A selection of recommended fiction titles for middle grade readers.
Ebony and De’Kari (aka Flow) do not get along. How could they when their cafeteria scuffle ended with De'Kari's ruined shoes, Ebony on the ground, and both of them with ten days of at-home suspension? Now Eb and Flow have two weeks to think about and explain their behavior-to their families, to each other, and ultimately to themselves.
Welcome to the summer of the apocalypse. One 12-year-old boy leads the charge against the forces of evil as he tries to stop the Four Horsemen from taking over the world in the start to a wildly funny and addictive fantasy series about accepting yourself and finding your inner hero.
In this lyrical novel that will appeal to fans of Meg Medina, Maya turns to her trusty "wheel of fortunes" for guidance on the toughest questions--like why her best friend suddenly feels far away, or when her Daddy will move back home. But can Maya find the courage to write her own fortune?
Twelve-year-old Wesley Wilder (Upper Skagit) starts the day nervous but excited on two fronts. Her poem, “We Still Belong,” is in the school newspaper for Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and she plans to ask a boy named Ryan Thomas, whom she’s gotten to know through gaming club, to the upcoming school dance.This lively, swift-paced story rejects broad tropes of middle school drama in favor of moments of genuine connection, with wonderful, relatable characters in Wesley, her family members, and friends. In addition to the inclusion of gaming culture-among Wesley and her friends and online, including Native gamers-the story and author’s note offer thoughtful perspectives on Native identity
A heart-wrenching middle grade debut about Kemi, an aspiring scientist who loves statistics and facts, as she navigates grief and loss at a moment when life as she knows it changes forever. Eleven-year-old Kemi Carter loves scientific facts, specifically probability. But everything Kemi thought she knew changes when she sees an asteroid hover in the sky, casting a purple haze over her world. Amplus-68 has an 84.7% chance of colliding with earth in four days, and with that collision, Kemi’s life as she knows it will end.
Noah’s best friend, Lewis, was killed in a car accident several months ago. Noah and Lewis were only out as trans to each other–not their families or at school, where Noah is Nora and Lewis was Ella. Lewis was deeply imaginative and determined, and for the sixth grade science fair had planned to find proof of the existence of Mothman, a legendary cryptid in their region. Noah hadn’t been interested in the project, but is now determined to carry it out. The supernatural elements are given space to exist in a way that allows readers can decide for themselves how to make sense of this aspect of a quietly captivating story.
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. Tiger Daughter is a coming-of-age novel that will grab hold of you and not let go.
Inmate Eleven has never seen the sky, or even been outside in her 12 years. All she knows is that there's a virus outside and she can't leave without a vaccine. In order to get the vaccine, she must pass tests to be sure she is ready. She is eventually paired with a child called Larkin who is the son of the President. Inmate Eleven thinks her life may be changing for the better, but little does she know what lies ahead.
This is the tale of an exciting journey along the Silk Road with a young Monk and his newfound guardian, Samir, a larger than life character and the so-called "Seller of Dreams." The man is a scammer; his biggest skill being the ability to talk his way into getting what he wants. While that talking did save Monkey's life, it has left a lot of people furious with Samir--furious enough to hire assassins. Monkey decides to try and save Samir from the attempts on his life--as a way to pay off his debt! If he can save Samir six times, he'll be a free man...but will they all survive that long?
Growing up in Pakistan, Maria Latif has been bounced between reluctant relatives for as long as she can remember—first because of her parents’ constant travel, and then because of their deaths. Maria has always been a difficult child, and it never takes long for her guardians to tire of her. So when old friends of her parents offer to “give her a better life” in the United States, Maria is shipped to a host family across the world. There she finds an off-limits garden where she begins to feel at home.
Twelve-year-old Sage no longer feels comfortable with the girls from her Bushwick neighborhood because she'd rather be playing basketball than worrying about her appearance. The sport is what she loves most in the world and is what unites her and the new boy Freddy. Sage's mom warns that they'll be moving out soon, to where "sirens didn't scream deep into the night." That year, Sage also grapples with her grief over her father's death and a scary and sexist encounter in the park that has her questioning her identity and giving up basketball altogether.