What a REAL Middle Grader is Reading
a glimpse at the shelves of my tween
In May I wrote about the middle grade genre, and more recently about the sometimes danger of middle grade nostalgia ~ today I’m highlighting what an ACTUAL middle grade reader is reading. As adults we so often look at children’s literature through a purely adult lens, but we need to remember that our role is to simply facilitate access to books and then get out of the way. My middle grade TBR is just that ~ my own ~ and kids should be allowed to have their own distinctive book tastes.
One of the unescapable parts of motherhood that I have experienced with all of my children is the reality that despite my best attempts at fostering independence and being hands-off on room and laundry maintenance, kids still occasionally need a parent-led reset. That’s what we’re working on this week ~ my tween is at the same point both of the older kids reached where her room absolutely overwhelms her, she’s ready to move on from a lot of her younger toys, but she simply can’t do it herself. Same with clothes ~ her dresser was totally full of clothes that don’t fit her anymore, but it was just too much for her to do on her own.
We decided to start with books, since I had already had to clean out a shelf in the living room when the internet guy came AND a friend is moving from 1st to 5th grade and needs a whole new classroom library.