Let’s talk about Middle Grade

[@karasuthedreamer6353]

Book bans have gotten so bad some fundies are saying things like “the majority of mainstream books should be burned.” It’s going beyond “parental rights” and right into wanting to end literacy.

[@Kimberly_Sparkles]

Good lord. That side is so reactionary and dishonest. How could someone religious want to end literacy. You can't read the Bible without literacy and literacy requires more than one book to learn.

[@imaraoctavia]

I honestly don’t know why they care so much, because half their kids can’t/don’t read anyways

[@astrothsknot]

that's it exactly, enough education to perform, not enough to question. Some people WANT to repeat history. Given how interconnected we are tho, it might not be as easy as they think, especially once they hit the adult years. It's why they tried to ban Sunday School when it first came out. That didn't work either.

[@MeriDoug]

Not being able to read the Bible was just fine for people in the Middle Ages. Get off my lawn.

[@TiffWaffles]

I don't understand book bans. I come from a country where challenging/banning books is difficult to the point of it being impossible. I mean, challenging books is a thing here, but they are never banned from school or public libraries.

[@Evelyn_Okay]

In what world is a child walking into any library and asking "Where's the 🌽 at?" and the adult librarian gives them a reading list?!

[@mimicoolll0]

honestly this is like saying Bob’s Burgers, Family Guy, Rick and Morty, etc. are targeting children. first of all i think parents should monitor what children are watching. second of all it’s none of these shows faults if YOUR children watch it. the world shouldn’t have to baby itself to meet your expectations. just do your due diligence. same. same with books. be more careful and responsible with what your children access.

[@SpaceandGoats]

As an artist, the Icebreaker cover upsets me because the proptions are wild As a children's librarian, i know for a fact Middle Grade isnt dead and even better than some YA and adult books.

[@TheAbigailDee]

I was gonna say!! Because I'm nearly 30. I LOVE to read. And I read a lot of horror and literary fiction....and middle grade books. I'm not into a lot of the YA horror or lit fic on offer, but a cute little middle grade mystery? I'm in on a chaotic day.

[@ZarinaAhmadzada]

Someone said it!!!! I hate that cover too!

[@cryforhelp7270]

I agree! I like reading middlegrade novels over YA ones most of the time. Coming of age type books just connect the most with me. I'm sure YA has similar

[@LeapThroughTheSky]

I just read (not new) Howls Moving Castle and loved it. I also loved Lonely Castle in the Mirror. I've been loving Middle Grade because I don't really care for romance focus which a lot of YA does. So does MG, but there is less of an emphasis. But it's so fun to read. I want

[@marzipan9]

And some of that middle grade horror is scarier than adult stuff. Katherine Arden's Small Spaces quartet? That hits on like...every freaking fear everyone has.

[@demi8267]

The "problem" of kids accessing "inappropriate" books is only a problem if parents aren't parenting. I've worked in a used bookstore for 10 years, and the only time I ever had a young teen looking for adult books, her aunt and grandmother asked me about the books on her wishlist. They wanted to make sure they were getting her something age appropriate - as they should be doing! That's the responsibility of the parents and adult relatives! Because of TikTok, much of what she wanted was adult romance. It was honestly thanks to your reviews that I could help them find similar YA titles that would be a better fit.

[@sarahp5880]

I did have a parent who I had to talk out of getting the Twilight series for her 2nd grade child. The child could read at a third grade level which the Twilight books are written at. I explained that the words in the book are 3rd grade level but content is not.

[@finchfry]

I remember my mom pre-reading books I got as gifts when I was a kid to make sure they were okay because the internet wasn't as prevalent. Now it is so easy to find information on what exactly is in a book, the fact that parents aren't putting in the work to read a book summary, an age rating from the author, or a couple of GR reviews to make sure it's appropriate is baffling to me.

[@billiep1603]

Icebreaker doesn’t look like a middle grade? He’s only saying that because it’s a drawn cover. That’s like thinking Demon Slayer must be kid appropriate because it’s animated. It’s up to parents to look into what their kids want to read. If your kid watches Demon Slayer that’s on the parents, not Crunchyroll or Ufotable or the mangaka. Also I got super excited when I saw Witchlings in your thumbnail I LOVE that series it makes me want to read more MG (as a woman in her 20s)

[@smolexfundie6458]

yes. Perhaps the colors are bright and "childish" looking, but are we really going to try to say adults aren't allowed to enjoy colors and cute art styles on their book covers??? I'm a grown adult, and I actively avoid books with those weird stock images of sexy people on the cover. They weird me out. (but also, I'm ace, and don't actively seek romance or smut... so I'm sliiightly biased lol)

[@bobbitworm8184]

Literally, its just ignorant people stumbling their way through life not doing any research & literally judging a books by their covers, who then get mad that there weren't big blaring red signs on the covers saying "NOT FOR KIDS" to make up for their utter lack of insight.

[@TheAbigailDee]

This is 100% correct.

[@amordesdemona]

Icebreaker cover looks like generic Contemporary Romance lol Only someone unfamiliar with book cover trends would think that cover looks like a middle grade. They're scratching the bottom of the barrel to find something to get mad at

[@TheMrDavidCurran]

So what you are saying is...I should show my kids Oyasumi PunPun.

[@kristencurtis7031]

That's really sad that preteens can't be in the library without parents/guardians. The library is a safe space for kids with abusive or chaotic home lives.

[@booksfrombed]

Oh EW to that dude sending an 8-year old in to get "adult books". Like, who's the groomer now, my guy?? 🤢 I so appreciate how much thought and work you put into videos like these, I learn a lot from them and you always give me a lot to think on 💖

[@grimlesbians]

what i wouldnt give to hear the specific instruction this child got honestly

[@TiffWaffles]

That sounded like such an odd thing to me. Just because to an eight year old, what would adult books mean to a young child? Anything outside of the children's section would fit those qualifications. And to an eight year old, books for teenagers might constitute the same thing. But yeah, sending a child in to find 'adult books' implies one thing to this person, and that's to find books meant for adults that have sexual/steamy content.

[@stardoogalaxie9314]

This!! Like who tf sends an 8 yr old to the adult section of a bookstore or library?!?

[@RubyLikeWhoa]

God, the book banning situation has gotten so exhausting. As a children's librarian, it would be so inappropriate for me to tell someone else's child they can't read a certain book because I personally don't think it's right for them. That's not my call! Each family gets to make that decision independently, and I don't have a say in it, and that's how it should be.

[@charlotteyoung340]

I know that my parents didn’t check that the books I was reading as a pre-teen were appropriate. They 100% were not appropriate, so you can bet I’ll be checking the books my kid reads! And that’s my responsibility!

[@vvitch-mist20]

Exactly. I make sure books are appropriate for my daughter. She's gonna be seven so it's pretty easy to keep her with like picture books, but when she graduates to chapter books I will make sure she doesn't read anything out of her age range, unless I read it first.

[@Annie_Annie__]

Absolutely. I was reading V.C. Andrews (dating myself) and 80s bodice rippers that I picked up at garage sales for 10¢. I keep an eye on what my teen reads, but I’m not incredibly strict about it. He was reading early chapter books in kindergarten, so it was sometimes hard to find books that were appropriate in content and fit his reading ability. But now I’m less concerned. He’s 14 and he isn’t in to erotica or extreme violence, so I’m mostly okay letting him choose his own books. Most of the books I’ve been choosing for him lately are classic books that got banned from his school like Animal Farm, Catcher in the Rye, and Fahrenheit 451. I read it with him and we talk about the themes and symbolism.

[@AW-xc1xc]

My mom bought me the first Game of Thrones book for my 12th birthday because I was an avid fantasy reader. She and GRRM would have gotten along splendidly.

[@misstaniataylor]

There is another issue, I believe that even when they are actually parents, they are not exactly active parents. They would rather blame everything else for their inability to guide and monitor what their kids are watching or reading. I used to write on wattpad. My books delved into really deep issues that are not appropriate for teens (zero spice, btw), and I have always rated them as mature for those reasons. The app should have then kept any person under eighteen from reading them, but I cannot tell you the amount of comments I had from 13-14 year olds that would just lie about their age on the app (obviously) to read these books. Their parents placed too much trust into an app that basically depends on good faith. I honestly feel like these parents don't really care about what their kids are actually reading. They just want extreme censorship due to mostly religious belief (from what I could tell). They are not thinking long-term of how that could affect not just their potential kids and other's kids but the community as a whole, because what they are doing is limiting access to knowledge, and what that results in is individuals who would be easy to influence and control (either by other people or the state itself).

[@ReadswithRachel]

For sure parents need to be responsible, that’s a basic part of the job we agree to when we take that role on. When I said “tell me to do my job”, I mean it and I mean it for other parents too. We have a responsibility. Expecting others to do it for us would be laziness on our part. It’s ours. And in this case it’s such a basic, bare bones thing being asked of us to pre-screen what our kids are consuming. And we have tools at our disposal that make it simple for us. Now if a parent doesn’t know about those tools, sure, they should be given the run down on them. But they exist and parents should be told they exist and utilize them. Engage with our media specialist. Check age ranges and tw. We can and should do this ourselves.

[@misstaniataylor]

@ReadswithRachel I agree with you wholeheartedly. And I am glad that such amenities are available to parents to take advantage of. I just see it also from the aspect of me coming from a country that heavily censored books (only now moving past that in the past 20-30 years). My own high school teachers had to live a time where philsophical books were not allowed (amongst other things), authors who wrote "revolutionary" ideas were jailed, tortured, and murdered. I feel like this is against the USA's principles of freedoms, and it is sad to witness such a war against books specifically. They think that just because they disagree with something, it is an attack on their person, their kids, their beliefs, and their safety. People don't know how privileged they are until they are stripped away from basic rights and I hope they never have to find out how terrible it could be to be denied access to books just because the wrong person in power didn't like it.

[@ReadswithRachel]

We are fully in agreement. This is why I worry about people who don’t usually align with those people using their same arguments. Because the people who make those laws aren’t going to be sensible people, they are going to be people who are obsessed with controlling through censorship and then saying it’s for safety. That’s what moms for liberty’s main tactic is right now.

[@Ashbrash1998]

I have a similar view, it's is fully the parents responisbility to decide what their child is exposed to. If you don't take steps to learn about ehat they're are doing and reading then that is nobody's fault except your own. It's the same thing woth the internet, parents need to be involved and knowledgeable about it so they can educate their kids and put safeguards in place. You can't expect the world to cater to your views and instructions tour child in them.

[@grimlesbians]

@@ReadswithRachel this needs to be done with some care tho. part of the issue is that parents r screening everything & seeing lgbt+ content as inappropriate for their kids & surveillance is a new favorite tool of fundamentalists to keep their kids from making their own decisions. i also think theres a clear difference btwn "a child should never see this" & "a child should never have a non-peer show them this" & these regressive bald pos only get by on equating the two & i think we often underestimate the content kids r rdy to see esp when theyre at stages where they independently explore their identity. if u get comments from minors, delete them, report & dont engage with them. tag & filter ur content appropriately. i just cannot support the idea that parents should monitor their kids internet useage bc when i was 14 online i needed safe spaces to talk abt abuse. i would not have found out that its not normal to be beaten & what i had to survive otherwise. no abuser would let their child view this content. i could have died. surveillance could have killed me.

[@sappho4828]

the back cover of icebreaker (at least specifically the physical paperbacks i find in the bookstores around me in the uk) explicitly says "contains 18+ content" (right underneath the plot summary of the blurb, same size etc) it's not our fault if you didn't look at the book before you bought it

[@Sophia-ss8gr]

I grew up in a small orthodox village in Eastern Europe. Think no more than 400 people and a lot of churches and monasteries. When I was in elementary school, I was very passionate about mythology. My teacher, a priest daughter (orthodox priest can marry) and the revolving cast of priests who would be at the school to preach and shit tried to pull the ' How dare you read pagan, satanic, ecc. book?" and made the stupid mistake of confiscating my books. My mother was pissed. She made it very clear that: 1. She's the one buying me books therefore what I read has her implicit consent. 2. Someone who is not even related to me has no role in deciding for me. 3. My education doesn't end with the school.

[@lycianempire]

Disclaimer: I don't have kids, but I started teaching third grade this last year. Out of my class of 24 kids, only 2-3 were AT reading level and none above reading level (as we would expect to see more of pre-Pandemic). A quarter of my class wasn't just under grade level in reading ability but actually 2 or more grades behind expectation. It was really disheartening to see, and as much work as I can do during the day, a lot of it comes down to whether they're reading with parents at home or not.

[@cogmouse]

I used to work in a used game store and cops would routinely send their young kids in alone to try and buy M-rated games in an attempt to "bust" us (it's not actually illegal, so they just wanted to find an excuse to harass us). They never did this for the big chain stores like GameStop, of course. Unsurprised to hear this is a common tactic from the "protect the children" crowd.

[@iamspencerlily]

As a writer, I think the educators are right. When I was a kid, we had Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, every Roald Dahl book, and a bunch of random books like The Candymakers or The Mysterious Benedict Society. A Series of Unfortunate Events was considered pushing the edge. Comparing them to MG books now, they aren't as advanced in the writing but that's what made it accessible. If kids are ahead in reading they and their parents will find their own books. I was an advanced reader so my mom bought me Shakespeare and Little House on the Prairie and more advanced stuff but I still like the middle grade books because that was what fit my age range. Sure A Midsummer's Night Dream appealed to me writing wise but the content in Matilda was way more entertaining. I think Middle Grade books are actually YA books while YA books are more like New Adult. The ages and what would be appropriate for each group has gotten muddled and I feel like it starts with publishing because they dictate where books are placed. Also, YA really needs to be split in two different categories. As a 17 year old, I didn't want to read what 14 year old me loved. It should be YA is for young teens and New Adult could include 16 years old and up or 17 years old and up.

[@Ashbrash1998]

I have been thinking this myself for SO long. I felt like YA has been pushing to go adult and I did discuss this with someone else. For example, I used the ACOTAR series as YA becoming more mature and they tried to say the series was for adults and wasn't YA. To which I brought up that the series won several awards in the YA section. Granted there are a bunch of other series and examples.

[@cryforhelp7270]

That's a bit confusing. Doesn't YA stand for Young Adult? Why is there a category called Young Adult and one called New Adult? This makes me wanna just throw all them categories away and rename them or something. Not being hostile, just genuinely confused about why they're named this way. I have heard that Publishers tried to push for New Adult as a category, but dropped it because it was too niche or smth

[@emilykestrel5446]

New Adult is a category for 18-25 ish characters, who are still developing their independence but old enough for explicit sexy times. It’s mostly self published, from what I can tell, although some were popular enough to get picked up by traditional publishers. It’s definitely NOT appropriate to YA, which is supposed to be for teens.

[@QueenCloveroftheice]

Yes! It was extremely difficult whenever a family came into the bookstore where I worked and asked for YA recommendations for their 12 or 13 year old because so much YA published now have mature content. I had to think back to the books I read as a teen and hope they were interested in one of those titles because at least I knew what was in those books. Granted, I know that there is YA being published today without “spicy” scenes, but it is physically impossible for me to read every book that comes out. This is why I listen to book reviews while I’m driving to and from work lol

[@kyoyameganebereznoff]

There are still definitely actual middle grade books, though. Harry Potter and Percy Jackson are still available (and Percy Jackson is still going). Rick Riordan Presents is an imprint that publishes a lot of books from authors of different cultural backgrounds where their myths and legends come to life. Wings of Fire is a great middle grade series about dragons. Erin Hunter is still publishing several series. The Skandar and the Unicorn Thief is really popular right now. Greenwild is a promising new series about plant magic. Endling was a solid fantasy series. There are a lot of good standalone books, too. Though, it does feel like some YA has gotten more mature. I will never agree that ACOTAR is YA, but that is where I usually see it shelved.

[@zerochocolatemilk]

I’ve come to realise that the people with the hottest of takes about children online have little interaction with them on fall into the camp of thinking their malicious beings that society is to nice too. I used to fall into that camp but when you have the privilege to be around children you realise they dumb intelligent and incomplete beings being and the cognitive dissonance needed to not see them as such is something progressives need to revaluate lovely video as always your content has been a big help to rethink my problematic thoughts on children and their often ignored rights

[@kirstenhansen4852]

Teacher here: Hi! I teach 4th grade at an advanced level elementary school (private, teaching a grade above 4th grade). While I don't often agree with our advanced curriculum (social emotional teacher here trying to survive competitive academic sphere), it is lovely to have most if not all of my students either at or above grade level in reading. I have a massive library (2,000 books) in my classroom and my students devour books. Here are some trends: - Graphic novels are king - easy to digest, high interest, and can actually be really well-written - Covers matter - like us, my students shop the covers and the ones that look cool or look like them are more likely to be read. - Students really love realistic fiction, along with myths and legends stories To get them to read chapter books: 1. Buy the graphic novel version - so many books have a graphic novelization. Buy that first, then tell them there is a novel of the book with even more details. My kids love the baby sitter club graphic novels and were floored when I pulled out my collection of the chapter books. 2. Buy high interest books. Students have to try to find their genre, to help them, find books that match their interest, but also the pacing that they enjoy. My boys are obsessed with the Animorphs series - it's weird and fun to read. My kids are also surprisingly into Shakespeare right now (the junior novelizations). They are quick to read and have a lot of crazy things in them. They love horror too. Short ghost stories are a great way to build stamina. 3. Inspire them! See an issue in the world? Find a book for it. For example, we read Ban This Book by Alan Gratz and discussed the real world issue of book banning. They then went and read most of the books that were banned in the book that we had in our library. They were shocked to learn what was on the list and inspired to spite the people banning books. 4. AUDIO BOOKS! Get the novel and let them listen to the book on Libby. This is especially great for those nuero-spicy kiddos or kids with reading struggles. On content that may not be appropriate: I think middle grade actually does a good job for the most part. I use common sense media or ABbookfind if I am unsure. I do think YA does find its way into elementary and middle school though. Mostly because we live in a culture that just buys things without really vetting them. Anyway that's just my two cents.

[@Cassi92]

I actually saw parents buying Ice Breaker for their tween daughters at B&N. I wanted to say something but didn't. It's on the parents to check what their kids are reading. If they got mad later on, that's entirely on them 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@ReadswithRachel]

Oh God, I hope they checked after the fact 😩 parents, please do your jobs! Although I know some parents buy things on the spot because they’re out at a store and then they later check at home. That’s what happened with my brother and that Laney Taylor book. He realized in chapter 2 that it was not age-appropriate and he texted me like maybe I should have checked before hand.

[@Cassi92]

​@@ReadswithRachelI'm a substitute teacher working all grade levels. I never had problems with the elementary kids and what they read. Middle schoolers I'm a bit more wary. I've caught students reading books with adult content. These are usually my mature students so I don't have a problem with it but I do have a quiet conversation that if one of their more immature classmates gets ahold of it, I'll either have it put away or (temporarily) confiscate it. My high schoolers are good but I do usually see them read Harry Potter or anything by Rick Riordan 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@ofthewilderwoods]

Did they not realize they were in the adult romance section (assuming the book was shelved properly)? Yeesh

[@Cassi92]

@@ofthewilderwoodsthe kids more than likely grabbed it off the "Popular on Booktok" display table which is usually centered between the YA and adult books, or front and center the moment you walk through the doors

[@QueenCloveroftheice]

It was probably displayed on a table since it’s a popular title rn. That does make it a bit harder to tell, which is why I always read the synopsis, and sometimes check the author’s note if there is one. (I’m making it a habit to put an author’s note in my own books that list possible trigger warnings because I think that is a good practice.)

[@TheAbigailDee]

This is just a little anecdote, not about banning, but about moms and reading. I am a nearly 30 year old woman who has loved reading always and that's completely due to my mom. She was a young mom with 2 kids by 22, hauling us to the library and always reading to us. My mom was very much involved in what I was reading (even in ways that seem a bit inappropriate, like giving me her copy of Flowers in the Attic when I was 12... She knew I was spooky and weird lol), and that continues to this day. She's now just about 50, and has experienced some severe health issues in recent years. Chronic pain plus a bunch of other issues have changed a lot of her pre-illness hobbies, but when it comes to reading our roles have flipped - I read up on what books are available at our local library and pick up whatever I think she will like. Just like she did decades ago 😭. The kind of relationship you have with your sons... It matters. It fosters reading and love for life. I think of my mom as a super hero, and a lot of your work with the schools, your views and values, they remind me of my mom. From a stranger, I think you're doing an incredible job, Rachel. Much love you and yours.

[@10puppyluv]

Rachel I have a book suggestion for your 7 year old! When I was a tiny dyslexic child I really loved the Geronimo Stilton series, they’re adventure books with occasional illustrations and the text uses illustrative typefaces which really helped keep my attention and helped me sound out the words I was unfamiliar with. I still adore these books and I try to recommend them to any parents of young children.

[@-alovelygaycat-]

I gobbled those books up for a while and then never heard anything about them until a week ago when I saw a bunch of them at a second-hand book store. And then I found this comment. It’s nice to see that they weren’t just some fever dream and that other people know about and read them as well.

[@BlackXSunlight]

It's wild to think of it, but so much of this outside the publishing industry is that parents aren't really getting involved at all, aren't reading to their children, aren't teaching their kids to read (bc they believe erroneously that's something that starts in school, not a skill the child is supposed to be equipped with before they begin grade school), and it's mind-boggling to me. My mom read to me. She taught me how to read. Who do I expect to do the same for my kids?

[@Zero_Is_Stopping_Time]

As a reader who reads without regard for age range (Well, minus adult bc im a sex repulsed ace, if anyone has adult books w/o sex scenes please tell me them) I feel like the idea that “middle grade is dead” is stupid. I still know kids that are reading Percy Jackson and Warrior Cats, and middle grade is still being published. I recently read Tethered To Other Stars which is a phenomenal middle grade book that talks about a lot of topics I think kids should know about, on their level. But I also think we should encourage more kids to read middle grade (I saw ACOTAR in my sister’s middle school classroom?!) and not jump immediately into straight up YA. Also I’m saying this as a biiit of a hypocrite, I read THG in elementary because of the hype.

[@smolexfundie6458]

fellow ace: I fully avoid the romance genre bc at this point, smut seems to be unavoidable. I'm sick of Amish romance lmao. I've reread Twilight so many times only because it is a guilty pleasure and fade-to-black. I've given up mostly. I write my own sexual-tension heavy, but non-graphic romance stories privately. I think Dog Days by Elsa Watson is still one of my absolute favorite stupid-fun romantic(?) comedy books because it is so wild, and the sex is fade-to-black. Listen, the pickings are slim here. XD

[@cakt1991]

There’s some great romance without sex, or with it behind a closed door/just referenced and not described. If you’re interested in historical romance (ie similar time period to Jane Austen and Bridgerton), I’d recommend books by Mimi Matthews (her Belles of London series, starting with the Sirens of Sussex, is fantastic) or Vanessa Riley (I’d recommend her historical fiction books about real people which have little to no romance, like Island Queen or Sister Mother Warrior). In the indie/self pub space, there’s some great books with ace rep too. JR Hart put out two novellas with aroace rep, The Heartbreak Handshake and Go Truck Yourself. This is also part of a multi-author series Clover Hill Romance, and while each author writes in a different heat level, each book includes a note in the description on Amazon, in the front matter, and on the author’s websites for many of them, indicating what to expect. I’d recommend those two, Visible Mending by M. Arbon, and a Milky Way Home by Hsinju Chen (that one is low heat/non-explicit).

[@Ceruleansquid-lo3iv]

Also an ace, and I read a lot of stuff as a kid (THG in elementary school too) that wasn't technically 'age appropriate' but I turned out perfectly fine. I also read a lot of MG as a young adult. people who think MG is dead have never been to a scholastic book fair, or, like, talked to a middle schooler.

[@vanillaplanifoliae]

if you want recommendations, i suggest natasha pulley - she writes historical realistic fantasy books (the new one is sci fi though), there's romance/relationships but 0 sex scenes as far as i can remember. my favorite is the bedlam stacks but they're all good imo

[@julieb.8751]

Oh! Also Lord of the Empty Isles by Jules Arbeaux. It's a science fantasy about grief and acceptance. Main character is aroace. I found the importance it placed on queer platonic relationships heartwarming. It does deal really heavily with grief and loss, so do be aware that you're in the right headspace.

[@rossellaaurora5412]

When I was a toddler, my parents and I got into Disney. We watched all the movies except for a few that my mom insisted would traumatize me. Only years later I watched the lion king, the hunchback of Notre dame, Bambi and Snow White and the seven dwarfs, and knowing how impressionable I was at that age, I’m glad my mom made that decision for me. In 2015, when I was 10, all my classmates were obsessed with a new fantasy book. I, an avid fantasy reader, wanted to read it too. I told my dad that I wanted to read that book. He did his research, and forbid me from reading it because “it was for grown-ups”. My 10 yo self threw a fit, because I desperately wanted to fit in, but I soon forgot about it when my parents gifted me the Percy Jackson saga, that I love to this day. This year, I finally picked that book up, and I can safely say that, had I read a court of thorns and roses when I was 10, I would’ve not been happy. Barely two years later, a 14+ horror movie came out. All the 12 yo girls of my team went to watch it. Remembering the way my parents raised me, I refused. When I watched “It” as an adult, I got scared shitless and thanked my common sense. A week ago, while in the bookshop, a bunch of 12 yo girls went to the romance section, and one began talking about how good the twisted series was. 12 year old girls. Reading Ana Huang books. So, moral of the story? The reason I didn’t read ACOTAR as a kid, wasn’t traumatized as a toddler and had the common sense to avoid It as a pre-teen was because my parents checked the medias I wanted to watch before letting me. They still do, tbh, because they care. And the reason a pre-teen read the twisted series and influenced her friends to do the same, is because her parents weren’t attentive enough. So yeah, choosing a book and suggesting it to a child is the parent’s job, not the librarian or book clerk’s. Let’s not blame publishing houses and artists for your inability to check the media your child consumes.

[@mintyxx1]

If we are trying to get New Adult to be seen as a new age group, then Middle Grade needs to stay. Both are really important transitional periods of our lives. Both are really important in addressing body image, boundaries, independence, mental health/physical health, etc.

[@Heather_Duke]

Not about middle grade, but I'll always remember a particular cover of the VC Andrews book, Flowers in the Attic that existed a few years back. The cover definitely made it kind of look like this cutesy romance book because it had two blond models with their foreheads pressed against each other and was also kind of in pastels. It kind of made me laugh, knowing what the book entailed . However, it's so easy to look these books up and see what they're about, especially nowadays. You can ask the librarian or one of the people who work at the bookstore too. They'd be helpful. Ice Breaker and other adult books like it aren't likely to be with the kids/teens/middle grade books in the bookstores either.

[@user-i9z]

I just looked up the cover and it's truly awful. Omg. It looks like a generic tearjerker romance. Was the designer given ANY context as to what the book was even about? Maybe the only thing that relates to the contents is that those blonde people could be siblings. 😭 Still, as misleading as the cover is, the synopsis should give away that the book isn't what it looks like. Parents can also ask librarians/bookstore workers about it or look it up online before letting their children read it, as you said. But also... Why does it look like that????

[@Heather_Duke]

@@user-i9z Right? It gives the vibes of something like, The Summer I Turned Pretty or another similar type book. Like a coming of age novel . I have no idea. It's like the only thing the designer knew was that two of the most important characters were blonde and conventionally attractive. Like you said, it would still would be obvious that the book isn't what the cover implies, based off the synopsis or asking a librarian or bookstore worker, maybe looking it up online. The cover still made no sense though. I like to imagine models were hired for it and told what it was for, but they didn't say anything because they were paid. Or maybe they weren't told what it was for and then they went into their local Books A Million and saw themselves on the cover of Flowers in the Attic. Maybe a friend stumbled upon it and took a picture, texting, "This U?" at them.

[@spacemonkey340]

My 9 year old loves Rick Riordan and all of the ones his imprint does. There are so many middle grade books available.

[@Clovergem_in_the_snow]

YES RR Presents has sooo many good choices!

[@cardboardtubeknight]

These are the same people who claim they want more freedom and kids should be raised in the home but they want to do none of it. Also as a non parent who doesn’t want kids I can’t imagine going to meetings to dictate what anyone’s kid can’t read

[@jericcacrow1485]

My oldest is middle grade (she's 11 and starts 6th grade this fall) and there's a lot more middle grade books than people think are out there! I live in the midwest and both the local Walmart and Barnes & Noble have some good selections. On another note I've had to tell her no on Icebreaker because apparently the parents of her friends don't look over books before handing them to their at the time 5th grader. Now that kids parents are throwing a fit over inappropriate books when they didn't do their due diligence in looking at things before handing them to their kids. It's exhausting.

[@KaitouCiel]

I teach 6th grade students in a Florida public school system and I read every single book that I put out in my classroom library and almost exclusively read middle grade books so I can help find books for reluctant/struggling readers. And so many students get bored with their age level and I have had so many girls reading stuff that they've "seen on TikTok" that they just...bring to school and read during dismissal.

[@leylapats]

My daughter is 11, she’s a HUGE reader (broke 3 different backpacks because she carries too many books with her). She loves YA fantasy, all the rick riordan series he spotlights, Wings of Fire, Harry Potter, Warriors, Land of Stories, the Hunger Games. She is getting older now and wants to read more scandalous stuff. I look into every book I buy her, but it is difficult to filter everything that comes from the library and her friends lend each other books as well. At the end of the day you do your best and then just be open to talking to your kids🤷🏻‍♀️

[@malbarbooks]

thank you SO MUCH FOR THIS VIDEO! The connection between the "corn in MG/YA books" discussion and moms against liberty mission is something I never really thought of and im kind of embarrassed lol. this is such an important video and i will be plugging it everytime i happen upon this discussion

[@mcthurman8822]

When I was 8-12, I read things like PJO, captain underpants, diary of a wimpy kid, dork diaries, Fablehaven, children of the lamp, HP, hunger games, twilight, divergent. 8-12 is such a large age gap. My siblings are just one either side of that and both have dyslexia, which means that the books they are reading are way different than the ones I read at that age, because my reading level was very high at that age. But when I was younger, there were also a lot more programs that rewarded kids for reading, I remember it was easy to get a free book from BN for reading several books, and getting a free pizza from Pizza Hut.

[@mcthurman8822]

My mom read all of those books first or they were recommended by my librarian. 8-12 I was in the kids section. They were clearly marked. I had to be 13 before I could go upstairs to the teen section (I may have been allowed earlier with permission from my parents and the librarian because there were certain books I needed) my mom would read books then let me if they were appropriate, and always let me know that I don’t have to finish a book if I don’t like it. I stopped reading eclipse after about 100 pages because I got bored of it. I was 11 and did not finish that series until I was 13-14. Even now my mom screens books for my younger brother. I screen picture books for my siblings. I screen tv shows for them too. When my 13 year old brother was little, there were certain shows I would not let him watch, but current little ones can. There are ones he watched that they do not. My mom did not let me watch sleeping beauty as a kid, but my youngest siblings have seen it multiple times. My 13 year old bro was not allowed to watch Coraline, at 7, but my 7 year old sister has watched it multiple times. She can handle it, he could not, but at 6 he could handle jumanji and it still scares her. Parents (and in my case older siblings) are responsible for what their kids read and watch.

[@meng_jan]

My 14 year old sister started reading Haunting Adeline, after like 20 pages she dropped it because it wasn't good. Currently she's reading The Virgin Suicides. When i was around her age i read Nancy Drew, and scarred myself with a short horror story about a guy with seven fingers 😅.

[@doobat708]

In our library, we have cards specifically for kids, and we've had them since I was a kid. It means a kid can't take out materials shelved as adult material. In practice, this resulted in eleven-year-old me taking out Sherlock Holmes novels on my dad's card with his knowledge.

[@kendallchambers530]

“Getting ARCS is key” is super accurate imo. I used to be a children’s bookseller, and let me tell you, it is SO HARD to get these kids excited to read. I used to take all the young reader ARCS that we received and read them so that I could accurately recommend them. The books are definitely there, but incredibly hard to sell.

[@CosmicCappybappy]

I’m really grateful to work as a public middle school teacher during the school year and as a comic book store employee during the summer months! I’m also very grateful to work in a shop that stocks a ton of middle grade reading options (both comics and graphic novels). Our middle school readers are our most loyal customers!! Kids love reading when they have the chance to - taking away those opportunities via book banning makes my blood boil.

[@AuthorWASimpson]

Well, my POV is that of a writer, and from experience, I can absolutely, unequivocally say MG IS NOT DYING. How do I know? Because every day I have a signing, I always see dozens of parents and kids coming in every hour and they are MG readers. That is why I'm currently writing one so I can be a part of encouraging kids to read.

[@zachreads]

A couple recs for your older niece "The Mermaid the Witch and the Sea" by Maggie Tokuda-Hall, "The Midnight Girls" by Alicia Jasinska and "The Shadow of the Fox" by Julie Kagawa For both/the younger one "A Thousand Steps Into Night" by Traci Chee All were fantastic without being too adult

[@PirateQueen1720]

29:30 - Demonstrating there is actual HARM is also important to whether we consider something a problem! Because let's say a very young kid finds an erotic novel...they're not going to understand it if they're too young to be interested in sex!! They're probably going to think it is boring or gross and put it down after a couple of pages! Now, a VIOLENT story, that could be upsetting - but, even then, probably temporarily, and it is something that a parent could talk their kid through. I read 'The House of the Spirits' when I was 15. Did I have nightmares about getting arrested and tortured by a military dictatorship? Yes, for about a week. Did it do me any permanent harm? Heck no, probably the contrary! Did I want to read more Latin America magical realism? Heck yes!

[@ReadswithRachel]

This is another thing that I keep telling the school board is that they have to demonstrate that not only is the issue that kids are picking up books outside of their age range, but that harm is actually being caused due to this. And Julie has specifically said that it is enough that hypothetically a highschooler could pick up a Book like psycho and maybe go onto commit a crime because they were inspired by psycho. This has never happened, but she told the school board that she believes that this hypothetical child and this hypothetical reality in which this child would do such a thing, even though this would be considered an outlier im data, this fear of hers and his hypothetical that she has concocted is enough apparently to take the book off shelves. I keep having to go up there and explain to them that hypotheticals are not the way in which we decide which book and which books go. Evidence is. And I told them specifically that we used evidence space measures in deciding what goes onto my children’s IEP plans, so why we are suddenly deciding to do differently regarding books is beyond me. Evidence matters.

[@ER-gb4ee]

As someone who was that young kid who found not only that erotic novel but also very sexual (but not overly explicit) comics in my older brother's room, putting it away is exactly what I did! Yuck! And then when I later did feel interested and ready I picked them back up again and read them and read more of them. Contrary to being harmful, I think that realizing that I could explore and understand these kinds of themes through fiction was beneficial for me in the long run, even if I did read some stuff that made me want to bleach my brain afterwards.

[@definitelynotashark1799]

Right? I read all of Sherlock Holmes by the time I was 10. I also read stuff like Ranma ½ because the library didn't separate manga into age ranges at all (this was just around 2000 and it was amazing that they even had manga). Did I occasionally pick up manga that were a little too adult for me? Yeah, generally in terms of violence or setting. I put them down and returned them without reading them, just like when I borrowed CDs that I didn't enjoy for whatever reason. I remember one time when I borrowed a YA audiobook set in a Japanese setting, something about warring clans and supernatural elements and a warrior from one side and princess from the other falling in love. That was the first thing I ever borrowed that had sexual themes in it, and when it got to that part I stopped listening because a) I didn't care for romance plots and b) it did make me a little uncomfortable, because there was both a consensual scene and I THINK an attempted assault. Did that make me uncomfortable then and there? Yes, a bit. Did it traumatise me? No. The only reason I remember it is because that's THE ONLY TIME this ever happened to me with an audiobook. I've DNFed bad books of course, but I never had another (non-manga) book that I never finished. I also read ElfQuest aged 9-10, which WAS in the adult section of the library. The only reason I found that was because I followed my mom, was OBSESSED with the covers (beautiful drawings and wolves, hello???). My mom SKIMMED THROUGH THE FIRST ONE and said "I think this is meant for adults, but you can take the first one and we can look at it at home". And we did. ElfQuest has comic book violence, upper body nudity and some implied/fade to black sex scenes. The violence isn't very graphic or gruesome. I grew up in a country where bodies aren't villainised (mixed saunas, nude beaches in some areas, families with young children get ready together in the morning at the same time), and kids get basic sex ed in elementary school. There's also mature themes like persecution, racism, war, etc - but the severity of these totally went over my head as a kid. So did I read more of the series? Yeah, I DEVOURED them. My mom let the library staff know that I was allowed to check out ElfQuest, and ONLY ElfQuest, from the adult section. ...see how easy that was?

[@emmy8495]

My parents did not monitor my reading and I read Go Ask Alice too young because it was in the YA section. My mom saw I had it after i read it and went “ohhh that’s a dark book.” Thanks Mom!

[@demigoddessreads]

Woke up to Rachel?? Perfection on this Saturday!! I’m currently studying an MA in Children’s Literature and its been an interesting point about the formats of books that seem to be popular. For instance, graphic novels were a focus and I think as long as children are reading, it’s a good thing. However, no Middle Grade books that i have studied or read have been adult in ANY WAY. I appreciate your view on it. Middle Grade ISNT dying but I definitely think the publishing world will recover. (I’m UK based though so seeing the international side has been cool.)

[@M1nt.n1te]

This is craaaazy. Kids have always been reading books way out of their age range. Especially if they’re at the library frequently without supervision if they want to read adult books they’re going to. Kids have always been reading things they probably shouldn’t be it really isn’t that much of a problem imo

[@M1nt.n1te]

My almost 60 year old mother told me how when she was a kid in elementary school she read a book called the happy hooker. When I was 11 I read lit fic and loved April henry who wrote thrillers with murder kidnapping and assault. Kids are gonna read stuff if you don’t want them to u gotta be an involved parent

[@Ceruleansquid-lo3iv]

I read a lot of stuff as a kid (Harry Potter as a kindergartner) because i loved reading, and I turned out perfectly fine. Honestly, my nerdy book loving friends are the best kids I know because books allow people to live out things instead of doing them in real life.

[@icannotbeseen]

100% with you, I think it’s most important that they read at all. Would keep an eye on it to ensure they aren’t ending up traumatised but yeah

[@stephennootens916]

This might sound weird but I remember when I was in 5th grade and we read the short story from Hemingway called The Killers. I remember it so well because we were what you would call special ed this day, I struggled with reading for most of my school years, and we never read stories that much. I'm fact it might have been the only story that we read in that year.

[@FEARSICKNESS]

i think the whole "kids are reading adult lit" thing (specifically in the case of icebreaker) is blown wildly out of proportion from multiple discussions and discourse about the cartoon-y covers that are becoming more popular and some people saying "this looks like a kid's book", and it's spiraled from there. fueled by tiktoks of "teachers" claiming that they've seen 10 year olds reading adult lit and people not taking two seconds to remember that people get on the internet and lie all the damn time. like, kids will seek out darker/more adult material regardless (i know my ass was reading plenty of stuff i shouldn't have been reading when i was between the ages of 9-13) but these days it's more likely to be stuff on, like, wattpad or ao3. i also find it hard to believe because we've also seen teachers discussing how kids in that demographic are reading way below their grade level because of many systemic and societal reasons, which is actually being studied whereas these stories about kids reading smut in class is all anecdotal, so how the hell are they making their way through these adult erotica novels anyway?

[@julesbilee]

omg yes about the whole thing that it’s documented how children’s literacy isn’t as great as it could be and yet people are claiming that a significant amount of kids are reading things that are above their age level like which is it

[@alliethetheatreswiftie]

hi, i’m a student, and i just wanna say that i read the last cuentista for a competition and it was so good

[@dr_not_sam]

I taught English UF for five years and so all of my interaction with the Florida book banning has been at the university level (oh yes, it is happening there--actually the year I left DeSatan somewhat successfully implemented this "political opinion survey" all instructors/faculty were required to take. I'm sure for entirely innocuous reasons). I don't live in Florida anymore but you've really opened my eyes to how broad this problem really is.

[@JulieTheReader]

I appreciate your perspective as a parent. This will be something for me to navigate as my kiddo continues to grow. Unlike your niece, I am all about magical books! Amari, Nevermoor… Witchlings! It’s cozy and cute, with a good helping of mystery, peril, and dealing with injustice. So excited for the 3rd one coming out later this year.

[@bunnyellabell]

isn't it so strange that conservatives seem to want BOTH the ability to homeschool/spank their child AND the removal of responsibility/power from the parent on how to raise their child? why aren't these people jumping up and saying "well, then raise your kid right!" instead of banning books and making laws? isn't that what you'd think they'd do? but no, because it's never about the books. it's about control. they want every kid raised the same way, and that means void of anything they've deemed inappropriate or sinful, like queer or mental health content. exactly like rachel said. they use these very trivial non-issues as a means to create laws and skew the world in their desired direction.

[@WritingbyAnexisMatos]

I remember hearing at some point that librarians were looking for shorter books for middle grade, especially after the pandemic or something along those lines. However, it seems like publishers may not be picking those up. The most recent middle grade books I read are Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao and Into the Glades by Laura Sebastian. The benefit of these books is that the chapters are short, so it feels like a fast paced book.

[@dobetterwithchristian4472]

This might be a small thing, but i dont think i personally owned a single hardcover fiction book until i was adult. We primarily purchased paperbacks or used the library.

[@ObsidianMStone]

One of my favorite MG book series I’ve read as an adult is the Braidy von Althuis series. Its about a boy living with his very unusual family- his dad’s a barghest, his uncle’s a ghost, his aunt’s a swamp witch, his cousin has a toy block for a head, and his grandma is a magical puppet haunted by a fairy. Braidy and his mom are the only humans in the family, and the throughout the series Braidy learns about embracing differences, taking accountability, consent, and other various lessons, with each book focusing on his conflict with a different family member and resolving it. Its very whimsical and I would have loved if the books were around when I was a kid

[@ashcraft555]

Sal and Gabi Break the Universe is one of the best books I've read this century. My kid discovered this book a few years ago at age 7 and had literally listened to the audiobook hundreds of times. It's an incredibly engaging story with a lot of heart and humor - I've been giving copies of it for a lot of birthdays recently!

[@LittleFoxBooks]

Another really good middle grade series is Keeper of the Lost Cities. It’s about elves and everyone I know likes them.

[@Kat-ge7nn]

RACHEL MIDDLE GRADE CONTENT? IM LIVING!

[@justokayemilay6029]

You made me bop on over to thrift books and order Root Magic and Some Kind of Happiness for my niece as well as Sawkill Girls and Cabin at the End of the World for myself. Less than $35 for all four!!!!

[@ReadswithRachel]

@@justokayemilay6029oh my god what a DEAL. I love thrift books so frickin much.

[@kristenumansky8855]

Part of this conversation should be schools. Schools need to provide modern middle grade titles both in their libraries and classrooms. Schools should also focus on free choice reading and not whole class novel studies. This is how you grow a love of reading. If kids don’t have access to books they want to read they don’t know those books exist. A lot of kids ONLY access to books is at school.

[@OhNoSweetie...]

We have to now take a picture of our tiny 12-title ECSE classroom bookshelf every month(or lesson cycle) and submit to admin because of these yahoos that don't even send their kids to our district. I assist sweet little 5yos that can't hold a spoon let alone a book but somehow making sure rainbow covers or stories of all types of families needs more of my time and energy...🙄

[@jj-reads]

I read Witchlings for work this year (children’s librarian trainee) and it is genuinely one of my favorite books that I read this year. I read it for a specific project so I’m not required to continue the series but I absolutely am going to. Side note, not that I don’t trust your judgment but some of the things in the later few seasons of Young Justice were a little intense even for me and I was 22 watching them the first time! 😅

[@ReadswithRachel]

I’ve only let them watch seasons one and two (depending on episodes, some we avoid). They like Blue Beetle a lot but they haven’t really been interested in continuing past that anyways. They’re now obsessed with dragon ball z kai

[@jj-reads]

@@ReadswithRachel sounds like the right approach. It was just on my mind because I was just having a conversation with a friend just yesterday about how genuinely shocking some of the decisions in the writing of that show are. Maybe it’ll be an interesting thing for them to revisit when they’re older

[@justhayley3888]

as a bookseller at B&N you will say i have seen young children who i would give middle grade books to, come up with their parents or grandparents and slap up on the counter, ice breaker, twisted love, and sometimes even dark romances. at first my manager said we weren’t allowed to say anything but then we started to say things to parents and often either they’ll be appalled or they’ll flip through a couple pages and be like “It’s probably fine”. or sometimes I’ve seen parents who clearly didn’t know, act like they did to play it off because I don’t wanna seem like a bad parent. but it’s not that you’re a bad parent it’s just that you need to research what your kids are reading, and not take them into the section that is clearly labeled Romance, please I beg. so I do think it’s truly on the parents to know what’s in the books at their children are reading because these books aren’t near the children’s section, they are in the main middle aisle sure but that’s not anywhere near the children’s section that has a whole wall built around it and different tables leading up to it that are clearly marketed as children’s books

[@justhayley3888]

there is one time this old man came in buying books for his granddaughter, and we thought that was so nice, he had a list of books like straight up explicit romance, he mentioned the daughters age at the beginning, and then we were looking up all these books to order them, and then we asked her age again and he said 13. and then we were like OK sir this is not age appropriate, we’re gonna give you some YA books, so that’s all just one specific instance that I had i’ve also had a mom come up to the counter with a Colleen Hoover book. I was checking it out and she seemed kind of iffy about it, then she’s like, “tell me something about this book, is it something appropriate for a 10-year-old” i said, “no definitely not” and she’s said “that’s what I thought. My daughter wanted this book bc her friend is reading it but I already know that friend’s parents let her get away with a few too many things” i personally don’t think icebreaker and many of the cartoon covers look like middle grade just based on how the people are drawn, and like i said, i think the focus should be on parents knowing and asking what books to buy for their kids

[@justhayley3888]

growing up my parents always knew what i was reading and what i got at the library and my mom would research books i wanted to read that she was unsure of, parents have every opportunity to know what their kids are reading. banning books won’t do anything other than be extremely harmful

[@KaylaKasel]

37:59 A head's up about Young Justice: The show DOES dive into themes of death and loss, pretty heavily especially in the second season onward, just in case you didn't know. It's one of my favorite shows, but it does get brutal, so I'd recommend checking the plot summary/details if that worries you. There's also loss of a parent in the first season as a major recurring plot point after Zatanna's intro. He's not technically dead, but in terms of emotional impact, he might as well be.

[@ReadswithRachel]

Oh for sure we have skipped those episodes!

[@KaylaKasel]

I hope they're enjoying the show otherwise. I loved it as a kid, and that love has only grown as an adult. (Especially with the season 3 and 4 revival seasons being VERY mature and adult focused).

[@kjlucky6501]

I was reading teen, YA and adult books in middle school, partly because my parents didn’t bother checking to see what exactly I was reading and partly because my dad encouraged me to read adult sci-fi and fantasy from a very young age. Also, by middle school I was reading tons of inappropriate fan fiction on wattpad lol.

[@beastghostt]

My favorite middle grade series will always be The Spiderwick Chronicles. I was also a huge Sharon Creech fan in 5th-6th grade.

[@dawnthegoblin]

1) you've unearthed the memory of me being an advanced reader in 3rd grade and my dad having to explain that while yes, I do have a 12th grade reading level, Stranger in a Strange Land (which was recommended by the reading counts quiz) is not for children 😅 and that I should take reading lists with a grain of salt. Largely as long as I was in the children's section it was never a problem for me to find something to read. I was just excited because it was on my parent's shelf, in their section of the bookshelves. 2) my favorite thing about Manga as a kid was that not only do they include a rating for age, they Also include *why* it's that rating (ie 16+ for implied sexual content and dangerous situations,vs 16+ for graphic violence). The age range helps but I the earlier internet days those warnings were super helpful when I was desperate for any graphic novel I could read, whereas my mom once sent me a pirate book that she hadn't read and didn't include any warnings, and it was an adult novel with a graphic sex scene x.x that was on her, not on the library or the bookstore or my own choices!

[@TiffWaffles]

If anyone is looking for good disability rep in their middle grade that has mythology and fantasy thrown into the mix, The Storm Runner trilogy by J.C. Cervantes is amazing. It's got a main character who has to navigate his world with a physical disability, but he doesn't allow this disability to define him. It's based off of Mayan mythology, and it's an amazing series. The author has since released a new series that I am waiting to read. However, be sure to read the books to make sure they are right for your child.

[@maybelore]

36:31 Young Justice after season 2 gets a lot darker, more on-screen blood and gore. That's why I stick with the first two, which I love!

[@ReadswithRachel]

Yeah they don’t go past season two. They lost interest anyway and now if they’re gonna watch a tv show it’s gonna be DBZ kai. But my youngest is also still watching Lucas The Spider, which is probably the cutest thing ever. He’s def not ready for young justice season 3.

[@maybelore]

@@ReadswithRachel I do remember there being a fun episode in the later seasons where all the Harpers get together and have an adventure, I like that one. But there is probably some stuff I'm not remembering in it that I wouldn't show my younger siblings.

[@annabelledrake2027]

you don’t know raina telgemeier? I would love to hear your thoughts on her two books that got her the most popular, Drama and Smile. Smile is an autobiographical graphic novel about her story dealing with a really bad dental injury as a tween, and Drama is also inspired by her experiences I believe, it’s the story of a tween girl theatre nerd experiencing crushes and friends coming out for the first time. Drama was my favourite, I read it over and over. Raina’s graphic novels are incredibly compelling imo and the art is awesome. I believe she also illustrated the graphic novels for the babysitters club, but that was after I grew out of her target demographic.

[@tesscarlson5552]

Drama was literally my introduction to the concept of gay people as a kid lmao, looking back on it it might not be the best rep in the world but those books were really influential to kids and I have a lot of fond memories of them.

[@kyoyameganebereznoff]

There are definitely still good, popular middle grade books out there. Wings of Fire and Skandar and the Unicorn Thief come to mind. I think a lot of kids might also enjoy the new Greenwild series, Daughter of the Deep, or other Rick Riordan Presents books.

[@authorhalierivers]

Watching this initiated a long forgotten fear of someone barging into my personal library and tearing all my pagan books from my shelf and burning them as dangerous and “woke” and these conservatives are so blinded by their beliefs that they are willing to destroy someone else’s chance to question or learn something they do not approve of. Also, even if an 8yr old DID pick up that book based on the cover (I personally don’t know many kids who are interested in a) hockey b) a long novel without pictures) they would likely not have the reading comprehension to get very far without losing interest. AND EVEN IF THEY DID in some bizarre world, a parent could literally just read the back and put the book back on the shelf?? That is WILD.

[@vanillaplanifoliae]

i've been reading a lot since i was a small child and i never had issues with age-inappropriate content because my mom was so involved, she's always placed a high importance on reading and would select books to read with my sister and me. she still gets library books for me if she finds something she thinks i'd like, which i really love honestly (i'm 20 now) she also always encouraged critical thinking and would talk to us if we read something we didn't understand or had questions about

[@midnightrain9801]

gregor the overlander is my childhood, i ate that shit up. It was brilliant. I need to re-read that entire series, I don't have my copies anymore, think I read most of them in the library.

[@auroradimitre2568]

As a fifth grade teacher who's constantly trying to expand my classroom library, the middle grade recs at the end are a GODSEND.

[@natefahmi9751]

My younger sister just turned 13, so she's been in the "middle grade" range for a while now, but she's never really been drawn to middle grade and has mostly jumped to YA (like the hunger games + a good girls guide to murder). I think part of it might be the "reading older ages" thing, as well as a desire for more complex and somewhat darker stories. She was really put off by Percy Jackson (she thought the writing was immature) and since she feels she's seen the "best" that middle grade has had to offer, she's opted to read YA and some adult books (nothing inappropriate, just a higher lexile level).

[@Grace-ju1gp]

One time a kid in my class (13yo) had Twisted Hate on their desk and I was gobsmacked. I asked them if their parents knew what they were reading and their friend was like I read those books too. I was so shocked. But then I remembered when I was in school, I also read above my reading level but my parents had to write a note of permission to the school's librarian allowing me to read books in the YA section. (Books like The Fault in Our Stars, I Am Number Four and The Fifth Wave etc.)

[@heyimsasa]

some of my favorite middle grade novels: - when you trap a tiger by tae keller - the many meanings of meilan by andrea wang - in the beautiful country by jane kuo - pet by akwaeke emezi - stand up, yumi chung! by jessica kim - other words for home by jasmine warga - almost american girl by robin ha (i'd say this one's between middle grade and YA) - aquicorn cove by kay o'neill - amari and the night brothers by bb alston

[@katsuki_fan2465]

Yes! Thank you!!! My kid can’t even read yet and I already do my job at picking her books and other media and I am more than capable of continuing to do that as she ages. It is no one else’s business but my family’s.

[@CarisiCreates]

The only restriction on books i had as a child was that I was not allowed to read V.C. Andrews until I was much older. I was allowed to read her works when I was 17/18 years old. I understand why, as I probably would not have understood the content. I could have read them sooner (14/15) because of my maturity in understanding, but I just didn’t feel like picking one up. It is 100% up to the parents to advocate for their children in what they can and cannot read. Parents need to be very involved in the child’s literacy. I know with my 7 year old daughter, she isn’t on the same level that I was at her age. But I work to make sure that she is given books to read that will make her think that are age appropriate, as instilling critical thinking at a young age is very important. She loves going to the library. Also, The Dark is Rising was a wonderful series I read in middle grade. Susan Cooper.

[@emilykestrel5446]

I loved Susan Cooper too!

[@MEGalomaniac6829]

My kids grew up reading comics, especially my oldest. I have a pretty decent sized collection (slight humble brag, lol) and it was a mixed bag of stuff appropriate for all ages and stuff that was more adult. My oldest LOVED reading The Pulse series by Brian Michael Bendis, which was fine for him at the time. He loved Jessica Jones and wanted to read her origins in the series Alias desperately. He was about 7-8 at the time and it was a HARD no from me. It was placed higher up on our bookshelf and I made sure it didn't end up in his hands no matter how much he asked. I even explained to my mom and brother which ones he wasn't allowed to read (I kept them together on the higher shelf) and even specifically said he cannot read those, they aren't for children. They listened, even though many people believe all comics are for kids. My mom, who knows very little about comics, knew to listen to me and what was appropriate for my kid. Parents need to check out what their kids are into, be it TV, books, movies, games, etc. Watch it, read it, or play it if necessary. At the very least, use the phone your attached to and google it. It isn't difficult. Let Parents Parent.

[@velvetshock]

I had this conversation with a few people. The first was my Dad and we discussed this based on when me and my brother were in the middle grade ages, he said that when I was younger I’d read a lot more than my brother and my reading age was always higher than my age where as my brother hardly read books and mostly comics/graphic novels. Whenever I brought a book home dad would always check the book I checked out to make sure that they were age appropriate. Never once did I get a book from the library that was not appropriate. I also spoke to an educator who said that the kids are borrowing less books from the school library and so the school is giving less budget to the library each year and kids aren’t reading as much because parents aren’t encouraging it (this is in the UK). In my public library there is a children’s section and teen section downstairs and upstairs is adult fiction. From my experience kids don’t gravitate towards romance. It’s harder to stop kids from seeing things they shouldn’t online or TV than books but they are making a problem where it doesn’t exist because if this is a problem then it’s the Parents to blame for not checking what their kids are reading.

[@velvetshock]

When I look after my friends kids if they want to read a book on my shelves I only let them read certain books and I have spoken to their parents on what they do or don’t want their kids to read and what they can or can’t be exposed to. All my spicy romance books are on higher shelves or in my bedroom which they are not allowed to go in unsupervised.

[@BimmieJames]

I can not tell you how readers on yt who “want to take the politics out of the books on the years’ ban list.” Drive me banana pancakes. I know a yter who politely criticized you for putting politics in front of book bans! And you “make an apolitical situation and bombard it with political obfuscation”. I think that means you’re doing something great for all of us ❤ Happy Pride Rachel 😊

[@ReadswithRachel]

Lol well as the person showing up to my local school board about my children’s educational environment, I can tell you that I’m not the person who made it political. The book banners are. I didn’t get involved until I noticed that they were . And the same people who do not have kids in the school are showing up over their political beliefs, and asking my school board to put less money into special education which services my children. I specifically put my kids in public school so that they would have access to the services they need and so that they would not have a politicized educational environment like the one that I experienced. The same state in which I went to school is now heavily trying to politicize my children’s school environment, such as allowing Prager u material to be submitted as classroom instructional material. I’m actively working against folks who are trying to heavily politicize (in a very partisan way) my children’s educational environment. Reading is inherently political though, as My Name Is Marines always wisely says

[@colbyreader]

My grandma said when she was a child (She’s 90 now) they didn’t really have books for kids. They were mostly considered unnecessary and expensive. Kids were meant to listen to their parents and play or work outside. There will always be silly opinions about what kids should and shouldn’t be reading but in the end, we all become adults and the more information we have by then the better we will understand life.

[@enmity9383]

one of the reasons i loved reading as a kid was because my parents were pretty strict about what tv and movies i watched, but basically gave me free reign over whatever i wanted to read. having that freedom helped shape my interests.

[@starophie]

"for a long time now, we not only have a generation of children that's reading below their grade level, but we also lack a variety of mg books..." YES. THIS PART. working in a lower-income school (and this was over a decade ago), i had so many 9/10/11 year olds reading at a picture book/beginner chapter book level who *would not read* because the books were too babyish. we need more books at henry and mudge/boxcar children levels of simplicity with percy jackson levels of subject matter.

[@mayareads708]

My 31 year old ass loves reading middle grade. Its the best. Maybe im immature but i love the humour and thw super super awkard first love story. 😂

[@kyoyameganebereznoff]

Have you read Wings of Fire or Skandar and the Unicorn Thief? They are my favorite middle grade series.

[@cedarmay4245]

Icebreaker does not look middle grade and even if it did who tf buys their child anything without looking through it first, don’t blame a book for lazy parenting

[@EotuaDawnwalker]

I work at a library, but I’m not a librarian. The hardest thing that parents at my library struggle with is finding books that fit their kids reading level. I read a lot of middle grade when I was younger, but mostly the stuff that’s on the older end, stuff that sometimes gets shelved as YA. None of the books at the library are organized by reading level, so it’s really hard to tell what’s going to work for a specific kid. We do have one category called J Series, which are early chapter books which is something I often recommend for kids who are still learning to read chapter books. Many of those books are stuff like Diary of a Wimpy Kid which has pictures to help the kid learn to read chapter books. My biggest wish is for authors to write more books in that age range, because there are only so many of that kind of book at the library. Once the kids have read 2-3 series they’re interested in, they don’t know what to read from there. I’ve been trying my best to learn about the middle grade books we have on our shelves, that way I can help recommend the right books to the right kids. We have a lot of kids at our library at that age right now, which is why I think it’s so important for me to be able to help them.

[@TheLyokoWarriors]

I read Last Gamer Standing. I enjoyed it, but I initially had a negative attitude towards the bluntness of the sexism in it. However, halfway through my read of it, there was a controversy involving Vtubers (which is very video game adjacent) at the time. I am the Progressive in my family, but thinking about the controversy and other incidents involving female streamers and the number of male esports players I know of vs. female players, made me realize I still carry unconscious biases and why I still carry them. Not only did it allow me to become aware of my biases and work on improving and changing them, but my feelings completely flipped concerning the book's bluntness. I was in my late twenties when I first read and am now thirty. This is a book for 8-12-year-olds, and yet, it still had an effect on me!

[@paigerinipiromsuk1109]

I just graduated high school this year, and I just have to say that I am glad my school district is as liberal and diverse as it is. Kids were allowed to read what they wanted, and only parents could theoretically stop them. I had an advanced reading level, meaning by the time I was in fifth grade, I was already up to reading young adult books. My school district were always more concerned with kids reading challenging (but not too challenging) books rather than the books’ content. Reading a variety of books made me more worldly and conscious of societal issues and pressures, and I’m glad my school district is not like the ones you described. My parents trusted me, and I’m thankful that they never stopped me from reading any particular books. If I ever had questions about more sensitive content in a book, I would either research them on my own or ask my parents, who were willing to explain. I hate that this is happening in Florida (where my family called home before I was born) and I wish you the very best

[@graceray2283]

Have schools seriously banned Maus? While I will say it's not for the faint of heart, it's seriously deranged to think that book is worthy of a ban. Sure, maybe your primary and lower middle school students might need to stay away from it, but the power behind the depictions of the holocaust and the emotions of Art's father and even Art himself, as he processes his father's trauma, is remarkable. What reasons would anyone have to ban a book like this?

[@ReadswithRachel]

The book challenger claimed there was a "nude woman" and therefore inappropriate. Spiegelman was appalled, bc they were referring to the scene with his mother in the bathroom.

[@peachblossomjumpcosplay]

"my seven year old.... Is afraid of death." Same, buddy, same. Smart kid. Some day, reading The Book Thief or Sandman might be good for that, but he's got a couple years still.

[@kaitlinhogan9072]

By the time I was 13, I had seen po** on the still young internet and had at most run across nothing more than a singular book with some minor groping. I have always been a voracious reader. I had also heard more from my friends experimenting at that age than from any book I read. I feel that for most of the people who are fighting for this book banning it is posturing and homophobia. It's happening where I live too and librarians have been harassed by the chair of one of the local city councils for making displays for Black History month and other diversity initiatives. It's honestly scarier than many of the other legislative actions ultra conservatives are aiming for because they are trying to control not actions but minds and educations.

[@jlofty281]

9:42 I’m surprised you hadn’t heard of Raina Telgemeier! Her book Drama ends up on the top of banned book lists all the time. It was actually the first book I ever read as a kid to have a gay character in it, so it’s super important to me

[@AoBzealot0812]

31:02 Abeka, now that's a blast from my past. Thanks for that reminder. 😩

[@auggiemain]

The thing is I know theres some parents who dont care and would let their children get any book and not care but I also think the government should not be able to tell me or anyone else what is "appropriate" for anyone to read.

[@LadyJ95]

You know what my mom did when I was younger and loved reading both novels and manga, she would read the back of the book! Flip through a couple of pages….

[@coffeecats5442]

to quote emily blunt, as mary poppins ' a book IS NOT ITS COVER, and the COVER IS NOT the BOOK' b/c i am overwhelmed with thoughts & feels & felt it best to sing it.

[@TiffWaffles]

I feel that if I had a child, that I'd go with them to the library. Not only to make sure that they are picking up books that are appropriate for them and their level of learning, but to also make sure that we build up a good relationship with books. Even with a child who is an advanced reader, it's easy to keep track of what they are reading. My mother and Nana had me do some kind of reading journal and chart. My mother said that this was the only way she could keep on top of what I was reading since it was such a challenge due to me being an advanced reader and being secretive... apparently. This was just one way that she could keep track of what I was reading and make sure that if I needed additional support like talking to someone about what I was reading, that she was available for discussion.

[@oz4648]

part of the conversation is also helping kids recognize what THEY are comfortable with. For instance I had my parent approve Twilight, which was the only book I ever read that they felt needed approval simply because they were concerned about the sex scenes in the last book. It was very random but I digress. When I read it I wasn't super comfy with parts (the sex wasn't an issue). In hindsight I think I needed some discussions about things that were normalized in the books-- like the stalking and "imprinting" (though I don't think my parents were equipped to have those conversations). Speaking of covers, as an 11/12 year old I saw fifty shades of grey at walmart and thought it was about ethics... I was curious but when I read the back I realized my mistake. I didn't ask to read that book because I wasn't comfy with that, even though I had some friends that did read it around that time.

[@CommanderDarcy]

Assistindo um vídeo da Rachel e bebendo um cházinho, oh coisa boa

[@maddiesue1752]

I highly recommend The Song of the Lioness quartet by Tamora Pierce for your 13 yo niece. I read them at that age and bought them for my own younger cousins when they were the same age and they both loved them as much as I did when I read them!

[@aluralorrell3297]

I guess i am odd as a parent in that i won't stop my kids from reading more mature content as long as im aware and we can discuss it together as they are reading. It would have to be something incredibly abusive and graphic in order for me to really say no. But like if i had a young teen that wanted to read romance and they could comprehend and discuss it Id honestly allow it. 🤷🏽‍♀️

[@sannydee]

I taught middle school for the last 5 years. This past year was my first time in 5th. While I had a lot of graphic novels for my 7th graders who were also ELL, I tried to ease in chapter books but wasn’t successful. This year I had below grade readers who read graphic novels but I was able to recommend chapter books to kids who read higher and even a few kids who were below but wanted to try. I closed out my classroom yesterday taking home middle grade chapter books to read over the summer so I can better recommend to kids searching for the right book. I will be picking a class novel to read over the year to encourage students too.

[@emilyly6488]

Thank you for talking about this because I've read a few middle grade novels recently that vocabulary-wise would not work with any of my students. I work in education but my experience is a bit skewed by primarily working with special education students. A lot of students that I work with can read but there are a lot of students that I work with that struggle or straight up cannot read. Some of the students that struggle would be in the YA/Upper YA range and I feel like there is NOT anything I can offer them in terms of reading that would be appropriate. If I choose something age-appropriate subject-wise, it is too hard for them to read/comprehend and we are slogging through just reading the text. Nevermind answering comprehension questions about it. If I get something that's easier to read for them, the subject is often too juvenile and I almost feel like I'm babying/infantalizing them. The research that has been cited again and again to me is to present age-appropriate text no matter skill level so that they don't fall further behind but I feel like if they aren't grasping it then literally what is the point? Other students have had time to slowly grow their vocabulary and reading skills and I feel like these older students are not getting the time/resources they need in order to be successful with reading/writing because everyone is expecting them to make progress in an instant. I feel like the same thing is happening with my middle-grade readers as well. Sometimes I get so frustrated with all of it and it takes me hours to dig and dig to find at least an article/online piece of writing that would fit. But I wish I could just read a book with them instead! I love books and have so many middle-grade/YA books but I feel like none of them are appropriate (skill-wise) for me to be working on with my special needs students. Also just wanted to take some time to say I love your videos! And sorry I wrote you a whole ass essay in the comments lol!