The Unique Experience of Writing for Middle Grade Readers
KAYA OF THE OCEAN debut author Gloria L. Huang shares what she learned about writing a book for middle grade readers.
It’s incredibly meaningful to me that my debut book, KAYA OF THE OCEAN, is a middle grade novel. For both personal and professional reasons, I’ve always wanted to write for middle grade readers.
Middle grade books were very much my gateway into a lifelong love of reading and writing. From more “literary” middle grade novels like TUCK EVERLASTING (Natalie Babbitt), THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF CHARLOTTE DOYLE (Avi), and HOMECOMING (Cynthia Voight), to more “commercial” middle grade novels like THE BABYSITTERS CLUB and SWEET VALLEY TWINS, middle grade books were the markers and guides through a childhood and adolescence that was often plagued with isolation and displacement. Even as a kid, it was my dream to be able to add to the chorus of voices reaching out to middle grade readers.
As an adult writer with children of my own, I saw middle grade readers in a new light. More than just a reflection of my own childhood experiences, I realized that this reading age group consists of readers who are standing at important crossroads between young childhood and their teen years, between sweetness and skepticism. They are readers who are incredibly sophisticated in their tastes and abilities, but they still cling to the fading remnants of innocence that allow them to believe in magic, at least in literary worlds.
Most middle grade fiction is aimed at readers aged eight to twelve, and it’s honestly such an exciting age to write for. Not only is this when many kids are really discovering their love of books and reading (as I was), but preteens are also going through such an eventful time in their lives. They’re facing new experiences and changes, which can be thrilling or terrifying (or both at the same time). I know that many kids turn to books for solace and reassurance (as I did), and it’s an honor to be part of the story creation for these kids.
Now that I’ve released a middle grade novel, I’ve discovered some additional distinctions and challenges that make writing for a middle grade audience especially unique. The first category of differences has to do with the writing: authors in any genre often struggle with capturing a voice that’s both engaging and age- or genre-appropriate, but I personally feel that middle grade is one of the trickiest genres. The target readers are young, but they can be incredibly advanced in their reading skills and preferences, and being on the cusp of their teen years, they definitely don’t want to be talked down to or patronized or lectured. Even if you’re trying to send a message or share an idea (like I do in KAYA OF THE OCEAN), you still need to prioritize the story and characters first and foremost. Like any group of readers, they’re looking for good stories with relatable characters and an exciting plot. They want to laugh or cry or feel afraid.
That being said, kids undeniably speak differently than adults, so another challenge is to be able to capture their language in as authentic a way as possible. For example, I enlisted several kids, including my own, to double-check some of the dialogue in KAYA to make sure it sounded genuine. It can be difficult to strike that delicate balance between speaking their language and speaking from your heart.
The second category of differences is related to the post-writing stage of marketing a middle grade book. It honestly never occurred to me until I reached this stage, but marketing a middle grade novel is very different than how I see my author friends marketing their young adult or adult novels. Since most middle grade readers (fortunately) don’t have access to social media and aren’t fully in charge of deciding which books are purchased–or even aware of which books are out there, available for their consideration–I am often marketing to a decision-maker who is different than the ultimate reader. Which means that I’m usually trying to reach the reader’s parents, teachers, and librarians in the hope they’ll see value in bringing my book to the kids in their lives. It’s a unique experience, writing for one audience and marketing to another.
No matter the challenges, it’s honestly such an amazing honor to be able to write novels like KAYA OF THE OCEAN for middle grade readers. I truly hope they enjoy reading my middle grade books as much as I love writing them!
About the Author
Gloria L. Huang is an author and short story writer. Her debut middle grade novel, KAYA OF THE OCEAN, was published in 2025 and was selected as a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard, American Booksellers Indies Introduce, and American Booksellers Indie Next List pick. Her short fiction has been accepted for publication in literary journals including The Southern Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, The Threepenny Review, Chicago Quarterly Review, Pleiades, and many more. She studied fiction writing and English Literature at Stanford University, and she lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is represented by Laura Cameron and Amanda Orozco at Transatlantic Agency.
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Loved reading about capturing the voice of kids. That is such a challenge! And cheers to TUCK EVERLASTING. One of my faves! I saw somewhere there's a graphic novel of it coming out!