Middle grade is a term that refers to books written for readers between the ages of eight and twelve. In this column, Erica will recommend great books for children in this age group! Opinions and Opossums by Ann Braden All available formats here Going to confirmation class, Agnes has a lot of questions about what she’s learning – but they’re not questions her mother, her pastor, or one of her classmates appreciates her asking. But after a talk with her anthropologist neighbor opens her eyes, Agnes starts to think about everything differently – and maybe her mind won’t be the
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Archives for middle grade fiction
September Creepy Chronicles
For the kids looking for more dark and twisted tales, Erika is here to bring you a middle grade scare! Whispering Pines by Heidi Lang & Kati Bartkowski All available formats here After the disappearance of her father, Rae and her family move down to Whispering Pines. While being the new kid usually has its own problems, Rae is met with the town’s “normal” of the paranormal. After the first friend she made turns into a zombie and meets the senior consultant of a company that seems to be running the entire town, Rae partners up with the town’s ‘freakshow’
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August Middle Grade Pick of the Month
Middle grade is a term that refers to books written for readers between the ages of eight and twelve. In this column, Erica will recommend great books for children in this age group! The Treasure of Maria Mamoun by Michelle Chalfoun All available formats here After a bullying incident gets physical, Maria’s mother finds a new job and whisks them away from the city to Martha’s Vineyard. Here, Maria begins to come out of her shell and feel safe again – only to realize that their time there has an imminent deadline. When she finds a treasure map, she thinks
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August Creepy Chronicles
For the kids looking for more dark and twisted tales, Erika is here to bring you a middle grade scare! Not Quite a Ghost by Anne Ursu All available formats here A middle-grade retelling of The Yellow Wallpaper, 12-year-old Violet is struggling with all the changes in her life, from moving into a creaky old home, middle school woes, and a mysterious lingering illness. As her sickness forces her to rest in her creepy vine and flower wallpapered room, she starts to see something, or someone, taking shape. This book is everything I would have wanted to read growing up.
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July Middle Grade Pick of the Month
Middle grade is a term that refers to books written for readers between the ages of eight and twelve. In this column, Erica will recommend great books for children in this age group! Shiny Misfits by Maysoon Zayid and Shadia Amin All available formats here Bay Ann knows that she’s destined for stardom, but when fellow student Alyee Maq gets his fifteen minutes of fame off of her victory (and assumed helplessness due to her cerebral palsy), she’s determined to kickstart her stardom and outshine him, whatever the cost! But is her potential fame really worth what she’s willing to
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July Creepy Chronicles
For the kids looking for more dark and twisted tales, Erika is here to bring you a middle grade scare! Wait Till Helen Comes: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn All available formats here Graphic Novel adaptation illustrated by Scott Peterson Physical format available here eComic available on Hoopla Twelve-year-old Molly and her ten-year-old brother, Michael, have never liked their seven-year-old stepsister, Heather. Ever since their parents got married, she's made Molly and Michael's life miserable. Now their parents have moved them all to the country to live in a house that used to be a church, with a
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June Middle Grade Pick of the Month
Middle grade is a term that refers to books written for readers between the ages of eight and twelve. In this column, Erica will recommend great books for children in this age group! Eli Over Easy by Phil Stamper All available formats here After a move to New York City and the sudden death of his mother, Eli has been left reeling. His father has become anxious and overprotective, but refuses to talk about his – or Eli’s – grief, instead working long hours. But then he discovers that his mom left behind recipe videos, and the cute boy next
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Creepy Chronicles: May 2024
For the kids looking for more dark and twisted tales, Erika is here to bring you a middle grade scare! The Clackity by Lora Senf All available formats here Ghosts are real in Blight Harbor, the 7th most haunted town in America and where Evie resides with her beloved paranormal expert Aunt Desdemona. Most of Blight Harbor is inhabited by harmless, albeit lonely ghosts, except for the abandoned slaughterhouse possibly inhabited by the spirit of the infamous serial killer. After Des disappears in front of Evie, she makes a deal to venture into the otherworld to find and save her
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May Middle Grade Pick of the Month
Middle grade is a term that refers to books written for readers between the ages of eight and twelve. In this column, Erica will recommend great books for children in this age group! Wishing Upon the Same Stars by Jacquetta Nammar Feldman All available formats here When Yasmeen Khoury moves to Texas, she feels isolated in a way she never did in Detroit – at least until she begins to make friends, including with Ayelet Cohen, an Israeli-American girl in her grade. But as she and Ayelet learn more about the destruction each others’ countries have wreaked on their families,
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April Middle Grade Pick of the Month
Middle grade is a term that refers to books written for readers between the ages of eight and twelve. In this column, Erica will recommend great books for children in this age group! Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow All available formats here Simon is probably the only tween in existence to be actually sort of excited to be moving into a town where technology and Internet access is limited – but then again, he and his family are hoping for a fresh start. Simon relaxes into making friends out of the shadows of his past and figuring out
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March Middle Grade Pick of the Month
Middle grade is a term that refers to books written for readers between the ages of eight and twelve. In this column, Erica will recommend great books for children in this age group! Ellie Engle Saves Herself by Leah Johnson All available formats here Ellie Engel is completely fine existing in the shadow of her amazing best friend Abigail; she has her comics, she has Abigail, she has her fish and her mom – that’s all she needs. Everything starts to change when she and Abigail begin middle school, but everything *really* changes when she wakes up with superpowers. Her
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Creepy Chronicles: March 2024
For the kids looking for more dark and twisted tales, Erika is here to bring you a middle grade scare! The Radium Girls: Young Reader’s Edition by Kate Moore All available formats After the discovery of the Radium element by the Curies in 1898, America was eager to find a use of it to gain as much profit as possible. From paint to beauty products, radium was soon added as a ‘cure all’ ingredient. When the United States Radium Corporation opened its doors for women to work as watch dial painters in 1917, they assured the women the paint was
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February Middle Grade Pick of the Month
Middle grade is a term that refers to books written for readers between the ages of eight and twelve. In this column, Erica will recommend great books for children in this age group! All You Knead is Love by Tanya Guerrero All available formats here Alba feels abandoned when her mother ships her off to live with her Abuela Lola in Barcelona, but it doesn’t take long for her to find all the good in her new life – a new hobby, new friends, and the unconditional love from her abuela that she’s never felt from either of her parents.
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Creepy Chronicles: February 2024
For the kids looking for more dark and twisted tales, Erika is here to bring you a middle grade scare! The Skull by Jon Klassen All available formats Otilla is a young girl running away from a very bad place. As she is escaping her past, she comes across a house in the woods, and in the house resides a skull. No body, just skull! As Otilla and the skull befriend each other, we learn the skull has a secret. Can Otilla and the skull survive the night? This story will leave you lingering with some questions including what could
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Creepy Chronicles: Deephaven
For the kids looking for more dark and twisted tales, Erika is here to bring you a middle grade scare! Deephaven by Ethan Aldridge All available formats here Ready to have a fresh start in life, Nev accepts a prestigious full ride scholarship to Deephaven Academy. Of course, anything that comes free tends to come at a cost, and for Nev, the trouble has only just begun when they hear sobbing and scratches coming through the forbidden East Wing. Will Nev be able to untangle the mysteries within this boarding school while under the threat of expulsion? Scare Factor: 3
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Middle Grade Pick of the Month: Terry’s Crew
Middle grade is a term that refers to books written for readers between the ages of eight and twelve. In this column, Erica will recommend great books for children in this age group! Terry’s Crew by Terry Crews and Cory Thomas All available formats here Terry Crews is a kid with vision – he knows exactly what he’s going to be, and he has plans for getting there! First step is attending the elite Rock City Academy, which will help him learn the skills and make the connections he needs. But middle school can be hard, especially with determined bullies
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December Middle Grade Pick of the Month
Middle grade is a term that refers to books written for readers between the ages of eight and twelve. In this column, Erica will recommend great books for children in this age group! The Trouble with Robots by Michelle Mohrweis All available formats here Evelyn is determined to do whatever it takes to lead her middle school robotics team to victory – no matter who she runs roughshod over. Allie is new at school and already gotten into fights – too many fights, according to the principal. Successfully working with the robotics team will be her last chance to prove
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November Middle Grade Pick of the Month
Middle grade is a term that refers to books written for readers between the ages of eight and twelve. In this column, Erica will recommend great books for children in this age group! Hazel's Theory of Evolution by Lisa Jenn Bigelow All available formats Hazel likes her life just the way it is – her family, her hobbies, her chores at the family farm, and her best friend Becca. But when her mom is pregnant (for the third time, after two miscarriages) and redistricting means starting at a new school without her best friend, Hazel’s worry over the upheaval in
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October Middle Grade Pick of the Month
Middle grade is a term that refers to books written for readers between the ages of eight and twelve. In this column, Erica will recommend great books for children in this age group! Hanging with Vampires: A Totally Factual Field Guide to the Supernatural by Insha Fitzpatrick All available formats This fangtastic nonfiction guide to vampires digs into the lore, history and pop culture appearances of vampires, arming all its readers with information and food for thought (even literally, with a garlic bread recipe!). Knowledge is power, after all, and this first entry in a series of guides into the
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September Middle Grade Pick of the Month
Middle grade is a term that refers to books written for readers between the ages of eight and twelve. In this column, Erica will recommend great books for children in this age group! Attack of the Black Rectangles by Amy Sarig King All available formats Mac is a kid who believes in the importance of asking questions – *especially* the hard ones teachers don’t always want to answer. So when he and his friends find out that their sixth-grade teacher has given them books with censor bars over certain words – specifically hiding references to a young girl’s breasts –
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