The State of Middle Grade
08/01/24 • 35 min
SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2024/08/the-state-of-middle-grade.html
I love middle grade books! But what defines a middle grade book? What are the challenges to publishing for this age group? What is the state of middle grade literature today? To learn more, I invited 2 experts on the genre:
~ Librarian Karen Jensen, author of "Treatise on the State of Middle Grade and Young Adult Publishing Today" and creator of the Teen Librarian Toolbox blog on School Library Journal's website
~ Chris Baron, author of Jewish middle grade fiction and founding member of the Facebook group For the Love of Middle Grade
LEARN MORE:
- Transcript of the episode
- Chris Baron's website
- Chris's books: All of Me | The Magical Imperfect | The Gray | The Secret of the Dragon Gems | On All Other Nights
- Teen Librarian Toolbox's "Mind the Middle" Project
- Karen's Treatise on the State of MG and YA Publishing Today
- Author support groups: For the Love of Middle Grade | Mighty Middle Grade Authors | Middle Grade Authorcade
- Evaluating Jewish Representation in Children's Literature: A Guide for Libraries
- Authors promoting middle grade: Rick Riordan Presents | Dav Pilkey's Little Free Libraries | James Patterson's imprint | Ambassador for Young People's Literature Jason Reynolds
- Karen's middle grade reading recommendation: A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd
- Chris's middle grade reading recommendation: Tale of the Flying Forest by R.M. Romero
- Podcast recommendation: Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong
SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2024/08/the-state-of-middle-grade.html
I love middle grade books! But what defines a middle grade book? What are the challenges to publishing for this age group? What is the state of middle grade literature today? To learn more, I invited 2 experts on the genre:
~ Librarian Karen Jensen, author of "Treatise on the State of Middle Grade and Young Adult Publishing Today" and creator of the Teen Librarian Toolbox blog on School Library Journal's website
~ Chris Baron, author of Jewish middle grade fiction and founding member of the Facebook group For the Love of Middle Grade
LEARN MORE:
- Transcript of the episode
- Chris Baron's website
- Chris's books: All of Me | The Magical Imperfect | The Gray | The Secret of the Dragon Gems | On All Other Nights
- Teen Librarian Toolbox's "Mind the Middle" Project
- Karen's Treatise on the State of MG and YA Publishing Today
- Author support groups: For the Love of Middle Grade | Mighty Middle Grade Authors | Middle Grade Authorcade
- Evaluating Jewish Representation in Children's Literature: A Guide for Libraries
- Authors promoting middle grade: Rick Riordan Presents | Dav Pilkey's Little Free Libraries | James Patterson's imprint | Ambassador for Young People's Literature Jason Reynolds
- Karen's middle grade reading recommendation: A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd
- Chris's middle grade reading recommendation: Tale of the Flying Forest by R.M. Romero
- Podcast recommendation: Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong
Previous Episode
"Espionage! Secrets! Suspense!" Holocaust Books with Adam Gidwitz & Steve Sheinkin
SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2024/07/espionage-secrets-suspense-holocaust.html
Two incredible authors, Adam Gidwitz and Steve Sheinkin, joined me to talk about their most recent books, Max in the House of Spies and Impossible Escape. As many listeners know, I tend to avoid Holocaust books because I've kind of overdosed on them during a long career of working with Jewish children's literature... but both of these books are SO good that I couldn't ignore them. Max in the House of Spies is middle grade historical fantasy fiction and Impossible Escape is young adult nonfiction. They are very different books, but they also make a great pairing... as do Adam and Steve, who are friends in real life. Impossible Escape was a 2024 Sydney Taylor Honor Book (young adult category). It remains to be seen whether Max in the House of Spies will become an award winner, but it seems likely to me!
LEARN MORE:
- Transcript of interview
- Adam Gidwitz's website
- Steve Sheinkin's website
- Adam recommends An Account Rendered by Melita Maschmann, and Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport, a documentary film and book by Mark Jonathan Harris and Deborah Oppenheimer
- Adam's podcast Grim, Grimmer, Grimmest
- Steve's YouTube show Author-Fan Face-Off
- Adam's Sydney Taylor Book Award winner (middle grade category): The Inquisitor's Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog | 2017 podcast interview about Inquisitor's Tale
ANNOUNCEMENT: The Book of Life is now available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@bookoflifepodcast
Next Episode
The Mitzvah of Voting, Encore
SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2024/08/the-mitzvah-of-voting-edited-encore.html
TRANSCRIPT: https://otter.ai/u/ql3_Vi81NBwkvNT97SKZiyh8_yM?utm_source=copy_url
Four years ago in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, I ran a 3-part series called The Mitzvah of Voting. Here we are in 2024 in a presidential election year again and defending our democracy is more important than ever! Here's an edited encore presentation of that 2020 podcast, with all three parts combined and streamlined. You'll hear inspiring words and calls to action from some of your favorite authors, recorded in 2020 but as relevant as ever. We cap it off with Sarah Aroeste's Ladino song "Gracia" (English lyrics below), a tribute to the medieval Sephardic heroine, Doña Gracia Nasi who lived in the 1500's and saved hundreds of Jews from the Inquisition. The theme of the song is that activists of the past inspire us to activism in our own time. I hope you will be inspired to VOTE!
RESOURCES SUGGESTED BY GUESTS:
- Hold the Line: A Guide to Defending Democracy
- T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
- Jews for Racial and Economic Justice
- The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society
- VoteRiders.org
- Become a poll worker
- Add your Representative and Senators to your cell phone and call regularly on issues you care about
- Confirm your voter registration at Vote.org
- The Matthew Shepard Foundation
- Reclaim Our Vote
- Doña Gracia Nasi
GUESTS: (See show notes for links to their websites and books)
- Marjorie Ingall
- Linda Epstein
- Jeff Gottesfeld
- Leslie Kimmelman
- Susan Kusel
- Tziporah Cohen
- Elissa Brent Weissman
- Lee Wind
- Barbara Bietz
- Jane Breskin Zalben
- Jacqueline Jules
- Anne-Marie Asner
- Gail Carson Levine
- Lesléa Newman
- Evan Wolkenstein
- Sue Macy
- Sarah Aroeste
ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF GRACIA:
You give us grace You give us life You give us promise You give us bravery You give us strength You give us defiance You give us command You give us voice You give us inspiration You give us esteem You give us value You give us admiration Chorus: Because of you we have the Honor, fight, effect; Because of you we stand with Power, height, respect Some have the deeds, some have the fame– You have both and the same.
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