Middle Grade
John David Anderson
John David Anderson is the award-winning author of sixteen novels for young readers, including Posted, Ms. Bixby’s Last Day, Granted, The Greatest Kid in the World, and Dive. John grew up in Indianapolis and graduated from North Central High School and Indiana University. Before becoming a middle-grade novelist, he taught at the University of Illinois.
John currently lives in Indianapolis and is the proud father of two. When he is not writing, you can find him reading outdoors, making his way through a box of Triscuits, and enjoying a cold Diet Coke.
2026 Middle Grade Shortlist: Dive
Dive is the story of a young girl under the pressures of her new school, a strained friendship, and her parents’ rocky relationship who meets a dumpster diver that helps her find the courage to make her own path.
2022 Middle Grade Shortlist: One Last Shot
For as long as he can remember, Malcolm has never felt like he was good enough. Not for his parents, who have always seemed at odds with each other, with Malcolm caught in between. And especially not for his dad, whose competitive drive and love for sports Malcolm has never shared. That is, until Malcolm discovers miniature golf, the one sport he actually enjoys. Maybe it’s the way in which every hole is a puzzle to be solved. Or the whimsy of the windmills and waterfalls that decorate the course. Or maybe it’s the slushies at the snack bar. But whatever the reason, something about mini golf just clicks for Malcolm. And best of all, it’s a sport his dad can’t possibly obsess over. Or so Malcolm thinks. Soon he is signed up for lessons and entered in tournaments. And yet, even as he becomes a better golfer and finds unexpected friends at the local course, be wonders if he might not always be a disappointment. But as the final match of the year draws closer, the tension between Malcolm’s parents reaches a breaking point, and it’s up to him to put the puzzle of his family back together again.
2020 Children's Shortlist Granted
Everyone who wishes upon a star, or a candle, or a penny thrown into a fountain knows that you’re not allowed to tell anyone what you’ve wished for. But even so, there is someone out there who hears it.
In a magical land called the Haven lives a young fairy named Ophelia Delphinium Fidgets. Ophela is no ordinary fairy—she is a Granter: one of the select fairies whose job it is to venture out into the world and grant the wishes of unsuspecting humans every day.
It’s the work of the Granters that generates the magic that allows the fairies to do what they do, and to keep the Haven hidden and safe. But with worldwide magic levels at an all-time low, this is not as easy as it sounds. On a typical day, only a small fraction of the millions of potential wishes gets granted.
Today, however, is anything but typical. Because today, Ophelia is going to get her very first wish-granting assignment.
And she’s about to discover that figuring out how to truly give someone what they want takes much more than a handful of fairy dust.
2017 Genre Excellence Award Winner for Middle Grade Fiction
