One thing that always catches me off-guard is the broad span of middle grade. Some novels will be deep and poignant, bringing me to tears or changing my worldview, and others feel dumbed down, simplified, and stripped of anything deemed too “grown-up” for kids to understand.
While I believe that certain topics should remain unaddressed in middle grade due to the age and innocence of the audience, I also think people often underestimate the capabilities of young people. Kids are smart. And I think instead of trying to dumb things down for kids, we should try to lift up their intellect. Bring them things that have depth and are full of truth and spark thoughts and discussions.
That’s what this list is. Deep, poignant books that spark thoughts, challenge the intellect, and teach the reader to love learning.
The Phantom Tollbooth
Norton Juster
Milo is bored and lazy, with all the time in the world and no sense of purpose to fill it. Until one day the arrival of a mysterious package whisks him away into a world of whimsy where he must rescue Rhyme and Reason to restore order to the topsy-turvy world.
Think Alice in Wonderland, but in the 1960’s instead of the 1860’s. On top of beautiful prose full of wit and wonder, this novel teaches a love for learning and exploring, the dangers of ignorance and time-wasting, and encourages a close study of how we say things and what they really mean.
A Wrinkle in Time
Madeleine L’Engle
Meg, her little brother Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin embark on an adventure across the universe with three strange women in order to rescue Meg’s missing father.
I have never faced a middle grade novel as intellectual and deep as A Wrinkle in Time. Forget dumbing everything down, A Wrinkle in Time dares the reader to rise up to its intellectual depth, teaching the true meaning of courage and the power of love in the face of darkness. (And it has less well-known sequels which continue the series of The Time Quintet in book two, A Wind in the Door.)
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
C.S. Lewis
Four siblings tumble into the magical world of Narnia, called there by the mysterious lion Aslan to restore order and defeat the witch who has brought eternal winter to the land.
Charming and absorbing as ever, The Chronicles of Narnia teach forgiveness and redemption and the triumph of good over evil. The characters feel too real to truly be called characters. The technical first book is The Magician’s Nephew, but I recommend reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe first, followed by The Magician’s Nephew, then reading the rest in the order typically given.
The Wingfeather Saga
Andrew Peterson
Janner, Tink, and Leeli Igiby live in Skree, a land suppressed under the reign of the evil Gnag the Nameless. Together with their secretive mother, pirate grandfather, and crazy uncle, the three flee from Gnag’s Fangs in search of a safe haven.
While more modern than all the novels mentioned so far, The Wingfeather Saga is still a delight to the soul. It’s humorous yet deep, encouraging hope and perseverance and a love for all that is beautiful and true. The first book is On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness.
Alice in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll
A little girl, Alice, tumbles into a world of nonsense, chasing a white rabbit through Wonderland until she’s forced to face the Queen of Hearts.
Whimsical and witty, Alice in Wonderland teaches children to not be ashamed of questioning things, to embrace things outside the norm, and to appreciate their dreams, as nonsensical or impossible as they may seem. The book and its sequel are quite distinct from Tim Burton’s adaptions and the first movie adaption from 1951, though the 1951 movie is more true to the tale than Burton.
The Girl Who Drank the Moon
Kelly Barnhill
When Xan rescues a baby left in the woods and accidentally feeds her moonlight, everything changes. Through this little girl, families are shattered and brought together, a town is rescued, and a history long-buried is finally healed.
Another less aged novel, The Girl Who Drank the Moon is still strikingly beautiful and strange all at once. This was one of my childhood favorites due to its beauty, themes of family and love, and hints at the importance of knowledge and history.
Conclusion
These are not just stories dumbed down and created to be as marketable to kids as possible. These are stories which impact a person’s soul and challenge their mind. My recommendation? Read them aloud as a family. Soak in the words together. Or read them separately or listen to them as an audiobook.
The point is not how you consume these books. It’s what you’re consuming from the books. Are the books you or your kids are reading simply what’s popular or easy to find or fun to read? Or are they the sort of books that challenge and stretch your intellect, feed your soul, and change who you are?
This list is in no way exhaustive or even fully completed. Not only that, but I’ve decided to include only fantasy novels because that’s what I specialize in. However, if this list was helpful, I can compile lists from other genres as well. If I missed a fantasy novel for youth that you believe feeds the soul and mind of the reader, please comment with the title and author so I can add it to this list.
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God bless,
Astor
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