Q&A – Growing out of Middle Grade Books

I have a teenager who still reads Middle Grade books. Surely they should have grown out of reading Middle Grade and moved on to Young adult books by now? To date, they show no interest in any of the Young Adult books I’ve given them to read. What should I do?

It looks like we’re in the same boat. I also have a teenager who prefers to read Middle Grade adventures rather than Young Adult books. These are the books that have the stories that he wants to read.

Relax about the books your teenager is reading. If they are reading for fun, then reading levels don’t matter. If Middle Grade books have the stories that appeal to your teen, then that is fantastic. There are some amazing Middle Grade books available at the moment. Middle Grade Mavens is a wonderful podcast that is full of recommendations of Middle Grade books and interviews with authors if you’re looking for some new books, as well as the reviews on here.

I’m an adult and I really enjoy reading Middle Grade books, as well as novels, picture books and Young Adult. Your teen will work out what books they like and will move to Young Adult when they find a book they enjoy, or they may do what one of my teens has done and bypassed Young Adult books altogether and gone straight to books marketed at grown ups.

Encourage your teen to continue to read for fun. Middle Grade books are awesome. If you haven’t read any lately, you may want to ask your teen for a recommendation and enjoy a Middle Grade book with them.