As we bid 2015 adieu and say hello to 2016, it’s time to start looking forward to the plethora of books that await us in the new year. Sure, there are fantastic picture books and a host of great YA novels, but for my money, middle grade is where it’s at in the next twelve months. Whether your child’s tastes run to fantasy, mystery, humor, the classics, or stories based on real life experiences, we promise your middle grade reader will find something to love in this list.
Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympicsby Chris Grabenstein[size=1.167em]Amazon
[size=1.167em]Barnes & Noble
[size=1.167em]Indiebound
[size=1.167em]Target
[size=1.167em]The sequel to Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library is here! Puzzle lovers take note: Mr. Lemoncello is back with more brain-bending games and another mystery to solve.
(Available: January 5, 2016)
Secrets of Valhallaby Jasmine Richards
If your son or daughter isn’t old enough for Rick Riordan’s re-telling of the ancient myths, Secrets of Valhalla is a wonderful substitute. When Buzz and Mary wake up to meet the Norse god Sunna, their lives get turned upside down. Now these two friends are off on a quest to collect the Runes of Valhalla and save the Earth from repeating the same day over and over again.
(Available: January 19, 2016)
Story Thieves: The Stolen Chaptersby James Riley, illustrated by Chris Eliopoulos
Owen Connors can jump into stories and is friends with half-fictional and fully fictional kids. His life is pretty incredible ... until he wakes up inside a mystery with his memory erased. This sequel to Story Thieves is worth the wait.
(Available: January 19, 2016)
Paxby Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Jon Klassen
This book shattered me into little pieces and then put me back together again. I spent every page hoping that a boy and his pet fox, separated by life circumstances that neither understands, would find each other again. This is the kind of masterful story that captures the wrenching beauty of Where the Red Fern Grows and combines it with a searing, truthful writing style to create what I hope will be an instant classic.
(Available: February 2, 2016)
The Last Boy at St. Edith’sby Lee Gjertsen MaloneJeremy Miner has a problem with girls. A big problem. He’s the only boy left at St. Edith’s school. Yep, it’s just Jeremy and 476 girls and Jeremy wants out. He’ll stop at nothing to get expelled so he can end up at a school where he thinks he’ll fit in. But Jeremy learns that sometimes fitting in isn’t the only thing that matters.
(Available: February 23, 2016)
The Thickety: Well of Witchesby J.A. White, illustrated by Andrea Offermann
[The next installment in the wonderful and engrossing Thickety series, Well of Witches follows Kara and Taff on their latest adventure. The plot is as circuitous and compelling as ever and the suspense will keep you reading until the very last page.
(Available: February 23, 2016)
All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cookby Leslie ConnorThe most unusual ideas can lead to the most remarkable stories, as Leslie Connor discovered when she asked what would happen if a little boy was born in prison and grew up there with his mother. Meet Perry T. Cook, an amazing young boy in a novel that explores what home and family really mean.
(Available: March 1, 2016)
The Demon Dentistby David Walliams, illustrated by Tony Russ
Roald Dahl fans rejoice! David Walliams is an appropriate heir to Dahl’s quirky, slightly demented, but always entertaining legacy. Finally, American children can see what would happen if Charlie never went to the dentist and Willy Wonka was a much darker, bone-loving witch.
(Available: March 1, 2016)
The Land of Forgotten Girlsby Erin Entrada KellyOf course there’s an evil stepmother, but there’s nothing else predictable about this story of two sisters from the Philippines living in a small town in Louisiana. As they discover, when “truth has a thousand voices,” you and you alone get to decide which voice you’ll listen to.
(Available: March 1, 2016)
Wing and Claw: Forest of Wondersby Linda Sue ParkThe first in a planned fantasy trilogy, Forest of Wondersintroduces readers to young apothecary Raffa, who has a unique connection to the animals and powerful plants in the Forest of Wonders. When he heals a wounded bat, he unleashes an unexpected chain of events that may threaten everything he loves.
(Available: March 1, 2016)
Hour of the Beesby Lindsay EagarTwelve-year old Carol isn’t going to spend her summer at the pool with her friends. Instead, she’s going to help her family move her grandfather into an assisted living facility for people with dementia. Her summer in New Mexico starts as a chore, but turns into something more magical as her grandfather begins telling her fantastical stories about healing trees, and green-glass lakes, and bees with the power to end a drought.
(Available: March 8, 2016)
Out of Abaton: The Wooden Princeby John Claude BemisThis book has a little bit of everything. An old fairy tale. An ancient city. A quest. Criminals. Alchemists. A puppet. A princess. Danger. Intrigue. Friendship. Love. I dare you not to get excited.
(Available: March 15, 2016)
The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castleby Janet FoxWhen Kat and her siblings are sent out of London during World War II, she doesn’t expect that the Scottish castle she ends up at might prove more dangerous than the Blitz. Kat is convinced the castle is haunted, and that its owner may be harboring a Nazi spy, so she sets out to uncover the truth before it’s too late.
(Available: March 15, 2016)
Bookedby Kwame AlexanderKwame Alexander’s follow-up to The Crossover once again brings poetry to sports-loving boys. Alexander combines gorgeous verse with the intensely personal story of 12-year-old Nick as he struggles with problems at home, a bully, a girl, and his soccer dreams. Set against the backdrop of a World Cup match, middle grade readers will be hooked after the first line.
(Available: April 5, 2016)
It Ain’t So Awful, Falafelby Firoozeh DumasBased on her own experience emigrating from Iran to Newport Beach, California in the 1970’s, New York Times bestselling author Firoozeh Dumas has written a funny, touching, and insightful middle grade novel about the challenges of fitting in and finding yourself in a new country.
(Available: May 3, 2016)
The Rat Princeby Bridget HodderThe rats in the Cinderella story never got a lot of credit and The Rat Prince aims to rectify that oversight. With a complex plot, a new take on a well-worn fairy tale, and a love story for the ages, Bridget Hodder’s middle grade tale is bound to become a favorite.
(Available: August 23, 2016)
