18 of the Best Middle Grade Books of 2024 Book List
The Children’s Book Review
In a year filled with extraordinary middle grade releases, these books stood out for their ability to transport young readers to new worlds while tackling a variety of meaningful themes such as friendship, courage, and identity with heart and authenticity.
From magical adventures and scientific discoveries to stories of friendship and family, 2024’s standout middle grade titles offer fresh perspectives and unforgettable characters. Whether embracing fantasy, contemporary realism, or historical fiction, these books demonstrated the incredible depth and diversity of middle grade literature, proving that great storytelling knows no bounds.
Here are eighteen of the best middle grade books of 2024:
Ferris
Written by Kate DiCamillo
Ages: 8-12 | 240 Pages
Publisher: Candlewick (2024) | ISBN-13: 978-1536231052
In this heartwarming and humorous novel from two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo, Ferris Wilkey’s summer before fifth grade becomes a whirlwind of family chaos when her sister turns outlaw, her uncle moves into the basement, and her grandmother starts seeing a ghost who has unexpected plans for them all.
Listen to Kate DiCamillo discuss Ferris on The Growing Readers Podcast.
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Puppet
Written by David Almond
Illustrated by Lizzy Stewart
Ages: 8-12 | 240 Pages
Publisher: Candlewick (2024) | ISBN-13: 978-1536239171
Hans Christian Andersen Award winner David Almond crafts a magical modern fairy tale about an elderly puppet master who creates one final puppet that unexpectedly comes to life, leading both creator and creation on a journey of discovery that reveals the transformative power of friendship, imagination, and passing on what we love to others.
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Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
Written by Patrick Ness
Illustrated by Tim Miller
Ages: 8-12 | 208 Pages
Publisher: Walker Books US (2024) | ISBN-13: 978-1536235937
From the author of A Monster Calls comes this witty and wise illustrated novel about Zeke, a monitor lizard who reluctantly becomes a hall monitor at his new school, where he must navigate being different, face off against a pelican supervillain, and discover what it truly means to be a hero.
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Kareem Between
Written by Shifa Saltagi Safadi
Ages: 8-12 | 336 Pages
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers (2024) | ISBN-13: 978-0593699263
In this novel-in-verse, seventh-grader Kareem juggles multiple challenges: showing around a Syrian refugee student, trying to make the football team, and coping with his mother’s extended stay in Syria, as he learns to navigate the complicated space between cultures, choices, and growing up.
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When eleven-year-old skeptic Benjamiah Creek receives a mysterious transforming doll, he’s pulled into the magical realm of Wreathenwold, where he must team up with the determined Elizabella to find her missing brother while navigating a dangerous labyrinth stalked by the fearsome Minotaur.
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Faker
Written by Gordon Korman
Ages: 8-12 | 224 Pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press (2024) | ISBN-13: 978-1338826753
Trey and his family are professional con artists who repeatedly scam wealthy parents at private schools, but as he grows tired of constant lies and fleeing to new places, he must figure out how to break free from the family business without putting them all at risk.
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When misfit Olive Zang arrives at RASCH, a peculiar boarding school in a converted castle-prison, she discovers it’s actually a front for an elite team of young crime-fighters—and her new team must stop a high-stakes heist to save their unconventional school from closing.
Listen to Dan Santat discuss creating books for kids on The Growing Readers Podcast.
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The First State of Being
Written by Erin Entrada Kelly
Ages: 8-12 | 272 Pages
Publisher: Greenwillow Books (2024) | ISBN-13: 978-0063337312
In August 1999, twelve-year-old Michael Rosario’s ordinary life changes when he meets Ridge, a teenage time traveler with a book containing the next twenty years of history—but Michael’s determination to see this future might cost him his new friendship.
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In this final installment of the beloved series that began with The One and Only Ivan, the silverback gorilla Ivan is now a father to twins at his wildlife sanctuary, leading him to reflect on his own childhood and the twin he left behind in the jungle.
You can hear Katherine Applegate discuss creating books for kids on The Growing Readers Podcast.
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Impossible Creatures
Written by Katherine Rundell
Illustrated by Ashley Mackenzie
Ages: 9+ | 368 Pages
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (2024) | ISBN-13: 978-0593809860
In this richly illustrated fantasy adventure, Christopher’s rescue of a baby griffin leads him to the Archipelago—a hidden realm of magical creatures—where he joins forces with a mysterious girl named Mal on a race across magical islands to save this last enchanted place from a mysterious force causing magic to fade and creatures to die.
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Unstuck
Written by Barbara Dee
Ages: 9-13 | 288 Pages
Publisher: Aladdin (2024) | ISBN-13: 978-1534489868
When seventh-grader Lyla struggles with writer’s block while working on her fantasy novel for a school writing project, she discovers that her seemingly perfect older sister Dahlia is facing her own writing challenges, leading both sisters to learn about vulnerability, connection, and the unexpected parallels between fiction and real life.
Barbara Dee talks about Unstuck over on The Growing Readers Podcast.
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Olivetti
Written by Allie Millington
Ages: 10+ | 256 Pages
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (2024) | ISBN-13: 978-1250326935
In this unique and touching novel, a forgotten typewriter named Olivetti teams up with twelve-year-old Ernest to find his missing mother Beatrice, using the memories stored within its keys to uncover family secrets and heal old wounds as they embark on an adventure across San Francisco that will help them both find what they’ve lost.
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Buffalo Dreamer
Written by Violet Duncan
Ages: 10-12 | 128 Pages
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books (2024) | ISBN-13: 978-0593624814
During her annual summer visit to her mother’s reservation in Alberta, Summer begins having mysterious dreams about residential schools just as unmarked children’s graves are discovered at the school her grandfather attended, leading her to explore her family’s painful past while seeking answers about her dreams.
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During World War II, siblings Jakob and Lizzie find themselves at Britain’s secret codebreaking facility, Bletchley Park, where Jakob works to crack Nazi codes while fourteen-year-old Lizzie investigates their mother’s mysterious disappearance—leading them both into a dangerous web of riddles that could change the course of the war.
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In this heartwarming companion to The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, Coyote and her dad embark on another cross-country adventure in their beloved bus named Yager, this time on a secret mission to recover a lost book containing the location where her mother wished her ashes to be scattered, bringing old and new friends together in a journey of love, memory, and healing.
Dan Gemeinhart talks about Coyote Lost and Found over on The Growing Readers Podcast.
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After saving an elderly actress’s life, Melody is chosen to speak at an international symposium in London for differently abled children, where she joins other young advocates from around the world fighting for greater accessibility and equality.
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Deer Run Home
Written by Ann Claire LeZotte
Ages: 10-14 | 224 Pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press (2024) | ISBN-13: 978-1339021904
Deaf thirteen-year-old Effie moves into her father’s trailer with her sister after an incident at their mother’s house, but with no one in her family knowing sign language and a terrible secret weighing on her, she must find the courage to make herself heard.
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Louder Than Hunger
Written by John Schu
Ages: 10-14 | 528 Pages
Publisher: Candlewick (2024) | ISBN-13: 978-1536229097
In this raw and powerful novel-in-verse, based on the author’s own experiences with anorexia and residential treatment facilities, John Schu offers a deeply personal story of a young person’s struggle with an eating disorder, their journey toward healing, and the transformative power of self-acceptance and support.
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