Middle Grade Matters

On this episode, middle grade author Andrew Auseon talks about his new gaming-inspired series, Spellbinders, about his long career as a writer for young readers, and about finding balance and joy in your writing life.

Books mentioned on this episode include: 

• Spellbinders: The Not-So-Chosen One, by Andrew Auseon
• Spellbinders: Break the Game, by Andrew Auseon (forthcoming)
• The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin
• Young Adult Novel, by Daniel Pinkwater
• The Spell of the Sorcerer’s Skull, by John Bellairs

For bonus content and  info on upcoming episodes, subscribe to the Middle Grade Matters newsletter here: Newsletter, and follow us on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter.

I love audiobooks! If you do, too, consider switching to Libro.fm, a platform that supports indy bookstores.

If you're enjoying this podcast, please leave a rating and review (thank you!).

On this episode, I talk with  middle grade author Kaija Langley about her debut middle grade novel in verse The Order of Things, a heart-rending novel-in-verse about a girl beginning to learn it is possible to go on even after a great loss. We talk about Kaija's writing process, why she chose to write the Order of Things in verse, and incorporating music into a story.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• The Order of Things, by Kaija Langley.
• When Langston Dances, by Kaija Langley.
• Crossover, by Kwame Alexander.
• Freewater, by Amina Luqman-Dawson.

For bonus content and  info on upcoming episodes, subscribe to the Middle Grade Matters newsletter here: Newsletter, and follow us on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter.

I love audiobooks! If you do, too, consider switching to Libro.fm, a platform that supports indy bookstores.

If you're enjoying this podcast, please leave a rating and review (thank you!).

On this episode I talk with Shannon Messenger, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Keeper of the Lost Cities series. Shannon shares with us her path to publication, what it was like when the Keeper series hit bestseller lists, her latest endeavor: reimagining it as graphic novels, and what's next for Sophie and her friends as the Keeper series comes to a close.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• Keeper of the Lost Cities series, by Shannon Messenger.
• Keeper of the Lost Cities, The Graphic Novel, by Shannon Messenger.
• Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine.

For bonus content and  info on upcoming episodes, subscribe to the Middle Grade Matters newsletter here: Newsletter, and follow us on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter.

I love audiobooks! If you do, too, consider switching to Libro.fm, a platform that supports indy bookstores.

If you're enjoying this podcast, please leave a rating and review (thank you!).

On this episode, I talk with Alison Weiss, Acquisitions Editor at Pixel+Ink, about her job editing and publishing middle grade books, about what she looks for in a manuscript, and about how she got started in children's book publishing.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• The Winterton Deception (series)
• Drag and Rex (series)
• The Second Favorite Daughters Club (series)
• Sky & Ty (series)

For bonus content and  info on upcoming episodes, subscribe to the Middle Grade Matters newsletter here: Newsletter, and follow us on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter.

I love audiobooks! If you do, too, consider switching to Libro.fm, a platform that supports indy bookstores.

If you're enjoying this podcast, please leave a rating and review (thank you!).

On this episode, I talk with New York Times bestselling author Janae Marks about her latest book, On Air with Zoe Washington, about becoming a full-time writer, and about the fun of writing for kids.

Books and resources mentioned in this episode include:

• From the Desk of Zoe Washington, by Janae Marks
• A Soft Place to Land, by Janae Marks
• On Air with Zoe Washington, by Janae Marks
• WriteOnCon
• Around the Writer's Block: Using Brain Science to Solve Writer's Resistance, by Rosanne Bane
• The Baby-Sitters Club, by Ann M. Martin
• When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead
• One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams-Garcia

For bonus content and  info on upcoming episodes, subscribe to the Middle Grade Matters newsletter here: Newsletter, and follow us on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter.

I love audiobooks! If you do, too, consider switching to Libro.fm, a platform that supports indy bookstores.

If you're enjoying this podcast, please leave a rating and review (thank you!).

On this episode, I talk with Zoe Tokushige, author of the middle grade Airi Sanos series. Zoe introduces us to the world of IP writing, addresses diversity in her books, and shares with us some of the wisdom learned studying writing in grad school.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

Airi Sanos, Prankmaster General series, by Zoe Tokushige
Steering the Craft, by Ursula K. Le Guin
On Writing, by Stephen King
What If? Writing Exercises for Writers, by Pam Painter
Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine
Regarding the Fountain, by Kate Klise
Trial by Journal, by Kate Klise
Just Ella, by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Running Out of Time, by Margaret Peterson Haddix

For bonus content and  info on upcoming episodes, subscribe to the Middle Grade Matters newsletter here: Newsletter, and follow us on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter.

I love audiobooks! If you do, too, consider switching to Libro.fm, a platform that supports indy bookstores.

If you're enjoying this podcast, please leave a rating and review (thank you!).

On this episode, I talk with author Elisa Stone Leahy about her debut middle grade book Tethered to Other Stars. We talk about her work with immigrants and how that inspired the book, about the concept of sanctuary, about immigration activism, and about Elisa's plan to write more books inspired by this topic as well as venture into writing fantasy.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• Tethered to Other Stars by Elisa Stone Leahy (Audiobook)
• Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan (Audiobook)

For bonus content and  info on upcoming episodes, subscribe to the Middle Grade Matters newsletter here: Newsletter, and follow us on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter.

I love audiobooks! If you do, too, consider switching to Libro.fm, a platform that supports indy bookstores.

If you're enjoying this podcast, please leave a rating and review (thank you!).

In this episode, I talk with author Tamika Burgess about her debut novel, Sincerely Sicily, and her experience growing up in America as a Black Latina.

Resources mentioned in this episode include:

• Sincerely Sicily, by Tamika Burgess
• The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master, by Martha Alderson
• Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book on Novel Writing You'll Ever Need, by Jessica Brody

For bonus content and  info on upcoming episodes, subscribe to the Middle Grade Matters newsletter here: Newsletter, and follow us on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter.

I love audiobooks! If you do, too, consider switching to Libro.fm, a platform that supports indy bookstores.

If you're enjoying this podcast, please leave a rating and review (thank you!).

On this episode, I talk with Chad Lucas, author of Thanks A Lot Universe, and You Owe Me One, Universe, about writing a sequel and the importance of writing for upper middle grade readers. 

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• Thanks A Lot, Universe, by Chad Lucas (Audiobook)
• You Owe Me One, Universe, by Chad Lucas (Audiobook)
• Let the Monster Out, by Chad Lucas (Audiobook)
• The Inquisitor's Tale; Or, the Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog, by Adam Gidwitz (Audiobook)

For bonus content and  info on upcoming episodes, subscribe to the Middle Grade Matters newsletter here: Newsletter, and follow us on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter.

I love audiobooks! If you do, too, consider switching to Libro.fm, a platform that supports indy bookstores.

If you're enjoying this podcast, please leave a rating and review (thank you!).

On this episode, I talk with debut author Karen S. Chow about  her debut middle grade book, Miracle. It's a book she drafted during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) so we talk about the fun of writing a first draft during NaNoWriMo, as well as addressing grief and death in middle grade, self publishing versus traditional publishing, and marketing for  authors.

Books and resources mentioned in this episode include:

Miracle, by Karen S. Chow
The Weekend Novelist, by Robert J. Ray and Bret Norris
Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery
Harry Potter, by J.K. Rowling
A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle

For bonus content and  info on upcoming episodes, subscribe to the Middle Grade Matters newsletter here: Newsletter, and follow us on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter.

I love audiobooks! If you do, too, consider switching to Libro.fm, a platform that supports indy bookstores.

If you're enjoying this podcast, please leave a rating and review (thank you!).