Middle Grade

Licorice

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by Kara LaReau
First sentence: “Sometimes I dream about the house at 5 Manderley Lane, dreams that make my legs kick and my whiskers twitch.”
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Release date: Oct 20, 2026
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Content: There are some unsettling moments and talk of a pet’s death. It will be in the Middle Grade (grades 3-5) section of the bookstore.

Kitty is a feral cat that lost her family and has been rescued and placed at a shelter. It’s there that Max finds her and decides to adopt her, even though his previous cat, Licorice, just tragically died months before. Kitty – because she’s anxious and shy and getting used to being inside — has a hard time adjusting, something which is made exponentially more difficult by the bird in the house, Duchess. Duchess, who says that Licorice was perfect. That Max loved Licorice best. That Kitty could never replace Licorice.

I didn’t do a fantastic job explaining it, but this is Daphne DuMaurier’s Rebecca, but with pets and for middle graders.

Which is kind of weird, if you think about it. How many kids are going to know the source material? Or even seek it out afterward? LaReau did a great job – all the beats of the book/movie are there, and it’s clever in the way she made the story work. It was slow to start – which is its own problem – but I found that it was quite compelling as it went along. I just wonder how many kids are going to want to read this. Or, to be fair, how to handsell it. Because “Rebecca but with pets” isn’t going to cut it.

I need an actual kid who knows nothing about Rebecca to read this and see if it works, because I think it’s clever.

Building 903

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by Lois Lowry
First sentence: “Later — much later, when she was grown — Tessa remembered those weeks when she was fourteen years old.”
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Review copy provided by the publisher
Release date: September 29, 2026
Content: There are some unsettling parts. It will be in the Middle Grade (grades 3-5) section of the bookstore.

One day, Tessa’s twin brother Theo just up and disappears. No clue as to where he went, and the government just erases him from the records. It’s a world where the government is run by a fascist dictator, who has outlawed books, music, and pretty much all joy. And then, her next-door neighbor is taken away to Elder Care (she’s 134!) and leaves Tessa with a key that unlocks a secret closet where Miriam’s secret stash of contraband books is.

From there, things get… odd… as Tessa’s parents take over. Her dad’s been working on some sort of secret means of transportation, and the three of them head to Building 903 where all the books are kept, in order to figure out the connection between the books and Theo’s disappearance.

To be honest, once Tessa’s parents got involved, I stopped being interested. I expected more from Lowry, who should know that a middle grade book is where the main character is 11 or 12 (not 14! Though she acted so much younger) and they propel the action, no matter how unbelievable. I was very disappointed at all the exposition (Tessa’s dad goes on for PAGES) and the absolute lack of action from Tessa. What’s the point of having a child as a main character if all the adults do all the work? It’s dumb. I can understand she wanted to write a book about the dangers of book banning and the importance of stories, but this book wasn’t it.

Tragic.

Audiobook: The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest

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by Aubrey Hartman
Read by Marisa Calin
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Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There are some intense moments, especially for animal lovers. It’s in the Newbery Medal section of the bookstore.

Clair is the usher of animals’ spirits into the afterlife. He’s comfortable in his life; he enjoys his job; and his undeath keeps him from going to the afterworld he thinks he’s destined for: the realm of Pain. Then one day, a badger (of all animals!) comes through and can’t find her way into the afterlife. Clair tries everything he knows how to do, and nothing works. So he and Gingersnipes (the badger) set out on an adventure to try and figure out what to do.

It’s a simple story, and one I think that if I’d read, I’d not enjoy very much. But, listening to it on audio? It was perfect. Calin did an excellent job with the story, keeping me as a listener engaged. Some production elements helped as well – echoes and different effects, and so on — that helped as well. And as a result, I couldn’t stop listening. It was compelling, entertaining, and yes, touching.

This one would make an excellent read-aloud as well.

Midsummer Sisters

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by Niki Smith
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Release date June 2, 2026
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Content: There are a couple of instances of parents fighting and children being afraid, and there is mention of crushes. It will be in the Middle Grade Graphic Novel section.

Kenzie and Quinn are stepsisters, but they have grown up together for most of their twelve years. They don’t remember a time when they weren’t sisters. But, their parents – Kenzie’s dad and Quinn’s mom – are arguing all the time now, their fights getting worse, and Quinn’s mom is looking at a divorce and moving away. Neither girl wants this, but they have no say. When the fighting gets really bad, they go out to the Outer Banks to visit Kenzie’s grandmother, where they become invested in the wild horses. They work out their own issues – anxiety about no longer being sisters – while watching the horses and enjoying the island.

I wanted to like this one a lot more than I did. One of my coworkers mentioned that horse books are popular again, and this one definitely falls into that category. I know there will be kids – step-siblings whose parents are going through a divorce – who will find this helpful, but I couldn’t connect. I appreciated the grandmother (she’s the one with the most sense), and I think if I were more of a horse girl, I would have really enjoyed Kenzie and Quinn’s interactions with the horses.

As it was, I recognized that it was good, but I didn’t love it.

Audiobook: The Experiment

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by Rebecca Stead
Read by Mark Sanderlin
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There are some intense moments, bullying by an adult, and mention of crushes and dating. It’s in the Middle Grade (grades 3-5) section of the bookstore.

Nathan has grown up knowing he is different from other kids. See: he’s an alien. His parents are CAST and came here from another planet, intending to see whether they could live among humans without being detected. It means Nathan has to brush his teeth five times a day with pink toothpaste and he mother has to obsessively way his food and track his bowel movements. There are nine other families in other states (Izzy in Illinois, Leo in Louisiana, Annie in Arkansas) that are also trying this experiment. But two things happen to shake Nathan’s world: first, Izzy disappears. And then, Nathan grows a tail. These two events set Nathan on a path that will question everything he has been taught, as he determines to find out the truth of the CAST, his purpose, and the meaning behind it all.

I was truly captivated by this audiobook. A lot of it was the narrator: Sanderlin has a great voice for middle-grade books, and he made this one utterly enjoyable. There were some intense moments when I didn’t know what would happen (justice for Victor! He should have had a larger role.), and I have to admit that the ending was a little pat and somewhat preachy. Perhaps it’s because I’m an adult, but I just felt like Stead couldn’t go through with what the story was demanding of her and pivoted at the end to make a moral out of it. I could be wrong, but that’s the way it felt. That said, the rest of the book is fantastic, and I appreciate a science fiction/aliens book where people are not actually out there battling “bad” aliens. It’s refreshing. And highly recommended.

Magic Library of Waterfall Way

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by Julie Abe
First sentence: “The wind slapped against the windows like invisible hands trying to push the automobile off the road.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy provided by the publisher
Release date: August 25, 2026
Content: There are some intense moments and some bullying. It will be in the Middle Grade (grades 3-5) section of the bookstore.

Lyra Hunt is the first Unremarkable person – someone without magic, or any hope of getting magic – in the history of the Alterran Empire. This means that she hasn’t been accepted into a Guild yet, and if she isn’t by the time she turns 12, she will be banished to the Mist. Thankfully, on the way back to the city, the car she and her guardian are in drives off the road and she discovers the Guild of Scholars. Since she loves books, this is a perfect fit. Except the Guild of Scholars is in rough shape: they’re missing the crystal and the library has recently suffered from an enormous fire. And Lyra’s quest to join the Guild is to find the crystal so the library can be restored. It seems like an impossible task, but Lyra’s determined to find a place to belong.

This was super cozy and charming. The stakes were high, but not impossible – I never really feared for Lyra’s life. I thought the magic system was creative, and I liked the world-building in general. It kept me interested, and I think it will be entertaining for kids who like cozy adventure books.

Recommended!

Dragon Girl and the Awakened Flames

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by Jenny Moore
First sentence: “All the best stories and adventures start with a knock on the door.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Release date: March 3, 2026
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Content: There are some abandonment issues (but then, it’s a middle grade book), but that’s it. I’d say it’s for the younger end of the Middle Grade readership. It will be in the Middle Grade section (grades 3-5) of the bookstore.

Emba Oak is an orphan who hatched out of an egg, and has scales for arms, which doesn’t make her a very popular person in town. Thankfully, she lives in a cave with her guardian, Winifred (just call her Fred), and her friend and aspiring hero Odolf. So when Fred is kidnapped by a dark wizard who wants Emba’s half-dragon blood, Emba and Odolf set off to try and rescue her. Along the way, they learn a bit about Emba and the man they’re going up against.

So there’s not much to this one, and yet I found it charming. I’m a sucker for books with silly chapter headings (The Nefarious Note of Nastiness, The Barbed Bottom Bite of Bravery) and for silly asides. (There was a whole thing about ire being short for iron, which was quite amusing.) It’s the perfect speed for an 8- or 9-year-old who wants a low-stakes adventure story. And I quite liked it.

Queso, Just in Time

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by Ernesto Cisneros
First sentence: “I’m at the crosswalk leading to school.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Release date: March 10, 2026
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Content: There is bullying, and talk of a dead parent. It will be in the Middle Grade (grades 3-5) section of the bookstore.

Quetzalcoatl Castillo – Queso for short – wishes more than anything he could have his dad – who died in an armed robbery – back in his life. He feels alone, he feels unmoored, and he just wants to spend time with his father when he was happy – before he had PTSD, before he was shot and killed. And then, one night, a set of magical circumstances happens, and Queso is sent back to 1985 to see his father when he was 13. Once there, he realizes that his father has ADHD, and isn’t being given what he needs. So, he endeavors to help his dad – and enjoys being his friend – to better his life, and maybe live out his dreams.

On the one hand, this was a silly time travel book where everything is made better and no timelines are irrevocably changed. There was a part of me that expected Queso’s dad to be alive when he went back to the present. (Spoiler: he isn’t.) There are some fun 1980s moments, and I didn’t mind all the references to games and pop culture from that time period. It also was a good reminder how much education has changed in the past 40 years.

On the other hand, I got stuck in the math. I was 13 in 1985. I would have had to have a kid at 40 for my kid to be 13 now. Not implausible, but still. I got mired down in the math of it all. I don’t like it when I can’t figure out the timeline, or it doesn’t work to my satisfaction; I’m unable to let it go to fully get behind the story.

That said, I did end up enjoying the story (even if the ending is a bit… problematic).

Red River Rose

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by Carole Lindstrom
First sentence: “‘Hurry up, Delia, I want to stop at the ferry on the way,’ said Rose, trying not to tug her sister’s arm too hard.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Release date: March 17, 2026
Review copy provided by the publisher.R

Rose is a Métis girl living her beset life in Batoche, Saskatchewan in 1885. She helps take care of her sister, she goes hunting with her father and uncle, she enjoys watching the ferry on the river. However, one day, she overhears the elders talking about how the Canadian government want to come take their land – and that they should resist. Rose agrees: she doesn’t want to lose the only home she’s ever known, but as a 12-year-old girl, how can she help her people stand up against the government?

In the author’s note at the end, Lindstrom mentions that she wanted this to be a Native Little House on the Prairie, and I think she succeeded. It has the same quiet tone, an engaging and relatable heroine, and an insight into what life might have been like for the Métis in 1885. It was a bit simplistic (but it’s for kids!), but overall, I loved the storyline, I loved how Rose wanted to help her family and her neighbors, and I admired her willingness to take chances. Lindstrom created a great heroine, and I would love to experience more of her story.

It’s an important book – there always needs to be more stories of historical events from the Native perspective – but it’s also a good one.

Audiobook: Busted

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by Dan Gemeinhart
Read by: Mark Sanderlin
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There is some implied swearing (cleverly “quacked” out), minor crime, mafia dealings, and disobeying of parents. It’s in the Middle Grade section of the bookstore.

Oscar Aberdeen is a good kid. He’s got lots of grandparents to make sure he’s a good kid, since he lives at Sunny Days retirement home. He doesn’t want anything to change; he’s happy the way it is. But a new owner comes in, and raises the rent on Oscar and his grandpa. And so when new resident (and possible “bad news”) Jimmy Deluca asks Oscar to help him escape Sunny Days (he’s restricted) and accomplish his bucket list for $10,000 to help Oscar stay at Sunny Days, Oscar doesn’t refuse. That’s what starts the worst (and best) day of Oscar’s life.

This was an absolute delight to listen to. Gemeinhart knows how to write to middle grade readers, and knows how to make a story fun. It’s got heart – it’s about being a good person and doing the good thing and being a good friend – and it tackles tough issues like cancer and dying and deadbeat parents and losing one’s home. But it’s fun, entertaining, and thoroughly enjoyable to listen to.

Highly recommend this one. (Maybe I should get around to reading his other books, too!)