Category: The Kids Are All Right

This incredible anthology features a cast of awesome middle grade writers such as Tom Angleberger, Max Brallier, Christina Soontornvat, Janae Marks, Sarah Mlynowski, James Ponti, Hena Khan, R.L. Stine, Gordon Korman, Karina Yan Glaser, Soman Chainani, Matt de la Pena, Rex Ogle, Pam Munoz Ryan, and more! Check out these nonfiction stories of resilience and hope.

Who doesn’t love a magical school story? In the town of Ravenskill, Witchlings who participate in the Black Moon Ceremony are placed into covens and come into their powers as full-fledged witches. But when Seven Salazar isn’t placed into a coven, she becomes a Spare and risks losing her powers altogether. Can she come together with the other Spares and reclaim their powers?

I love this hilarious story about eleven-year-old Sonali who wishes life could be more like Bollywood films where people sing and dance and everyone seems happy. Parents in Bollywood films don’t fight like Sonali’s parents do. But when Sonali goes on a field trip, she finds herself breaking into a song and dance routine and all of her feelings and emotions are out for everyone to see. And the next day, life shifts into full Bollywood mode! Can Sonali figure out what’s going on before it’s too late?

This is a fun, fresh series-starter about a Hasani, a girl in New Orleans who learns she’s a witch when a burst of emotion, prompted by her father’s growing relationship with his new girlfriend, reveals her witchy powers. Heading off to a magic school based off Creole magic seems like a good way to distract Hasani from her parents’ split, but it’s not turning out to be what she expected either.

If you’re looking for a fun, rollicking fantasy look no further than this new one that combines Chinese folklore and videogames. Zack hasn’t had a lot of chances to learn about Chinese myth, so he’s not prepared when he learns he’s destined to host the spirit of the First Emperor of China. So of course things go wrong and the Emperor ends up linking to Zack’s gaming headset instead.

This exciting pick-your-own-path book lets you – the reader – choose whether you want to be the hero or the villain! When a weird bird scratches your hand and you gain the power of flight, you get a chance to decide your future!

Two sixth graders are determined to make it through the school year achieving their goals. For Isaac, the best basketball player in the school, it means keeping up his grades up and hopefully preventing his parents from fighting. For star student Marco, it means making the basketball team and finally giving his dad a reason to be proud of him. Can these two sixth graders help each other through the year?

This is an inspiring coming-of-age story about the titular Luz, a soccer star whose injury looks to have taken her off the field for good. Struggling for identity after the loss of something so important to her, Luz finds a lifeline in coding instead, and hopes excelling in it will give her something else to make her parents proud. But when she discovers her dad has a daughter in Guatemala, who comes to live with them, Luz’s life is thrown even further into disarray.

Tae Keller, winner of the Newbery Award for When You Trap a Tiger, is back with her newest middle grade book. This one explores bullying while weaving in mystery and science fiction. I adored this book, and I’m certain you will too!

This gem of a book by lovely human Jennifer Ziegler follows a young misfit who has been given the unfortunate nickname “Worser” by his classmates. With troubles at home and bullying at school, Worser finds refuge in words… until he finds The Literary Club, a group of kids from school who share his love of words and meet in a used bookstore. But friendships are not as clear cut as words; can Worser navigate the highs and lows with his friends and defeat his nickname for good?

This is an adventurous middle grade fantasy set in Vittoria, said to be the last city after a magical war destroyed the others. The only thing left beyond the walls are terrible monsters. But when Octavia meets another girl beyond the walls, someone who isn’t from Vittoria, she has to question everything she knows.

The hilariously funny Max Brallier is out with a new book in his Last Kids on Earth series. This time, the focus is on Quint and Dirk as they battle new monsters and go on epic adventures. Don’t forget to check out this new book in the epic series (and catch Max on his bus tour!).

This new chapter book by the award-winning author of Amina’s Voice (one of my favorite books!) is about Zara, the queen bee of the neighborhood. When a new family moves in and Naomi has her own ideas about how to have fun, Zara finds her crown in peril. Can Zara come up with the best idea for record-breaking fun… and earn back her crown?

In this sweet picture book, a home by the name of Walter tries to warm up to to its new family after its previous owners move out.

This nonfiction read is a wonderful primer on queer history packed with colorful illustrations and photos. It’s not only a celebration of queer history but also of the young, queer people of today who have contributed essays to the book.