Writers@Work: Writing Magical Middle Grade Fiction

An Interview with Silvia Acevedo

Tell us about your new book, MAIL-ORDER MONSTERS: CRASH COURSE.

Mail-Order Monsters is the story of a ten-year-old boy who’s so desperate for a new best friend that he orders monsters from an ad in the back of a comic book. He’s not entirely convinced the ad is real or that anything will arrive. But he’s sad after his fallout with this best friend, Tinker. He’s also suddenly dealing with new feelings for another friend, his first crush, whose brother has started bullying him. So Marco is terribly lonely and needs someone to talk to.

When the monster friends arrive, Marco unleashes their magic to bring them to life. He gets just the reaction he’d hoped for. His bully is taken aback, his ex-bestie is jealous, and his classmates are amazed. The monsters cause all kinds of hijinks, and Marco experiences a renaissance of sorts, until Tinker challenges him to a grudge match to settle their score: Tinker’s robot against Marco’s robot in a race on remote control trucks through the neighborhood junk yard.

It’s during the race that both boys see actions that make them question what they’re really fighting for.

And it’s the first in a series! How many do you expect to write?

Two, as of now. 

Can you talk about writing a middle-grade book like this and juggling the magical, monstrous aspects with the deep character-building stuff you do—showing that this is a kid missing his friend and feeling lonely? How do you make room for both plot and character development—while keeping the attention of your readers? 

Fundamentally, Marco orders monsters because he’s lonely, so the two issues of magical fun and loneliness are intricately intertwined. Marco does tell them what’s happening in his life, so the monsters know he’s suffering, yet every time Marco plays with them, he gets a reprieve. Bringing the monsters to school means opening them up a bit to everyone—for good and bad. The reader gets to experience the magic and childlike wonder of these amazing beings while understanding there’s a problem that Marco still has to solve, whether they’re there or not.

Friendship is such an important thing to children and having monsters would be so amazing that I think keeping the story focused on those two elements was my sure-fire way of holding the attention of young readers. If I balanced the fun with the heavy, then I’ll have succeeded.

Can you talk about world-building—and crafting a reality where kids can get mail-order monsters. What kinds of things did you have to think about and how did you manage to keep it all straight?

I did just enough world-building in book one (Crash Course) to explain the plausibility of monsters. Book two (as yet unnamed) will dive further into how kids can get monsters, so I won’t reveal that here.

However, I can say that I did have to think about how kids could have monsters without adults being aware (and messing up all the fun), so the monsters have strategies for not drawing adult suspicion. Plus, the kids are allowed enough free rein to experience a world with monsters. Having said that, Marco has a healthy and happy home life, and he leans on the adults in his life for knowledge and guidance. As do other characters, so this isn’t a story in which there are no adults. I simply finessed their lives in such a way that they get time to themselves.

How do you juggle writing and all of the tasks that come with publishing and marketing a book?

I juggle the two. I market my newest title leading up to its release and for a few months afterward, by which time I’m itching to get writing again. During both the marketing and writing stages, I’m speaking at or attending writing conferences and book fairs, which I love because it’s a joy to meet readers and talk about books.

I believe the best marketing for any book is word-of-mouth. When one reader tells another reader about a book they loved and they recommend it to others, that’s magic. So if you, dear reader, loved a book, please do let others know! Post about it. Bring it up in conversation. Leave a review—even a one sentence review like “Loved it” is perfect. Thank you from all authors everywhere. 🙂

What are you reading now?

I just finished Overruled by Wisconsin author Christy Wopat, in which a ten-year-old boy with a troublemaker reputation is accused of hurting a classmate and must face a classroom mock trial, which exposes how bias and presumption cloud the quest for justice. This great read releases to the public on November 11, 2025.

I’m also reading Graciela in the Abyss by Meg Medina, the former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. In Graciela, a young girl dies, becomes a sea ghost, and has to find meaning in the afterlife. The first chapter does such a great job showing us Graciela’s personality, and I’m rooting for her that she’ll find a way to stop a vengeful intruder from harming the beings she’s come to care about.