This article is part of a series. Click here to view Part 1: MG Overview, Part 2: MG Novels, and Part 3: Plotting MG.
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Middle grade characters aren’t like other characters. They’re open, but not introspective. Reactive, but confused and learning. And a quick connection must be made between them and the reader.
Here, we will look at common characteristics of MG characters, how to make them engaging, and mistakes to avoid when creating them.
Characteristics
Depending on the intended audience, these characters are typically between 9 and 13 years old. In Lower MG novels, the protagonist should be between 9 and 10 years old. In Upper MG, they should be between 11 and 13. Remember, this age group wants to hear about characters who are their age or slightly older.
As you can probably imagine, personality plays a huge role in middle grade novels. When brainstorming your protagonist, think about their speech patterns, quirky habits, style of dress, likes, and dislikes. Adult personalities are sometimes muted from experience in the world, but kids are still new at life. They’re vibrant. Exaggerate their personalities to find a point that feels real.
Don’t forget to add realistic flaws. While nobody is perfect, since these are children their flaws shouldn’t be too strong or downright evil. Avoid anything like narcissism, abuse, or a penchant for violence, to name a few. Lean instead toward things kids can relate to, such as not wanting to share, growing jealousy, bouts of dishonesty, talking over others, or anxiety.
Among these, MG characters should exhibit naivete appropriate for their ages. Your characters should have the same response to a situation that your readers would. They shouldn’t act or think like adults.
They should also have some contradictory behaviors or feelings. Kids don’t know who they are yet or what they want. They’re learning. They can feel opposite emotions from one moment to the next and they can rarely explain why.
When exploring their patterns of thinking, be sure to keep things surface-level. Kids focus on their immediate experiences more than the deep meanings behind events or feelings. You still want to create a three-dimensional character, however, you don’t want to confuse or bore your readers by delving into the complexities of your protagonist’s inner world. You can do this by turning to specific topics when reflecting on their feelings – their perception of normal and their social standing with other kids.
At this age, kids believe their experiences are the norm. However, they also imagine that they are the only ones who feel a certain way about those experiences. Again, contradictory. This is a useful tension to play with when looking at internal conflict.
Kids also tend to be hypersensitive to social rules among others their age. They avoid embarrassing themselves at all costs, but if the worst happens and they do something wrong, it’s the end of the world. Or, at the very least, they must move cities and start over in life. The reality of being an 8-12-year-old kid is moving from one of these life-altering experiences to the next.
Relatability
Middle grade readers want to see themselves when they read about a protagonist. Your job as a writer is to make this happen.
While you should give your characters qualities that the reader will admire, it’s critical to include such as many vulnerabilities. Kids are vulnerable. They have weaknesses and fears, and because they are constantly learning, they have moments of failure. Your character should exhibit the same. Flaws make them more human and create opportunities for growth.
Small but expanding world
A child from 8-12 years lives as the center of their own little universe. Their world primarily revolves around home life, time at school, their neighborhood, friends, and family. While they are beginning to understand that the real world is bigger and more complex than they previously imagined, they still don’t pay much attention to what’s going on outside of what is important to them.
They are just starting to become aware of social structures and heavier topics like illness, death, divorce, and prejudice, but only in terms of how it affects them. For example, they might come across social structures at school or begin to think about how others see them as a person. At this age, they start forming a definition of what it means to belong somewhere – perhaps it is contributing at home or in friendships.
Their world can only be as big as their ability to do things. Because of their age, they are limited by adult rules such as curfew, access to tools, or dependency on transportation.
Agency
A character’s agency is made up of all the ways they contribute meaningfully to a story, helping to propel it forward. When considering agency in MG fiction, limit adult actions and interventions. Kids don’t want to read about how a parent stepped in at the last moment to save the day – they want to know that they are just as capable of coming to the rescue by reading about kids who have.
Adult characters can offer support and guidance, but resourcefulness and problem-solving should be done by young protagonists.
Goals
Each character, including the antagonist, should actively pursue clear, concrete goals. Adding this to every scene ensures the story has momentum and removes any chances of the narrative meandering onto bunny trails that bore the reader.
When deciding goals, make sure they are clear and concrete. This allows the reader to envision it too and cheer the protagonist on throughout their journey. A concrete goal can look like:
- Winning a race
- Being cast as a lead role in a play
- Defeating the monster in their closet
- Making a new friend
- Joining the team
Avoid making your character’s goal revolve around a sense of purpose or longing for that – this falls into YA more than MG, as it is deeply personal and introspective. Their goals should be relatable to and appropriate for this age group.
Every goal should have obstacles that keep the characters from accomplishing them too quickly or easily. These can look like anything, from self-doubts to natural disasters or alien invasions. To increase the tension in your plot, give the antagonist goals that negatively impact the protagonist’s goals – how does what they want get in the way of the protagonist getting what he or she wants?
Motivations
Motivation goes hand-in-hand with goals. It is the reason why a character wants what they want. In YA or adult fiction, motivations are deeply rooted in their personal history, often linked to a traumatic backstory or a personal dream they’ve had for years. Middle grade kids don’t operate on such a profound level.
As the writer, you want to make it easy for the reader to understand why your character’s goal is important to them. Any desires or fears they have should be clear and relatable for others in this age group.
Motives can be external or internal. External motivations are an obvious part of the plot, such as in action books. They cover information such as where the character is going and why, who they are fighting, or what they are looking for. Internal motivations are less straightforward. They are what propels a character into action – why are they on this journey to begin with?
If your character is motivated by their backstory, the event(s) in question will be recent – a year or two in the past. This is because they have a limited personal history and a smaller scope of memory than an adult. Any past event should have a direct impact on the present narrative. For example, think of a child whose best friend had to move cities a year before because their parents changed jobs. Once they hear their mom expressing dissatisfaction with her own job, they’ll try anything to get her to be happy with it again so they don’t have to move to a new home in a new city and leave their old friends behind.
Diversity
To have a truly authentic cast of characters, make them diverse. Your readers come from dozens, if in hundreds, of households, backgrounds, cultures, and ethnic communities. This stage of their life is pivotal for their development. They are always on the lookout for someone who looks like them or who they can relate to in another way. If they don’t see someone like this, they’ll feel like they are different. They won’t tell anyone about this feeling, because that would make them stand out more.
This is where it’s important to do your homework. Instead of jumping into character design with your personal understanding of how these age groups should think and act, conduct research. It’s easy to fall into stereotyping if you don’t. Find out how they actually think and act. Then mix it up – give each character their own unique traits and personalities.
Character arcs
Every major character should go through a transformation throughout the story – this is their arc. Character arcs can be positive or negative, but since this is middle grade, you should consider sticking to positive arcs.
Arcs start when a character sets off on their journey to achieve a goal. They run into problems and situations that test their weaknesses and force them to hone their strengths. Sometimes they succeed, sometimes they fail. Change occurs when the character owns their mistakes and failings and looks for ways to improve.
Transformations should belong to a young character that drives the plot forward, not to an adult. To start, give them shortcomings that highlight they are human. Avoid intense vices like cruelty or addiction. For more impact, make their biggest flaw something that would challenge the character’s ability to overcome the main conflict.
Lower MG characters
Characters aged 9 and 10 have a very small focus. They only react to things that directly affect their life and will only begin a quest if it benefits them. This isn’t something they realize, it’s just where they are at developmentally. Even if their journey is to help someone they love, that person’s safety and happiness is something that directly correlates to their own happiness.
They also exhibit strong emotions and have equally strong reactions. Whatever they are thinking and feeling, it’s difficult for them to understand that others will have a different perspective. For example, if they like pizza then, to them, everyone must like pizza.
Paired with this is social understanding driven mostly by disasters – if they break a code between other kids, they’ll never want to be seen again. Think of playground cooties or the infamous “cheese touch” from Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Upper MG characters
Between the ages of 11 and 13, kids still experience disasters, but these have changed. Disasters for 9-10-year-olds are viewed as childish. Things like avoiding embarrassment or being into the proper trends are much more important. These disasters are typically more realistic (unlike the imaginary ones of younger age groups) and linger in a character’s mind for a week or so, if not longer.
These characters are just beginning to see the world through others’ eyes. Their arcs typically involve a gradual shift from self-centeredness to a broader understanding of the world.
Common pitfalls
Writing younger characters is a skill of its own. It takes research and practice to get right. Lots of it. If you’re just starting out, here are some common pitfalls to avoid:
- Stereotyping: While it’s important to connect with your audience and reach as many readers as possible, don’t do this by making your character bland. That is how you fall into stereotypes. You can ask sensitivity readers to go over your manuscript if you are uncertain of your representation.
- Overcomplication: You shouldn’t be diving into existential themes or questions of identity. That is better aimed at older readers in the Young Adult category. In MG, any lingering troubles that go deeper than the surface are only hinted at, never explored.
- Not taking MG problems seriously: An 11-year-old is the oldest they’ve ever been. Whatever problem they’re facing is the biggest one they’ve encountered yet. You have to see the world as they see it and write about their troubles with the same gravity you give adult problems.
Supporting characters
When crafting secondary characters, remember to give them personalities, strengths and weaknesses, goals, and motivations, too. They are just as much a person as your main character, even if they don’t get as much time to express it.
Furthermore, these characters help shape your protagonist into who they are and help propel your plot forward. Consider friends and family. Family members offer your character a sense of identity, help them fit in, and teach them what to expect from the outside world. While writing, think about how your character feels towards them. Is their family a refuge of safety and support to them? Do they relate outside challenges to their family dynamics? Do they lean on a particular relative for advice? Are they ever torn between what they are taught at home and the values they learn outside?
Similarly, consider the relationship they have with their friends. A friendship dynamic is a great tool for bringing out character agency – kids seek their friends out for advice or to take action, whether they’re goofing off or undertaking a serious quest. When you show this, your readers can make connections between their own friendships and how they make sense of the world with people close to them.
Authentic MG characters are active and spirited
Lean into their curiosity and allow them to take action. That’s all you need to do. Children are vibrant, full of energy, and new members of an expanding, unknown world. There are endless possibilities for them to explore and grow. As you craft your characters, remember what it was to be eight, eleven, or thirteen yourself. Put that essence into your character and you’re sure to gain the attention of your readers.