The Most Exciting Middle Grade Books of 2019
by Tom Burns
There are so many reasons to be excited about the upcoming New Year. New adventures. New opportunities. The final season of “Game of Thrones.” The chance to see if all of those formerly futuristic movies set in the far-off world of 2019 got anything right. (Looking nervously in your direction, “Blade Runner.”)
But, if you’re the parent of a well-read tween, you should definitely be looking forward to 2019 because there are some, quite frankly, AMAZING books coming out. Here are 18 middle grade books that will be at the very top of our reading list in 2019.
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The Unsung Hero of Birdsong, USA
Woods is a Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author and might be the perfect person to tell this emotional story of a young boy befriending an African American World War II veteran in the segregated American South. Woods’s previous books like The Red Rose Box and The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond were fantastic.
(On sale: 1/8/19) -
Max and the Midknights
Available from:Want to make your tween happy? Tell them, “There’s a new series by the creator of Big Nate.” Get ready for a lot of medieval jokes as we meet Max, a 10-year-old apprentice troubadour who has to save his uncle from the wicked King Gastley.
(On sale: 1/8/19)Also available from: -
The Friendship War
Most kids in middle school can related to the idea of a “friendship war.” In this new book from the author of the hit novel Frindle, two former best friends find themselves pitted against each other when a new school fad makes them reexamine the dynamics of their long friendship.
(On sale: 1/8/19) -
DK Life Stories Series
In January, DK is launching a whole new series of biographies about iconic world leaders. Each title has hand-drawn illustrations, photographs, and reference material organized specifically to make these figures come alive for middle grade readers. The first installments are slated to cover such amazing individuals as Gandhi, Anne Frank, Martin Luther King Jr., Albert Einstein, Helen Keller, and Katherine Johnson.
(On sale: 1/8/19) -
Fairy Mom and Me: Fairy in Waiting
Kinsella is known all over the world for her hugely popular Shopaholic series, and audiences will love her first-ever illustrated duology for young readers, Fairy Mom and Me. In this second installment, rambunctious Ella Brook wishes she didn’t have to wait to grow up and become a magical fairy like her mom.
(On sale: 1/29/19) -
Hilo: Then Everything Went Wrong
Available from:Winick’s graphic novel series about Hilo, a robot boy who fell to Earth, has been embraced by middle grade readers all over the world. In this fifth installment of the Hilo series, Hilo and his Earth friends return to his home planet to find out more about his mysterious origins.
(On sale: 1/29/19)Also available from: -
STEM Lab
STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) is one of the biggest focus areas for modern education. In this new title, readers are presented with a range of clever activities that make STEM understandable, accessible, and fun.
(On sale: 1/29/19) -
Song for a Whale
Available from:Twelve-year-old Iris has always felt different because she was born deaf. When she finds out about Blue 55, a whale who is unable to communicate with other whales, she becomes determined to find a way to connect with the lonely sea mammal. The advance praise for this tender coming-of-age novel has been impressive.
(On sale: 2/5/19)Also available from: -
The Bridge Home
Available from:The early word on this middle grade novel is enough to get us excited. It follows two sisters, Viji and Rukku, who are living on the streets of the Indian city of Chennai. They form a family with other street children and learn the pleasures and pitfalls of growing up without adult supervision.
(On sale: 2/5/19)Also available from: -
To Night Owl From Dogfish
You have to love the pedigree behind this story co-written by the bestselling authors of The Interestings and Counting by 7s. This epistolary novel follows two young girls who are sent to a sleepaway camp to bond after their single dads fall in love.
(On sale: 2/12/19) -
Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat Series
Available from:Anyone who has owned a cat can tell you that the premise of an “evil alien warlord cat” is A) hilarious, and B) oddly believable. This hysterical graphic novel follows the villainous Klawde after he’s banished to Earth and forced to become a young boy’s pet.
(On sale: 2/26/19)Also available from: -
Far Away
Graff was long-listed for the National Book Award for her simply astounding book, A Tangle of Knots. That’s one of many reasons why we’re looking forward to Far Away, the story of CJ, a girl who is desperate to connect with her recently deceased mother from beyond the grave.
(On sale: 3/5/19) -
Bernice Buttman, Model Citizen
It’s hard not to be completely won over by the title of this one. Bernice Buttman is a notorious bully, but after being abandoned by her mom, she decides to become a nice person ... which turns out to be hilariously harder than she ever imagined.
(On sale: 3/26/19) -
It’s Trevor Noah: Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood (Adapted for Young Readers)
Available from:The adult version of this memoir from the host of “The Daily Show” has been an enormous bestseller. In this young readers adaptation, kids get the change to read a truly compelling (and often laugh-out-loud-worthy) story of a young mixed-race boy coming of age in the last days of South Africa’s Apartheid era.
(On sale: 4/9/19)Also available from: -
Shouting at the Rain
Available from:Lynda Mullaly Hunt’s book about a child struggling with dyslexia, Fish in a Tree, is hugely popular with middle grade readers. In her new book, a girl named Delsie attempts to deal with loss, belonging, and her quest to finally find a “regular family.”
(On sale: 5/7/10)Also available from: -
Sea Sirens
Available from:Chu kicks off a new series steeped in Vietnamese legends, strong characters, and a love for the works of L. Frank Baum. It follows a girl named Trot and her irritable talking-cat, Cap’n Bill, as they get drawn into an undersea war between fantastical sea creatures.
(On sale: 6/11/19)Also available from: -
Each Tiny Spark
Available from:From the author of The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora and Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish comes this emotional tale of a father and daughter fighting to rebuild their relationship after the dad returns from a long military deployment. Eventually, they find a way to reconnect as the father teaches his daughter to weld.
(On sale: 8/6/19)Also available from: -
White Bird: A Wonder Story
Available from:Palacio’s Wonder was a monster hit worldwide, especially with tween readers. She expanded on that world with Auggie & Me and now she tells more stories from the Wonder-verse with White Bird. This moving story reveals the backstory of Julian’s grandmother, Grandmère, and how she survived as a young Jewish girl in WWII France.
(On sale: 9/3/19)Also available from:
