Genres > Middle Grade (MG) & Chapter Books

Single parents in MG

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Artemesia:
I'm working on a lower MG, and my MC lives with his single dad. I'm about halfway through and so far I've made no mention of the mother, and I'm wondering if that's ok? The story is a bit wacky and humorous, so I don't want to slip in a heavy explanation about why his mother is not around. I'm not even sure exactly what happened to her, I just know it's important to the story for my MC to be living with just his father. I figure she died when he was little and he doesn't remember so all he's ever really known is it being just him and his dad.

Do I need to casually slip something in? Will readers be left wondering if I don't mention anything? I just don't want the mention of a mother who passed away to break the mood of the story, but even a child who never knew their parent would feel the impact of their absence.

thanks for any thoughts on this!

Vijaya:
Roald Dahl does is beautifully in Danny, Champion of the World.
Vijaya

literaticat:
one of my faves is the ALICE books by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor - Alice is raised by her single dad & older (like, late high-school, early college-aged) brother. The books start in third grade or so and go allll the way up through high school. <3

(And the Mom had died early in Alice's childhood if I recall correctly - so while she wasn't like SAD about it all the time or anything, it definitely did have an impact on the story! Like, when she needs "motherly advice" her dad has to give it to her, which can  be awkward at best, but also sets up a really lovely and unique father-daughter relationship and deepens their characters.  And she wants to set her dad up on dates and such, which become plot points.)

Owl:
I think you do need to casually slip in some mention  of why the mother isn't around. At the very least, you, the author, must know what the situation is and how the main character feels about it.

Marissa Doyle:
A brief mention of her at some point might be good, because readers will wonder...but more importantly, you might be missing some important information here.  Not having a mom is kind of a big deal in a child's life--it might be a good idea for you to understand what did happen to the MC's mom even if none of it makes its way into the book except on the most superficial level, because that will tell you more about your characters.

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