Our Heart for Middle Grade Readers

We’re privileged to live in an era of really excellent middle grade novels. For so many of us, the combination of growing confidence in our learning, new-found independence in the library, and a growing imagination created moments of discovery that felt magical. Whether you were encountering Ramona Quimby, or Charlotte and Wilbur, or Khosru, or Ralph S. Mouse, or Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, you found friends, learned things about yourself, and grew your understanding of the world around you.

I don’t just greatly esteem middle grade novels, I love them. In a time when kids can opt for any number of never-ending streams of digital content fed straight to their eyeballs, I think middle grade novels are more important than ever. These books so often provide an introduction to hard topics in age appropriate ways. They’re comfort when kids are sad, encouragement when they are afraid, and emboldening when they are cowed by the real challenges the world presents. And, they’re often an opportunity to enter into a story shared with siblings and families. 

So much good happens in those moments, especially! The best middle grade novels give us language for the challenges we face. 

If you’re a grown up, I’ll just quote Lewis at you: I am almost inclined to set it up as a canon that a children’s story which is enjoyed only by children is a bad children’s story. (Lewis, Of Other Worlds). If it’s been a while since you read any middle grade, come back to the playground. You’re welcome here, and you’re likely to be delighted. Read something that you loved when you were a kid. Or, read Everything Sad Is Untrue or The Misadventured Summer of Tumbleweed Thompson (I’m biased… I published that one!) or… friend, take your pick. But, allow yourself to be delighted.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

And if you’re a grown up who buys books for kids, don’t be in a rush to hand them over to the YA section of the bookstore. I don’t love everything that’s happening in publishing for teenagers (or kids… or grown ups…). There’s this happy land of children’s publishing between chapter books and all that crazy stuff. Pick up some classics. Pick up some new books. Read them together or apart.

At Story Warren, we serve kids and families soul-shaping, memory-making, darkness-shaking adventures. We want to be allies in imagination for you and your family. And on the books side of things, we do that in the world of middle grade fiction. I’m “the hair club for man” spokesperson, saying I’m not only the president, I’m also a client. But, you know… for fun, engaging stories. We love middle grade all year round. Check some out as a part of middle grade March. You won’t regret it!

Don’t Forget Our Epic Middle Grade Giveaway

At the end of the month, we’re hosting one massive giveaway with four different winners!

Two winners will receive six middle grade books:

• The Song of the Stone Tiger by Glenn McCarty
• Beyond Mulberry Glen by Millie Florence
• Beneath the Swirling Sky by Carolyn Leiloglou
• The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
• Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
• Green Ember: Helmer in the Dragon Tomb by S. D. Smith

And two winners will receive all of our Story Warren audiobooks:

• The Green Ember quartet
• The Old Natalia trilogy
• The Archer trilogy
• The Lost Key
• Green Ember: Helmer in the Dragon Tomb
• The Jack Zulu books
• The Tumbleweed Thompson Adventures
• Mooses with Bazookas: and Other Stories Children Should Never Read
• Team Burger Shed
• The Found Boys

To enter the giveaway this week, leave us a comment here on the blog and tell us one of your favorite middle grade titles! Comments must be submitted by 3/27/26 and winners will be announced the following week.

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Andrew Mackay

Andrew Mackay is the Publisher for Story Warren books. He has loved books since he was a small child, and he is still happiest when he’s on his front porch reading a book. When he’s not doing that, he can be found driving forklifts, laying out books, fighting with software, or managing a live stream. Andrew lives with his wife, children, and two dogs (and nobody needs two dogs), across the lane from Sam in Grandview, WV.He loves butter tarts, hugs, and smoked meat. He bets he can make better brisket than you can.

Latest posts by Andrew Mackay (see all)

• Our Middle Grade Book Allies - March 23, 2026
• Our Heart for Middle Grade Readers - March 11, 2026
• Tumbleweed Thompson Comes Home - October 15, 2024