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Action, Mystery, and a Bit of Horror: 8 New Middle Grade Novels
Our latest list of middle grade books is full of thrills and chills. Readers who are looking for a spooky story should check out Heather Kassner’s The Bone Garden, the creepy tale of a girl who is not quite alive, or William Ritter’s The Oddmire: Changeling, a story of brotherhood, magic, and goblins.
For those who prefer thrills instead of chills, there’s lots of silly adventure to be had at Mark Young’s Franken-Sci High, a school for aspiring mad scientists. Or, there’s Allan Woodrow’s fabulously absurd The Curse of the Werepenguin, which follows Bolt Wattle, a skittish orphan who has just been adopted by a fearsome man called Baron Chordata. Read on, if you dare!
The Bone Garden, by Heather Kassner and Matt Saunders
The Bone Garden is Heather Kassner’s debut middle grade novel. It is a wonderfully creepy read. The book centers around Irréelle, a girl made of dust, bone, and imagination. Irréelle is the creation of Miss Vesper, a woman who treats her with impatience and disdain. Miss Vesper threatens that if Irréelle doesn’t do as she is told, she will be unmade.
Thankfully, Irréelle escapes her cruel creator and begins a strange journey through a maze of graveyard tunnels. There, she finds friendship with one of Miss Vesper’s past creations, a boy named Guy. Together they will solve a mystery that will set them free from Miss Vesper once and for all. The Bone Garden is both enchanting and totally spooky, perfect for readers who love dark fairytales.
The Curse of the Werepenguin, by Allan Woodrow and Scott Brown
Allan Woodrow’s The Curse of the Werepenguin is my middle grade cup of tea. The book is delightfully absurd. Bolt Wattle, an orphan with a penguin birthmark, is the hero of the story. Bolt, full name Humboldt, got his nickname from his propensity to bolt. Easily scared, Bolt travels with a cherished stuffed animal.
Bolt will have to face his fears, which are many, when he journeys to the peculiar land of Brugaria. There, people shout things like, “Beware the Penguins,” and collapse when Bolt mentions the name of his adoptive father, Baron Chordata. If your young reader loves a laugh, this book is a keeper!
The Oddmire: Changeling, by William Ritter
Cole and Tinn look exactly alike. They have been raised as twin brothers. But Cole and Tinn are not brothers. In fact, one of them isn’t even human.
When they turn 13, Cole and Tinn receive a message that will changes their lives and set them on the road to adventure. The message reveals that one of them is a changeling, a goblin disguised as a human. The changeling must return to the Goblin Horde. If he does not, he and the rest of his goblin kin will perish. Plus, all magic will disappear. These are high stakes!
To reach the Goblin Horde, Cole and Tinn will have to travel through the dangerous Wild Woods, where they will encounter all sorts of amazing creatures.
The Oddmire: Changeling, is one of my favorite new middle grade books of any genre. The writing is superb, with all of the wit, whimsy, and wonder of Tolkien’sThe Hobbit. William Ritter is also the author of the acclaimed Jackaby series.
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Franken-Sci High: What’s the Matter with Newton?, by Mark Young and Mariano Epelbaum
When Newton Warp wakes up at Fraken-Sci High, a school for aspiring mad scientists, he doesn’t know who or where he is. Newton quickly learns that Fraken-Sci High is a unique place. It is a school whose students include highly emotional robots and sentient globs of goo. Still, even in this bizarre setting, Newton stands out. There is something very different about him.
Newton makes friends and enemies with fellow classmates as he searches for answers to his past. Filled with Willy-Wonka-level weirdness, author Mark Young has created a world full of humor and imagination. Highly recommended.
The Cryptid Keeper, by Lija Fisher
The second book in The Cryptid Duology follows Clivo and the Myth Blasters on their adventures to find the immortal cryptid. In the first book of the series, Clivo discovered that his deceased archeologist father was actually the world’s premiere cryptid catcher. Cryptids are strange and elusive monsters. In the Cryptid Keeper, Clivo and the Myth Blasters are determined to find the immortal cryptid before it falls into the wrong hands.
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Scary Stories for Young Foxes, by Christian McKay Heidicker and Junyi Wu
A litter of foxes listen nervously to a mysterious storyteller. When the stories begin, there are seven young foxes. But one by one, the foxes leave, too scared to continue listening. Which fox will stay until the storyteller’s last tale?
Scary Stories for Young Foxes is engaging and action-packed, but it isn’t for the faint of heart. Readers will meet devious fox fathers, cruel fox siblings, and learn about a yellow disease which clouds the minds of foxes and turns them against each other. Beware, not every fox makes it to the end of the book!
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Oh, Rats!, by Tor Seidler and Gabriel Evans
When it comes to squirrels, Phoenix is top notch. He has beautiful, golden-brown fur and the bushiest tale. He is the crush of almost every girl squirrel. Every girl squirrel except Giselle, who pines for Tyrone, a squirrel whose tale is even bushier than Phoenix’s.
Phoenix is focused on pursuing Giselle, when out of the sky, a bird plucks him from the ground. When Phoenix escapes, he is far away from the cozy woods where he grew up. Now, he’s in New York City! Phoenix will have to adjust to city squirrel life. Tor Seidler’s Oh Rats! is a sweet and comical read.
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The Battle, by Karuna Riazi
Ahmad Mirza doesn’t have an easy time at school. Usually, he’s in trouble of some sort. When Ahmad’s sister sends him a mysterious gift, his teachers aren’t happy. But that’s just the start of Ahmad’s woes. The gift will lead to more trouble than he can imagine. When Ahmad opens the gift with his classmate, Winnie, all of New York freezes around him. In order to unfreeze the city, he and Winnie will have to play a game. The strangest part of the game is that it features drawings from Paheli, a world Ahmad thought he made up! The Battle is the sequel to The Gauntlet, Karuna Riazi’s debut novel.
Does your middle grade reader enjoy spooky, haunting stories?