Our Middle Grade Book Allies

Hi friends!

I hope Middle Grade March is treating you well! I’ve written about how much I love middle grade books. Story Warren’s entry into the excitement already happening around Middle Grade March is tied up in our love for kids, our love for middle grade literature, and a concern around the publishing world’s narrative around Middle Grade. As I talk to editors and publishers, and as I read and listen to industry news, it can feel a little bit like being surrounded by doomsday prophets. Publishers and booksellers continue to have a “middle grade is struggling” narrative that, frankly, bums me out.

This ties to another problem, though: how do you discover great middle grade stories? Part of the problem that publishers are struggling to name is the reality that people are happy to continue buying the classics. If you read the post with our team’s favorite middle grade books, you know we love the classics, too!

But parents often face this (wonderful) challenge: as children develop as readers, they often hit a voracious stage, where their ability to read books far outstrips their mom and dad’s ability to find them. Where can you turn in those moments? How do you help to keep that child’s love for books growing?

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

By virtue of working in middle grade for over a decade now, my list of resources has grown. So, allow me to take a moment to introduce you to some of the best resources for finding more middle grade novels for your kid.

Two quick notes: 1) You’ll have to apply your own judgment to these recommendations; not everything that someone calls “middle grade” is necessarily a great fit for your kid. We trust parents and want to be an ally for you. And 2) Many of these folks are not just colaborers in the space, but real friends, too.)

General Middle Grade Resources

Read Aloud Revival is a resource for moms trying to engage their children with great books. Sarah Mackenzie hosts a podcast, and along with her team, provides great booklists, great events, and through Waxwing Books publishes picture books and middle grade books that your family will love. (And hey, Sarah has a Green Ember character named for her!)

Redeemed Reader is a book review site particularly aimed at resourcing parents and providing reviews that will help you to make good decisions for your kids. I’m so thankful for the work that Betsy, Janie, and the team there do on behalf of parents.

Plumfield Moms: Diane and Sara have built a community and resources around great books. If you haven’t come across their website (or the back issues of their podcast!), you’re in for a real treat. They’ve got helpful reviews, booklists, and book club resources for you.

The Withywindle Podcast is a delightful, silly podcast for bookish kids. David and Graeme do a wonderful job interviewing authors and also reviewing candy. Especially if they’ve interviewed an author your kids love, you’ll have fun listening to Withywindle!

The Middle Grade Matters Podcast is a little more serious than the Wihtywindle guys, but has wonderful interviews with authors and publishing folks, always around middle grade topics. Lots of great authors talking about the books they write for middle grade audiences.

Some publishing friends

Bandersnatch Books: If you’ve been around StoryWarren.com long, Bandersnatch won’t be a stranger, but Carrie, Rachel, and Annie Beth and their coworkers produce lots of great books in many different genres, including some great middle grade novels!

Chicken Scratch Books: Kiri and her team are serious about middle grade books over at Chicken Scratch, and they’ve got a cool learning component to their publishing endeavours, too.

Rabbit Room Press: Our friends at the Rabbit Room do lots of books, too, and whenever they get into the middle grade space, the results are wonderful.

And a Little Commerce

Our friends at ChristianBook.com have a section of their website devoted to kids books. I’ve been reading their catalog since I was a kid, hoping my mom would buy more than just curriculum books (and she often did!). They’re a good resource for the book-buying parent!

I could go on and on… and I hope you will, too… tell me in the comments, what other podcasts should I be listening to? Who’s a good follow on Instagram? What website resources am I missing?

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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