I love comics, and I love YA, but there's something magical about middle grade. The moment I made the decision to maybe revamp my stories for a younger audience, I got a job at a middle school in Washington. Divine intervention, perhaps? I was notified of an opportunity to write chapter books for Scholastic (which is looking for BIPOC authors) and started researching more about chapter books.

As I thought and researched about chapter books, I realized that they did form a large part of my journey as a reader. I remember reading Beverly Cleary, Paula Danzinger, and Judy Blume. I read some books in the Boxcar Children, Nancy Drew, and the Hardy Boys series. I read widely, so I can't point to any one singular book. I went to a quirky elementary school, so we were reading Operas and play scripts as well as higher-level books, even if it was just the teacher reading them out loud. I know chapter books fit there somewhere, but they weren't necessarily a defining moment in my journey as a reader.

There's something simple about chapter books and early middle grade that is just satisfying as an adult reader. I think it's mainly because they can convey complex ideas that young minds can understand. In some of my readings, I found that some of these stories touched on high-level concepts. Newer stories weren't as preachy preachy as I remember, but they did have a lesson to be learned, even if it was wrapped up in an entertaining package.