Great Adventures Await in These 10 New Middle Grade Books!

The Storm Runner, by Jennifer Cervantes
The latest book from Rick Riordan Presents is perfect for fans of Percy Jackson! Zane lives in the wilds of New Mexico, next to a dormant volcano that he and his dog Rosie love to explore. Even though Rosie has only three legs, and one of Zane’s legs is much shorter than the other, they get around just fine. But the volcano is a gateway to the world of Mayan mythology, where Zane is about to fulfill a prophecy and free the Mayan god of the dead. Once he does, Zane has three days to figure out how to re-imprison him, or he’ll become one of the Death God’s demons…for eternity. Joined by a shapeshifting girl with ties to the gods, Zane sets out to avert both his own terrible fate and an all-out cosmic war. He must find his father’s powers and become the Storm Runner (once he figures out what that means…). This one is great fun, with snarky monsters, tricksters galore, horrific mythological mayhem, and characters to love!

Begone the Raggedy Witches, by Celine Kiernan
Here’s a lovely fantasy for kids who love adventuring in magical worlds! Mup had no idea her mother wasn’t ordinary until the night the raggedy witches stole her father away. They hope to lure her mother back to her home, where she is the daughter of the witch queen. Mup, her little brother (transformed into a puppy), and her mother cross the border into realm of the witch queen, where only the raggedy witches are permitted to do magic. Mup and her brother, separated from their mom, are determined to rescue their dad. Fortunately, Mup finds that she has magical talents of her own. But will they be enough to let them escape the witches? And will her mother want to leave, now that she knows she is the heir to magic? Lots of fantasy adventuring and exciting magic make this a fun page-turner.

Hilda and the Hidden People, by Luc Peason and Stephen Davies, illustrated by Seaerra Miller
Hilda is a young adventurer who loves roaming the magical valley that is her home, her adorable deer fox, Twig, at her side! But the tiny elves (invisible to human eyes) that live in the valley want Hilda and her mother to move away! With the help of a maverick elf, willing to befriend her, she tries to find a compromise before the move. But in the meantime, there are two lovelorn giants to help! This illustrated chapter book, perfect for imaginative kids ages seven to ten, is based on the first episodes of the new Netflix series, Hilda, which in turn is based on a series of wonderful graphic novels.

The Splintered Light, by Ginger Johnson
Everything in Ishmael’s world is grey, so he’s stunned the first time he sees color. This discovery leads him to the Commons, a mysterious enclave where his brother Luc disappeared a few years earlier. The Commons is home to a school that trains kids in seven workshops, each with their own special creative magic. Luc became a color creator in the Hall of Hue, and Ishmael is offered a place there too. Then Ishmael accidentally sabotages Luc’s final project, the co-creation of a world of his own. He wants to make things right for his brother, but when the Hall of Hue is sabotaged this seems impossible. But Ishmael can see more than just color! He can see the wonderful thing that kids from all the halls, working together, can accomplish. It’s a magical adventure of discovery and creativity that will reward readers who love to dream worlds into being, particularly those who love schools of magic.

Small Spaces, by Katherine Arden
Here’s the perfect book for seasonal spookiness! Eleven-year-old Ollie, a book lover and loner, rescues a book from being thrown in to the local river. It’s a creepy old story of a terrible bargain made with the sinister Smiling Man, and it took place at the farm that Ollie’s class visits for a fall field trip. Then the school bus breaks down taking the kids back from farm, and no one is able to call for help. Ollie’s watch starts a strange countdown, and flashes the word “RUN.” So she does, with just two other kids. What follows is a nightmare of hiding from evil scarecrows, as the old story in the book plays itself out again and the Smiling Man offers Ollie one his horrible bargains. Ollie and her classmates make it home safely, but young readers who love scary stories will find lots of creepiness to enjoy before they get there!

Midnight Arcade: Excellent Ernesto 3 and Wrestle Mania, by Gabe Soria
Here’s a fun one for young video game players! You are the hero of this choose-your-own-adventure style story that takes you into a derelict video arcade. The ghostly attendant gives you a single game token, and you must decide whether to play Excellent Ernesto Cousins 3 or Wrestlevania. Once the token’s in the slot, you are trapped in the game, and must choose what to do at every turn, using your wits to solve puzzles, defeat your enemies, and stay alive! You have to win to get out of the game, but once you’ve won one, you’ll want to go back and play the second game!

Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret, by Trudi Truett
Here’s a perfect new series for kids who love the 39 Clues (or any stories of kids following clues on wild adventures around the world), who also love cutting-edge technology and elite schools where high-tech survival games are the core of the curriculum. Cruz Coronado is a twelve-year-old surfer kid from Hawaii whose mom worked as a scientist at the Explorer Academy before her death. When Cruz is accepted into the Academy (a place sort of like Hogwarts for science), he’s thrilled to start training as an explorer with kids from around the globe. But after the first exciting days, he starts getting clues that his mother’s death wasn’t an accident. And so Cruz’s ordinary life turns into a dangerous hunt for the secret of the scientific breakthrough she hid from everyone but him…putting his own life in danger! It’s fun, fast, geeky, and has lots of full color illustrations that help move things along briskly.

Isle of the Lost Graphic Novel, by Melissa de la Cruz, Robert Venditti, illustrated by Kat Fajardo
This graphic novel adaptation of the first book of the Isle of the Lost series can be enjoyed as a great introduction to the series for kids who prefer comics to text, or as a lovely addition to the world! 20 years ago all the fairy tale villains were banished to a dismal island surrounded by a force field, trapping them with no magic (and limited tv reception….). Now the villains are trying to raise their children to be as evil as possible, but with no magic and no power, it’s an uphill struggle. When Maleficent sends her daughter Mal to retrieve her lost scepter from a forbidden fortress of darkness, Mal takes three classmates along. They aren’t friends to start with, but as they overcome dangerous magical challenges together, they begin to think that maybe they don’t have to follow in the evil footsteps of their families. It’s a fun adventure, and the illustrations make it all come vividly to life.

Cats vs. Robots #1: This is War, by Margaret Stohl
Cute kittens! Complicated robots! What could go wrong when the two share a home? Lots. And the feline-electronic shenanigans are at an even wilder because out among the stars, the Robot Federation and the Feline Empire are at war. This high-tech smart house, with ordinary kittens inside it, and feline operatives outside, has become a battle ground in that conflict. Meanwhile, the two kids who live there, Max and Min, are unaware of the bigger picture, but Min knows for sure the kittens must go if her robot is going to win the Battle of the Bots. And Max is sure he’ll be able to look after his kittens, and meet his own obligations to his game designing friends. They have a crazy few days ahead of them, because in their house is a Singularity Chip that will give victory to which ever side in the galactic war claims it first. This is great fun for geeky young readers, whether they already love kittens or not!

The Last Kids on Earth and the Cosmic Beyond, by Max Brallier, illustrated by Douglas Holgate
Jack and his friends are the last kids on earth (as far as they know). Ever since a monster apocalypse turned everyone else in their town into zombies, they’ve holed up in their treehouse fort, emerging only to fight monsters and scavenge for snacks. But this winter they are determined to celebrate the first post-disaster Christmas in snowy style, to show the handful of monsters that have become their allies how much fun winter can be! But their plans (and the future of the planet) are threatened when a new villainess begins to hunt them; and for a horrible change, she’s human! Even more horribly, she wants to open the way for a demonic being to come to Earth…and destroy it. Of course the kids save the day, and there’s lots of entertaining excitement along the way.