Boy Book, Girl Book, Nobody Book, Everybody Book

Often times in children's literature, books are labeled--by genre, by age group, and sometimes even by gender. Normally categorizing books helps the world know where the book belongs in a bookstore and who the intended audience is. But when you label a book as a boy book or a girl book it's not necessarily helpful; to the buyer or to the reader. In fact, it can sometimes do more harm than good.

Labeling books for boys or girls can be problematic. It not only tells everyone who should be reading the book, but also who shouldn't. And I'm a firm believer that books are meant to be read widely and enjoyed often. By telling someone, especially a child, a book is a "boy" book when they might happen to be female, you are essentially telling that child it is not okay to read that book, that it's not okay to enjoy that book.

And I'm sure many are saying, so what difference does it make if boys don't read books about princesses and tea parties and girls don't read books about dinosaurs and firefighters, but the problem doesn't just stop at kids not reading certain kinds of books. You are instilling a sense of guilt in a child that may have had interest in a particular topic. You are telling a reader that it isn't socially unacceptable to read and/or like certain things because of who they are. And worst of all you are potentially turning kids off of reading.

*http://transmediacamp101.com/2014/03/16/no-girls-allowed-video-games-gender-stereotypes/

When I was younger I didn't read much. Some of those years I didn't read at all. Not because I was ever told not to read something because of my gender, but because I was steered toward books that girls stereotypically like. The only problem is, I had no interest in them. I wanted to read books about space and aliens, gross science experiments and dinosaurs. Anything science related, or math or STEM. And even though there weren't tons of these books for kids, especially fictional ones, I was never once offered the ones that did exist. And I have to believe that was in part because I'm female, because it was not what my girl friends were reading.

Fast forward to today where I'm a female engineer in a largely male dominated field. To a time where I fight on a regular basis against stereotypes surrounding women in STEM. Where I constantly have to prove myself over and over again, and yet my fellow colleagues get handed things no questions asked. And where because of my name and field I am often assumed to be male. While I see things improving and changing, I look ahead and know we still have so far to go. That we are not yet at a point where we can unconsciously accept people and their abilities regardless of stereotypes, regardless of the labels we carry. And that we make snap judgements about others based on what society has told us should be.

Despite things slowly creeping toward a culture of acceptance and less classifications, each and every one of us still have moments where we unconsciously assume something about others. I know I've done this from time to time despite my best efforts. And often times those assumptions come directly from knee jerk thoughts we make based on someone's gender, race, religion, skin color etc. And yet we often don't even realize we are doing it because it is engrained in us, unconsciously. We've been told since a young age that something is just for boys or girls.

*https://wakaroki.wordpress.com/2013/06/28/gender-buzz-words/

So what does all this have to do with reading and labeling books? By labeling books by gender, we pass on our own unconscious biases to the next generation. We are telling kids what they should read, what they shouldn't, and what are the right and wrong kind of books. We are telling kids what is socially acceptable to like based on their gender. Labeling books by gender is potentially damaging. It's instilling unconscious biases in kids so early on.

While some labels may be important, I don't think gender is one of them, especially not in books. Moving forward, we should encourage kids to read plain and simple. We should strive to find out each child's interests and direct him or her toward books that support those interests, male, female or otherwise. We should challenge our own stereotypes and unconscious biases and expose kids to books, all books, good books, bad books, "girl" books and "boy" books.

A world full of readers is a world full of people who challenge the "norm" that maybe shouldn't always be so normal. Readers are people who challenge themselves because they are exposed to a wide range of possibilities. We show them that things in the world aren't one or the other. That they can enjoy and do things regardless of gender. And that's a world I want to be a part of.

What Kids Read #3

Today we have another awesome interview for What Kids Read! Enjoy!

1.) What grades/age groups do you work with?
I work with grades K-2 - middle grade readers of the future!

2.) What are some of your favorite kid lit books?

I could make a very, very, VERY long list, but I'll try to keep it (somewhat) short! Some of my recent favorites are:

BREAKING THE ICE by Gail Nall

THE RED PENCIL by Andrea Davis Pinkney

TELL ME by Joan Bauer

ABSOLUTELY ALMOST by Lisa Graff

RAIN REIGN by Ann Martin

SPIRIT'S KEY by Edith Cohn

3.) What genres/topics do kids seem to ask for the most?
I love working with kids in this age group because they're so open to everything. If I tell them something is a good book, they trust me completely and try it. It's interesting to see what types of books are popular from school to school, though. It really varies based on a lot of different factors. For instance, at one school I worked at, the kids were really into all types of sports books - nonfiction, the Victory Sports Superstars series (Capstone), and anything by Tim Green/Matt Christopher. At my current school, though, the kids don't really care about sports. They love Pokemon (yes, it's still a thing!! I was surprised, too), dragons, superheroes, and Magic Tree House. The common thread I've seen at all schools? Graphic novels. Babymouse, Lunch Lady, Amulet. Can't keep them on the shelves.

4.) What book titles are the most popular right now? 
Anything by Mo Willems, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Captain Underpants, Scaredy Squirrel, the Dragonbreath series (Ursula Vernon)

5.) What do kids seem to like the least or what do kids complain about when it comes to books?   
I think kids get stressed out when they can't find something that appeals to them - but since they're kids, it can be hard for them to express this. I have one student who always tells me "there aren't any good books here." (Which, y'know, of COURSE there are - like 15,000 of them!) I reassure her that she just hasn't found the right book yet, and that's okay, and we're going to work together to find it. I think kids generally want to read, but if they can't find that perfect book/series they love, and/or if they don't have anyone to help them do it (one of MANY reasons school librarians are so necessary), they can become discouraged and bitter about reading. In terms of what they complain about with books they don't like, it's usually that the book isn't funny or action-packed enough.

6.) What gets kids excited about reading? 
Their friends. They love my recommendations, but a second grader telling another second grader that they MUST read a certain book carries a lot more weight than me telling them. It's really amazing, watching the domino effect happen so often. Literally ONE second grader got into Amulet, then he told his friend, and soon the entire class was reading the entire series. I think the exact same thing probably happens with older students, too.

7.) If you've had author visits at your library/classroom what worked well and what didn't?
I've had a few Skype author visits and a few in person at my last school. They've all generally gone really well! It's great that a lot of children's authors are able to relate to children so well. (Which you'd think would be a given, but being a good children's writer doesn't necessarily translate to being an engaging speaker.) It works well when there's a presentation in place, when the event is promoted/organized well, and when there's collaboration and mutual respect between the author and the librarian/whomever is coordinating the event.

8.) Are there any other thoughts about children's literature or reading you'd like to share?
Books are the best.

Thanks to Abby Cooper for the interview! She lives in Madison, Wisconsin and works at a K-2 school. She also writes middle grade. Check her out on twitter!

If you are a librarian, teacher, or educator and would like to be interviewed on the blog please email MGminded (at) gmail (dot) com and put "What Kids Read" in the subject line. And if you have questions about what kids read that you'd like answered send them to the same email address.  

What Kids Read #1

Today I'm starting what will hopefully be a new series on Middle Grade Minded. Interviews with Librarians, Teachers, and Educators about what kids read. If you are in one of those categories and would like to be interviewed for the blog, please email MGminded (at) gmail (dot) com and put "What Kids Read" in the subject line. And if you have questions about what kids read that you'd like answered send them to the same email address.

And without further ado, our very first interview is with Author and Teacher Marie Meyer.

1.) What grades/age groups do you work with?

I teach 4th grade at a parochial school in St. Louis.

2.) What are some of your favorite middle grade books?
My students and I enjoy the FABLEHAVEN series by Brandon Mull, KEEPER series by Shannon Messenger, HARRY POTTER series by JK Rowling, THE GIRL WHO COULD FLY by Victoria Forester, OUT OF MY MIND by Sharon M. Draper, RULES by Cynthia Lord, AT YOUR SERVICE by Jen Malone

3.) What genres/topics do kids seem to ask for the most?

In my experience, most kids enjoy fantasy the most.

4.) What book titles are the most popular right now?

The ORIGAMI YODA series by Tom Angleberger, the GERONIMO STILTON & THEA STILTON books by Elisabetta Dami, PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS series by Rick Riordan, the FLOORS series by Patrick Carmen, just to name a few!

5.) What do kids seem to like the least or what do kids complain about when it comes to books?

Sadly, The students I work with (9 & 10 year olds) complain most about books that are long. They shy away from books with lots of pages and small print.

Most recently, my students were complaining about the length of the Harry Potter novels. In an effort to bypass reading the books, they begged me to tell them what happened, or they said they'd just watch the movies. This was a travesty to me. Every child needs to experience the joy of reading Harry Potter. To remedy this situation, I started reading HP as a read-aloud. At first, the kids protested with lots of groans and grumbles, but once I started reading (with voices and all), the kids were hooked! They couldn't get enough! They were fighting over Chamber of Secrets, wanting to be the first to read the second book as soon as I finished Sorcerer's Stone!

6.) What gets kids excited about reading?
Read-alouds get kids excited! I always choose read-alouds that are a part of a series. I will read the first book to them, to pique their interest, but it is up to my students to read the rest of the books in the series.

Kids also get excited if I read a book to them and then there's an author visit at one of the local libraries. I've taken several groups to meet an author after we've read their book. There is special kind of magic that turns a kid into a life-long reader when they get to meet the author of a book they love!

After reading FABLEHAVEN to my class last year, Brandon Mull visited the area. One of my students not only devoured the rest of his novels, but has been to every author visit Mr. Mull has made to the St. Louis area. Mr. Mull's stories and ability to relate to kids made quite an impression on my student! I also recall a very fun class trip to the library when Scott Westerfeld visited. Mr. Westerfeld was so personable and the kids just loved him (and his books!)

7.) If you've had author visits at your library/classroom what worked well and what didn't?

I haven't had any author visits to my school. But, I take my students to the city libraries for visits. Being at a small parochial school, there isn't much money to host author visits.

8.) Are there any other thoughts about children's literature or reading you'd like to share?

Kids like books that aren't "dumbed down." Give them an engaging storyline and they will rise to the occasion, difficult vocabulary and all! Kids are smart, they are able to figure out complex stories and characters.

As a teacher, one of my biggest pet peeves is when MG books feature one dimensional characters and a boring plot. A story like this will turn kids off reading. In today's day and age, books are forced to compete with gaming systems, apps, tablets, ect... For a kid to be engaged in reading, an author has to capture a child's interest and hold it, not an easy feat. But, if the story and characters are solid and well developed, a kid will put down their game, for a while, and lose themselves in the pages of a book!



Marie Meyer was a Language Arts teacher for fourteen years. She spends her days in the classroom and her nights writing heartfelt new adult romances that will leave readers clamoring for more. She is a member of RWA and the St. Louis Writers Guild. Marie's short fiction won honorable mentions from the St. Louis Writers Guild in 2010 and 2011. She is a proud mommy and enjoys helping her oldest daughter train for the Special Olympics, making up silly stories with her youngest daughter, and binging on weeks of DVR'd television shows with her husband. - See more at: http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/authors/marie-meyer/#about

Marie's debut New Adult Contemporary Romance, ACROSS THE DISTANCE, releases on May 5, 2015, from Grand Central Publishing/Forever Yours.

Marie is represented by Louise Fury at The Bent Agency.

Marie's Website/Blog: www.mariemeyerbooks.com
Follow Marie on Twitter: @MarieMwrites

Do You Know Which MG-ers You’re Writing For?

As I was floating peacefully through my twitter feed Wednesday night (surely in an effort to seek enlightenment rather than an act of avoiding the revisions that are hounding me like a pack of yellow-eyed, slavering, were-jackels), I noticed and retweeted this tweet by Scholastic:

What kids want in #books varies by age. We break it down: http://t.co/RRHcAIfsmQ #KFRR #sharepossible pic.twitter.com/r2yc2bFyq5

— Scholastic (@Scholastic) January 15, 2015

The graphic in question is actually from the What Kids Want in Books subsection of a much larger, more encompassing Kids & Family Reading Report from Scholastic, all of which is probably worth some eyeballs from anyone interested in writing for children. That is, I mean, you should read it, not sacrifice actual eyeballs to it because a) ew, eyeballs, gross, and b) it’s an online report and cares nothing for the paltry sacrifices  of your people.

Anyway, it was fascinating to me, in particular, as a kidlit writer who also happens to be a profound data geek somewhere deep in the cold, dark recesses of his shriveled little heart.  That said, discussing the full report could expand into a discourse of both epic and epochal proportions, and, let’s be honest, that’s a conversation to have with your best writer friend over a soy latte or cappuccino the size of Paul Bunyan’s boot at your favorite coffee shop.  Still, considering just the infographic posted in the tweet, though, was pretty instructive for me.

First of all, it was nice to see the ages of readers that make up what’s traditionally thought of as “middle grade” (admittedly, though, it does stretch a bit beyond it on both ends of the age spectrum) broken down a little more than usual. Often times, two different books that people say are undeniably middle grade “middle grade” could actually be very different depending on whether the target readers in question is 8 year old or 14.  I mean, 14 is a lot closer to 18 than it is to 8.

Of course, for most of us familiar with kidlit, this is not exactly as Earth-shattered a revelation as, say, the time you realized that Sprite was actually made by Coke. It does, however, underline something not all of us think about when we’re talking to other MG writers. That is, your preferred target age group may not be the same as someone else’s target group. Trust me, it’s always worth it to make sure you’re not comparing apples and pomegranates.

Being a middle-grade writer myself, though, the real value of the graphic was personal. I couldn’t help but take a moment to calculate where my MG books tend to fall in the age ranges specified. That is, its a chance to evaluate whether or not I’ve been writing the kinds of things I hope will draw the attention of the 9-12 year old age group represented by my kids. Because, as I’ve said, they’re the ones I most imagine reading my books.

The good news is that I see’m to be hitting the marks. My MG novels are all adventures with some element of mystery to solve, regardless of whether it’s warp-speed fueled jaunt through open space or the tale of a creepy night locked in a house that may or may not be haunted. And the characters tend to be a varying mix of smart, strong, and brave that won’t quit until they find a solution to their problems, even if they do usually need a little help from their friends to get there.

In other words, congratulations to me! It turns out that based on the research, I’m writing middle grade stories in my MG novels, particularly well-suited for 9-14 years olds.

Which, I suppose, shouldn’t come as much of a shock, since that’s what I set out to do and everything.

Still, sometimes it’s nice to see it validated with actually data, right there in (somewhat colorful) black and white.

What about your MG motivations? Do your stories fit in with what your target audience wants? Or are you just writing what you love, and figuring that someone else might love it too, no matter what the age?

Pud’n

WANTED: Middle Grade Online Communities

Happy Monday, everyone! Here's a little trivia for you: I'm one of those people you hate who love Mondays and wake up happy (way too happy, according my family). I spent this past weekend in Houston at the Houston Book Rave. I had a fabulous time, as always. Meeting readers and seeing my writing friends is priceless!

On to what I’m blogging about today… MGM received a great question from a follower:

“Why are there so few middle grade online writer communities (and so much less information in general)?”

That’s the middle-grade million-dollar-question! I have one legit answer and lots of hunches, so here we go.

The Legit Answer…

Several months prior to the release of my first middle-grade novel, I asked my agent (the effervescent Holly Root) about marketing for the first book in a series with Aladdin M!X (blog tours, book signings, release day events, etc.).  What she said makes sense, even if you don't like it. And, yes, I'm totally paraphrasing. Whatever she said was much more sparkly.

We (authors) try to market our books to our target audience (middle graders), but that's where we go wrong with middle grade fiction. It's unlikely that our target audience is trolling blogs, tweeting about their new favorite book, or checking Goodreads to see the next great book. And even if they are, they aren't holding the purse strings to buy books without a parent's involvement. 

Middle-grade readers get information about books from four different places: friends, parents, teachers, and librarians.  

That's who you have to reach online.

Makes perfect sense, right? But I've yet to find Middle Grade Marketing for Dummies, so I'm winging it. For me, the process is evolving, and I never quite feel like I'm where I need to be. You know what they call that? Frustrating!

I do believe, however, that Holly's answer explains why there's such little middle-grade online presence. 

My Hunches…

• THE PAY OFF: Middle grade publishers don’t invest as much money as we'd like into marketing middle-grade fiction because it doesn't pay off. The general belief is that the best marketing comes from having the book on a Barnes & Noble (or other such brick & mortar booksellers) shelf. 
• IT'S ALWAYS ABOUT MONEY: When's the last time you saw a middle-grade novel hit BIG? As in, Diary of a Wimpy Kid big. It's been a while. Too long, if you ask me. Publishers invest marketing dollars on books they think will give them the biggest return on their money. That book is rarely in the middle-grade section of the store. The bottom line: It's a business. And a cutthroat one at that. 
• BLOGGERS: Some bloggers only review young adult novels. Some bloggers only review middle grade novels. And some bloggers offer both young adult and middle grade fiction reviews. There are more middle-grade bloggers out there than you think. The key is finding the bloggers who take their blog seriously and post regularly. The ones who do offer reviews on middle-grade novels are precious to authors. They're the link that often connects authors and their books to readers.
• FOR WRITERS: There is virtually no online presence for writers of middle-grade fiction. And that's a tragedy because authors need each other. We learn from one another and sometimes need to connect with someone that just "gets it." It would be fabulous if someone would create the middle-grade version of Women's Fiction Writers' Association. Yes, I know all about SCBWI, but I'm thinking of something even more narrow than that... namely, middle-grade fiction. Maybe something like Middle-Grade Writers' Association. MGWA. Looks okay to me!

So... now that the million-dollar middle-grade question has (kind of) been answered, let's move on to the new one.

Who's going to start MGWA? 

Neil Gaiman's, The Graveyard (reviewed by an eleven year old)

My contribution to this blog is quickly becoming "What the middle graders in my family are reading and their responses to those books."

In today's post, my eleven year old son responds to my questions. His answers provide a valuable observation of voice as well as providing insight into what motivates a real life reader at this age.

1.  When you were choosing your next book to read, why did you pick The Graveyard, by Neil Gaiman?

I just liked the back, the book started out amazingly, and it's part mystery. There is also a lot of adventure.

2.  Who were your favorite characters, and why?

My two favorite characters were

a) Silas, he is just so mysterious. He isn't alive or dead.

b) Bod Owens, (short for Nobody Owens) he is very curious and smart. Plus he can also Fade, Dreamwalk, cast terror, and many other things regular humans can't do.

3.  What did you like most about The Graveyard?

I liked the way that the book explains things and the adventure.

4.  Was there something you didn't enjoy about it?

No. I liked every single detail!

5.  Did you relate to any of the characters? If so, how?

I related to Bod. (You can find the rest in section b, the first sentence question 2.)

6. What sets this book apart from some of the others you've recently read?

It's very unique. The book takes place at a graveyard sometime during winter, and nothing seems to fit together at the beginning and it all explains itself at the end.

7.  Did you like not knowing how things fit together?

Yes, because it was very suspenseful.

8.  What else would you like to share about this book?

I definitely recommend The Graveyard book. It is entertaining and a good read.

9.  If you could get books on your iPod, would you read more and play less minecraft?

It depends on the time of day.

10.  What if your dad said "I'll take away your iPod unless you spend twice as much time reading on it as you do playing games or watching videos."?

Then I'd read a lot...but please don't do that.