Chicken Scratch Books only publishes Middle Grade Novels. At this time we are NOT publishing Picture Books, Chapter Books, or Young Adult Novels. A Middle Grade Novel has these characteristics:
- Written for kids ages 8 – 13. This is about third grade through middle school. This is the age where kids begin to shift away from self and learn about the world and all it has to offer.
- Middle Grade Novels have two levels – upper MG, and lower MG. The age of your protagonist, and the types of situations they face will dictate this level.
- Kids like to read UP. This means they like to read about kids just older than they are.
- Kids this age also tend to prefer 3rd person narratives. It puts the emotion at just a bit of a distance, allowing them to keep themselves separate as they explore new worlds. This is NOT a hard and fast rule. There are a lot of excellent 1st person MG novels. Use the perspective that fits your story best.
- Kids also tend to prefer past tense writing. Again, it gives them a bit of a buffer for their emotional connection. This is NOT a hard and fast rule. There are a lot of excellent present tense MG novels. Use the tense that fits your story best.
- Young readers have to relate to the characters. Kids are much more picky with their reading than adults. We adults will plow through a mediocre book, just to finish it and see what happens. Not kids. If they don’t engage in the first chapter, they put it back on the shelf. Harsh. Their engagement almost always is based on connection with the main character. As such, your writing has to be storytelling in its purest form. That is the beauty of Middle Grade Novels.
- Middle Grade Novels have unique voice and pacing. To learn what this is, read a lot of middle grade novels. Read them out loud.
- Middle Grade Novels come in most genres found for adults: Historical, Fantasy, Contemporary, Science Fiction, Steampunk, Mystery, Horror, Western. All genres have age appropriate situations within the genre parameters.
Here at Chicken Scratch Books we want Middle Grade Novels that have strong TRADITIONAL VALUES portrayed. We love to see imperfect families trying to support each other. Kids really can have good relationships with their parents. We love to see kids engaged in groups and situations that are relatable, and learnable, without being preachy. We love to see families that are spiritual, or religious, or both. We love it when business owners aren’t portrayed as greedy, or when politicians aren’t portrayed as corrupt. And rural living? Give us stories that show the rural lifestyle as desirable – not something that needs to be escaped from. We don’t have any social quotas or expectations for your characters or the situations they are in. Give us strong literature, with strong traditional values, strong characters, and lots of fun happening. That’s what we publish.