Posts Tagged middle-grade fiction

July’s New Releases happen to include several spooky, creepy tales to read around a summer campfire. None with fireworks, but lots of stories to keep you up at night. All the more reason to read with a friend. So choose a book, keep your nightlight on, and have a joyful summer.

All the Sunshine in the World  by Caroline Brooks Dubois. 368 pp. (July 28) 

It’s been almost six months since Tolly’s sister died in a distracted driving wreck.

Tolly misses Sunny every minute of every day, but is it wrong to want a semi-normal birthday? What about a new phone, to replace the one she lost soon after the accident? Instead, she gets grieving parents and a disappointing, misspelled cake.

And so Tolly starts 8th grade without a phone in hand and without answers to the endless questions she has about her sister’s death. Why did it happen? How did it happen? Was it Tolly’s fault? She needs her old phone back to uncover the truth.

Ironically, phone-less Tolly gets put in charge of a new Luddite club at school for kids who want to avoid technology. It’s the last place she expected to find herself, but it turns out to be a powerful escape from the unrelenting guilt she feels over Sunny’s death—and it might just be the place for her to get those answers, too.

Read an interview with the author here.

Airrelle of the Maroon Witches  by Sumayyah Beck. 304 pp. (July 14)

Anyone can become a witch in Missen Dessalin. If you can find the Missen, that is. Some say the whole reason it was called a “Missen” is because it was a gathering place for those who wanted to stay missin’.

Twelve-year-old Airrelle Bookman, born and raised in Missen Dessalin by two witch parents, has been waiting for magic to call to her for years now. She just has to secure her four patron animals, complete four rites, master four skills, and pass the initiation ceremony. Then she’ll be a fully confirmed maroon witch, able to fly beyond the walls of the Missen as she pleases. Just like her parents, older siblings, and best friend Hosniya.

The time for her trial finally arrives, along with familial troubles and threats to the very safety and secrecy of Missen Dessalin itself. But an ordinary girl from beyond the protected walls of Missen, one who has grown up in our own tumultuous and unenchanted world, may just be the key to Airrelle’s troubles.

Bubblegum Shoes: The Big Sleepover  by Goldy Moldavsky. 240 pp. (July 14) 

Normally, Maya Mendoza wouldn’t be caught dead at school on a Saturday, but it happens to be the most epic night ever: Marlowe Middle’s big sleepover! The Bubblegum Shoes detective agency is taking a night off from solving cases to enjoy Battle of the Bands, all-you-can-eat candy, and limited adult supervision … or so they thought.

When the girls learn classmate and rising YouTube star Hunter Holloway is being blackmailed to drop out of the singing competition, they have to help. But what they thought would be an easy case quickly turns complicated when the Gumshoes discover an illegal pillow-fighting ring, battling Broadway divas, and counterfeit art—not to mention Hunter seems to be hiding a few secrets of his own.

Can these slumber party sleuths solve the case before the fun is over? Or will this sticky situation spell lights out for Hunter’s career and the Bubblegum Shoes’ reputation?

Read an interview with the author here.

The Doll House  by D. W. Gillespie. 288 pp. (July 28)

Garrett never met his grandfather, Burke, but his mother told him the stories. Burke was an enormously successful writer, but he was also notoriously cruel, especially to his family. After he passes away suddenly, Garrett and his mother learn that his enormous fortune is theirs … if they agree to spend a week at his estate.

The house is a monument to Burke’s obsession with puppet-like dolls, and the attic is packed with cryptic notes and ancient books. It’s clear that his grandfather was up to something, but Garrett can only guess what. His fear only deepens when he finds a creepily detailed doll with ‘Marion’ written on the foot.

As the week progresses, Garrett realizes that the house isn’t what it seems. An old typewriter clicks away on its own. There are sounds in the night that come from the basement. And strangest of all is Marion, who always seems to be watching.

Fear Files: Hide and Seek  by Christopher Edge. 160 pp. (July 14) 

Nobody knows who started the Darkive. It’s a database filled with first-hand accounts of strange, unexplained experiences. Ghosts; paranormal entities; weird anomalies. Each one holds a bank of evidence to prove the story. Are you ready to dive in?

Adam didn’t think his summer holiday could get any worse. His camping trip with his best friend, Sol, seems doomed. Too many arguments. And, now they find themselves in a strange, abandoned town, where they must take part in a game of hide-and-seek. But the rules are hard to follow. And who, or what, are they hiding from?

The Frog Princess and Peter Pan (or, Wendy Darling and the Secret Prince)  by Kim Bussing. 336 pp. (July 7)

Princess Lissie of Neverland is a very good princess: she’s quiet, practices good manners, and stays out of trouble. She has even learned to live with the pesky curse that turns her into a frog each night, dodging the false king and his scout, Peter Pan. That is, until Lissie is magically whisked to a strange house on mainland Reverie . . . with Peter Pan himself waiting at the window.

Meanwhile, Wendy Darling has a problem. All she wants is her own happy ending, but unfortunately, her father is sending her away to finishing school (even though she isn’t that bad at being “good”). And that’s all before Wendy suddenly winds up surrounded by pirates—being ordered to walk the plank.

Happily-ever-after couldn’t feel farther away. Can Lissie stay safe from Peter Pan’s clutches? And in a world of curses and magic, can Wendy find her own happy ending?

The Ginghams  by T.C. Kemper. 240 pp. (July 28) 

When 12-year-old Joni Bird returns home from summer camp, it’s clear something strange is afoot in Olive Springs. May, her usually head-banging best friend, now wears her hair in a tight bun and calls playing the drums “unladylike.” The ice cream shop only serves vanilla ice cream. And, the neighborhood women and girls all sport big pearl earrings and crisp cotton dresses.

At the heart of it all is a creepy new family with their soulless, carnival smiles and retro fashion sense: the Ginghams. Everyone they invite to their Thursday night book club returns as dead-eyed, smiling, Gingham-approved “model citizens,” all thanks to Mr. Gingham’s lifestyle guide, The Pillars of Perfection. And, something even more sinister hides behind his basement door.

Through quick thinking and cunning, Joni and her friend Tyler set out to not only fight to get May back, but to save their whole town from forever falling under the Ginghams’ control.

Girl from the Ashes  by India Hill Brown. 224 pp. (July 7)

Gianna and Carter John are best friends, but they couldn’t be more different. Gianna is small for her age, gets straight A’s, and is the teacher’s favorite. Meanwhile, Carter John gets in trouble no matter what he does, just because he’s tall and his voice is loud.

One day, while working on a class project in the town library, Carter John gets in trouble yet again and reaches his breaking point. As his anger builds, a stack of books flies off the shelf, hitting the librarian.

Now everywhere he goes, strange things are happening. The smell of smoke hangs in the air. Sparks fly when Carter John gets in trouble. And he hears the voice of a young girl singing a song. A song about burning.

When fires start breaking out around town, Carter John and Gianna are determined to figure out who’s responsible. They are certain that these are no normal fires. Something terrible once happened where the town library now stands, and someone’s trying to send them a message about it.

But who are they―and why are they determined to get revenge?

The Girl Who Loved Monsters (A Devilfish Bay Book)  by Insha Fitzpatrick. 192 pp. (July 28) 

When Charlotte Bissett discovers a creepy cool book in her school library called Liber de Monstrum, she can’t help but take it home to investigate. Horror has always brought her comfort—as long as it stays safely within the pages of a book.

That night she reads a few pages out loud before going to sleep. And the next day, some really weird start happening in the small town of Devilfish Bay. There’s snow outside for the first time in years, Charlotte’s favorite teacher is missing, and the new substitute teacher, Miss Fell, is a little strange. She just might be a werewolf!

Charlotte’s worried she made a big mistake reading from the creepy book. She knows it’s up to her to make things right—but to do so, she’ll have to recruit her friends Molly and Griffin to help. But will they even believe her? And if they do, can this new crew of kid monster hunters actually defeat a real werewolf?

The Haunting of Old Splinter  by Jack Mackay. 272 pp. (July 21)

Peter and his half-brother, Adrian, live in the shadow of Old Splinter—a formerly lavish estate now in ruins. Rumored to have once housed an eccentric magician, it’s now home to little more than spiderwebs and mold. Tasked with renovating the crumbling mansion on behalf of their wealthy uncle, Peter’s stepdad is at his wits’ end. And the cracks are beginning to show in their once-happy cottage.

A mysterious local legend may be their only hope. The wishing claw, a magical hand that grants your deepest desires, has spell-bound townsfolk for centuries. If it’s real—if he can find it—then Peter might just save his family! But wishes are tricky things and they always come with a price. What starts innocently enough soon unearths much more than Peter bargained for, including a dark secret lurking in the walls of the mansion … and a monstrous hunger that comes knocking at his door.

Learn more about the author here.

Monsters of Fife: Terror Birds  by Jane Yolen. 160 pp. (July 14) 

It’s been a quiet seven months since their encounter with the fearsome sea dragons, and Cat, Jamie, Calum, and their teacher, Mr. Harris, are nearing the end of the school term. Then Cat finds a dog collar on the beach, and that night she dreams of a huge, howling black dog.

Cat’s nan believes it is the notorious Black Dog, a mysterious creature rumored to be a portent of death. It seems the dog brings a warning of a new kind of monster that threatens the Scottish village of Anstruther.

On a reconnaissance mission, the team spots a gigantic bird—could it be related to the ancient terror birds that Jamie’s pa wrote about in his research papers?

The hunt for the terror birds is on, and Cat, Jamie, Calum, and Mr. Harris must figure out what’s going on before the next bird attack.

Read an interview with the author here.

Pumpkin Apocalypse  by M. D. Payne. 208 pp. (July 28)

Halloween is a big deal in Little Pine, but newcomer Adam Gibbons doesn’t get the hype. In fact, he’s actively anti-Halloween. You would be, too, if you were deathly afraid of pumpkins! Yeah … don’t ask.

When Adam is tasked to team up with pumpkin fanatic Molly to plan Friday Night Fright Night, the middle school shut-in event before Pumpkin Fest, he’s forced to confront his greatest fear head … er … jack-o’-lantern-on.

But it soon becomes clear that there is something strange and supernatural brewing in Little Pine. Mind-controlling pumpkins are possessing people and taking over the town, and it’s up to Adam and his small group of friends to smash the infestation and save the world!

Raven, Rising  by Christine Hartman Derr. 288 pp. (July 7) 

Raven Miller only just moved to Bear Creek Falls, but she already hates it. There’s a clique that has it out for her, a vice principal who keeps targeting her for dress code violations, and a cruel rumor going around that Raven is a witch who killed her parents. If it weren’t for her new friends Laurel and Hazel, she’d be lost.

The “witch” stuff would be easy to shrug off, but Raven does possess magical powers in the kitchen—the treats she makes can mysteriously change the lives of those who eat them. Though she doesn’t bake anymore—not since the accident that took her parents’ lives.

Then the clique’s bullying and the vice principal’s watchful eye intensifies. When the girls’ attempts to retaliate fall flat, Raven wonders if the magical sweets she used to make could whip up a justice so powerful it would set everything right. In order to find out, she’ll have to face the things she’s been avoiding. Can Raven rise above the pain of her past to secure a better future?

Remember Me, Daphne  by Celia Krampien. 320 pp. (July 14)

When a new family moves into the creepy old house across the street, sixth-grader Flora finds her wish for a best-best friend has come true. Her new neighbor Mac is sweet and charismatic. With Mac by her side, Flora feels like the upcoming school year will be a fresh start for her—no more anxious or klutzy Flora!

But despite their new friendship, not all is perfect. Mac fits in better with their classmates than Flora ever did. Mac’s family seems to be holding back a big secret, something about a mysterious ex-best friend named Daphne who Mac won’t ever talk about. And Mac’s little brother, Danny, gives Flora the creeps. Strange things keep happening whenever he’s around.

Is Flora’s mind playing tricks? Or could it be that Mac’s house is as haunted as it looks?

Royalslinger (The Slinger Series)  by Graci Kim. 288 pp. (July 21) 

After successfully passing the Annual Royal Slinger Trials, Aria is about to kick off her second year of training at the Royal League of Dreamslingers. All she and her bloom dragon, Rio, have to do is pass the final Fellowship exam and they’ll finally become fully-fledged Fellows.

But before training can begin, the king of Royal Hanguk cancels the exam, and instead commands Aria and the other novices to reclaim the Touch of Death—a powerful ancient relic. Stolen by Aria’s mother, no less.

If that wasn’t bad enough, Aria experiences a devastating loss and considers going to horrific lengths to cope . . . even potentially joining the freedom slingers—a rogue and dangerous faction of dreamslingers. How will Aria choose to deal with her grief? And will her decisions result in the end of the League?

Sama Crushes the Code: A Graphic Novel  by Samaira Mehta. 160 pp. (July 14)

Sama’s starting middle school! Maybe Tech Club will be a good place to fit in. She’s into solving problems, building clever machines, and collecting beautiful data, plus her friend Nancy has given her a cool book on coding. But everyone at Tech Club is already so good at coding—will Sama’s contributions be enough for her to be included in the Code Crusher championship?

Sama proposes a project to help a stressed-out bus driver develop a time-saving route, but the club leader thinks the coding isn’t complex enough. When Sama befriends new neighbor Zoe (who built her own hovercraft!), however, the two girls inspire each other, and soon Sama bounces back with a bunny-based board game that teaches kids how to code while having fun.

Could this game be the key to getting to the championship?

Sleepless  by Gordon Korman. 240 pp. (July 7) 

There’s not enough time in the day. How often have Mickey, Skye, Levi, Cyrus, and Thea thought that?

Well, now they have plenty of extra time … because they no longer need to sleep.

None of them knows why this is happening to them. All they know is that they have to keep it a secret from their families and their friends. And while they keep it a secret, they can use their extra hours to become better than everyone else.

Each of them thinks they’re alone in their sleeplessness. But once they find each other, they know it can’t be just an accident. Suddenly they ask themselves:

What’s keeping them awake at night?

Sneaks  by Amy Tern. 240 pp. (July 7)

Valory has developed an unfortunate reputation as a thief—primarily because she steals things—though she has resolved to change her ways.

Rook is a total asparagus-eater (a.k.a. a good kid), but he likes to spy on his neighbors. Nobody’s perfect, right?

The twelve-year-olds form an unlikely alliance when they encounter suspicious behavior in an “empty” apartment across the alley from Rook’s house. While agoraphobia keeps home-schooled Rook trapped on his property, confident and street-smart Valory can roam the scene undetected. Their opposite personalities might, in fact, be key to their success.

But their amateur detective mission morphs into something more sinister when they realize the apartment next door could be connected to a recent kidnapping. When the sleuths realize they’re also being watched, the pressure is on to unmask the villain … before she snatches them, too.

Spindlewood  by Freddie Kölsch. 304 pp. (July 21) 

Lilac Black knows the séances her uncle runs for a living aren’t real. So when she pretends to talk to a spirit to get him out of a tight spot, she expects a scolding, not a celebration. She certainly doesn’t expect an invitation to her uncles’ alma mater, the top-secret Spindlewood School of Seeing.

Irresistibly curious, Lilac decides to attend. But as the only Unseeing student at a boarding school full of Seers, she has to bluff her way through classes and act afraid of spirits everyone else can See. Making new friends, like the intriguing Emmanuelle, only complicates Lilac’s web of lies. And, as if her big deception wasn’t enough, something is very wrong on campus.

Spirits send cryptic messages warning of danger, and every ghost on the island seems drawn to a hidden door deep in the library basement. A being is waiting down there … something none of the adults dare to talk about. Lilac and her friend Emmanuelle must use all their powers―or at least their wits and courage―to save Spindlewood from a terrifying fate.

Stitch Head: The Pirate’s Eye A Graphic Novel  by Guy Bass. 144 pp. (July 21)

You haven’t truly seen the world … until you’ve seen it through a pirate’s eye. So claims Dash Flashpowder, a legendary pirate, fearless adventurer … and the original owner of Stitch Head’s pearly blue glass eye?!

When the first of Mad Professor Erasmus’ creations discovers he might be part-pirate, he’s taken aback. But soon he realizes that, perhaps, the dangers of the open ocean have been his calling all along!

With his creator seemingly having abandoned Castle Grotteskew and its 311 monsters, Stitch Head sets out with his crewmates Creature and Arabella to search for a new destiny, only to discover that old foes may still lurk in the deep!s

Join this motley group of sailors as they search for the world’s greatest treasure—a place to belong.

Thunder and Mercy  by Jennifer Robin Barr. 368 pp. (July 14) 

It’s 1979 and twelve-year-old Theodora “Thunder” Underwood is dreading her summer vacation once again. Every year, her scientist parents disappear on far-flung scientific expeditions, leaving her with relatives who clearly don’t want her around.

But this summer, Thunder is sent to Mount Pleasant, her aunt’s historic yet crumbling old mansion outside of Philadelphia once owned by Revolutionary War traitor Benedict Arnold. When Thunder discovers a mysterious diary written by Mercy, a girl her age who lived through the American Revolution, she plunges into a mystery that involves a shadowy prowler, a hidden ring, and mysterious spies—making her summer far more exciting than she ever expected.

Transylvania County  by Jenny Howard.  321 pp. (July 21)

Digby Romer never lived in one place for very long; despite his best intentions, he’s managed to get kicked out of every European boarding school his parents shipped him off to. Now, his dad has dragged him to live with his aunt and uncle in small-town USA, with hopes that a slower-paced life will finally fix Dig’s so-called “behavioral issues.”

But all is not well here in Transylvania County, even if the locals insist that the legends of cryptids and monsters lurking in the woods are nothing more than lore. On his first night in town, Dig is convinced that he spots a gigantic, fanged beast in the woods, but nobody believes him. Then the school’s PE teacher disappears, replaced by a greasy, suspicious man named Renfield. When more people begin to disappear, Dig sets off with a ragtag crew―his smarty-pants cousin, the bossy class president, and a survivalist loner―to get to the bottom of things.