Middle Grade Matters

On the Middle Grade Matters podcast, host Shannon Balloon talks to to authors and publishing professionals about all things middle grade. The show explores topics like the craft of writing, the journey to getting an agent and publishing a book, and why middle grade books should matter to everyone. 

Ep. 83: Lauren Wolk (Candle Island) on the Importance of Setting in Her Novels
Apr 29, 2025 – 52:06
Ep: 82: Marie Benedict (The Secrets of Lovelace Academy) on Infusing Historical Fiction with Adventure.
Apr 22, 2025 – 44:49
[LISTEN AGAIN] Ep. 46: Literary Agent Alexander Slater on Publishing in Middle Grade
Apr 15, 2025 – 01:01:09
[LISTEN AGAIN] Ep. 58: Gayle Forman (Not Nothing) on Seeing Stories From Different Perspectives
Apr 8, 2025 – 34:34
Ep. 81: Debbi Michiko Florence (Last Chance Academy) on Writing a Middle Grade Mystery Series.
Apr 1, 2025 – 46:24
Ep. 80: Lisa Schmid (Hart & Souls) on Non-Scary Ghost Stories and Podcasting
Mar 25, 2025 – 43:44
Ep. 79: Britnee Meiser (All My Bests) on Writing Realistic Middle Grade Romance
Mar 18, 2025 – 34:33
Ep. 78: Megan E. Freeman (Alone and Away) on Her Books, Her Inspiration, and the Question Everyone is Asking . . Will There Be a Third?
Mar 11, 2025 – 47:13
Ep. 77: Kyle Lukoff (A World Worth Saving) on Writing Adventure, Jewish Folklore, and Trans Youth in Middle Grade.
Mar 4, 2025 – 41:24
Ep. 76: Wendelin Van Draanen (Flipped) on Writing From the Heart
Feb 25, 2025 – 45:35
[LISTEN AGAIN] Ep. 31: Megan Reyes (Heroes of Havensong) on Writing a Fantasy with Four Points of View
Feb 18, 2025 – 53:26
Ep. 75: James Ponti (Part 2) (The Sherlock Society) on the Joy of Storytelling
Feb 11, 2025 – 44:39
Ep. 74: James Ponti (Part 1) (Spy Kids) on Crafting Spy Novels and the Inspiration Behind His Work
Feb 4, 2025 – 42:00
Ep. 73: Kimberly Newton Fusco (The Secret of Honeycake) on Finding Your Voice
Jan 28, 2025 – 42:56
Ep. 72: Meera Trehan (Snow) on Writing a Story where a Fantasy World and the Real World Collide
Jan 21, 2025 – 44:30
Ep 71: Gloria L. Huang (Kaya of the Ocean) on the Beauty of Imperfection in Life and Storytelling
Jan 14, 2025 – 29:35
[Listen Again] Ep. 8: Joel Brigham on Six Things Every Story Needs to Succeed
Jan 7, 2025 – 59:30
[Listen Again] Ep. 30: Becca Wierwille (Road Trip Rescue) on Independently Publishing a Middle Grade Novel
Dec 31, 2024 – 49:19
[Listen Again] Ep. 36: Barbara Dee (Unstuck) on Writer's Block and Writing for Upper Middle Grade Readers
Dec 17, 2024 – 45:36
[Listen Again] Ep. 21: Jessica Vitalis (Coyote Queen) on Crafting Stories from Personal Experiences
Dec 3, 2024 – 39:16
Ep. 70: Claire Swinarski (Take It From The Top) on Musical Theater, Friendship, and her Writing Process.
Nov 19, 2024 – 52:34
Ep. 69: Marissa Meyer and Joanne Levy (Let It Glow) on Writing a Happy, Holiday Story
Nov 12, 2024 – 40:29
Ep. 68: Joel Brigham on Writing a First Draft Fast
Nov 4, 2024 – 55:36
Ep. 67: Erin Becker (Crushing It) on Sports, Crushes, and Character Development in Middle Grade
Oct 29, 2024 – 41:23
Ep. 66: Jordan Kopy (Theodora Hendrix) on Turning Traditional Monster Tropes on their Heads
Oct 22, 2024 – 52:40
Ep. 65: Joan Reardon (The Grimsbane Family Witch Hunters) on Exploring Spooky Themes in Middle Grade Books
Oct 15, 2024 – 36:56
Ep. 64: Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin (The Bletchley Riddle) on Uncovering the Secrets of Bletchley Park
Oct 8, 2024 – 41:40
Ep. 63: Kate DiCamillo (The Hotel Balzaar) on Putting Your Heart On The Page
Oct 1, 2024 – 50:05
Ep. 62: Damara Allen (The Skeleton Flute) on Crafting a Spooky Middle Grade Novel
Sep 24, 2024 – 36:55
Ep. 61: Polly Horvath (Library Girl) on Libraries, Literary Awards, and Writing
Sep 17, 2024 – 49:04
Ep. 60: Sarah Allen (Monster Tree) on Writing Monsters in Middle Grade
Sep 10, 2024 – 37:23
Ep. 59: Robyn Field (Peony Watercolor's Wish for Sun and Moon) and Karin Hoyle on Publishing with a Small Press
Sep 3, 2024 – 57:25
Ep. 57: Matthew Landis on Making History Exciting and Embarking on an RV Adventure Across America
Aug 20, 2024 – 58:04
Ep. 56: Adam Rosenbaum on Navigating Grief and Ghosts in Middle Grade
Aug 13, 2024 – 41:59
Ep. 55: Amar Shah on Writing a Middle Grade Sports Book
Aug 6, 2024 – 35:47
Ep. 54: Jennifer Blecher (Listen to This) on Writing Big Emotions - Including for Boys
Jul 30, 2024 – 37:06
Ep. 53: Nedda Lewers on Writing Fantasy That Shows Children the Bigger World
Jul 23, 2024 – 46:32
Ep. 52: Caroline Carlson on Writing a Funny and Adventurous Anti-Fairy Tale
Jul 16, 2024 – 50:52
Ep. 51: Rhonda Roumani on the Power of Art as Activism in her Debut Middle Grade
Jun 18, 2024 – 49:37
Ep. 50: Gennifer Choldenko on Persistence, Collaboration, and Writing a Page-Turner
Jun 11, 2024 – 44:27
Ep. 49: Ritu Hemnani on Verse Novels, TED Talks, and the Partition of India
Jun 4, 2024 – 45:03
Ep. 48: Dan Gemeinhart on Coyote Sunrise and his Love of Storytelling
May 28, 2024 – 49:31
Ep. 47: Kirby Larson and Quinn Wyatt on Chronic Illness, Empathy, and Writing
May 21, 2024 – 40:33
Ep. 45: Justina Chen on Writing and the Importance of Belonging
May 7, 2024 – 39:14
Ep. 44: Alicia D. Williams on Grief, Toxic Masculinity, and the Power of Friendship
Apr 30, 2024 – 49:06
Ep. 43: Literary Agents 101 with Author Polly Holyoke
Apr 23, 2024 – 55:29
Ep. 42: Laurie Morrison (Keeping Pace) on Sports, Romance, and High-Achieving Kids in Upper Middle Grade
Apr 16, 2024 – 51:40
Ep. 41: Colleen Oakes on Being a Second Favorite Daughter and Selling a Middle Grade Book on Proposal
Apr 9, 2024 – 36:26
Ep. 40: Allie Millington (Olivetti) on Writing from the Perspective of a Typewriter
Apr 2, 2024 – 44:50
Ep. 39: Ali Terese on Period Equity, Taking Action, and Humor in Writing.
Mar 26, 2024 – 32:24

Recent Reviews

wendylovespeterpan

kidlit people are the best people

i love shannon’s gentle voice guiding us into these cheery (& crafty!) conversations with mg writers!! i love discovering new books, writing advice, & reminders of the things to be JOYFUL over. 🥰 yay books!! & yay for the quirky minds that create them for us! 💜
chikapea writer

A great resource, and fun listen!

I’m a produced Hollywood WGA screenwriter and newly an independently published author and I really enjoyed episode 30 where Shannon interviewed author Becca Wierwille about her kickstarter campaign that connected her with an audience for her new book. This was informative and very helpful - I loved listening to a fellow author who had a different experience than mine and getting great tips for podcasts and resources and strategies for marketing. Yes! Just write the next book is the most important thing! This is what I’m doing now. Thank you Shannon! I also can’t wait to read Roadtrip Rescue and share it with my first grade son.
M. Beth B

Thoroughly enjoy this podcast

I subscribed to this podcast a while ago but did not get a chance to listen to it until today. I looked through the episodes and found the interview with Kate DiCamillo, my favorite children’s book author. I thoroughly enjoyed the interview. I found myself jotting down notes while Kate spoke, and Shannon asked just about every follow-up question that popped into my head. I look forward to listening to many more interviews.
JNTReviewer

Polly Horvath interview is a gem

I love this podcast! I’ve been listening for a few months now, and as a middle grade reader and writer, these episode bring me so much joy! Shannon asks great questions and allows the interview to go unexpected places sometimes, instead of just asking a set of canned questions like on some podcasts. The Polly Horvath episode, especially, was a standout. I will definitely be returning to that one!
edallas1

So good

This is a really fun listen for anyone who is interested in books, writing, or a peek into the world of publishing.
mnwendell

Terrific podcast for MG readers and writers

I love this podcast. Shannon Balloon is a kind, knowledgeable, thoughtful host. I love hearing the stories behind the stories. If you read or write MG, you will love this beautiful podcast.
Entertaining and inspiring!

Fabulous MG podcast

Such engaging and valuable conversations! Shannon is a warm, thoughtful host and she’s had so many wonderful guests! I’m excited to have found this podcast and look forward to listening to all the episodes. It’s so great to have this space for all things MG.
heathercmorris

A much-needed middle grade specific podcast

Shannon’s podcast fills a notable void in the kidlit podcast world! Well done, Shannon, for crafting an excellent format and for hosting some of the up and coming as well as the more established names in middle grade writing. As an aspiring middle grade writer myself, this is my favorite podcast to listen to!
Angela Meyer

My New Favorite MG Book Podcast!

My first favorite was the Books Between Podcast; when I made it through their backlist, I jumped into MG Book Party. And when their episodes stopped coming, I thought I’d never find another MG book podcast to love. But then I found Middle Grade Matters and all is well again. Thank you, Shannon, for stepping into this space and giving us quality interviews to enjoy and learn from!