Activity

@beth20 Hello!

I agree–use of mild language eliminates a work from middle grade. However, if you took that out, deciding whether or not your book qualifies as middle grade would depend on what else is in it (you say it’s not dark, but how in-depth are those awkward crush moments?) and its overall theme.

For threads of romance, I look at Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry’s Wormling series and Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series as a rule of thumb. Both series have characters that experience a crush or minor attraction to another, however the authors don’t spend too much time detailing those feelings. The story is focused more on the overall plot and its subsequent adventure. Unless its vital to your plot, I wouldn’t spend too much time describing crushes between characters aimed at younger audiences.