Your Middle Grade Fantasy Fix: 5 Series to Read if You Love The Keepers

At first glance, Horace F. Andrews seems like your average middle school kid—backpack, collared shirt, curious eyes. You’d never imagine that this twelve-year-old boy—the brainy protagonist in Ted Sanders’ middle-grade series The Keepers—possesses a magical instrument that allows him to see into the future. Nor would you believe that he won an underground battle against sinister (and rather stinky) creatures known as the Riven. But there you have it, the first lesson all Keepers must learn: Things are not always as they seem.

With the March release of The Harp and the Ravenvine, the series’ second installment, readers are in for another harrowing adventure as Horace, his friend Chloe, and a new Keeper named April take part in an ancient mystery they don’t fully understand. Sanders’ engaging writing and vivid world-building will have bibliophiles of every age turning pages with bated breath. If, like me, you’re left counting the days until book three comes out, never fear: These action-packed series will provide more than enough magic and mystery to get you through.

The Luck Uglies series, by Paul Durham, illustrated by Petur Antonsson
Eleven-year-old Rye O’Chanter has done something no one in Village Downing has done for a very long time: She’s seen a Bog Noblin, one of the dreaded monsters who once terrorized the land. With the unexpected return of these fearsome enemies, and the absence of the Luck Uglies, the banished band of outlaws who once defeated them, the residents of Downing are in grave danger. This enchanting, sometimes dark trilogy follows Rye as she investigates the dizzying mysteries of the past in order to secure the future of her people.

Kingdom Keepers series, by Ridley Pearson
The Disney universe takes a dark turn in this bestselling series by Ridley Pearson, which centers around five teens—Finn, Charlene, Maybeck, Philby and Willa—who become holographic park guides at Disney World. They soon discover that a terrifying truth underlies the wonders of the Magic Kingdom: Disney’s fabled villains are real, they’re mad, and they’re determined to take over the world. Do the teens, who together make up the Kingdom Keepers, have what it takes to defeat this band of notorious evildoers? It’s a question that would keep Walt himself on the edge of his seat.

The Chronicles of Narnia series, by C. S. Lewis
Talking beasts, a ferocious witch and never-ending winter—it’s all part of an average day in Narnia. As generations of readers know, life forever changes the moment you step into this magical world. The series follows a cast of lovable (and sometimes unlovable) characters on an epic journey through this curious land, ruled by a grand lion named Aslan. While some of the language may be a bit unfamiliar to modern kids, C.S. Lewis’s classic, seven-volume fantasy series is a guaranteed page-turner.

Wing and Claw series, by Linda Sue Park
Knowledge is power, but twelve-year-old Raffa Santana, a gifted young apothecary, is not sure if his particular brand of knowledge leads to good or evil. When Raffa uses a rare vine from the Forest of Wonders to heal a wounded bat named Echo, his winged friend is transformed in an unexpected way. The first volume in the Wing and Claw series by Newberry Medal-winning author Linda Sue Park, Forest of Wonders is a rich, multilayered fantasy about a precocious hero who is forced to test the limits of his talents and his loyalties.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, by Rick Riordan, illustrated by John Rocco
Discovering secrets ranks high on the list of favorite kid activities. But few kids—or adults, for that matter—are prepared to uncover the kind of secrets that await Percy Jackson. Challenged by ADHD and dyslexia, Percy is just minding his own business, trying to navigate school, when he learns, in a rather roundabout way, that he is the son of a Greek god. Throughout the five-book series, author Rick Riordan expertly weaves Greek mythology into modern reality, offering plenty of action, wit and no-nonsense monsters along the way.
What is your favorite middle grade fantasy series?