The Best, Most Giftable Middle-Grade Books 0f 2022
Tanvi Rastogi, one of our best experts on middle grade books and the leader of our Good Trouble Book Club for middle schoolers, says that books for this age often serve one of two purposes: they exist purely for pleasure, like the candy of the children’s lit world, or they’re meant to impart a message that helps readers understand something about the wider world. “Both of these are fine, and many books fall somewhere between these two points,” she says, “But the best…books are stories that fall right in the middle of that spectrum.”
The following is our list of those special “just right” books.
Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas
What Gene Leun Yang’s Dragon Hoops did for basketball in young adult graphic novels, Johnnie Christmas does for swimming at the elementary school reading level. Christmas has a long career in adult comics, and this marks his juvenile debut – his realistic style will please fans of Jerry Craft’s New Kid and Class Act. The story, Swim Team, is set in Florida, where main character Bree is starting the year at a new middle school: Enith Brigitha, home of the Mighty Manatees. She’s excited for the new adventure but not for the elective that’s added to her class schedule: Swim 101. Bree is more than a little afraid of the pool, but with the help a elderly neighbor in her apartment complex, who just happens to be a former swim team captain, Bree suddenly finds herself the star of a formerly failing swim program headed to a state championship. This is an epic, come-from-behind, underdog sports story, but the graphic novel is also laced with history about a long history of segregated swimming pools and lack of access to swim education for Black Americans. Christmas was motivated to write the novel based on his own near drowning in a pool as a child and because of the destruction of the YMCA in his hometown, which was the primary access for swimming lessons for Black residents.
Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston by Esme Symes-Smith
Sir Callie is a book that combines an indulgently entertaining story, complete with magical elements and dragons, with an important message about how enforced gender norms can affect the lives of young people. It also offers a contrasting picture of what can be gained when we’re allowed to pursue interests and dreams free from the judgment of others. In this case, Callie has known since they were little that they’re not a girl – a fact their mother denies and tyrannically works to “correct” until Callie’s father flees with Callie to a more diverse and loving community in the woods. When Callie’s father, a former knight, is called back to the kingdom to help train a meek prince, Callie sees their chance to fulfill a lifelong wish: a return to Helston to train to become a knight just like their father. Not much has changed in Helston, though, and there’s no place for a “girl” in the guard. As Callie struggles to hold on to their dream, they discover that the crown prince is perhaps not all he seems, either, and that maybe they, with a few other friends, might have what it takes to forge their own way.
New From Here by Kelly Yang
Kelly Yang is beloved and heralded for her Front Desk series, now numbering 4 titles, most recently Key Player. New From Here is a standalone novel. When the coronavirus hits Hong Kong, ten-year-old Knox Wei-Evans’s mom makes the last-minute decision to move him and his siblings back to California, where they think they will be safe. Suddenly, Knox has two days to prepare for an international move—and for leaving his dad, who has to stay for work. At his new school in California, Knox struggles with being the new kid. His classmates think that because he’s from Asia, he must have brought over the virus. At home, Mom just got fired and is panicking over the loss of health insurance, and Dad doesn’t even know when he’ll see them again, since the flights have been cancelled. And everyone struggles with Knox’s blurting-things-out problem. As racism skyrockets during COVID-19, Knox tries to stand up to hate, while finding his place in his new country. Can you belong if you’re feared; can you protect if you’re new? And how do you keep a family together when you’re oceans apart? Sometimes when the world is spinning out of control, the best way to get through it is to embrace our own lovable uniqueness.
The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Shawn Harris
While the rest of us were holed up and depressed during the onset of the pandemic during 2020, childhood besties Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris delivered comic relief in the form of their “live cartoon” on Instagram about a cat sent to space to combat rats threatening the moon. The cartoon was adapted and published as an epic graphic novel this spring, with a sequel already promised, and it’s just the ticket for readers who can’t get enough of Dog Man or Bad Guys. Barnett employs his trademark absurdist humor throughout – the cybernetically enhanced cat only speaks “meow,” his sidekick is a toenail clipping robot, and Earth’s space commander makes liberal use of hilarious exclamatives (ex. “Oh my Grammy’s meatloaf!”). Harris’ illustrations are imaginative, vivid, even beautiful; these are panels that will draw young readers into a different universe, inviting them to pore over the fine details. Bravo to this duo for teaming up to offer us something wholly original and surprising – their enthusiasm, as evidenced by the free soundtrack they recorded to accompany the novel, as well as a fan club, is contagious.
A Duet for Home by Karina Yan Glaser
Our Good Trouble Book Club for middle school students just read A Duet for Home by Karina Yan Glaser. It could not have been a better fit for our mission of using literature that reflects moments of injustice to help the kids in our community practice using their voices. This way, they’re ready to make good trouble when similar moments arise in their own lives. The book addresses homelessness, a topic with which the author, best known for her Vanderbeeker’s series, is intimately familiar – in addition to being a teacher, she worked at New York City’s largest provider of transitional housing for the homeless. The story's protagonists are June and Tyrell, biracial sixth graders who meet at a homeless shelter called Huey House. Tyrell has called Huey House home for three years, and he’s known for his penchant for pranks. June, on the other hand, stresses about school, and is distraught that she can’t bring her precious viola with her to the shelter.
Yan Glaser challenges young readers to confront common stereotypes about people in poverty, in particular the idea that they’re lazy—June and her sister travel several hours round trip every day to attend their old school in Chinatown, and she, Tyrell and another friend in the shelter work hard to find a quiet place in the shelter each night to do their homework free from the many distractions that come with living in a compact space with so many other people. And while some aspects of living in Huey House are bleak—a lack of job training, transportation, mental health counseling, and a shaky future for the shelter—other aspects are lovely—friendship and a classical musician living next door who’s willing to foster June and Tyrell’s love of music.
Ellen Outside The Lines by A.J. Sass
Ellen is autistic and lives her life according to a rigid schedule. Planning her day moment by moment is soothing in a world that can feel chaotic and overwhelming, but with her trusty diary and best (if only) friend Laurel by her side, Ellen can do anything. When Ellen and Laurel take a school trip to Spain, nothing goes according to plan. When students are divided into teams to compete in a city-wide scavenger hunt, Ellen finds herself in an often disorienting new place with classmates she barely knows, including a new nonbinary student who challenges Ellen's understanding of gender as a binary. Can Ellen survive--and maybe even help lead her team to sweet scavenger hunt victory? Sass does a fantastic job of demonstrating what supporting an autistic peer looks like—that we each have different needs and by listening and learning from others about what support looks like to them, we can help one another thrive. The author’s autistic, non-binary, and Jewish identities are well-represented in this story.
Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega
Perfect for any reader who loves all things witchy and magic! Seven can’t wait for the town of Ravenskill’s annual sorting of witchlings into their covens—she’s certain she’s destined for a spot in one of the most powerful covens alongside her best friend, where they’ll graduate together into full-fledged witches. But on the night of the sorting, everything goes wrong. Seven is sorted into a coven of Spares, the least powerful of all the covens! Even worse? The magic meant to seal their coven fails, and now Seven and her two fellow Spares might be stuck as witchlings forever. If Seven wants to grow into her full power as a witch, there’s only one option: invoke the Impossible Task. If the Spares survive, they’ll prove themselves worthy of gaining their full powers. But if they don’t, well…
The monsters (human and magical!), plot twists, and hilarious puns—plus the hearty dose of girl power—will keep your fantasy-loving readers engaged and waiting for the next installment, though this one works great as a standalone, too. If anyone figures out a way to transport people into fictional settings, please sign me up for a trip to Ravenskill!
Twelfth by Janet Key
Maren is NOT excited to spend her summer at theater camp, but off she goes at her parents’ insistence. But she’s barely arrived when she finds herself knee-deep in a mystery involving a stolen, very valuable diamond ring, a film director who died decades earlier, and clues that someone seems to be mysteriously leaving behind for just Maren to find. Twelfth offers a great introduction to both theater (and Shakespeare specifically) and nonbinary gender identities through the inclusion of a main character who is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns. Not interested in film or theater? No worries! You definitely don’t have to be a theater geek or movie nerd to enjoy this mystery that expertly weaves historical and present-day plotlines together to create a fantastic finale.
The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill
A new classic of the genre by one of our absolute favorite children’s book authors, The Ogress and the Orphans is set in Stone-in-the-Glen, a once a flourishing town that has fallen on hard times. Served by a charismatic mayor who is maybe more flash than actual substance, only the orphans and the ogress at the fringes of the town can truly see how bad all of the town’s problems have gotten. When one of the orphans goes missing, all eyes turn to the ogress (at the suggestion of the mayor). The children must convince their community of the ogress’s goodness and reveal who the real villain is in their midst. In the process, they change their community for the better by saving the town from a dragon and introducing the people to books! This book is about being a good neighbor, how villains sometimes surprise us, empathy, finding a family, storytelling, and making your community better. The fantastical setting makes the contemporary lessons and timeless ideals easily palatable for any reader of every age.
Island of Spies by Sheila Turnage
A fun, fast paced middle grade WWII spy mystery from Newberry Award-Winning author, Sheila Turnage, Island of Spies is based on actual historical events. Twelve-year-old Stick Lawson lives on Hatteras Island, North Carolina, where life is as sure and steady as the phases of the moon and the swell of the tides—yet mysteries abound if you know where to look. And Stick and her friends, Neb and Rain, know exactly where to look. They call themselves the Dime Novel Kids, and the only thing they want as much as to be paid for solving a case is the respect that would come with it. But with WWII on the horizon and new people coming on to their little island, the Dime Novel Kids might be getting more than they bargained for. In this fast-paced story, people are not who they seem and danger lurks everywhere. Tackling themes of bullying and racism, yet charming and humorous, this novel of codes and clues, spies and double agents, draws you in and pulls you all the way to the thrilling conclusion.
The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander
This novel in verse by Newberry Medal and Coretta Scott King Award winner Kwame Alexander is the first in a scorching, awe-inspiring trilogy that will take you on an unforgettable adventure, open your eyes, and break your heart. Kofi loves his family, playing oware with his grandfather, and swimming in the river Offin in his village in Upper Kwanta. The 11-year-old is continually warned to never go near the river at night. And yet, Kofi goes to the river. One night, what he is always warned about finally happens and his whole world is turned upside down. This is a powerfully moving story about a young African boy who is sold into slavery. Using this lyrical form, the reader is transported to the life of 11 yr old Kofi navigating love, loss, betrayal, and survival. At once vividly detailed and plainly simple, lyrically surgical, and comforts after it cuts, this middle-grade book is still a must-read for any age.
Garlic and the Witch by Bree Paulsen
For fans of Tidesong or Witch Boy, this stand-alone sequel to Garlic and the Vampire has seized the hearts of Booksellers Mariah and Jess. Garlic loves spending time with Witch Agnes, Carrot, and her new friend the Count (who is a delight and not the deadly threat they feared he would be). While trying to devise a new blood-substitute for their vampire friend, Witch Agnes discovers the ingredient she needs can only be found at a magic market a long ways away. Before long, Garlic is armed with a miniature broom of her own and heads off with the Count on this nervous-making new adventure. At the same time, Garlic has sprouted a couple new fingers, and fears she is turning human. Witch Agnes assures her this transformation is natural and nothing to be afraid of, but Garlic frets about everything that will be upending with this change. With the same folksy, adorable art style as the first book, this graphic novel helps Garlic (and us!) learn that while change can be scary, it can be good and important, too.
