September
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“Did you have to dumb it down?” by Lauren DeStefano
“Did you have to dumb it down?”
This—or variations of this—was the most common question I received when I announced that I had written a middle grade novel. Nobody asked me this when I pondered writing adult literature, or when I published books in the young adult range.
Each time I’m asked about dumbing down my stories for middle grade readers, it becomes clearer and clearer to me how desperately these books are needed. And how desperately this genre is needed.
Young readers see the world as brightly and as vividly as the rest of us. They see joy and they see tragedy. They experience loss, and they are a part of a family dynamic. They are fully realized. And they are just trying to make sense of the things they see and the things they feel.
Sometimes, the clearest explanation comes in the form of a book. A book is patient. It is quiet. A book does not say “that’s a silly question” or “why do you want to know about that?” Rather, a book is a friend. It tells a story and it understands its reader every bit as much as the reader comes to understand it.
Did I have to dumb it down for younger readers? Definitely not. Kids need a dumbed-down book like they need a moldy piece of broccoli in their left shoe. Kids need a way to make sense of the world. They need companionship. They need to laugh. To cry. To see all the triumphs and tragedies of the world reflected onto a page, sewn into a story that makes sense. They need a book that will help them to charge forward into their world, bolder and braver and more prepared.
They need to know that they aren’t alone.
Middle grade, for me, is not about creating a neat and safe version of life that won’t startle or confuse. It’s simply about life. Of all the things I’ve written, and attempted to write, middle grade has by far been the most fun, but it’s also where I learned the most.
Middle grade is the fuel for our young readers. And today’s young readers are the ones on a course to lead the world tomorrow. I want them to have access to everything they’ll need to know about their world and their selves laid out on the page. I want them to be bold and unafraid and well equipped when it’s their turn to take over the world.
Lauren DeStefano is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Internment Chronicles and The Chemical Garden trilogy, which includes Wither, Fever, and Sever. She earned her BA in English with a concentration in creative writing from Albertus Magnus College
Nerdy Book Club 
I have heard that some publishers and editors are not keen on characters dying in novels for this age group, or even for young people up to the age of sixteen. I am with you on this: young readers need to know about real life and the world around them in order to be, as you say, bold, unafraid and well equipped, which means giving them truths even if they are dressed up as fiction. I don’t believe writers ‘dumb down’; they are understanding and patient. Reading about death shouldn’t be taboo. After all, fairy tales and nursery rhymes include death. Young readers want honesty and I feel that writers aim to be honest.
I would never imagine “dumbing down” an author’s work. It’s an insult to not only the author but the audience. And good for you for not! I agree that kids need dumbed down work like they need moldy broccoli. It helps no one
I couldn’t imagine dumbing down anything for a younger crowd. I grew up reading books way beyond my years! Love your mind state about this!
Thank you for this thoughtful post. I, too, have answered that same question in various forms. I worry that it reflects a subtle but pervasive dismissal of the capabilities, value and potential of kids. Responses like yours — and books like yours! — are the best answers to this question.
I’m in the process of writing a novel for young adults. I agree that young people need to have access to deeper themes in novels.
Thank you for this post! There is no reason why any author would have to dumb down their work. I don’t think I could ever imagine doing that or recommending it.
Love this post! I’m surprised you weren’t asked about “dumbing it down” for your YA as well. I truly hate and disagree with the notion that because a book is for young readers it’s somehow less than a book written for adults. I feel like that idea completely misses the entire point of literature.
Do you read Lauren Destefano’s books a lot? Wither, Fever, and Sever are my favorite book series.
Love this: A book is patient. It is quiet. A book does not say “that’s a silly question” or “why do you want to know about that?” Rather, a book is a friend. It tells a story and it understands its reader every bit as much as the reader comes to understand it.
And thank you, thank you, thank you for honoring young readers.