Middle grade readers are in for a treat with these fresh new releases -- and if you love fantasy and magic, you'll love this list even more! These new middle grade books are packed with adventure, humor, and life lessons, offering something for every young reader. Whether you're searching for stories featuring diverse characters, gripping mysteries, or strong friendships, this list highlights exciting middle grade titles worth adding to your bookshelf.
Thanks to the publishers for sharing copies of these books for us to review. For your convenience, we've included the publisher's descriptions along with each book.
The Walter Award Honor-winning author of Root Magic returns with a terrifying story in the Southern Gothic tradition, inspired by the hoodoo practice of hair burning.
At night, Roddie still dreams of sitting at his mother's feet while she braids his Afro down. But that's a memory from before. Before his mom died in a tragic accident. Before he was taken in by an aunt he barely knows. Before his aunt brought him to Dogwood House, the creepiest place Roddie has ever seen. It was his family's home for over a hundred years. Now the house--abandoned and rotting, draped in Spanish moss that reminds him too much of hair--is his home too.
Aunt Angie has returned to South Carolina to take care of Roddie and reconnect with their family's hoodoo roots. Roddie, however, can't help but feel lost. His mom had never told him anything about hoodoo, Dogwood House, or their family. And as they set about fixing the house up, Roddie discovers that there is even more his mother never said. Like why she left home when she was seventeen, never to return. Or why she insisted Aunt Angie always wear her hair in locs. Or what she knew of the strange secrets hidden deep within Dogwood House--secrets that have awoken again and are reaching out to Roddie.
The new Park Row Magic Academy construction is underway, and Kyana is searching for magic activities to fill the school break. When she visits the building for supplies, she's grabbed by an Available spirit! Even though she's able to slip its grasp, something is wrong-she can't stop crying and laughing uncontrollably. Is she cursed?
Then Ashley shares an invitation to a camp for magical learning. Ash thinks that whatever curse is messing with Kyana, Dr. Minzy, a famous teacher there, will know how to fix it.
But once they reach the secret camp site, the magical portal suddenly collapses-they're trapped! Ash is almost sure Availables are involved. With the camp in chaos, Kyana still under the mysterious curse, and Russ broadcasting everything to the MagickNet, Ashley must choose: Say something about what she suspects, or mind her business and trust Dr. Minzy? Are the Availables up to something nefarious, and can Kyana, Ashley, and Russ figure out what's going on and save them all?
In this adventurous sequel to A Taste of Magic, the young city wizards must navigate a mystery in the wilderness, decide how to speak up, and be the heroes they need.
A 12-year-old girl discovers her true jinn heritage when a birthday wish gone wrong traps her father in a magical ring, sending her on an epic quest to free him. This richly imagined fantasy series inspired by Persian mythology and Islamic lore is filled with action, magic, and self-discovery.
Farrah sees her father just one day every year--her birthday. But this year, her wish to bring them closer goes wildly awry when Farrah discovers she is a half-jinn...and her father is one of the seven great jinn kings. Her wish traps her father inside a legendary ring, and the other six jinn kings will follow unless Farrah can rectify her mistake.
Pursued by menacing shadow jinn, Farrah's quest takes her to a floating mountain range. Joined by Idris, the jinn boy whom she inadvertently freed from the ring, and her newly discovered half-brother, Yaseen, Farrah must find a way to navigate the mysteries and dangers of her new world in order to save her father and face the most devious jinn lord of all.
SWISH! Cheer courtside for a Muslim teen as she joins an all-girls, hijab-wearing basketball team and learns that she's much more than a score. This energetic graphic novel is inspired by a true story!
Aliya is new to Wisconsin, and everything feels different than Florida. The Islamic school is bigger, the city is colder, and her new basketball team is...well, they stink.
Aliya's still excited to have teammates (although the team's captain, Noura, isn't really Aliya's biggest fan), and their new coach really understands basketball (even if she doesn't know much about being Muslim). This season should be a blast...if they could just start to win. As they strengthen their skills on the court, Aliya and the Peace Academy team discover that it takes more than talent to be great--it's teamwork and self-confidence that defines true success.
For fans of The Crossover and Roller Girl, this graphic novel goes big with humor and heart as it explores culture and perceptions, fitting in and standing out, and finding yourself, both on and off the court.
Equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful, Tiger Daughter is an award-winning novel about finding your voice amidst the pressures of growing up in an immigrant home told from the perspective of a remarkable young Chinese girl.
Wen Zhou is a first-generation daughter of Chinese migrant parents. She has high expectations from her parents to succeed in school, especially her father whose strict rules leave her feeling trapped. She dreams of creating a future for herself more satisfying than the one her parents expect her to lead.
Then she befriends a boy named Henry who is also a first generation immigrant. He is the smartest boy at school despite struggling with his English and understands her in a way nobody has lately. Both of them dream of escaping and together they come up with a plan to take an entrance exam for a selective school far from home.
But when tragedy strikes, it will take all of Wen's resilience and tiger strength to get herself and Henry through the storm that follows.
Tiger Daughter is a coming-of-age novel that will grab hold of you and not let go.
The highly anticipated third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Supernatural Investigations series that began with Amari and the Night Brothers!
Perfect for fans of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and Nevermoor.
War has come to the supernatural world, and Amari's two worst enemies are leading the charge. Elaine Harlowe has manipulated her way into becoming prime minister, using her mind control ability to force the Bureau to take up her vicious grudge against magiciankind. Meanwhile, Dylan Van Helsing, the newly crowned leader of the League of Magicians--and Amari's former partner--is after a destructive new power that would not only ensure the magicians' victory . . . it would make him invincible.
With neither the Bureau nor the League safe for Amari, and her newly returned brother, Quinton, determined to keep her out of the fray, she and her friends decide to find a way to end the war on their own.
So when they learn that the only way to stop Dylan is to find powerful magical inventions known as Wonders, they go after them. But wielding these items comes at a terrible cost, and Amari will have to decide just how much she's willing to sacrifice . . . because the Despicable Wonders will demand everything.
Until now, you've only heard one side of the story, about migrants crossing borders, drawn to the promise of a better life. In reality, Mexicans were on this land long before any borders existed. Here's the true story of America, from the Mexican American perspective.
The Mexican American story is usually carefully presented as a story of immigrants: migrants crossing borders, drawn to the promise of a better life. In reality, Mexicans were on this land long before any borders existed. Their culture and practices shaped the Southwestern part of this country, in spite of relentless attempts by white colonizers and settlers to erase them.
From missions and the Alamo to muralists, revolutionaries, and teen activists, this is the true story of the Mexican American experience.
The Race to the Truth series tells the true history of America from the perspective of different communities. These books correct common falsehoods and celebrate underrepresented heroes and achievements. They encourage readers to ask questions and to approach new information thoughtfully.
In this magical middle grade fantasy perfect for fans of The Marvellers and Amari and the Night Brothers, a shy boy must step up and become his own hero after his best friend disappears at a magical school.
Jaden and Elijah have been best friends since they were born. They're so close that Jaden doesn't even mind that he's constantly living in talented, high-achieving Elijah's shadow-well, he doesn't mindmuch.
But then Elijah disappears, leaving behind nothing but a cryptic note asking for Jaden's help. The next day, Jaden is invited to attend Elijah's fancy private boarding school. Only, it turns out it's not a boarding school at all. It's a school for magic! Somehow, before Elijah vanished, he used his note to transfer part of his own magic into Jaden-a feat that is supposed to be impossible.
Determined to find his friend, Jaden agrees to attend the school and learn to control his new powers. But a sinister force is threatening to destroy the whole magical world. And if Jaden doesn't stop it, he'll be the next to disappear.
This heartfelt coming-of-age novel in verse tells the powerful story of a seventh-grade Syrian American boy and his struggles, big and small, as he navigates middle school.
"As an Arab-American and a football fan, this book spoke directly to me. It's the exact type of book I would've loved, and needed, as a kid. A perfect mix of a fun and enjoyable read, while being an important book, too." -- Jasmine Warga, New York Times bestselling author of and Newbery Honor recipient for Other Words for Home
Seventh grade begins, and Kareem's already fumbled it.
His best friend moved away, he messed up his tryout for the football team, and because of his heritage, he was voluntold to show the new kid--a Syrian refugee with a thick and embarrassing accent--around school. Just when Kareem thinks his middle school life has imploded, the hotshot QB promises to get Kareem another tryout for the squad. There's a catch: to secure that chance, Kareem must do something he knows is wrong.
Then, like a surprise blitz, Kareem's mom returns to Syria to help her family but can't make it back home. If Kareem could throw a penalty flag on the fouls of his school and home life, it would be for unnecessary roughness.
Kareem is stuck between. Between countries. Between friends, between football, between parents--and between right and wrong. It's up to him to step up, find his confidence, and navigate the beauty and hope found somewhere in the middle.
In this middle grade debut inspired by Filipino folklore, a spunky, determined warrior must claim her destiny in order to save her sister, perfect for fans of Witchlings and The Owl House.
Tani dreams of fulfilling her destiny as a Serpent Rider, fighting alongside an elemental serpent to defend her village against monsters. More than anything, she wants to protect her little sister Ligaya, the village princess who's tasked with memorizing their community's history, including the tale of Great Bakunawa, the most powerful and feared sea serpent that swallowed six of the world's seven moons.
After a devastating monster attack, Tani can no longer wait patiently for her bakunawa egg to hatch. She makes a desperate deal with a stranger who promises her a serpent of her own. But when her gamble puts her sister in major danger, Tani must find a way to save Ligaya before she's lost forever. All the while, in the depths of the sea, Great Bakunawa is stirring, threatening to devour the last moon and plunge the night sky into eternal darkness.
Conclusion
These new middle grade books offer an exciting mix of stories that are sure to engage and inspire young readers. For even more great recommendations, visit our bookshop to discover a variety of reads that will keep kids excited about reading. Happy exploring!
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