Kids’ Institute Preview: Reaching the Middle Grade Reader

The challenges of reaching middle grade readers will be the subject of a panel discussion at the American Booksellers Association’s ABC Children’s Institute on Wednesday, June 6, at BookExpo America. The 2:00 p.m. session will feature R.J. Palacio, author of the bestselling YA novel Wonder (Knopf); Karen Lotz, president and publisher of Candlewick Press; Jason Wells, executive director of children’s publicity and marketing at Abrams Books for Young Readers, Amulet Books, and Abrams Appleseed; Lisa Von Drasek, director of the Center for Children’s Literature at the Bank Street College of Education and children’s librarian for pre-K through 8th grade at the School for Children; and booksellers Margaret Brennan Neville of The King’s English Bookshop in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Trish Brown of Hooray for Books! in Alexandria, Virginia. The conversation will be moderated by Jennifer Brown, children's editor of Shelf Awareness and creator of the site Twenty by Jenny.

The book industry categorizes middle grade readers as between the ages of 8 - 12, but meeting the varied needs of these children, who are at a range of developmental levels, is often a challenge for booksellers, who are also competing with technology-based entertainment as well as school and extra-curricular activities for kids’ time.

This session will present an overview of the developmental stages of middle grade readers — detailing the issues and conflicts they are facing — and provide ideas about how independent booksellers can curate and promote a collection that addresses these issues effectively.

Besides competing for a share of middle grade readers’ time, booksellers face a “curriculum based impediment,” said panelist Margaret Brennan Neville, the children’s room buyer/manager at The King’s English. She believes schools need to include required reading that is enjoyable. “If the only book a 10-year-old picks up is one he or she was assigned, and they didn’t like it on any level, why would they pick up another book?” Brennan Neville said. “We have to continually work to remind readers what a pleasure it can be.”

Staff at The King’s English focuses on talking to readers to find out what they read recently, to get a sense of what they enjoy. “I depend on the staff to be able to make that leap from the last book to the next book,” Brennan Neville said.”We do not always have the bestsellers — we have the books that are best loved. We work hard to keep our adult (parents, grandparents, teachers, librarians) buyers well informed, too. Since they are usually paying, we want them to be fully vested.”

Additionally, The King’s English offers an extensive list of in-store programming aimed at middle grade readers, including author visits, book fairs, book talks, book groups, ARC sharing, summer reading, and more.

Among the topics Brennan Neville is looking forward to discussing with her fellow Children’s Institute panelists are creating connections between books, inspiring staff to read, handselling techniques, sales and service for schools, getting kids to read nonfiction, and content issues.

For panelist Trish Brown, co-owner of Hooray For Books!, a special topic of interest is children who want to read above their social and emotional level and how booksellers can respond to these situations.

Hooray For Books! hosts a number of ARC readers clubs, including one specifically designed for middle grade readers. Participants in the club, which meets once a month, choose an ARC or two and are asked to write a brief (three-sentence) review of the books, stating why they did or didn’t like it, and who they think would enjoy reading it. This has been invaluable in helping the staff learn what kids like and dislike, said Brown, who loves to steer customers in the direction of a good book.

“I love to introduce middle grade kids to books like Wonder and [Sharon M. Draper’s] Out of My Mind (Atheneum Books for Young Readers), partly because I wish there had been something similar for me to read at that age, but also because it might alleviate some of the fear of the unknown and ‘otherness’ that plagues children as they grow up.”

The panel “Reaching the Middle Grade Reader” will be held from 2:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. on June 6 in Room 1E09 of the Javits Convention Center. The education portion of the Children’s Institute is open exclusively to all ABA member booksellers and is free of charge. Registration is required, however, for all ABA member booksellers who would like to participate in the full day of Children’s Institute programming, including the special package of popular author events:

• A table seat at the BEA Children’s Breakfast

• The Speed Dating Lunch With Children’s Authors

• The ABA/CBC Tea With Children’s Authors and Illustrators

• A ticket to the Annual Children’s Art Auction and Reception, presented by the ABC Group and the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression; and,

• Priority seating at ABA’s Wednesday education sessions

Registration is $99 for ABC Group member booksellers (a $199 value) and $149 for all other ABA member booksellers (a savings of $100 that includes automatic membership in the ABC Group). Registration is not required for ABA members who wish to attend the education program only. Registration will close once the limit of 150 booksellers is reached or by May 1, whichever comes first.

For complete details and to register, visit kids.bookweb.org.