“They’re very good readers,” Ursula K. Le Guin once said of adolescents. “Sometimes, they’re the best readers of all.”
When I tell people I write novels intended for eight to twelve year olds, I sense judgement on occasion. Some seem to perceive this sort of novel as ‘lesser than.’ As if writing for children diminishes the value of the literature produced. The same people often adopt the same attitude toward the whole genre of science fiction/fantasy, whether for children or no.
I discovered reading in second grade. Not to say that I didn’t read before then. No, I mean that I discovered a magical ability that we all possess. The ability to interpret squiggles on a page, and in doing so, to really and truly travel someplace else. I went to Hogwarts, to Camp Half-Blood, to Narnia. I dug holes with Stanley Yelnats and searched for clues with the Cahills.
I read everything I could get my hands on. I stayed in bed all day, reading and reading and reading.
And then, I grew up.
School got in the way. Friends kept me occupied. I got a cell phone and social media and game consoles and Netflix and and and. I always planned to continue reading. I knew I should be reading; I loved the idea of it. But I didn’t, not for a long time. Reading requires focus, patience, and commitment. Why strain my brain when I could scroll instead?
Even now, I often find myself scrolling when I should be reading.
This story might sound familiar. Almost everyone knows the magic of that initial discovery. The discovery of reading, and how that affects one’s life. How it opens the imagination, opens the mind to the impossible.
When was it that you grew up? When did you lose your childlike wonder? And what would it take for you to reconnect with that now?
In the formative stages of life, our imaginations are untempered. And “imagination is the instrument of ethics,” to borrow another assertion from the lovely Ursula K. Le Guin. Any genre of literature can expose us to new perspectives, new ways of thinking, and train our empathy. Children’s literature uniquely targets an audience most receptive to building worldviews.
And more recently, we’ve seen an increased diversity of voices, characters, and settings in the middle grade space. Especially in the middle grade science fiction/fantasy space. These works will help to raise ever more tolerant, more compassionate generations.
Good children’s literature is good literature. It doesn’t lack nuance, as some might believe. Kids are smart, and they know when you’re lying or dumbing things down. Even adults can enjoy middle grade novels, for the stories they tell apply to us all.
Also, remember the Scholastic book fairs? Those were awesome.
– AJG
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