To better my own writing and to get a real lesson in crafting a middle grade novel, a friend of mine sent me a reading list:
- Holes by Louis Sachar
- Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
- When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
- Anything by Roald Dahl (I’ve read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling (but stop there in terms of the craft, ie before the series was written to be filmed. But yes, of course I read them all).
Other middle grade novels that I’ve read and enjoyed include:
- Between Two Ends by David Ward
- The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens
- The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
- Okay For Now by Gary D. Schmidt
- Dust by Arthur Slade
- Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier
- Neil Flambe and the Marco Polo Murders by Kevin Sylvester.
Do you have any great middle grade novels to recommend? Please let me know!
Heather Camlot 