Trends in Middle Grade Literature

Current Trends in Middle Grade Literature ...

Middle grade literature, which is aimed at readers between the ages of 8 and 12, is a vibrant and diverse genre that encompasses a wide range of styles, themes, and formats. In today’s PurdyBooks blog post, we’ll take a look at the difference between what is trending vs what is popular in middle grades literature and/or teen literature. Here are some of the current trends in middle grade literature:

Empathy and Diversity: Middle grade books that promote empathy and diversity have become increasingly popular in recent years. These books often focus on characters from marginalized communities, and they encourage readers to understand and appreciate different perspectives.
Graphic Novels: Graphic novels are becoming more prevalent in middle grade literature. These books use a combination of images and text to tell engaging stories that are visually appealing and accessible to a wide range of readers.
Adventure and Fantasy: Adventure and fantasy continue to be popular genres in middle grade literature. Many of these books feature young protagonists who embark on epic quests, battle monsters, and explore magical worlds.
Realistic Fiction: Realistic fiction remains a staple of middle grade literature. These books often deal with issues that are relevant to young readers, such as friendship, family, and identity.
Own Voices: The Own Voices movement, which encourages authors from marginalized communities to tell their own stories, has gained momentum in middle grade literature. Many of these books focus on themes of identity, belonging, and cultural heritage.
STEM: Middle grade books that incorporate science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) have become increasingly popular in recent years. These books aim to inspire young readers to engage with STEM subjects and pursue careers in these fields.
Humor: Humorous middle grade books continue to be popular among young readers. These books often feature quirky characters and witty dialogue, and they can help young readers develop a love of reading.

Overall, the current trends in middle grade literature reflect a diverse and dynamic genre that offers

... Versus Middle Grade Books that Are Popular

Now let’s take a look at books that are popular for middle grade readers. These are books that have sold well over the past decade. Some of them are contemporary, and others have been around for decades. Pay close attention to the similarities and differences among/between the trending literature listed above. Here are just a few examples of popular middle grades books:

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney
Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan
The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
The Maze Runner series by James Dashner

You will notice that there is some overlap in the two categories listed above, but mainly you will notice that what is considered to be ‘trending’ middle grades literature is not the same as popular middle grades literature. It’s important to note the differences between adult and middle grade literature. Adults get to choose and buy their own books, while teens often depend on teachers, librarians and parents to recommend, approve and purchase books for them. This accounts for some of the differences between trending and popular books/literature. Often, popular literature is what students choose and trending is partially (at least) dictated by what adults choose for the teen readers. In fact, the ‘trending’ lists are usually compiled by adults. So it is sometimes a list of the books that older readers prefer children to like. While this is not all bad, it is definitely not all good. The foundation of lifelong reading habits is enjoyment of reading. First students learn to love reading. Then, once they have developed a fondness for reading, they will naturally begin branching out into books that are diverse, eclectic, educational, classical, etc. This is especially important for book publishers to understand. They need to continue pursuing and publishing books that kids/teens love reading. Often times, adults forget what hooked them on reading in the first place. It is the joy of reading for reading’s sake. (Reminder: PurdyBooks counts on affiliate links to stay afloat, so some of the links on this page will take you to affiliate products yet will cost you nothing for following or purchasing products from the links. Thank you for supporting PurdyBooks.)

Fun Books Versus Popular or Classic Books

What is the book trend of the day? What book does your literature teacher think you ‘should’ read? These are the questions answered by most book recommendations lists. That’s where the following books suggestions and favorite booklists are different. They don’t follow any certain literary fad, popular book trend or ‘books that stand the test of time’ nonsense. They are books that are listed for no other reason than they are fun. And yes, you have our permission to occasionally read for fun and relaxation and not for any higher world order. So feel free to look through our Purdy Book blog posts for fun books from all genres and all age/reading levels. Don’t lose track of the reason you fell in love with books and reading in the first place.