If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you probably know I am currently reading a lot of Middle Grade Fiction or #mglit. I have heard a few voices ask me, “Why?” and I promised them an answer. Here it is. It isn’t a pretty story but rather a collection of reasons.

I could not read literary fiction

I have always loved literary fiction. Sci-fi or fantasy or YA were never my genres of choice. While I love literary fiction, I could not focus on them. My daily routine did not offer me the kind of space I needed to read literary fiction. I could not get into the “zone” in between homework help, dance competitions and work.

My daily world is filled with too many obligations and emotional moments that I could not find the energy to lose myself in a book. It overwhelmed me. My mind needed something lighter and yet intellectual.

I needed quick reads

I hate reading the same book for more than a week. Starting a book and finishing it in days, even if it means I will have to miss sleep is the best ever feeling. Been there, done that. But, the inability to get into my reading zone meant books languishing for weeks. It bothered me more than I will admit. I knew time and the number of books I read is just another number but it disturbed me.

Middle Grade fiction gives me the ability to wrap up a book in days. Most of them are 200-400 pages and move incredibly fast.

I needed to connect with my daughter

Kuttyma is almost 10. As she grows up, I worry about connecting with her and supporting her. I worry about teaching her the right things and finding ways to carry a conversation. The tween and teen years scare me and I use books to prepare for those years.

Kuttyma also started reading “advanced” books. The covers looked different, the blurbs talked about things I did not know existed in books. I wanted to understand what she was reading so that I connect those dots, ask the right questions and understand her. Oh boy! I am so glad I did.

In fact, this is the primary reason I gravitated towards Middle Grade fiction. I thought (and still believe) talking about books will connect us and help get over the troubles of teen years relatively easily. I wanted to start the habit of talking books to her before she hit her tweens and I asked her to recommend books she likes to me. Thus started my middle grade fiction reading journey.

I do not know if I will be successful but I think reading middle grade fiction has broadened my world for sure.

I fell in love

Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys and then Agatha Christie and Perry Mason are the books I read in middle school. The school made us read the classics – Treasure Island and Secret Garden. Heidi and Black Beauty. The adventurous few experimented with their first Mills and Boon romance novels.

I do not remember reading anything relevant to the world I lived in. Books were set in worlds I did not have access to and never thought I will have access to. Books were dreams I could hold and dream I did.

Modern day middle grade fiction tackles tough topics – from rebellion to heart transplants. From foster homes to safe houses. Gun violence to peer pressure. Dating to sexual identity. The right books in the right hands are the best tools.

As I read more middle grade fiction recommended by my daughter, I discovered great books and amazing authors. They brought subjects I wanted to discuss with my daughter and some I had never thought about discussing into her life as books. Their words planted the seeds, all I had to do was to fertile and nurture the plant.

Middle grade fiction is an amazing world and I am glad I tumbled into it. I have read more than a dozen MG books in the past month and I plan to read more of them in the months to come. If you have a middle grade fiction recommendation, leave a comment. Stop by my Instagram page for a list of some of the great books I have read.