Category: middle-grade

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✨Two Middle Grade Fantasy Must-Reads!

Highly recommend you check out these fun books:

🧵 The Memory Spinner by C. M. Cornwell
This book completely won me over with its Howl’s Moving Castle feel—cozy, strange, magical, and just a little melancholy. The magic system, though, felt original and memorable: the enchantress spins cloth from her own painful or unremarkable memories, then weaves it into items of clothing with magical powers. I loved the way the magic was tied so closely to the themes of the book of memory, loss, and identity.

🗺️ The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat
Sai is exactly the kind of main character I love reading about: scrappy, clever, and constantly trying to stay one step ahead of discovery. So much of the tension comes from the secrets everyone’s hiding, and I was completely invested in whether she could keep hers hidden aboard the ship. The voyage into uncharted waters gave the story such a strong sense of adventure, too!

Both of these books have adventure and magic, but they also have so much emotional depth underneath the fantasy elements—which is probably why they stayed with me long after I finished them.

✨ Which sounds more tempting to you: magical memory-spinning or sailing toward unknown lands?

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Poetry for Kids by ❤️Joyce Sidman❤️

📚 Have you discovered the dazzling poetry of Joyce Sidman?

If you’re looking for books that blend science, nature, and truly beautiful language, her work is something special. I love it so much! Lyrical, thoughtful, and rich with imagery, these books invite kids to slow down, notice the world, and see it in a whole new way.

Here are three favorites to explore:

🦉 Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Rick Allen
This Newbery Honor–winning collection reveals the hidden life of the natural world after dark. Each poem feels like a quiet discovery, paired with intricate scratchboard illustrations that glow with detail and mystery. 

🌅 Before Morning by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beth Krommes
A gentle, hopeful poem about a child wishing for snow—woven with themes of patience, change, and wonder. The luminous engraved, wood-print illustrations, touched with soft color, makes this one especially magical. It truly tugged at my heart.

🌳 Dear Acorn, Love Oak: Letter Poems to Friends by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Sidman’s newest book just came out last year and it is full of clever, heartfelt poems written as letters between elements of the natural world. The mixed-media illustrations are bursting with texture, movement, and charm are just GORGEOUS!

All three books are a celebration of language, art, and the beauty of the world around us—perfect for curious kids (and grown-ups) who love to linger over words.

✨ Do you have a favorite poetry book to share with kids?

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🚀 The Artemis Buzz Is Real—Let’s Turn It Into Learning

Our house was glued to the Artemis mission updates…

There’s something magical about watching history unfold in real time—but for me, it was also deeply personal. My last vivid memory of a space mission growing up was the Challenger. So watching this new chapter in space exploration—and seeing the crew return home safely—felt especially meaningful.

And it’s made me realize how important it is that my kids understand the context of this moment. Why this mission matters. Why it’s exciting. Why it hasn’t always been guaranteed that astronauts make it home.

Kids are naturally curious right now—this is the perfect moment to lean in and help them explore that curiosity through great books. 📚✨

Here are a few we’re loving:

🌕 Who Owns the Moon? by Cynthia Levinson & Jennifer Swanson
A fascinating look at the big questions surrounding space exploration—who gets to go, who makes the rules, and what the future might hold.

🕵️‍♂️ Space Case by Stuart Gibbs (also available as a graphic novel!)
A fun, fast-paced mystery set on the moon—perfect for middle grade readers who like their science with a side of suspense.

🚀 Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca
A stunning picture book that captures the wonder, tension, and triumph of the very first moon landing.

☀️ Sun: One in a Billion! by Stacy McAnulty
Part of a fantastic series, this one gives the sun a big personality (a little cocky 😄) while sneaking in tons of fascinating space facts.

Moments like this don’t come around often—and they’re such a powerful opportunity to connect kids with science, history, and big dreams.

✨ Are your kids caught up in the excitement of space right now?

#BooksForCuriousKids #STEMBooks #SpaceForKids #ArtemisMission #KidLit #NonfictionForKids #MiddleGradeBooks #PictureBooks #RaisingReaders #CuriousKids

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Middle Grade Books With ❤️Heart❤️

📚 Looking for middle grade reads full of humor & heart?

These two standout stories follow unforgettable kids navigating big challenges—with courage, creativity, and just a touch of the unexpected:

🏋️ The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt
Hercules Beal is given an unusual assignment: recreate the twelve labors of Hercules. But as he tackles each “labor” in his own modern-day way, he realizes he doesn’t have to do it alone. Funny and deeply moving, this one lingers long after the last page.

🎩 Tips for Magicians by Celesta Rimington
After losing his mother, Harrison Boone’s world has gone quiet—no music, no magic to fix what’s broken. When he’s sent to a quirky desert art town to live with his aunt, he discovers a place built on creativity, mystery, and the legend of a missing muse who once granted wishes. With the help of new friends and a stray dog, Harrison sets out on a journey to find the muse—and maybe a way to heal his family.

These books hold great emotional depth. I love them both so much! 

✨ Which journey would your reader choose—ancient labors or a magical quest?

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Thrilling Adventure Books: CANYON’S EDGE and LIFEBOAT 12

📚 Looking for edge-of-your-seat adventure reads for middle grade readers?
If your kid loves stories of survival, courage, and grit, these two unforgettable books will keep them turning pages late into the night:

🏜️ CANYON’S EDGE by Dusti Bowling
When a flash flood traps 13-year-old Nora in a slot canyon, she must rely on her instincts—and her resilience—to survive. Told in alternating prose and verse, this story pulls readers right into the danger while also exploring grief, healing, and inner strength.

🚢 LIFEBOAT 12 by Susan Hood
Based on a true story from World War II, this powerful novel in verse follows a group of children stranded at sea after their ship is torpedoed. Stuck in a lifeboat with limited supplies, they must find the courage to survive together.

Both of these fast-paced verse novels combine action and emotion in a way that feels immediate and immersive—perfect for readers who want adventure with heart.

✨ Which setting would you survive: the canyon or the open ocean?

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Today’s book recommendation: SOMETHING ROTTEN: A FRESH LOOK AT ROADKILL by Heather L. Montgomery | Illustrated by Kevin O’Malley

– Published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books

– Middle Grade Nonfiction

If you’re super squeamish, this might not be the book for you. But if you can handle descriptions of dead animals, it’s definitely worth a read. I found it fascinating and my boys could NOT get enough of it! We read it together before school, and each day they rushed to get ready so we would have more time to read. If that’s not a win, I don’t know what is! 🙂

📚 Here’s the official book promo:

*****
When Heather L. Montgomery sees a rattlesnake flattened on the side of the road, her first instinct is to pick it up and dissect it–she’s always wanted to see how a snake’s fangs retract when they close their mouths, and it’s not exactly safe to poke around in a live reptile’s mouth.

A wildlife researcher with a special penchant for the animals that litter the roadways, Heather isn’t satisfied with dissecting just one snake. Her fascination with roadkill sets her off on a journey from her own backyard and the roadways of the American South to scientists and kids in labs and homes across the globe. From biologists who use the corpses of Tasmanian devils to investigate cures for a contagious cancer, to a scientist who discovered a whole new species of bird from a single wing left behind, to a boy rebuilding animal bodies from the bones up, to a restaurant that serves up animal remnants, Heather discovers that death is just the beginning for these creatures.

Dig into this eye-opening and irreverent look at the dead and dying animals that we pass by without a second thought.
*****

Montgomery’s passionate curiosity is contagious, and I just love how she takes readers along with her on this bizarre, but interesting, learning journey. Her prose is full of good humor, and I found myself laughing out loud so many times reading this book.

SOMETHING ROTTEN has won a ton of awards, including a JLG Gold Standard, an ALA Notable Book, and the Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year, so be brave and give this book a try!

Happy reading!

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Today’s book recommendation: MOLES: The Superpower Field Guide by Rachel Poliquin

– Nonfiction Middle Grade

No matter what age you are, learning about animals is super duper fun, especially when you have Author Rachel Poliquin @rachelpoliquin framing their abilities as sensational superpowers!

I first came across MOLES: The Superpower Field Guide a few years ago, and we loved it so much, I promptly bought the whole series.

I mean, who doesn’t want to know how this “humble hero” of the animal kingdom has the “Blood of Gods,” the “Saliva of Death,” and “Indefatigable Paws of Power.”

*****
💥 Here’s the official book summary of MOLES:
Meet Rosalie, a common mole. The first thing you need to know about Rosalie is that she is shaped like a potato. Not a new potato, all cute and round, but a plain old lumpy potato. She may be small. She may be spongy. But never underestimate a mole.

I know what you’re thinking: moles are just squinty-eyed beasts that wreck your lawn.

You’re right! Those squinty eyes and mounds of dirt are proof that moles have superpowers. There is absolutely nothing common about the common mole.
*****

The simple cartoon-y illustrations are perfect for the witty narration and there are quizzes and even a mole maze to get kids engaging with what they are learning.

I highly recommend these books! Pick one up today and give it a try!

And, as always,
happy reading!

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Today’s book recommendation: THE WINTERTON DECEPTION: FINAL WORD by Janet Sumner Johnson

– Middle Grade Mystery

This middle grade mystery is so, so good! The main protagonists are twelve-year-old twins and the book has so many elements that make it fun: a spelling bee, a mansion with secret passages, a scavenger hunt, hidden treasure, tricky family dynamics, as well as long-buried family secrets.

📚 Here’s the official book promo:

*****
A twisty middle grade mystery for fans of Knives Out, The Inheritance Game, and The Westing Game. Twelve-year-old twins enter a spelling bee in a last-ditch effort to save their family from financial ruin, only to find themselves in a cut-throat competition to uncover a fortune and dark secrets about the wealthy relations they’ve never known.

Hope Smith can’t stand rich people—the dictionary magnate family the Wintertons most of all. Not since she and her twin brother, Gordon, learned that their dad was one. So when Gordon enters the family into the Winterton’s charity spelling bee, Hope wants nothing to do with it. But with their mom losing her job and the family facing eviction from the motel where they live, they desperately need the money, and it looks like Hope doesn’t have much of a choice.

After winning the preliminary round, the Smiths are whisked to Winterton Manor to compete in the official Winterton Bee against their long-lost relatives. Hope wants to get in and out, beat the snobbish family at their own game, and never see them again. But deceased matriarch Jane Winterton had other plans for this final family showdown. Before her death, she set up a clue hunt throughout the manor—an alternate way for Hope and Gordon to get the money that could change their lives.

Still, others are on the trail, too. With tensions at an all-time high, a fortune at stake, and long-simmering family secrets about to boil to the surface, anything could happen.
*****

I especially love the close twin relationship between Hope and Gordon and how they both approach their estranged family and their challenges so differently.

Do yourself a favor and pick up this book! The second one, FAULT LINES, is out now, too!

Happy reading!

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Today’s book recommendation: SNOW WHITE by Matt Phelan – Middle Grade Graphic Novel

I’m a sucker for both historical fiction and fairy tales retellings, and this graphic novel by Matt Phelan is a stunning combination of the two.

The timeless tale of Snow White is transformed into something brand-new when it takes place in New York City during the Great Depression.

🍎 Here’s the official book promo:

*****
The curtain rises on New York City. The dazzling lights cast shadows that grow ever darker as the glitzy prosperity of the Roaring Twenties screeches to a halt.

Enter a cast of familiar characters: a young girl, Samantha White, returning after being sent away by her cruel stepmother, the Queen of the Follies, years earlier; her father, the King of Wall Street, who survives the stock market crash only to suffer a strange and sudden death; seven street urchins, brave protectors for a girl as pure as snow; and a mysterious stock ticker that holds the stepmother in its thrall, churning out ticker tape imprinted with the wicked words: “Another . . . More Beautiful . . . KILL.”
*****

The storyline is perfect and Phelan’s drawings evoke plenty of emotion with minimal text. I loved the film noir atmosphere of the drawings, the high stakes of the fairy tale, and the perfect pacing. This was a page-turner that neither my kids nor I could put down!

You’ll want to read it over and over again. Order a copy today, and, as always, happy reading!

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Today’s book recommendation: SPI-KU: A CLUTTER OF SHORT VERSE ON EIGHT LEGS by Leslie Bulion – Middle Grade Literary Nonfiction

My boys spent hours pouring over this beautiful book of science poetry! The illustrations by @r2meganck are detailed and fun, and the verses by @lesliebulion are super playful and informative.

I’ll be the first to admit that I do NOT like spiders, at least, not in my home. 😂 But, that doesn’t mean I don’t like learning about them from a safe distance!

Reading this book, I was struck by the sheer variety of spiders around the world, and all the cool things they can do. Did you know that some spiders can make a snake-like hiss by rubbing their legs together or build a booby-trapped door to catch prey, rather than a web?

Or that some male spiders strum a special mating “song” on a female’s web to let her know he’s interested? But that after he’s done, he better clear off quick if he doesn’t want to be her lunch!

I also really loved the sizing chart in the backmatter. Some spiders are REALLY big and some are REALLY small–either way, it’s extra creepy!

Besides being a super fun book to explore, SPI-KU is also the perfect complement to a poetry unit, or to bring poetry into a biology unit. Spiders are fascinating creatures, and this is a fun format to learn all about them.

Happy reading!