Middle grade
Middle grade fiction is fiction intended for children between the ages of 8 and 12. While these books are sometimes grouped together with books for other age bands and called collectively "children's books", middle grade is distinct from picture books, early/easy readers, and chapter books (which have larger print and more illustrations), and is intended for older audiences. Most of the winners of the Newbery Medal have been middle grade books.
The category beyond middle grade is young adult (YA), which is for ages 12–18. In addition to differences in word count and the age of the protagonists, middle grade and YA differ in content.