Thomas Nelson is promising “more relatable” characters in its new middle-grade titles, releasing this month and in August under the Tommy Nelson brand.

In addition to its continuing Amish series, “The Mysteries of Middlefield” by Kathleen Fuller, the company is releasing four new series.

Launching one of the series is the humor-laden, slice-of-life title In Front of God and Everybody: Confessions of April Grace by K.D. McCrite (May). McCrite, who grew up an Ozarks farm, fashions in April Grace a girl who finds it tough growing up in the country with all of its unusual characters.

No Place Like Holmes (May), a takeoff of Sherlock Holmes’ classic mysteries and capitalizing on the second Robert Downey Jr. movie release, is a bumbling-detective story from Jason Lethcoe, a veteran animator, director and storyboard artist for Disney and other studios.

After doing significant research in the general market, Thomas Nelson has hired more marketers and editors, some with experience at Penguin Group and Scholastic, to work in middle-reader books in hopes of a boom in the market for this age group, said Julie Solomon, publicist, specialty publishing for Thomas Nelson.

Some general market titles that have done well for middle readers are the “Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer,” “Mysterious Benedict Society” and “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” Nelson looked at dystopian, mystery and humor and plans to stay away from vampire fiction, Solomon said.

“We want our products to offer great alternatives for kids who want to have books that are clean and wholesome and have a Christian worldview and yet who want books that are written at the quality that they would find in the general market and with some of the themes that are popular in the general market,” said Laura Minchew, vice president and publisher of children’s and gift products.

The book covers are also not “baby-looking,” Minchew said, with no inappropriate material. Rather than the usual 128-page book, the new titles will be around 200 pages in softcover and will retail at a $10 price point.

Nelson is going for “less preachy” writing, Solomon said. “We want it to be known that Christians and non-Christians alike would enjoy these titles,” she added.

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