middle grade Archives - A Fuse #8 Production

Tag: middle grade

June 23, 2026 by Betsy Bird

Magic and Misogyny, Kitties and Fatphobia: Christine Hartman Derr Discusses Raven, Rising

How do you balance hard real world issues with light magic and fantasy? Or Indigenous representation with such huge issues as misogyny and passing as white? Find your answers here.

June 19, 2026 by Betsy Bird

Mossy Trees, Ornate Houses, and the Occasional Murder: It’s a Ghost in the Night Q&A with Tiffany D. Jackson

What better book to discuss on Juneteenth than one that's a ton of fun? It's Jackson's middle grade follow-up to her smash hit Blood on the Water and we are HERE for it!

June 9, 2026 by Betsy Bird

Just Your Average Cosmic Struggle with Humanity at Stake: A QUETZAL’S LABYRINTH Talk with Karla Valenti

Valenti discusses her fall release. Such highlights of this talk include a discussion of how the Aztec myths were distorted by the Spanish, using Katherine Rundell's books as mentor texts, and why the Greek Gods get all the attention.

Review of the Day: The Genie Game by Jordan Ifueko

May 22, 2026 by Betsy Bird

You want a hilarious middle grade full of action, social commentary, a Black girl heroine with wits, smarts, and humor, and an alternate world scarily close to our own? This way please.

Review of the Day: A Scar Like a River by Lisa Graff

February 1, 2026 by Betsy Bird

Sometimes an author just works themselves up to the book of a lifetime and you are lucky enough to watch that happen in real time. That’s pretty much what we have here. The kids that get to read this book for the first time are lucky too.

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2025 Middle Grade Fiction

December 30, 2025 by Betsy Bird

Our penultimate post!! These are the books that will worm their ways into the crannies and crevices of your children's gray matter, affecting their thoughts, their brains, their lives. If you're comfortable with that, read on.

Grief and Humor by Turns: A Talk with Joanne Levy About All the Things We Found

August 26, 2025 by Betsy Bird

Grief and humor mixing and melding in middle grade is a delicate thing to establish. We talk with author Joanne Levy on how to make this very secret sauce.

Review of the Day: The Reel Wish by Yamile Saied Méndez

May 24, 2025 by Betsy Bird

Un-put-downable. A little more complex than its cover implies, this is a title to hand to that kid that always has to be the best, even if it kills them.