The difference between chapter books and middle grade fiction… with editor Rachel Boden

There is often confusion about what constitutes a ‘chapter book’ and what ‘middle grade’. Simply put, the difference is the age range at which it is aimed, and consequently the length of the book.

Chapter books, or young fiction, are usually aimed at roughly ages 5-8, i.e. beginner readers. Children who have progressed through their reading scheme at school, and who are newly confident readers, are ready to discover fiction about their interests. They also love to work their way through series, and to collect items they love. Thus almost all young fiction books are part of a series (think Beast Quest, Wigglesbottom Primary, Isadora Moon). If we can hook in a reader at this young and enthusiastic age, we can convince them that reading is fun for life! These books are usually illustrated inside, and sometimes star animals as characters. They are usually under 200 pages, and about 20,000 words long.

Middle-grade fiction, on the other hand, is aimed at roughly ages 9-12, has a longer page extent, and can be part of a series, or each book can stand alone. Usually, by 9, the child reader is ready for longer, more involved adventures that challenge and inspire them. This has become the area of children’s fiction that sells the most copies (think Harry Potter, David Walliams and Tom Gates) because adults still want to gift books to children, and children are still fiercely loyal to either the series or the author. Author recognition, or brand, is very important in middle grade. Page extents range from 176 to 300 or more, and the word count currently spans 20,000-60,000.

Naturally, because children read at their own pace, these age ranges are generalised and often books can straddle both age groups. They are now called ‘young middle grade’ in the trade. If you don’t know exactly where your manuscript falls, picture your ideal reader. How old are they? Can they cope with a complicated plot? What else might they be reading? The answers should help you.

Rachel has over twenty years’ experience in children’s publishing. She has worked in picture books – with names such as Julia Donaldson, Michael Rosen, David Litchfield and David Roberts – and in fiction across the age range from 5 to YA. She has been a commissioning editor for six major publishers and has enjoyed working with the authors Meg Cabot, Lemony Snicket, Andy Stanton, Sibéal Pounder, Alex T. Smith and Juno Dawson, to name but a few. Rachel is now the Children’s Book Promotion and Content Editor for Booktrust, and can be found at @racheltheeditor on Twitter and Instagram!