Highly-Anticipated Middle Grade & Chapter Books of 2025
by Janssen Bradshaw
It’s hard to believe the year has ended, and a new one is upon us! A fresh year means new beginnings and a bunch of brand-new book releases!
This middle grade and chapter book list is full of diverse characters, daily struggles, hilarious situations, and fun-filled illustrations to keep kids engaged. They will love digging into these books!
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Cinderella and the Beast (or, Beauty and the Glass Slipper)
Available from:If there is any genre that I gravitate toward, it’s a fractured fairy tale. Ella loves to imagine not living with her evil step-family. One morning, her dream comes true when she wakes up in a castle housed by a temperamental beast. Meanwhile, Belle works hard to save her family’s business through a royal competition but winds up with a stepfamily who refuses to let her enter.
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Dr. Seuss Graphic Novel: Green Eggs and Ham Take a Hike
Available from:This is an excellent option for a child transitioning to chapter books. Most kids are familiar with the story, which makes it easier to read and comprehend. Full of brightly colored illustrations and familiar characters, Sam-I-Am and Walter, your reader will love this one!
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Pizza and Taco: Coolest Club Ever!
Available from:I love the Pizza and Taco graphic novel series! Pizza and Taco start a new club for kids who love to make comic books! However, things don’t go as planned, and everyone goes to the Cheeseburger’s video game club instead. What’s so cool about that club? Pizza and Taco have to find out!
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A Copycat Conundrum (The Misfits)
Available from:My oldest daughter loved the first book in this series! The Misfits may be an awkward group of kids fighting crime, but they pass with flying colors whenever they receive a new mission. However, Zeke, the nicest kid in the school, receives some threatening notes while earthquakes send ripples through San Francisco. Do the two things correlate, or is it a coincidence?
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Sweet Valley Twins: Sneaking Out
Preorder from:I loved the Sweet Valley Twins growing up, and it’s fun to see my girls enjoy this new graphic novel series! Absolutely everyone but the twins is going to the best concert ever. But no matter what the twins do or say, their parents won’t let them go. Jessica decides it’s worth seeing the band even if she has to lie to her parents and her twin!
(On sale: 2/4/2025)
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Hilo Book 11: The Great Space Iguana
Preorder from:This silly, action-packed graphic novel series is back with another installment! Can you imagine a giant space iguana landing in your backyard? Well, D.J. can because it happens to him in this book. Can the crew get the iguana home before the entire universe is at risk?
(On sale: 2/11/2025)
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On Thin Ice
Preorder from:Twins Dex and Phoebe love being on the ice for different reasons. Dex loves hockey, while Phoebe competes in pairs figure skating. Unfortunately, Phoebe’s partner gets injured, and Dex gets cut from the hockey team. Can the two siblings become unstoppable figure skating partners despite their differences?
(On sale: 2/25/2025)
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Max in the Land of Lies
Preorder from:In this sequel to the historical fiction novel Max in the House of Spies, Max is back and wants to return to Germany, even if that means becoming a British spy. Max’s missions are to penetrate the center of Nazi radio and to find his missing parents. He risks everything as he tries to keep the truths and lies straight.
(On sale: 2/25/2025)
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Speak Up, Santiago!
Preorder from:Santi is thrilled to spend the summer in Hillside Valley, filled with Spanish-speaking kids. Santi may be Columbian, but his Spanish isn’t great. He worries he won’t be able to keep up with everyone and stresses about not digging deep enough into his Columbian culture. This is an excellent book about community and friendship.
(On sale: 3/4/2025)
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Glitch Girl
Preorder from:This poignant novel in verse follows J— from fifth to seventh grade as she grapples with ADHD, the loneliness of middle school, her overwhelming crush on a girl named Junie, and her gender identity. With the help of a growing friendship with Sam, a nonbinary classmate, J— begins to realize that it’s okay to defy conventional norms and expectations.
(On sale: 3/11/2025)
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Max Meow 6: When Pancakes Go Bad (Really Bad!)
Preorder from:The sixth volume of the Max Meow series is here! The city of Kittyopolis is one giant food mess! Pancakes suddenly turn evil, and Max’s old enemies band together to form the Legion of Nasty. If you have a reader who loves whacky stories with lots of humor, pick up this installment!
(On sale: 3/11/2025)
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Whale Eyes
Preorder from:Are you looking for a middle grade book that isn’t the regular run-of-the-mill? This is the one. It is a memoir told through stories and interactive visuals, allowing readers to see the world through the author’s disabling eye conditions. This unique book is perfect for book lovers who want an interactive experience.
(On sale: 3/18/2025)
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The Green Kingdom
Preorder from:International, award-winning, and New York Times best-selling children’s author of The Inkheart Trilogy Cornelia Funke pens a story about twelve-year-old Caspia who has to spend the entire summer with her parents in Brooklyn. She hates big cities, especially New York – too many people, too loud, too dirty. When she discovers mysterious, old letters from a girl who traveled the world with her botanist father, each one opening with a puzzle, Caspia soon finds herself on a quest to solve them all.
(On sale: 4/1/2025)
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Creaky Acres: A Graphic Novel
Preorder from:Nora is used to living in her suburban area with her close group of friends. But her world is turned upside down when her mom accepts a job in a poor, rural area. She must adjust to being the new kid at school and attending a new barn called Creaky Acres, where she continues her horseback riding hobby.
(On sale: 5/6/2025)
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