Category Archives: Middle Grade 8-12

14 Middle Grade Debut Books You Need to Read This Year

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14 Middle Grade Debut Books

Debut Authors Need Your Help

Middle grade debut books often face more challenges than subsequent books by established writers, and that’s never been more true than this year. Beginning last spring, concerns about COVID-19 meant not only school closures, but author visits, book fairs, book signings, book cons, summer library and bookstore programs– major things authors do to promote their books– were canceled.

Here’s something you can do to help. Read through this list. Add titles to your Goodreads shelf using the links below. If your budget allows, purchase a couple of the books on this list through any of the buy links. (Amazon, Book Depository and Indiebound links are affiliate links.)

At the bottom of the list, I’ve posted a quick ideas list of 4 ways you can support these authors and help promote their debut MG titles even if you can’t afford to buy their books.

14 Middle Grade Debut Books

Stand Up, Yumi Chung by Jessica Kim

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: Mistaken identity gives Yumi the chance she’s been dreaming of at comedy camp. A funny, feel-good story.

Published March 17, 2020

Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen by Sarah Kapit

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: Told through letters between a girl with autism and a dream to pitch baseball and her major league hero.

Published February 25, 2020

My Life as a Potato by Arianne Costner

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: An unwilling team mascot, a possible potato curse, and a chance at the prettiest girl in school. Super fun.

Published March 4, 2020 | My review

Mary Underwater by Shannon Doleski

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: A hopeful (and at times heartbreaking) story of a young girl who decides to build a submarine and sail it across the Chesapeake Bay.

Published April 7, 2020 | My Review

Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: Goodreads describes this one as “Coco meets Stranger Things with a hint of Ghostbusters.” Spooky and sweet. Also, I heard there’s a cat!

Published April 7, 2020

Finally, Something Mysterious by Doug Cornett

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: Three friends. Hundreds of rubber duckies. A town enthralled with its upcoming bratwurst competition. I laughed out loud!

Published April 14, 2020 | My review

The Mostly Invisible Boy by AJ Vanderhorst

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: A brother and sister take a wild adventure through the monster-infested Sylvan Wood. Quirky, funny and entertaining.

Published April 25, 2020 | My Review

Turtle Boy by M. Evan Wolkenstein

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: A boy with a weird chin, a hospital-bound punk drummer, and a bucket list that might change everything.

Published May 5, 2020

What Happens Next by Claire Swinarski

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: A solar eclipse, a search for a missing telescope, and a girl missing her older sister. Perfect for fans of THE THING ABOUT JELLYFISH.

Published May 19, 2020 | My Review

The Dream Weavers by Reina Luz Alegre

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: An ownvoices story about a 12 year-old girl who connects with her Cuban heritage and about discovering where you belong for the first time.

Published June 23, 2020

A Summer Taken by Jason Milgram

Amazon | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: A girl facing summer camp again after losing her cousin and inspiration. Heartbreaking and hopeful.

Published July 4, 2020

The Circus of Stolen Dreams by Lorelei Savaryn

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: A sister looking for her lost brother. A magical circus where the cost of entry is a memory. For fans of CIRCUS MIRANDUS and THE NIGHT GARDENER.

Published September 1, 2020

Beetle and the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: A graphic novel following a young goblin on a search for her best friend in a haunted mall.

Published September 1, 2020

Double the Danger and Zero Zucchini by Betsy Uhrig

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

What You Need to Know: A boy gets hired by his aunt to help her fix her children’s book about a grumpy frog and prize-winning zucchini. Sounds hilarious to me!

Published September 22, 2020

4 Ways You Can Help These Debut Authors

  • Order a copy of any of these books using the buy links listed.
  • Contact your local library and ask them to order copies of these titles.
  • Share this post so that other readers can see the list and support the authors, too!
  • Write your own blog or social media post that highlights your favorite debut authors’ books– be sure to include at least one buy link.

There are more middle grade debut books in this list on Goodreads, too. Check it out and find even more titles you might like!

What are your favorite debut middle grade titles from this year?

Have you read any of the books on this list? Which are your favorites, or which ones are you excited to read?

If you’ve got other debut titles on your reading list, let me know about them! Let’s spread the word and help support this year’s debut authors.

Review: Evil Thing by Serena Valentino

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , ,

Evil Thing (Villains #7)
Serena Valentino
Disney-Hyperion
Published July 7, 2020

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About Evil Thing

From her lonely childhood, to her iconic fashion choices, to that fateful car crash (you know the one), Cruella tells all in this marvelous memoir of a woman doomed. Even the cruelest villains have best friends, true loves, and daring dreams. Now it’s Cruella’s turn to share hers.

This latest novel by the author of the wildly popular and darkly fascinating Villains series brings readers a tale told by the Evil Thing herself-a tale of the complicated bonds of female friendship, of mothers and daughters, and of burning, destructive desire.

After all, nothing is as simple as black and white.

My Review

EVIL THING wasn’t the story I expected. This is the second book I’ve read in the Villains series by Serena Valentino. I read and reviewed MISTRESS OF ALL EVIL in 2017.

Especially early on in EVIL THING, I felt like Cruella De Vil was as likeable as Lady Mary from Downton Abbey. She was dismissive and sometimes cold, but there were a few people she loved. Her relationship with her mother was complex and tragic. I liked getting to explore her relationship with Anita and learn more about their history.

Some things appear murky in the story. Cruella receives a pair of jade earrings from her father that are rumored to be cursed. He thinks of this as a fun story to amuse her, but she wonders if the curse could be true. It’s never really clear if the curse is in fact a part of what drives Cruella De Vil’s manic behavior. It seemed like there were a lot of losses that, when combined together, drove her over the edge.

Overall, this was a pretty quick read, and a story that actually makes one of Disney’s most bizarre villains surprisingly sympathetic and reveals an interesting origin story. I think fans of the Villains series will be pleased with this newest book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Representation
All the characters live in England. Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently (less than a half-dozen times).

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kissing between man and woman.

Spiritual Content
Cruella’s father gives her a pair of jade earrings that are said to be cursed. He thinks it’s simply a good story, but whether the curse is real remains unclear. Cruella seems to have mixed feelings about whether it’s real.

Violent Content
Some descriptions of a fire that destroyed a home and killed more than one person.

Drug Content
Some scenes show adults drinking alcohol with or after dinner.

Note: I received a free copy of EVIL THING in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.

Review: The Mostly Invisible Boy by AJ Vanderhorst

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , ,

The Mostly Invisible Boy (Casey Grimes #1)
AJ Vanderhorst
INtense Publications
Published April 25, 2020

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About The Mostly Invisible Boy

Eleven-year-old Casey Grimes is invisible. Really. When he leaves suburbia and infiltrates a secret forest society, he can finally be seen—but Sylvan Woods hates outsiders as much as it loves killing monsters. As Butcher Beasts invade, his flimsy cover story falls apart, and courage is his only chance to belong.

My Review

My favorite thing about this book was the relationship between Casey and his sister, Gloria. The story definitely paints Gloria as an unrealistic character. She’s a young child and she’s hardly ever rattled, always loves others, has complete confidence in her older brother. However, I think because there are so many other dark things happening in the book, I didn’t mind that so much.

I thought the world of the Sylvan Woods was pretty enchanting and unusual, though I was a little confused at times. Why did Gloria already know the names of the creatures? Who explained everything to his parents, or did they already know? Why was Casey invisible at the beginning of the story? I felt like there were some things that got left unanswered.

On the whole, though, I really enjoyed the relationships between Luci and Casey and Gloria. They exchanged some fun banter and had lots of wacky adventures. The story entertains from the first page to the last.

I think fans of books by Lemony Snicket will enjoy the bizarre situations and reality juxtaposed with unreality as well as the almost caricature-like minor characters. It’s the kind of story my daughter and I would have enjoyed reading aloud when she was in fourth grade.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Casey and his family are white. Three of the Sylvans they meet are described as having brown/bronze skin.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Contains some magic and creatures of fantasy. Casey is literally invisible at the start of the story. Butcher Beasts, like giant wasps, seek to destroy the Sylvans.

Violent Content
Some situations of peril. Casey nearly falls out of a tree. Monsters chase him and Gloria through the woods and attack them in two different scenes.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of MOSTLY INVISIBLE BOY in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.

Review: Foreverland by Nicole C. Kear

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Foreverland
Nicole C. Kear
Imprint
Published April 21, 2020

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About Foreverland

Margaret is tired of everything always changing. Middle school has gone from bad to worse. Her best friend is becoming a stranger. And her family—well, it’s not even a family anymore.

So Margaret is running away to Foreverland, her favorite amusement park. Hiding out there is trickier than she expects–until she meets Jaime, a thrill-seeking, fast-thinking runaway who teaches Margaret how to stay one step ahead of the captain of security.

At first, this after-hours, all-access pass to the park is a dream come true: sleepovers in the Haunted House, nonstop junk food, and an unlimited ticket to ride. But as the runaways learn each other’s secrets, they must face the reasons they left their normal lives behind. With the Captain closing in and Jaime’s future on the line, can Margaret finally take control?

My Review

I can’t help being fascinated by books that take place in a theme park, whether they’re dark, like TWO CAN KEEP A SECRET or VANISHING GIRLS or sweeter, like THE MIXED UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER (okay, so that one is set in a museum, but I’m still counting it.).

FOREVERLAND is on the sweeter/lighter side of the spectrum. Margaret wrestles with fears and feelings of rejection and loneliness, but her friendship with Jaime helps give her a new perspective on not just her life, but herself. He sees her as this bold, courageous girl, which gives her an opportunity to reevaluate herself and see if she can find that courage and strength that he sees in her.

I’m pretty sure I saw the book on a list on Twitter and decided to order it to help support authors whose books have come out during the pandemic. We don’t always realize how much authors depend on school visits, book cons, and other big spring and summer events to get the word out about their work. With so many events canceled and so many students distance learning, it has not been easy for authors to reach new readers.

If you’re looking for a really sweet, uplifting book about friendship and courage, I absolutely recommend this one! You can find it on Indiebound and support not only the author but an independent bookstore near you, too!

You can also find other books for readers ages 8 to 12 that came out this year on this Goodreads list.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Margaret has panic attacks and anxiety. Jaime’s grandparents are Puerto Rican.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Margaret feels left behind and forgotten now that her older sister has a boyfriend.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Margaret chokes on a bite of food and someone helps her by knocking it loose.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.

Review: Marie Curie: A Life of Discovery by Alice Milani

Book Review and Content, Historical, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , ,

Marie Curie: A Life of Discovery (Graphic Novel)
Alice Milani
Graphic Universe
Published August 6, 2019

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About Marie Curie: A Life of Discovery (Graphic Novel)

In her intensely researched, inventively drawn exploration of Marie Curie’s life, artist Alice Milani follows the celebrated Polish scientist from Curie’s time as a struggling governess to her years in France making breakthrough discoveries. Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two different sciences.

With skill and care, Milani traces Curie’s flight from Russia-controlled Poland, her romance with fellow scientist Pierre Curie, and Marie and Pierre’s stunning discoveries of the elements radium and polonium. Throughout this distinctive graphic work, Curie defies doubt and double standards to make an enduring impact on the scientific world.

My Review

Especially at the beginning, I found this book confusing. It had a short section about characters that didn’t come back into the story until much later. Even aside from that, the timeline of the story does jump around a bit. I feel like in terms of understanding what’s happening, if you’re already familiar with Marie Curie’s life, you’ll understand what’s going on much more easily.

Despite those few reading bumps, I enjoyed this graphic novel. I have only read/reviewed a couple of these before. I’m not an experienced reader by any means, so I feel like I can’t rate it in terms of other graphic novel biographies. The artwork was really expressive and helped to create characterization.

I learned a lot of things that I hadn’t known about Curie, too. I had read about her in elementary school, but didn’t know much beyond that she was a renowned scientist and studied radiation. So I hadn’t realized she was Polish and lived at a time when she would’ve been persecuted in her own country. I thought the part of the story that explored gender roles and the way the media portrayed her during her time was especially well done.

On the whole, I think this book would make a great addition to a grade 6 or 7 science classroom. It’s a quick read and I enjoyed it.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 up.

Representation
Marie Curie is Polish. Her family faced persecution for teaching in Polish during a time when speaking Polish in class was forbidden by occupying Russians.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Shows Marie Curie’s relationship with her husband, but focuses more on the scientific partnership than the romance.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of MARIE CURIE in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.

Review: Believe by Julie Mathison

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Believe
Julie Mathison
Starr Creek Press
Published August 4, 2020

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About Believe

Full of humor and wonder, BELIEVE explores the power and limits of the imagination – and how love both breaks and heals our hearts.

Eleven-year-old Melanie knows she’s special. She’s never been bored. She understands the secret language of old houses and makes jewels out of broken glass. Her imagination can do anything — except make friends. It’s 1980, and life as a fifth grader at Buckminster Experimental School is lonely at best, when she’s not dodging Karen, the school bully. Then, Melanie meets Sabrina, who looks like a TV star and acts like a spy, and who doesn’t care what anyone thinks. She teaches Melanie how to believe in herself, and soon Melanie starts living her dreams. She even lands the lead in Peter Pan!

If only she could share it all with Mom. Missing her mom is like trying to breathe with one lung. It’s bad. Sabrina thinks they can track her down, and Melanie wants to believe, but sometimes it’s easier to pretend. Her new life feels like a house of cards, until one day it all comes crashing down and she finds herself with no choice but to face the truth… and let go.

This quirky, heartfelt middle-grade novel about grief and the resilience of the human spirit will keep you guessing until the end.

My Review

Melanie is an incredibly loveable character. I felt immediately invested in her story. Her imagination is wild and lovely. The way she explains relationships and intentions is really clever and moving, too.

Melanie’s imagination lands her the lead role in the school’s performance of PETER PAN. It helps her deal with the bullying of a fellow classmate and find the courage to make a new friend.

She describes and observes a lot of relationships in BELIEVE, too. From watching her dad interact with his friends, to navigating her own complicated relationship with her grandmother, she relates those exchanges with flair.

Fans of THE OTHER BETTER ME by Antony Jon or NOT IF I CAN HELP IT by Carolyn Mackler will definitely want this book in their libraries.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 up.

Representation
Most characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
A girl in Melanie’s class bullies her– saying unkind things and making fun of her.

Drug Content
Adults drink alcohol in one scene.

Note: I received a free copy of BELIEVE in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.