Children’s Books Aren’t (Just) for Children
Why I still love middle grade fiction
by Rachel Lulich
I think I grew up during a golden age of novels for young readers, and I almost missed it.
When most of my peers were reading books written for kids our age, like Hatchet and Number the Stars, I was raiding my oldest brother’s bookshelves at home. As a result, I skipped from the formulaic Nancy Drew mysteries right to Charles Dickens. I dove into the hard-core classics a beat before I was intellectually ready for them, but I so enjoyed reading just above my level and I have no regrets about doing so. In the process, however, I jumped past a wealth of extraordinary literature written specifically for kids my age.
Thankfully, this bypass was only temporary, and I soon discovered there was more to the “young readers” section than The Baby-Sitters Club (which I had read and loved but very much moved on from). Middle grade novels like The Good Master and The Singing Tree captured my imagination and ignited my interest in history and folklore. The Mary Poppins books finally got me to dip my toes in fantasy. The reveal in the classic The Lost Prince blew my mind and taught me to pay much closer attention to what I was reading. And Five Little Peppers and How They Grew inspired me to write my own first novel.
Middle grade fiction is accessible, enjoyable, and capable of being quite thought-provoking. To this day, I’d much rather read an unassuming book for young readers than the latest literary phenomenon. They are just as likely to impactfully explore the deep things of life and are under far less pressure to prove their worthiness to do so. And although I will always be in awe of A Tale of Two Cities, no fiction has shaped me the way those hundreds of middle grade books I’ve read have.
I still read classics and mysteries and other fiction not geared toward kids. You should feel free to do the same and enjoy all the genres you enjoy. Just don’t write off the children’s books. And if it’s been a while since you read any, do yourself a favor and peruse your kids’ or grandkids’ shelves, or pay your local bookstore or library a visit (or Bandersnatch Books’ online store) and check out the “young readers” section. Take some time and look through everything. See an interesting title? Pull it off the shelf and read the back. Still sound interesting? Set it aside and repeat the process. Do what I did in high school and only retreat when you have a stack almost too big for you to carry. Then find a cozy spot to read through the first chapters of your stack and whittle it down to five or six that really catch your interest. Those are the ones to take home and dive in.
I can’t guarantee you’ll love every book you picked out—there’s inevitably some trial and error—but I think you’ll be surprised how much you love the ones you do connect with.
I always am.
March 10, 2026 - Launch day for In the Grip of the Ice by Doraine Bennett
March 19–21, 2026 - Bandersnatch at the South Carolina Great Homeschool Convention
April 1–30, 2026 - The Greater Charlotte Book Crawl - Support your local indie bookstores!
April 9–11, 2026 - Bandersnatch at the Ohio Great Homeschool Convention
April 24–25, 2026 - Bandersnatch at HopeWords Writers’ Conference in Bluefield, West Virginia - look for BOGO code below!
May 16, 2026 - Bandersnatch at World of Books in Rock Hill, South Carolina
So, what’s your favorite childhood book?
Carolyn Givens will be representing Bandersnatch Books April 24–25 at @hopewordsconf in Bluefield, West Virginia. This writers’ conference has long been a favorite of ours and we’re delighted that THIS year, there’s a focus on one of our favorite things: children’s literature.
The speaker line-up is incredible: Mitali Perkins, Gary D. Schmidt, S. D. Smith, Daniel Nayeri, Alexandra Davis, and more—some of the best writers for kids out there today. We’re so excited to join our friends at @redeemed_reader and @story_warren to talk about the world of literature for kids.
This week (now through March 21), use code SPEAKFRIEND26 to buy one ticket to HopeWords and get one free!
To use the code, enter Registrant Info #1, use code SPEAKFRIEND26 and click Apply. Scroll down to Add Another Registrant. Enter Registrant Info #2, use the same code again: SPEAKFRIEND26 and click Apply. The BOGO deal will be reflected in the summary.
Will you be there? Let us know below and look for @carolyncgivens that weekend!
Oh, and tell us: what’s your favorite childhood book?
#HopeWords #writersconference #childrensliterature
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“Though no one knew it at the time, something greater than fate was guiding that finger to its resting place. Reader, mark it down. Many roads, seemingly taken at random, have a way of leading us to things that are quite providential. It is strange how life works out in the end.”
–J.A. Sommer
A Wrinkle in Time will always hold that special place on the bookshelf of my heart! I still have my original childhood copy (1970s) signed by L’Engle.
You said it perfectly - middle grade fiction is the best! I read them as a child, then read them to my children, and now reading them to my grandchildren and for my own pleasure!