Why I Write Middle Grade Coming of Age Stories

Right behind the classic question about where my ideas come from, the one I hear most often is, “Why do you write for middle grade readers?” The people who ask this are almost always adults. Kids already know the answer. They can feel the importance of this age. These years matter. This is the stage when they begin to see themselves more clearly, when friendships form and shift, when confidence rises and falls, and when the world suddenly feels bigger and more complicated. It is a time full of questions about who they are, where they fit, and who they want to become.

Middle grade readers stand at the edge of childhood and the beginning of something new. They still have imagination, optimism, and curiosity, but they are also developing sharper instincts about fairness, honesty, courage, and belonging. Stories give them a safe place to practice these ideas and to experience emotional risks without real world consequences.

When I write, I often think about what my twelve-year-old self would have wanted. I try to create stories that are funny, exciting, and grounded in reality, the kind I would have stayed up late reading with a flashlight. At that age, I wanted characters who felt like real kids, with real strengths and real mistakes. I wanted reassurance that confusion, pressure, and uncertainty were normal. Those ideas guide me now.

My goal is to bring that honesty to the characters in my books. I want readers to see themselves in the moments when things go wrong, when friendships feel strained, when confidence wobbles, and when they feel pressure to be someone they are not. I also want them to feel the joy of small victories, the excitement of discovering new interests, and the comfort that comes from finding a place where they belong. Sometimes that place is in shifting friendships and family dynamics, like Mia in Friendship or Fame. Sometimes it is on a court or a field, like Taylor in Friendship or Foul Play.

My own childhood shaped these stories. Like Edward in Surviving Summer Camp, I grew up the middle kid in a family with three boys. I never saved anyone’s life on a camping trip, but the rhythms of sibling rivalry and support were very familiar to me, and they influenced how I wrote the brothers in that story. Each book begins with a character who is searching for confidence and belonging, because that was my experience too.

The themes I return to most often are friendship, self confidence, belonging, and resilience. Every story asks some version of the same question. What happens when a kid steps outside their comfort zone and discovers a part of themselves they did not know was there? For me, that discovery is the heart of coming of age, and it is the journey I hope readers feel in every one of my books.

If even one reader finishes a story feeling more hopeful, more understood, or more certain that they can handle what comes next, then I have done what I set out to do.

Middle grade readers are finding their place in the world. My stories are written for them as they take their first steps toward who they will become.

Thanks for reading. I love hearing from readers, so let me know if you enjoyed one of my stories.

Paul