Posts Tagged Middle Grade

Diversity in MG Lit #54: Jan & Feb 2026

By on February 18, 2026   /   Articles   /   Leave a comment
Here are seven titles from January and February, curated by Rosanne Parry, by diverse authors. Watch for in-depth interviews with several of the authors in the months ahead!

Hail Mariam

Hail Mariam by Huda Al-Marashi
Often in a MG book when the character belongs to a faith community the book centers the cultural aspects of that religion–the holidays, the cultural practices, the historical hardships. Here is a rare book which delves into Mariam’s actual experience of faith, her prayer life, consolation, and discernment. And its explores the interfaith experiences of a Muslim girl attending a Catholic school. (A more common experience than you might think. In my parents Catholic schools about a third of the student body was Jewish. My local Catholic high school had a Muslim student body president last year. It’s student body is a third religions other than Catholicism and a third students with no religious affiliation.) It’s refreshing to see religion addressed with such care and authenticity. Mariam’s thoughtfulness and moral courage as she navigates the new school and her sister’s illness makes for an appealing read.

Mythspeaker

Mythspeaker by Christopher Roubique
Roubique is an indigenous person, not enrolled in a tribe, who has written a work of fantasy inspired by the indigenous cultures of North America. This debut novel a sweeping adventure featuring a daring heist, a band of misfits and many magical creatures. I think it would appeal to the fans of Rick Riorden.

Goodbye, French Fry

Goodbye, French Fry by Rin-Rin Yu
Ping-Ping is a Chinese American. Like many two culture kids she feels not American enough for her school friends and not Chinese enough for her parents. But she does find physical, emotional, and social strength in the practice of taekwondo and in her piano lessons.

The Last Resort Books

This is the second in a new series, the first was The Last Resort by Erin Entrada Kelly. They are mystery puzzle stories with an interactive virtual element. Readers use their phone to see the pictures come to life and interact with the ghosts in the book to solve an additional mystery. It’s an exciting concept and I’m eager to see if readers at our bookstore respond.

A Year Without Home

A Year Without Home by V.T. Bidania
Set in Laos at the end of the Vietnam War, Bidania has written an ambitious tale spanning years and hundreds of miles from wartime Laos to the refugee camps of Thailand. The use of verse keeps the story accessible, emotionally vivid, and fast moving.

Hattie Mae Begins Again

Hattie Mae Begins Again by Sharon G. Flake
A novel in verse set in the Great Migration of the 1930s when many African American families moved from the rural south to cities in the north. Hattie Mae’s is new to Philadelphia and finding both new friends and new ambitions.

Nadia Islam, On the Record

Nadia Islam, On the Record, words by Adiba Jaigirdar art by Avani Dwivedi
Nadia is a student journalist, a growing environmental activist, and a celebrating her first Ramadan when she will fast just like the other grown ups. And then her family decides to go to visit relatives in Bangladesh for the whole month of Ramadan. Trepidation becomes opportunity as Nadia finds an opportunity to report on environmental issues abroad.
This is only a small sample of the diverse books published in the last two months. Please add any Rosanne missed in the comments.
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Author Spotlight: John Claude Bemis + a GIVEAWAY

By on January 15, 2026   /   Articles, Author Interviews, Giveaways  

In today’s Author Spotlight, Jo Hackl chats with award-winning author John Claude Bemis about his new graphic novel, Rodeo Hawkins & the Daughters of Mayhem.  John Claude Bemis is the author of seven middle-grade novels, and a picture book. A former elementary school teacher, John earned his Master’s of Education in Literacy from UNC Chapel Hill and taught fourth and fifth grades for thirteen years. He received the Excellence in Teaching Award from UNC-Chapel Hill for his work as an author-presenter in schools and served as North Carolina’s Piedmont Laureate for Children’s Literature, promoting literacy and the literary arts. A popular instructor and inspiring guide to writers of all ages—kids, teens, and adults— he teaches creative writing workshops and leads retreats around the world. Beyond the creative expression of writing, John is also a sculptural mask-maker, a songwriter, and musician. He lives with his wife and daughter in Hillsborough, North Carolina.

Plus, there’s a chance to win a copy of Rodeo Hawkins & the Daughters of Mayhem if you enter the giveaway. Scroll down for details.

All about the book!

Foster kid Sidney Poblocki is thrilled to learn his destiny is to save the multiverse—until he discovers it’s actually his destiny to destroy it—in this fantasy adventure graphic novel!

Get ready for Mayhem!

When Sidney Poblocki runs away from his troubled home life, he winds up in a whole new world of trouble. Why are interdimensional assassins after him along with every other kid named Sidney Poblocki throughout the multiverse? Will he ever see his best bud Walt again now that Walt’s memory of Sidney has been erased? And what the heck is the deal with Rodeo Hawkins and her ragtag gang of mischief-making girls the Daughters of Mayhem?!

They claim they’re trying to keep him safe, but Sidney isn’t so certain “safe” is even in their vocabulary. As Sidney is swept into a series of misadventures that will change the multiverse forever, one thing is for certain: with Rodeo Hawkins around, his life is about to be filled with a lot more mayhem.

Jo:  John, many thanks for answering my questions. Rodeo Hawkins and the Daughters of Mayhem takes readers on a rip-roaring adventure across the multiverse. Your main character, Sidney Poblocki, is relatable, fun and witty.  Can you tell us about your process for creating him?

John: With all these weirdo characters, my goal was for Sidney to be the most relatable. He’s not talented or exceptional in any way. He’s just a rather sweet guy who wants to belong. He wants to find “his people,” which is hard when he doesn’t know who to trust or why these powerful people are all after him.

The Daughters of Mayhem are pretty mischievous, especially Rodeo! She can get so caught up in mischief-making that she doesn’t always consider how others feel. I needed that yin-yang, sweet-and-salty balance between Sidney and Rodeo.

 

Jo: Rodeo Hawkins is mysterious and brave and demonstrates girl-power at its best. Can you tell us about your process for creating her? 

John: I love a character with a mysterious backstory. Rodeo seems like a kid—and she is a kid, I suppose—but she’s also a powerful cosmic being. If you give an overconfident kid so many powers, they’re not only a danger to their enemies, but also to their friends. By making Rodeo an outrageously big personality, I knew I could get a lot of humor and thrills out of her.

 

Jo: Your plot is a fast-paced, complex and adventure-filled romp across the multiverse.  Can you tell us about your process of writing it? 

John: I began this project expecting it to become a traditional novel. But when the first ideas started filling my head so quickly, I had to capture them as fast as humanly possible. So, I decided to start with a barebones draft in script format. Just the dialogue and simple stage directions. But once I got into it, I quickly realized how this story wanted—needed!—to be a graphic novel instead.

 

Jo: This is your first graphic novel but you have written extensively for young readers.  Can you tell us about how your process was different for writing a graphic novel versus a traditional novel in prose? 

John: It’s a very different process. With a traditional novel, you’re telling the story entirely with words. With comics, you’re writing a script that the illustrator will turn into the vehicle for the story. There’s less room to explain or even provide direct access to a character’s thoughts. You really have to show, rather than tell.

Jo: Who was your favorite character to write? Why?

John: Rodeo, for sure. While she’s incredibly powerful and fearless, she has major flaws. She’s arrogant. She doesn’t always know how to be a good friend. In fact, even though she’s a good guy, she operates more like a villain. Often, we love villains because they don’t play by the rules and are so uninhibited. Rodeo is definitely that way. It made her hilarious to play with in my imagination and on the page.

 

Jo: Your story takes us across the multiverse and involves portals and magical items such as the “plunger of truth,” weaponized bubble gum, and the “counter punch powder.”  Can you tell us about your brainstorming process? 

John: It was simply unleashing all the weirdest, wackiest ideas from my imagination. I had this guiding approach of basing the magic around things that had strong kid appeal like candy or toilet plungers. I let the humor shape the world building.

 

Jo: What was your favorite scene to write? Why?

John: There’s a scene where Rodeo drags Sidney off to this interdimensional biker bar to get the plunger of truth. It was fun to write because of how rapid fire the jokes are. Poor Sidney is totally bewildered and out of his depth. And Rodeo is at her most absurd and terrifying. I think it’s where it registers for Sidney how legendary Rodeo is as a “cosmic menace.”

 

Jo: What would you most like for readers to take away from Rodeo Hawkins and the Daughters of Mayhem?

John: Just fun. I write to make kids have fun reading books.

 

Jo: Already your book is a reader favorite.  What has been your favorite reader response?

John: I’ve had several kids say to me already, “I wish I was a Daughter of Mayhem.” I always tell them, “You already are.”

 

Jo: What can readers look for in the sequel, Rodeo Hawkins and the Sons of Disaster? 

John: The sequel continues the misadventures of Sidney, Rodeo, and the Daughters of Mayhem as a vengeful enemy sets a trap using Sidney’s best bud from his old life. It’s been so much fun dreaming up new dangers and new hilarity for this wacky cast of characters.

Lightning Round!

No MUF interview is complete without a lightning round, so. . . .

Favorite cities (besides the one in which you live):

Venice

Favorite musical group or artist:

Johnny Cash

Would you rather be able to speak every language in the world or talk to animals?

Every language. I love to talk to locals when I travel.

Favorite ice cream flavor?

Any combo with chocolate and something weird.

Do you prefer mountains or beaches or somewhere in between?

Mountains.

Favorite childhood TV show?

There was a campy Dungeons & Dragons TV series from the 80’s that I loved.

What is the best writing advice you have ever received?

That classic gem: “Write the story only you could write.” It’s my guiding star with everything I do.

Jo: Thanks for chatting with us John! And now. . . .

For a chance to win a copy of Rodeo Hawkins and the Daughters of Mayhem, comment on the blog—and, if you’re on Twitter/X, on the Mixed-Up Files Twitter/X account, for an extra chance to win!  (Giveaway ends January 22, 2026 MIDNIGHT EST.) U.S. only, please. 

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WNDMG Author Interview: Leslie Vedder on her Novel THE NOWHERE BEAST

By on January 14, 2026   /   Articles, Author Interviews, books, New Releases  

Author Interview – Leslie Vedder

I’m so excited to be able to introduce you to author Leslie Vedder today. Leslie is a YA author who has written a beautiful Middle grade fantasy duo, and today we will be discussing the second book, THE NOWHERE BEAST, coming out February 10th, 2026 from G. Putnam Sons/Penguin Kids.

I adore fantasy, and this one intrigues me because it seems to have horror elements too. I actually only very recently started reading MG horror, so I am so excited to talk with Leslie and hear all about her wonderful book.

Librarians and educators- you don’t want to miss this!

About THE NOWHERE BEAST:

In the sequel to darkly inventive The Labyrinth of Souls, a girl must face a mysterious monster made of nothing but darkness and shadows that no one else can see.

For fans of Tim Burton, V.E. Schwab, and stories with a dash of the strange and macabre.

Ix Tatterfall is no stranger to the odd and the eerie. Her unusual lineage provides unique abilities, such as a strong Darklight power and unencumbered travel into the deadly Labyrinth of Souls. But even Ix is unprepared for the Nowhere Beast, a creature that threatens to consume everything she holds dear.

When the ghosts of Candle Corps past begin to rise from the catacombs, Ix and her friends are called to partake in an ancient magical tradition called the Reckoning, meant to reinforce the seals of protection at their magical school that hold the most dangerous Nightmare creatures from the Labyrinth at bay.

But the Reckoning quickly transforms into more than a test of their courage and skill; it is a race against time to save their world from the monstrous shadow beast created from the hopeless depths of Nothing from a land called Nowhere.

With the help of a mischievous Sorrow, a shadowy Scavenger Prince, and her loyal friends, Ix must navigate the pits of loneliness and confront her deepest fears. But does she know that the darkness inside her heart can be just as treacherous as the monster lurking in the shadows?

Interview with Leslie:

I loved getting to talk to Leslie about her new book and I know you will enjoy meeting her and Ix as well.

SSS: What a wonderful premise. I am so intrigued! What inspired you to write Ix’s story?

LV: This book really began with the world of Spinar and the mysterious Labyrinth of Souls. It’s a place that exists outside of our world—a mysterious place that’s ruled by our emotions. There are the Seven Sorrows, like Wrath and Misery and Despair, which are personification of feelings. As well as Nightmare Creatures, like Fright Bats that cause a sudden thrill of fear when they fly overhead, or the adorable but troublesome Weighty Sloth that sits like the weight of the world hanging off your shoulders until you can get rid of it.

This is very much a book about how we deal with our big and often complicated feelings.

The main character, Ix Tatterfall, is a bit of an outcast and a weirdo. She often finds it easier to connect to Nightmare creatures than to her classmates. (She and Wednesday Addams would have some things to talk about.) But she’s the perfect person to explore the forbidden Labyrinth and learn to understand the creatures within!

SSS: Tell us about this Nowhere Beast (the actual creature, and not just the whole book!) What makes it terrifying to the MC?

LV: I love this question, because this was actually one of my favorite parts of this book to write! The Nowhere Beast is a shadowy creature that comes from the mysterious land of Nowhere. It’s the place where missing things go: pens and buttons and single socks. But it’s also the place where other things abandoned and forgotten by humans end up—like sad, hopeless wishes whispered alone in the dark, which become Whisperwinks.

The Nowhere Beast first appears as a shadow, stalking Ix through the darkness and even into her dreams. I think it’s inherently frightening to know something’s there, just outside of the circle of our lamp or nightlight, but not know what it is. The monster in the dark is as much about what we imagine it might be as what it really is.

No spoilers, but I also loved the chance to hopefully surprise the reader at the end of the book, when we find out the true origin of the beast!

SSS: Tell us about MG horror- I know a lot of kids (like my own) are really into getting scared with books! Why do you think horror is so intriguing for younger readers?

 LV: I think there’s something really fun about being scared—especially when you can do it from the safety of your bed. I will never forget the first book that really terrified me. It was Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz, with the absolutely horrifying art by Stephen Gammell. Those stories definitely kept me up! Wherever that book is, in my family’s old Halloween box, I’m pretty sure it’d scare me just as much now.

 Often when we read scary stories, we’re not just watching characters be scared; we’re watching them learn to be brave and to overcome their fears. I think reading horror makes us a little bit braver, too.

 

SSS: I absolutely adore reading fantasy novels and love discovering worlds that are magical and fun adventurous stories where it seems like ALL the stakes are high! What drew you to writing fantasy?

LV: Fantasy books were definitely my first love! When I was little, a wonderful librarian at my local library took me by the hand and led me to the Alanna books by Tamora Pierce. I was hooked. I’d never been swept away into an adventure like that before; I’d never realized reading could be that fun.  

Fantasy set my imagination on fire like no other genre. It utterly transports us out of our lives in the most magical way, so the obstacles and challenges we’re so familiar with become fighting dragons and riding giant cats and sneaking into the enchanted forest without the wizards finding out. And since fantasy can be so full of action and danger, it quite naturally lends itself to stories where the stakes are ratcheted up to eleven. I love the freedom fantasy gives me to let my imagination run wild.

 

 SSS: I know you are an author of YA as well! How was pivoting to MG? Was it more difficult or easier to nail down the MG voice? Was it more fun!

LV: I had a lot of fun pivoting to MG, but there were also I lot of challenges I wasn’t expecting. Like word count! I wanted to create a rich and full fantasy world, but I had to figure out how to do that in a much shorter amount of time. 

I also spent a lot of time working to capture the MG voice for the main character, Ix Tatterfall. I wanted her to be a little weird and a little lonely, but with a lot of heart. I had to remind myself over and over that I didn’t always need to take myself so seriously. That being said, I absolutely adored being able to put in so much silliness and humor. These books are chock-full of made-up Nightmare creatures of all shapes and sizes. (I totally went overboard and had to cut extra Nightmares from every draft.)

Link to order here.

Writing Process

SSS: When did you start writing the story and was the process a long one?

LV: For me, there’s a lot of brainstorming that takes place before I start writing—on walks, and at coffee shops, and even in the shower. I feel like I start by socking away ideas for projects like a squirrel saving up nuts for the winter. Then at some point, I’ll suddenly hit on something that brings the project to life. For Ix Tatterfall, it was 100% the Labyrinth, with all its fun and fearsome nightmares. Once I hit on that, I felt like I was ready to write a book, and not just a random collection of ideas swimming around in my brain.

From there, I always try to get my first draft down as quickly as possible—usually just a couple of months. But it is a very rough first draft, and there’s always a lot of editing to be done afterward!

 

SSS: Are you a pantser or a plotter? And what helps you with finishing stories when you first start writing your drafts?

LV: I am very much a plotter. I need to know how a book is going to end to understand how to get there. But I think of my outlines more like road maps for an epic road trip, rather than step-by-step instructions. I chart out the basic path I’d like to take, the destination, and a few can’t-miss stops along the way—but I also leave myself a lot of space to discover new ideas, subplots, and roadside attractions along the journey.

Outlines are also my secret weapon for staying on track and actually getting to the end of a book. I often make myself a calendar with several goals marked—a really ambitious one, a more moderate one, and one that has a lot of wiggle room for unexpected road blocks. I print out a sheet with chapters listed on it, so I can mark them off with colored pens as I finish each one. I find crossing things out on paper to be really satisfying.

 

SSS: Do you think writing a sequel is harder or easier than writing the first book in a series?

LV: Personally, I find sequels a little easier because the characters are already established and so much of the worldbuilding is done. Without as much background information to convey, you get to jump right into the exciting part of the story.

That being said, one of the things that is harder about sequel writing is expectations—both from yourself and from readers. You want the book be as good as the first one, but still new and exciting—and you definitely don’t want to let fans down. So sometimes the pressure of book two is a lot more intense!

 

SSS: Any advice for fellow middle-grade authors looking to write MG horror or fantasy?

 LV: Remember to have fun! Kids love to laugh, especially when they’ve just had a big scare, so don’t be afraid to embrace some humor. Trying to be funny on purpose can be daunting, but think about the things that made you laugh when you were a kid—slime fights, and bunny slippers, and talking animals in silly hats. Go back and reread your favorite middle grade books and watch your favorite kids’ movies. It took some practice to remember how to have that kind of fun. Finding the right spark of humor (which, for me, was very much wordplay and puns) brought the whole story to life.

Bonus!

SSS: Bonus question! Tell me about this gorgeous cover!

LV: Abigail Larson is the amazing artist for both covers—she also does the black and white illustrations throughout the books! She is so good at bringing out the spooky-creepy side of the Labyrinth, but also the fun, heartwarming moments between Ix and her found family.

The cover has Ix with the shadow of the mysterious horned Nowhere Beast behind her, along with some hissing Mistcats at her feet. The back shows Ix’s best friends, Morrigan and Ollie, with one of my very favorite characters in the whole book, Smiles the Grinning Cat! I feel like there can never be enough cats on the cover of a book—or inside it, for that matter—so this cover was a dream come true. Or, to make a Labyrinth pun, a Nightmare come true!

 

Thank you Leslie for joining us and I hope readers and librarians enjoy your book! I know I am so excited to dive in!!!

About Leslie Vedder:

Leslie Vedder is a YA author who loves girl heroes and adventurers. She grew up on fantasy books, anime, fanfiction, and the Lord of the Rings movies, and met her true love in high school choir. She graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.A. in creative writing. She lives in Boulder with her wife and her spoiled house cat, Fox Mulder, who’s just as curious and adventurous as his namesake. 

Website: https://www.leslievedder.com/

INSTAGRAM: @leslie.vedder

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