We Need Diverse Middle Grade

Welcome to the home page for our series We Need Diverse Middle Grade (WNDMG), where we archive all our WNDMG posts.

Our mission: We celebrate and promote diversity in middle-grade books, and we examine the issues preventing better equity and inclusion on the middle-grade bookshelf. We intend to amplify and honor all diverse voices.

We Need Diverse Middle Grade posts once a month, drawing on work from our own team of contributors as well as from guest authors, editors, agents, teachers, librarians, and booksellers. You can count on our presence here on Mixed-Up Files to shine a light on the stories, work, and truth of all those who are still underrepresented in this field. You’ll be able to recognize our monthly posts by seeing our WNDMG logo: the diverse world we envision. Our artwork is by contributor Aixa Perez-Prado.

Guest Posts for We Need Diverse Middle Grade

If you’re interested in being considered for a guest post slot on WNDMG, please feel free to email: mufcommunications@gmail.com. Please Note: We do not pay for guest blog posts.

Latest from the Blog

  • ANY WAY YOU LOOK cover
    WNDMG Wednesday: Author Interview with Maleeha Siddiqui
    February 14, 2024 by
    WNDMG Wednesday: Author Interview with Maleeha Siddiqui I’m so excited to be able to introduce you to accomplished middle grade author Maleeha Siddiqui today. Maleeha’s newest book is ANY WAY YOU LOOK (Scholastic) and it launches on May 7, 2024. This book is a must have and a wonderful read, as I had the pleasure of reading an ARC, and Maleeha’s other novels are also favorites. Maleeha has a beautiful way of writing that is full of emotion and heart and craft! Everyone should buy a copy for themselves and their classrooms and libraries. Cover creds: Cover illustration: Sara Alfageeh Cover designer: Omou Barry Art director: Elizabeth Parisi About ANY WAY YOU LOOK Description taken from online: When boys from her community start harassing her, Ainy needs to figure out how to get them to stop—while still staying true to herself. Dress Coded meets Amina’s Voice in this new middle grade novel by Maleeha Siddiqui. Ainy is excited for summer! She plans on...
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  • Coretta Scott King Awards bronze seal
    The Coretta Scott King Book Awards: Honoring the Legacy of Dr. King
    January 14, 2024 by
    As we celebrate and honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it’s a great time to recognize the value of authors and illustrators who continue to carry his message into the world. This is the goal of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards. According to the American Library Association (ALA), these awards are presented annually to African American authors and illustrators whose books for children and young adults “demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values.”  About the Award The Coretta Scott King Book Award was established in 1969 by Mabel McKissick and Glyndon Greer...
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  • picture of the book I AM KAVI
    WNDMG Wednesday- Debut Author Interview with Thushanthi Ponweera
    November 8, 2023 by
      I’m so excited to be able to interview debut author Thushanthi Ponweera today for the WNDMG Wednesday blog. Thushanthi’s new book is I AM KAVI (Holiday House) and it launched on September 19, 2023 I am super in love with this gorgeous novel in verse, as I am also a fellow author of a verse novel coming in 2024 and I just adore poetry! I have read an ARC of this book, and I have to say, the book is stunning, poetic, and absolutely heartfelt in every way. And it is a much-needed book highlighting a diverse author and...
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  • We Need Diverse MG Logo hands holding reading globe with stars and spirals floating around
    WNDMG Wednesday – Introducing Isi Hendrix
    October 11, 2023 by
    Illustration by: Aixa Perez-Prado   Introducing Isi Hendrix Hello, WNDMG Wednesday readers … I am so excited for this month’s post. I get to introduce you to the amazing Isi Hendrix, author of the Afrofantasy MG Adia Kelbara and the Circle of Shamans. (HarperCollins – USA and Usborne – UK, September 2023) It’s such a high-profile debut novel, it got TWO debut days: one here in the USA and one in the UK! About Adia Kelbara Life is tough for twelve-year-old orphan Adia. Her aunt and uncle believe she’s an ogbanje, a demon-possessed child that brings misfortune wherever they go,...
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