Hey, it’s May! And lots of shiny, new middle grade books are making their way into readers’ hands. Here are a few to check out!
Two books in the new Scholastic series: Magic Gems, by Payal Doshi
Journey Through the Waterfall (Magic Gems #1)
Lily the Water Gem helps her family take care of otters who splash around near the lake. When one of the baby otters is injured, Lily rushes to help. It soon becomes clear that the otter needs a special medicine made from flowers that grow beyond a powerful waterfall. The Gem who goes on the mission to collect the flowers must be brave, strong, and fast—because time is running out. Lily volunteers to make the journey. She’ll do anything to save one of her beloved otters!
Lost in the Crystal Caves (Magic Gems #2)
Rio, an Earth Gem, is eager to earn his first gemstone in order to do more for his animal neighbors. One afternoon, a fox bounds up to Rio, clearly in distress. Another fox is lost inside the nearby Crystal Caves! Without waiting for his fellow Gems, Rio heads into the caves. Once inside, finding a lost fox proves trickier than Rio thought it would be. He’s worried he might get lost himself!
Squalo & Mage vs. the Rage of the Bakunawa
A Graphic Novel by Kara Bodegón-Hikino
After losing her father in an attack by the evil Tikbalang, Mage and her best friend, Squalo, set off an important quest far from home to honor her father’s last wish—find the Bakunawa, the guardian of the sea.
But Mage and Squalo don’t know where to find the Bakunawa. And the evil Tikbalang was only one underling of Ventrolio, the nightmare maker, who is hunting Mage at any cost. Mage and Squalo’s journey takes them all over Mundo, facing monsters and possessed minions of Ventrolio until they hear news of an angry bakunawa that would rather destroy ships and summon storms than help sailors. Why would Mage’s father send them to someone so dangerous? Can Mage and Squalo uncover the truth before the Bakunawa unleashes her wrath and plunges all of Mundo into chaos?
My Name Is Harriet Mansoor (Not Hairy Man Suit!)
By Haleh Massey (Author) and Rashin Kheiriyeh (Illustrator)
Eleven-year-old Hangameh “Harriet” Mansoor really needs to catch a break. Puberty gifted her a big nose and bushy eyebrows, which make her stick out even more than being the only Iranian girl among all her blonde, blue-eyed classmates. But the sixth-grade camping trip to Camp Cottontail could be the perfect opportunity to turn her middle-school fate around. She’d finally have a little space from her over-protective parents and moody older sister; she’d have some serious fun with her best friend Cathy; and she’d maybe even gather up the courage to talk to her long-time crush, Jeremy.
Unfortunately, a string of terrible luck threatens everything. Her bully, Sarah Gill, starts to date Jeremy and when she catches a glimpse of Harriet’s unshaved legs, she gives Harriet an awful nickname: Hairy Man Suit. But worst of all, her parents announce that money problems might force them to move all the way back to Iran–and soon–sending her far away from her best friend and everything she knows. While Harriet usually tries to blend in as much as possible and keep the peace, she’ll have to speak up and stand up if she wants to solve any of these catastrophes. But can she do it before her family packs up everything to leave the country?
All about Us: 20 True Tales of Courage and Disability
By Hannalora Leavitt (Author) and Stef Wong (Illustrator)
Meet twenty inspiring kids and adults living with disability today. Stefan Daniel is a Paralympian who began competing when he was 16 and won Canada’s first paratriathlon medal in 2016. Zamaan Jivraj, aka The Granola Kid, launched an online granola company and doesn’t let his diagnosis of Down syndrome define him. Stella Bartlett is a teen singer and performer from CBC’s Ukulele U, where she was the only performer on the show with a disability.
From journalists to NASA scientists to TikTok stars and kidpreneurs, young readers will be introduced to people who were born with a disability and others who became disabled because of illness or an accident. All About Us explores the basic categories of disability: intellectual, sensory, physical and invisible. Readers will discover how every disability, whether it’s deafness, blindness or neurodiversity, has its own unique set of adaptations to help manage the tasks of daily life. No two blind people, intellectually challenged people or people who use wheelchairs are the same.
One Ocean: 7 Ways to Save the Seas
By Mark Leiren-Young (Author) and Bithi Sutradhar (Illustrator)
About seventy percent of our planet is ocean, and over 250,000 species call it home. But most of the animals that live in it–from the biggest whales to the smallest plankton–are being affected by the climate crisis.
In One Ocean, learn about practical ways to keep the ocean clean, the effects of the climate crisis, how to get political in your community and how small actions can have a big impact. Meet young activists and discover what inspires them, including Ta’Kaiya Blaney, a singer-songwriter and actor from the Tla’amin Nation, and Finlay Pringle, who fought to stop raw sewage from being dumped in the ocean near his home in Scotland. Come away with actionable steps to take because protecting the ocean is up to us. And, since all oceans connect, there is really only one ocean for all.
Song of the Yellow Dragon
By Ying Ping Low
There is a secret that every child knows: Magic is real. But by the time children turn thirteen, they forget that magic is anything but make-believe. Mengyao wants to remember. Born in a village nestled in a secluded vale, Mengyao wants to hold on to magic and become a Divine Healer. But with her thirteenth birthday fast approaching, she is losing hope.
Young emperor Kai is on the run from traitorous advisors. He’s searching for the fabled Dragon’s Pulse, a magic capable of defeating his enemies. On the brink of his thirteenth birthday, Kai doesn’t have much longer. So when he meets Mengyao—the girl whose name is mentioned in his legend—he forces aside his instinctual distrust and recruits her to help him on his quest.
On their perilous journey, Kai and Mengyao find aid in unexpected forms like a jade hare, a moon goddess, and a handful of promises. But as enemies close in and time runs out, secrets that will reshape the fate of their kingdom forever come to light.
Wombat Waiting
By Katherine Applegate
Wombat isn’t actually a wombat—but when the homeless dog is discovered, singed and ash-covered after a terrible fire destroys a community, someone tags her with the nickname and it sticks. Wombat is a “destiny dog.” Something inside of her (she nicknames it “Voice’) keeps telling her there’s a special someone out there who is meant to be her person.
Surrounded by a devastated town, Wombat takes up residence on bench near the makeshift community center, an old brick warehouse that, for the most part, survived the flames. A small part of the community center evacuation site has been repurposed for the local wildlife rehab sanctuary that burned down. All of the animals were spared, and the temporary quarters include an elderly fruit bat and a young Northern saw-whet owl.
No matter what, Wombat refuses to move from her perch, despite the efforts of many humans. Clearly the dog is waiting for someone. But for whom? And what are the odds they survived?
The Last Immortals: Dawn of the Axolotl
By Kit Brooks
There’s danger lurking in the depths of the lake. Ace learns this early–when his twin brother cruelly devours his tail and leaves him for dead. Separated from his family, Ace is cast into a perilous waterway. He is wary of trusting others, but his survival will depend on it as he navigates treacherous algae blooms and hunts for food while he waits for his tail to regenerate. And when he stumbles upon a glowing green axolotl named Ariel, he learns that, with training, axolotls can develop an incredible power: immortality. With high rewards come unspeakable risks, and Ace has been hurt before. But the potential to cheat death might be too hard to resist.
This action-packed adventure explores the strength that develops through adversity as Ace confronts bullying, betrayal, poisoned waters, and vicious predators, all while forming lasting bonds with the courageous axolotls he meets along the way.
The Mystery of the Stolen World Cup Trophy
By Angela Cervantes
Diez Espada—named after the jersey number of his soccer-obsessed father’s favorite player, Lionel Messi—would rather be chasing clues than soccer balls. When the World Cup trophy disappears at a glitzy party in Miami, he’s suddenly at the center of the most thrilling match of his life—a race to find the trophy before it’s gone for good.
Teaming up with his crush, Rio, and the world-famous Detective Enzo, Diez dives headfirst into a one-night whirlwind of secret tunnels and a squad of suspicious suspects: a spoiled son of a Miami tycoon, a famous sportscaster, and even Rio’s two prankster younger brothers.
The clock is ticking, the suspects are slippery, and the stadium lights are ready to shine. Will Diez find the trophy in time for the World Cup championship match?
Listen to the Girls
By Chrystal D. Giles
Calla has always had smart-girl energy. She’s Josiah the track star’s practical younger sister. Charlee and Jacoby’s problem-solving best friend. Attorney Dionne Howard’s model daughter. So it’s nice when someone seems to see her for her, outside of all that. But what if that person is a grown-up who maybe isn’t as trustworthy as Calla thought? Calla’s mom likes to say “Always do what you know is right.” But what if you don’t know what the right thing is?
These are the questions Calla faces on the last day of seventh grade, when she finds out that her favorite teacher has been accused of inappropriate conduct at his old school. Calla doesn’t know what really happened. She does know that people are saying mean things about the girls who have spoken out—and that can’t be right . . . can it? Inspired by her favorite newsblogger, EboniNews (whose motto is Amplify. Connect. Truth. ACT.), Calla has an idea. Can she find a way to ACT?
Diamond Fever! A True Crime Story in the Wild West
By Steve Sheinkin
Late one night two travel-weary miners, Philip Arnold and John Slack, show up at a businessman’s office in San Francisco. The miners seem nervous. They’ve got something that needs to be locked in a safe overnight. What is it? Well, that really has to stay secret, but it’s… DIAMONDS! And lots of them. Had these two miners just discovered America’s first diamond mine? Well, this is the Gold Rush era after all. Plenty of people are striking it rich. Anything is possible.
When word of the find hits the streets, diamond fever sweeps the country. Wealthy investors are desperate to elbow Arnold and Slack aside and seize control—but can they persuade the miners to reveal the location of their bonanza? At the same time, thousands of prospectors fan out across the mountains and deserts of the West—will one of them find the site before greedy bankers grab everything for themselves?
The Second Life of Snap
By Erin Entrada Kelly
Bright Valley Subsidized Camp #5 is not a perfect place to live. It’s dusty, there are no trees to provide respite from the beating sun, the trailers are falling apart, and the water supply is heavily rationed. But to twelve-year-old Zuzu Santos and her three best friends, Bright Valley is home.
When Zuzu’s dad loses his job at Lockwood, the corporation that controls everything from rations to education, he isn’t given money or food or water as severance, but a dated, first-generation robot. They do not provide a working charging station. Zuzu names the robot Snap, and he soon becomes part of the Bright Valley family. But Snap’s battery is dwindling every day, and though Snap is prepared for his inevitable reset, Zuzu isn’t. She would do whatever it takes to keep Snap alive. The problem is, Snap would do the same for Zuzu and her friends, no matter the cost.
Karen Latchana Kenney is a children’s author and editor who loves creating all kinds of STEM books and classroom content. Find her at https://www.karenlatchanakenney.com/.
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