NEW MEMBERS: Hi everyone, I've joined the GMGR group. I'm ...... Showing 1,651-1,700 of 2,209

[Rebecca]

Hi to our new people. So glad to have you joining us!

[R.J.]

Hi everyone,
I'm an author/illustrator. Joined Goodreads awhile back but am only just starting to learn how it works and what all the buttons do etc now.
Am enjoying reading the discussions here - so exciting to hear people passionately talking about MG books!!! Problem is I've become so used to facebook that I keep looking for a 'like button' to click at the bottom of everyone's comments... LIKE LIKE LIKE! Especially like to hear that people are reading MG aloud to children.
And, I think that's my awkward intro done. I do hope we can delete or edit our comments later if spot tired typos or the like (Yep, saw the edit option once this was posted).

[Jemima]

R.J. wrote: "Hi everyone,
I'm an author/illustrator. Joined Goodreads awhile back but am only just starting to learn how it works and what all the buttons do etc now.
Am enjoying reading the discussions here - ..."

Hi, RJ and welcome to the group. I know what you mean about the Like button - I look for it too... but adding a useful comment works, too!
You may like to hunt for a thread we had on illustrations in MG books, and also there's a 'useful guide' to working with Goodreads Groups, which I wrote ;) after reading something similar in another group. Finding the 'unread topics' button is a real help!

[R.J.]

Jemima wrote: "Hi, RJ and welcome to the group. I know what you mean about the Like button - I look for it too..."
Thanks Jemima :)
Yes it'll be fun hunting through all the posts for the unread treasures. Your post: "NEW MEMBERS: hints for using Goodreads Groups" was the first thing I read after I joined. It was easy to find and very helpful - thank you. The topics in the General discussions had some very interesting insights in the comments too. Okay, better get back to work... can't wait to read opinions about illustrations in MG books!

[Rebecca]

Welcome!

[R.J.]

Thank you for the warm welcome, Rebecca :)
I found the facebook page in another thread and the pinterest board too - so many interesting discussions to read still!

[Jemima]

Welcome, Laura. I hope you have fun exploring the place!

[AEK7300]

I joined the group about a week ago and have been lurking in the background. I guess it's time to come forward and introduce myself....

Hello, I'm Ana from York, Maine. I read an average of 4-5 MG books per week and sometimes sneak in some children's picture books I can't resist. I have no professional ties to middle grade or literature. I'm just a full time wife/mom/retail manager and part-time crafter/artist who enjoys the world of make believe and imagination!

[[deleted user]]

Hi Ana , Welcome. I too am a wife/mom/crafter/ful-time office worker and enjoy escaping from the real world for a while into a world of imagination. Glad to have you as a part of the group!

[Talia]

Hi everyone,

I found this group after searching for "Middle Grade", and I'm excited to join in conversation with you all! I've always been a huge fan of middle grade, but just recently started reviewing more on Goodreads. I work in publishing and have a long commute, so I read quite a lot more than the average person :) Happy to be here and share in a world of literature that can be funny, sweet, touching, and inspiring all at once.

[Jemima]

Welcome, Ana and Talia. It's always great to have 'new faces' around, especially ones who love MG books. I realise I have always lived in a fantasy world, so it suits me fine!

[Cindy]

I've joined in the last week or so as well. I'm a middle school special education teacher(I will work with 7th and 8th grade this coming year), and a mom of kids at that age. I'm just wanting to immerse myself in the literature of this age group. The more I know for myself, the better I will be able to point kids in new directions. Especially those readers who are more reluctant.

[Dixie]

Hi Cindi
I've been a special ed teacher myself, forever it seems like. Welcome.

[Jemima]

Hi Cindy, and welcome. I hope you find lots of new ideas here.

Don't ignore the Author pages here for your reluctant reader (and your advanced reader) books. Quite a few of the author-members (mainly self-published) have one or other group in mind.

[Cindy]

thanks for the welcome Dixie and Jemima. Looking forward to being part of the group!

[Rebecca]

Welcome to all our new members! So good to have new faces around here, and I am happy to see that some of you are already participating in (even starting!) discussions. Keep up the good work :)

[M.G.]

Hi everyone. I've been reading these posts and discussions for quite some time and enjoy them.

I love reading MG books and like other authors found that my fantasy book (working on the second) while I first thought it to be YA it's actually enjoyed by MG readers. Kids as young as 10 tell me they enjoyed it!

Thanks for the lively discussions on here :) Helps me to formulate my library talks to kids & gives me good recommends on what to read next.

[Rebecca]

Welcome, M.G. I think one of the hardest things to figure out is that line between MG and YA books! Of course, it's hard to pin down because it's a bit wavy.

[M.G.]

Hi Rebecca. That is very true. I seem to have readers of all ages (10 on up) but was surprised that the younger ages enjoyed the book :)

[Deanna]

Yes, I think it's definitely a bit blurry because a lot of bookworms tend to be advanced for their ages. I definitely know that when I was in middle school my friends and I would read young adult because we'd finished all of the other books in the juvenile section!

[M.G.]

Deanna that's a great point!

[Jemima]

Hi MG and welcome.

It's a constant theme here, the border between MG and YA. And it's also cultural, since some countries have more relaxed attitudes to some issues that have others in a spin.

I love Rebecca's description "it's a bit wavy" :)

[Alice]

Hello everybody!

My name is Leigha. (Lay-uh) I am 33 years old, but I am in love with all books, no matter the intended age range. I believe that there shouldn't be an age range (or limit) on books, except books that are too mature for younger audiences...etc. I'm married, but no children, so I'm sure some people wonder why I'm reading such "kiddy" books. :D

I just believe we should be able to read whatever we want without being judged for liking something that is deemed for a younger age group.

There was this article I read where this person was mocking adults who still read YA (And below) and it just made me so annoyed. According to this person, after a certain age, we adults should jump into proper literature books and classics. I don't think this person would count graphic novels, comics and manga in the proper section, let alone a cute picture book! What's wrong with still liking the things you liked as a kid/teen/early 20s...etc? Or even newly liking something you might have not liked as a kid? Maybe as a kid you hated to read? I know there are some series I missed as a kid/teen and I want to read them now because I wish I had read them before. (The Alice series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor is one such series, and some of her other books.)

I've been reading a lot of Middle Grade (and below) lately, because I was organizing books and came across a bunch of old books from my childhood and teens. I collect books I consider nostalgic, so I am trying to catalogue what I have. A lot of R L Stine books!

So that has prompted me to jump on the overdrive library and just browse the juvenile section. I read 5 books before I knew it, some nostalgic and some newer published.

As I am new to this group, I am learning the ropes. Is there a specific place to ask for recommendations?

Thanks,
Leigha

[Jemima]

You can ask for recommendations in the Discussion area, especially if you like certain styles of books, but browse through to see what other people have discussed first.

We also have a Book of the Month which raises discussion every month, and the nominations for books on certain themes are useful too - See the Book of the Month section or the Archives for Book of the Month. :)

Oh - and welcome to the group!

[Marianna]

Hi,
I just joined this group and I'm thrilled to be a part of it. I'm a former elementary teacher and also a published author. Currently reading OC Daniel. Great book.I understand why it won the Edgar.

[Jemima]

Welcome Marianna! We read OCDaniel as a Book of the Month last winter. I think I archived the discussion thread the other day, but you can still find it in the section Archive - Book of the Month if you want to see the discussions on it.

[Rebecca]

Welcome, Marianna and Leigha! I hope you'll find lots of great book suggestions here, and share some as well.

And I'm with you, Leigha. I will read what I enjoy (as well as occasionally making myself read something that might be good for me), and not be ashamed. Frankly, I can't see why anyone who watches TV or hangs around on Facebook should mock anyone's taste in books!

[Dixie]

Yes! I always feel free to relive Pippi Longstocking or Charlotte 's Web or anything I ever visited and loved and I won't feel guilty when my other choice would probably just be hanging on Facebook anyway.

[Rebecca]

Dixie wrote: "Yes! I always feel free to relive Pippi Longstocking or Charlotte 's Web or anything I ever visited and loved and I won't feel guilty when my other choice would probably just be hanging on Facebook..."

My guilty favorites are Nancy and Plum and The Lion's Paw. Not great literature by any means, but they were my childhood favorites and re-reading them is like having a cup of hot cocoa by the fire.

[Evie]

Hello fellow bibliophiles!

I'm excited to be a part of this group. I seem to be the only one amongst my friends who still loves to read middle grade fiction. Perhaps I'm eternally a child or perhaps I simply like stories that don't get buried under their own prose (this from the girl who read the Hobbit when she was nine, but hey-we all have our own definition of 'Children's Books').

Anyway, I see you are reading Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH right now. Its been eons since I've read that! How very exciting. I'll have to go pick it up today.

[Rebecca]

Welcome, Evie! You've certainly come to the right place to find other people who still read kids' books. Glad to have you!

[Dixie]

I got a new class to teach and love doing read aloud. 2 through 5th grade, learning handicapped. I'm drooling over the possibilities already.

[Mark]

Hi, Steve. My name is Mark, and I'm a retired middle grade teacher with a special interest in speculative fiction. I maintain a blog at buxfantasy.blogspot.com, and I've been a panelist for the Cybils Book Awards for about six years. I'm excited to exchange ideas with other book enthusiasts.

[Jemima]

Mark wrote: "Hi, Steve. My name is Mark, and I'm a retired middle grade teacher with a special interest in speculative fiction. I maintain a blog at buxfantasy.blogspot.com, and I've been a panelist for the Cyb..."

Hi Mark, you threw me for a bit, there. But you're very welcome to the group. I think middle grade speculative fiction is even more interesting than 'adult' specfic because of the constraints that writing for a junior audience places on the author. Just my 2p!

Looking forward to hearing your views on great middle grade reading that we've missed.

[Candace]

Hi, Im Candace. Ive been on GR for about 5 years now in Fantasy Group. However, as my daughter was growing up I discovered that I loved Books for Middle readers and Young Adults too. Ive read more of the YA with her so I am more familiar with those. I'm looking forward to this group and Im excited to find its active with regular group reads! Looking forward to it!

[Rebecca]

Welcome, Mark and Candace!

[Jemima]

Hi Candace! Welcome to the group. We try to keep active - looking forward to you joining in :)

[David]

Hello everyone! My name is David Neilsen and I'm a Middle Grade reader and writer. I love the genre, particularly the more fantastical and/or supernatural elements. I personally feel like the Middle Grade genre remains one of the richest in terms of imagination. Some of the other genres always seem to fall into various stereotypes and tropes, while MG is wide open.

Looking forward to being a part of the group!

[Jemima]

David wrote: "Hello everyone! My name is David Neilsen and I'm a Middle Grade reader and writer. I love the genre, particularly the more fantastical and/or supernatural elements. I personally feel like the Middl..."
Welcome David! I think there’s a lot of Fantasy in MG books, but maybe that’s just because I enjoy them most 😉

[Stewart]

Greetings! My name is Stewart Hoffman. I'm a web developer, science fiction fan, and for the last couple of years, author of books about aliens, bugs, kid-heroes, and flatulence (Yes, all of those are in my new book series).

Anyway... I'm off to explore this group and perhaps drop a note about my books in the author's corner.

Cheers!

[Jemima]

Stewart wrote: "Greetings! My name is Stewart Hoffman. I'm a web developer, science fiction fan, and for the last couple of years, author of books about aliens, bugs, kid-heroes, and flatulence (Yes, all of those ..."

That does sound like the perfect recipe for an MG book! Welcome, Stewart!

[Carla]

Hello everyone! I'm Carla Reighard, an author, and lover of books. Is that redundant to say in a place where books have brought millions together? I wrote Elle's Magical Shoes, a MG fantasy, so this seems like a good group to join. I was a 3rd grade teacher for 6 years, but since I've been at my current job for 19 years, that is a distant foggy dream.

Truth about me: I hate to market my books, but I love to write them. I don't have enough time to do either.

Truth about the world: You can't get anyone to read your books or even find them if you don't market or have a famous name.

"Experts" suggest authors should join Goodreads to reach more readers. It seems like a logical place to go, but in the process, I hope to find some great books. I may even make a few new friends.

[Carla]

Leigha's Little Library wrote: "Hello everybody!

My name is Leigha. (Lay-uh) I am 33 years old, but I am in love with all books, no matter the intended age range. I believe that there shouldn't be an age range (or limit) on book..."

Leigha, I agree with you about reading whatever you want. I read all kinds of genres written for various age groups. Sometimes I even question the suggested age groups for some of the newer YA. I think you are the true definition of a "book lover".

[Abdul]

Hello, My name is A. Faried Omar I joined Good Reads and this group today. I am currently working on a book for Middle School ( MG). I'm working on a series of books. The first in the series is close to completion. I had a question on marketing to middle school kids. I wouldn't think you could find them on Twitter, or any large number on Facebook and I don't know them to use E-mail that often. So where would be the best place to market to them?

Also is the a question and answer section where I could get some of the other question I have answered?

Thank you

[Jemima]

Abdul wrote: "Hello, My name is A. Faried Omar I joined Good Reads and this group today. I am currently working on a book for Middle School ( MG). I'm working on a series of books. The first in the series is clo..."

Hello Abdul and welcome to the group.

You'll find a post near the top of the list on the Home Page of Tips for Authors, which will answer most of your questions about talking about your book(s) on the site and where to meet other authors.

You'll also find threads on 'reaching our audience' and 'marketing' in the Authors Corner - which is where most discussions about your own books can take place.

[D.A.]

Hello, my name is Donna. I am a new member to Goodreads as well as a new author of MG fiction.

I am ashamed to admit that I haven't read very many MG fiction books since I was a middle grader (or at least the UK equivalent!)

I'm looking forward to correcting that terrible omission now, though, by reading many MG books and joining in on topical discussions within this group.

Happy reading to you all!

[Jemima]

D.A. wrote: "Hello, my name is Donna. I am a new member to Goodreads as well as a new author of MG fiction.

I am ashamed to admit that I haven't read very many MG fiction books since I was a middle grader (or..."

Welcome, Donna. You're not the only one that fits that description in the Group! Looking forward to discovering what you enjoy most in MG fiction - there's a huge range. BOTM has introduced me to things I've never heard of in the UK, although they are standards in the US.
Hope you enjoy it here.

[Rebecca]

Welcome to all the new members! Gee, I go away for a few days and look at you all!

Anyway, I hope you will join our BOTM reads and other discussions as we all discover fun new books to read.

[D.L.]

Hello there. I'm Daphne and I'm neither a writer of middle grade books, a teacher, or a librarian BUT I simply love *reading* books in this genre. I can name so many I've read over the years. Even though I'm in my 30's, I still devour Nancy Drew novels like crazy lol And that's just one line of books I am hooked on. I was super happy to find this group tonight! :) I love middle grade stories I think more than any other genre out there. It's just so fun!

[D.A.]

Jemima wrote: "D.A. wrote: "Hello, my name is Donna. I am a new member to Goodreads as well as a new author of MG fiction.

I am ashamed to admit that I haven't read very many MG fiction books since I was a midd..."

Jemima wrote: "D.A. wrote: "Hello, my name is Donna. I am a new member to Goodreads as well as a new author of MG fiction.

I am ashamed to admit that I haven't read very many MG fiction books since I was a midd..."

Thanks Jemima - that's a good tip - I have purchased 3 of the BOTM's to get me started and will go from there!