we returned to London later that day. But first he wanted to show me the Elvis truck stop and bought me a cup of tea with the mug as a souvenir. 

 The Elvis mug

This is the mug I use when it is family time. When I’m using that mug I am not wishing that I could be sitting at my computer. I am counting my blessings for my family and their health— mental and physical. Even when I’m making four different dinners. Even in the depths of lockdown where boundaries in general did not seem to exist. When I take out that mug it’s a choice and a statement that I will try to be in the moment with my family and whatever needs doing for them, and not trying to split my time between my writing and them, giving not enough to either.

The writing mugs (Parts I and II)

My second mug used to be a Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators mug. Purchased by me, for me, at an SCBWI British Isles conference many years ago, this was my work mode mug. When I was using that mug it meant that I did not want to be called by school to come get my sick child. Alas, sometimes that was the case. Because that’s life. But taking out that mug was a choice and a gesture that this writing part of me was important and deserved space. 

 

Unfortunately, a few months ago this mug broke. Don’t ask me how, no one will tell me. My husband glued the handle back on but a chunk was missing. I was going through a Harry Styles thing (I mean, who wasn’t?) and my older daughter, both mortified and milking it for laugh-at-mom value bought me a “You’re So Golden” mug as a replacement work mug. It’s a good one, although it’s a bit more irreverent and less earnest than the SCBWI one. I use it for work, but also sometimes when I need a bit of pep. It should also be said that since my book was published, I have found the definition of work to be different. Rather than just going into my home office to write, I am suddenly running another small business — essentially a marketing and PR firm for my book. It is such different and unexpected work. But perhaps that’s another blog post.

The author mode mug

The point is the lines have been blurred a bit and luckily I now have a THIRD mug which is taking its ritualistic place in my life. Just before Honey and Me was published I got a mystery package in the mail, with handwriting that was extremely familiar but too out of context to place, especially because it had been so long since I’d last seen it. To my shock and utter delight, it was a mug made into the jacket cover of Honey and Me, sent from my oldest best friend Stephanie. I still can’t get over it. It’s hard to say how much this mug means to me. Having the love and support of my friends for one thing. Having a friend who has known me since I was four. Having written a book about friendship and to feel this support from my own friend. Seeing the jacket cover on a mug and feeling OMG this is real, I am about to be a published author. There’s probably more to it that I can’t even harness and pick out the strands of what and how much it means to me, but basically I suspect I have written this whole blog post as an excuse to show off this mug!

So the Honey and Me mug I use when I am in what I think I will call “author mode.” Sometimes I am afraid to take it out lest I drop it and break it. Say what you will about the fragility with which I consider this new mode of being for me: “author.” Other times I sip from it proudly or at least try to own it. The book is published and I am proud of it. I love how people are connecting to it. I love talking to kids who have read it! And it’s been an added surprise and bonus to talk to all the  adults who have read it and related to it, no matter their background.

All I know is, I hope my mugs don’t break. I hope that people everywhere love my book. I hope I have more books in me. I hope my family stays safe. Even without my mugs these are my hopes and fears. 

Ritual shmitual. 

Middle-Grade Craft: Insights from Payal Doshi and Cristina Oxtra

Historical fiction, fantasy novels, graphic novels, narrative nonfiction—writing for middle-grade can mean many different things. So, middle-grade authors need to take different approaches when crafting manuscripts for their genres. I talked with middle-grade authors Payal Doshi (fantasy novel) and Cristina Oxtra (historical fiction) to learn more about their craft and processes for writing two very different kinds of middle-grade books. Here are their thoughts on research and plotting, teen character development, and cultural representation in their books.


About the Authors

First, a bit about the authors and their books.

Payal Doshi noticed a lack of Indian protagonists in global children’s fiction and one day wrote the opening paragraph to what would become her first children’s novel. She was born and raised in Mumbai, India, and currently resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her debut middle grade fantasy novel, Rea and the Blood of the Nectar, is the recipient of the IPPY Gold Award. Her young adult short story will be published in the forthcoming YA Anthology, My Big, Fat, Desi Wedding by Page Street Kids in Spring 2024. Visit her at https://www.payaldoshiauthor.com.

 

 

 

Cristina Oxtra is a Filipino American children’s book author. Her historical fiction middle grade novel, Tara and the Towering Wave: An Indian Ocean Tsunami Survival Story, tells the story of Tara and her mother’s survival of the tsunami that slams into the coast of Thailand and the resort area where they are staying. Her first picture book, titled What Lolo Wants, will be published in 2024. She was awarded The Loft Literary Center’s 2019–2020 Mirrors & Windows Fellowship for indigenous writers and writers of color and is a teaching artist at The Loft. Cristina is also a full-time public relations professional, military veteran, and former journalist and educator. Visit her at www.cristinaoxtra.com.

 

 


Research and Plotting

Payal: Fantasy stories usually require lavish settings, a magic system, magical creatures, and often a political and social system in which the story takes place apart from the basics of needing main and secondary characters as well as plot. So, when I have an idea for a story in my mind, I need to plan the story well before I begin writing.

Being a 60% plotter and 40% panster, the first thing l do is jot down a bulleted summary of the plot/outline to see how the story unravels. Then I enter into research mode which sends me down multiple rabbit holes, but I usually come out of them with twists and details that I couldn’t have concocted myself! I’m a big fan of well-described settings and I love reading books in which the setting feels like a character itself and plays an integral part of the story. This sends me off into researching strange and beautiful landscapes, magical creatures that might inhabit such lands, and using simple tools like a ‘fantasy name generator’ on Google to create unique names for my characters and settings.

This is also the point in my outlining when I tend to spot plot holes, places where I need to add more tension or a plot twist like a red herring, for example, and I begin to have a better sense of the setting, what my characters look like, what their internal motivations are, and what obstacles they might face. I like to create well-rounded characters so each of the characters, main or secondary, have their own strengths and weaknesses. I then try to put these characters in situations that will test their weaknesses and insecurities, which I find not only ties in well with their personalities but also makes for nail-biting plot and emotional progression. I also remember to maintain two arc trajectories for them—first that is plot-driven (i.e., how the character grows and changes based on the obstacles they face) and second is emotion-driven (i.e., how the characters’ feelings develop through their experiences in the story).

Cristina: Great research is the foundation of any historical fiction.  As part of my extensive research, I read books, articles, studies, and news reports. I read not only about the tsunami in 2004, but also about the meteorological phenomenon itself and about the country of Thailand, its history, geography, culture, and people. I also watched documentaries and personal videos from those who lived through the tsunami and the devastating aftermath. These were the most emotionally powerful resources. I even followed social media pages for vacation sites in Khao Lak to view pictures and get an idea of what the area is like.

As for plotting, I’m a firm believer in outlining. If I have to quantify it, I’m at least 75% plotter and 25% pantser. I usually have an idea of how the story will end and I work backwards to determine how it will reach that conclusion. I outline what will happen in each chapter and I use this outline as a road map to move the plot along. However, oftentimes a detour suddenly appears on the road map. Perhaps it’s the possibility of introducing another character I had not thought of at the start of the writing journey or a different plot twist. I always explore any detour to see whether or not it works well with the story. As I do so, I ask myself, “Does it make sense? Is it believable? Does it work with the facts?” It’s one of the challenges of writing an historical fiction. You can choose whichever path you’d like, but you have to stay true to the historical facts while building your fictional story around them.


Teen Character Development

Payal: A question I often get asked is how I write for a middle grade audience being in my late 30s! For one, I keep an ear out for how teens talk (this can involve some embarrassing eavesdropping!), watching teen TV shows, and also remembering my own childhood experiences—how we spoke, how we dressed. I try not to date my
characters’ dialogue by using very specific colloquialisms, keeping them more generic instead. An excellent piece of advice I received from my editor regarding writing for middle grade kids was to give a peek into the main character’s inner monologue especially when they are about to make big, important, or conflicting decisions. This helps
even a reluctant reader understand the nuances of a character and story.

Also, a tool I use to ensure my plot and character arcs are progressing well is to check if in every chapter the reader and main character learn something they didn’t know before i.e. new information about the plot, the introduction of a new character, new obstacles, grappling with new emotions.

Cristina: I created Tara to be a relatable character. Like many young people her age, she eats mac ‘n’ cheese, loves spending time with her best friend, is uneasy in new situations, prefers to stay in her comfort zone, and is unsure about trying new things.  My experiences as a mom of a teen and a former educator at the middle school level helped. Tara is also a child of divorce, like many children in the United States. My mother and biological father separated when I was a child. I drew from that experience of learning to come to terms with the separation, feeling the loss, recalling fond memories, and wondering about the future. Just as Tara did.

As with any character, I enjoy building a backstory for them before I start writing about them. For example, what are their likes and dislikes, who are their friends, what are their hobbies, what do they want to be when they grow up, have they always lived in the same place, etc. This information may be useful later in the story. But even if I don’t use all of this information, it still helps me gain a better understanding of the characters and how they would feel or act in a given situation based on who they are. In addition, I make sure my characters learn and grow through their experiences in the story, and I prefer to end a story in a way that leaves readers with the feeling of hope.


Cultural Representation

Payal: I’m from India and South Asian representation in children’s books is incredibly important to me. I love weaving in details about my culture and heritage into the fabric of the story. I want South Asian kids see themselves as main characters in books and know that they are worthy of going on exciting adventures and being heroes.

Being human is a universal experience and what bonds a reader to a character is not their outward appearance but their hopes, dreams, failures, successes, insecurities, strengths, and how they navigate through life. That’s what I like to focus on when writing a book. Similarly, I want kids from other cultures and countries to relate with my characters and see that despite their different backgrounds, they share the same hopes, dreams, and fears. It is my hope that South Asian kids feel seen when they read my books, know that their stories deserve to be celebrated, and feel joy and pride for their culture.

Cristina: Representation matters. Growing up, I didn’t see myself in the books in the libraries or at school. Therefore, I write stories that feature diverse characters and uplift diverse voices. I wanted to do this in Tara and the Towering Wave as well as reflect the immigrant experience.  This involved not only a tremendous amount of research, but also delving into my memories. Although I’ve never been to Thailand, I learned it has some similarities with the Philippines, where I was born and raised, so I drew from my personal experiences. For example, the scene wherein Tara and her mom rode in a tuk-tuk is based on my experience of riding in a similar vehicle as a child in the Philippines. As inspiration for the market scene, I recalled walking in the open-air markets in the Philippines and combined those memories with what I learned from food TV shows featuring Thailand. In addition, I consulted with two friends, one who lived in Thailand for several years and another who is a native of the country, to make sure I portrayed Thailand, its people, and its culture accurately and with respect.

Through Tara and the Towering Wave, I wanted to show the power of the human spirit and the good each individual can do. I also wanted to explore the theme of identity, the desire to belong, and what ties us to our family and our heritage. Tara’s story highlights the bond between a mother and daughter as they learn about their Thai heritage and themselves. As a Filipino American who was born and raised in the Philippines, I wonder what it would be like if I went back. I have not returned since I left as a child. My son was born and raised in the United States. What would it be like if we visited the Philippines? Would we feel awkward and uncomfortable, like Tara? Would we feel like Filipinos or strangers in a foreign land?

I hope this story inspires readers to discover their inner strengths, help others, and learn more about their family and heritage. I also hope it helps ensure that those who died, lost someone, or survived the tsunami are never forgotten.


Thank you so much for joining us on the blog today and sharing your insights, Payal and Cristina! Hope their insights into crafting historical fiction and fantasy novels will help you on your MG writing journey. Be sure to check out their wonderful middle-grade books Rea and the Blood of the Nectar and Tara and the Towering Wave. Happy MG writing and reading to all!