Category: MG Novels

middle grade novels (for 8-12 yo)

Cover shows forest winter scape with snow falling and the back of a dark-haired girl with red cap and coat
Posted in Award Winners, MG Novels, So Many Good Books

The Sea in Winter

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

The Sea in Winter (Thorndike Press, 2021) by Christine Day is a story of resilience.

Maisie Cannon’s knee is still hurting after surgery and physical therapy, but what hurts worse is not dancing ballet. She feels hopeless. Disconnected from her friends, and even her blended family. But she’s getting better, right?

The story is set in Washington state, in Seattle and on the coast near the Makah community. We along with the character learn pieces of her family history. (Some based on history we should be aware of.)

This story is an American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor Book!

Read about the author here. Previously, I recommended another book by Christine: I Can Make This Promise.

Girl standing on a hill with arms held out. She's facing fields and mountains. Her shadow looks like a bird. A dog stands next to her.
Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

Kestrel Takes Flight

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Kestrel Takes Flight* (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2026) by Joy McCullough is such a good read. This novel is written in verse and can be read very quickly, but contains important truths.

It’s the middle of the night and Kestrel’s mom sneaks them out of the house where they live with Grandpa. The two fly from San Diego to Montana for the summer. Kestrel is puzzled over the secrecy and doesn’t understand why they didn’t say good-bye to Grandpa. Or why Mom didn’t tell her about the trip ahead of time. On the plane Mom explains she is going to work at a bear institute. Well, really a dog institute. And Kestrel hates dogs. If Karelian dogs hunt bears, what will they do to a girl?

Intersperses with the poems are letters Kestrel writers in her journal to her grandfather. She plans to show them to him when they get back. In them we see how she changes. (I did feel some of the initial changes happened too quickly.) I love how the first and last poems bookend the story, and how she shows Kestrel’s life experiences expanding. I want to say more, but don’t want to give anything away.

The book is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection.

Read about Joy and see some of her books here. On this site you can check out her young adult books. Somehow I’ve only read one, Blood Water Paint, and it was fantastic.

*I received a copy for review from the publisher. Thoughts are my own.

fantasy style cover showing four children - one with knitting needles and yarn (Peri, main character), a girl with a magical wand, a boy with a dagger, and a girl with a bow. Behind them is a lit house on a cliffside with bare spooky looking trees.
Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

Socks & Secret Quests

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Socks & Secret Quests: The Wandering Shop, Book 1 (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2026) by Triona Murphy and illustrated by James Firnhaber is a fun light-hearted fantasy. The author describes it as “Howl’s Moving Castle meets Dungeons & Dragons.” I’d definitely wondered if she’d been inspired by Diana Wynne Jones’ Howl books.

Peri is an apprentice in a magical shop that moves around and supplies adventurers with what they need. She worries that her magical abilities have not shown themselves. Although she’s a bit concerned about how fast she can knit sometimes. Then when a dark wizard takes the master shopkeeper, Peri goes out to find the closest adventuring team to get help. However, that team is really bad at cooperating. Can she pull them together to help her rescue Master Hema?

I really like how the story uses a mundane skill for so much more.

The book is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection for 2026!

This is the author’s debut book* that just came out the end of September. Obviously, it’s a series, so we can look forward to more about Peri. Read about Triona here. (Yes, she does knit–her patterns are here.)

See the some of the illustrator’s work here and here. Read about James here.

*I received an advanced paperback copy from the publisher. Opinions expressed here are my own.

Cover has words Little then Women scratched out followed by Monsters and shows silhouettes of 4 sisters in a spooky night setting
Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

Little Monsters

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Little Monsters* (Aladdin, 2026) by Máire Roche has a fantastic cover. This story is perfect for the spooky season. Or for anytime really.

It starts out very similar to the classic book, Little Women, but it’s Halloween and no costumes that Jo is grumbling about. Meg at almost 14 wants to make it special for her younger sisters–just if she can earn enough money. But she has deeper problems. Like not upsetting their current foster mother, Marmee, so the March sisters don’t have to move yet again. Speaking of upset, that’s when Meg’s monstrous magical abilities appear. Plus there are rumors of a strange creature roaming around the town at night. Then there’s the new boy, Laurie’s cousin, and she must keep everything monstrous hidden from him. So many secrets!

Readers familiar with the classic will be amused by this twist, but the story is more than a twist. Meg’s struggles feel real in this fantasy world. I had so much sympathy for her as she tries to protect her family. I loved watching her grow.

Read about the author here and check out her other books here.

*I received a copy of the book from the publisher for review. Opinions my own.

Cover of The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman features a falling boy with papers, pencils, a backpack, a skateboard, and a pug all falling against a blue background
Posted in Award Winners, MG Novels, So Many Good Books

The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2024) by Gennifer Choldenko is a heart-wrenching story. Of course, her middle grade novels often are.

Hank, almost 12, and his sister Boo, 3, haven’t seen their mom in a week. The food has run out, so have the scrounged coins. The landlord is threatening eviction through the closed door. With Grandma Mae gone, what can they do? A name and address written on an unsigned permission slip is their only hope.

You’ll love both kids–such sympathetic characters.

The book has too many awards to list, but you can see them here. Read fun facts about Newbery honor author Gennifer here. I love her Alcatraz books, but I think Notes from a Liar and Her Dog is still my favorite. Check out all her books here.