[laura-hunter Posts: 25 Status: Offline]

Hi, can I please have some advice about categorising my story as MG? My protagonist is in Year 5 - so about 10 years old. I am  hoping to appeal to reluctant readers, so have a word count of 22 000. I am aware that this is short for MG. The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level is 2.7. How should I describe this book? Can I call it MG? Thanks for any advice.
Laura.

[mrh Posts: 4,756 Status: Offline www.marciahoehne.com WWW]

Yes, I would call it MG. At 22K, it would be long for a chapter book. Here is a web page that defines "lower middle grade" and gives a word count range of 20-25K. It sounds like this might fit your book.

http://thewritingcafe.tumblr.com/post/56095844286/writing-middle-grade

[laura-hunter Posts: 25 Status: Offline]

Excellent link, thank you very much.

[Debbie Vilardi Posts: 6,847 Status: Offline Language is so cool! WWW]

Length and main character age are only two of the factors that make a story middle grade. Are the themes appropriate for this age group? If so, you have a middle grade. Some may call it a novella rather than a novel, but I wouldn't worry about that. Great books sell.

[jennifer-bushroe Posts: 18 Status: Offline I love kids' books!]

That was a great link, mrh. Thanks for sharing!

[mrh Posts: 4,756 Status: Offline www.marciahoehne.com WWW]

Glad you found it helpful, Jennifer!

[mghiggins Posts: 257 Status: Offline WWW]

Hi Laura. I think a word-count of 22,000 for reluctant MG readers is about right--maybe even a little long! My novels for reluctant YA readers are between 15k and 20k (written at about a 3.0 grade level). It depends on the publisher and if you're trying to fit into an existing series. I think if you categorize your book as middle-grade for reluctant readers, you'll be just fine. Good luck!