April is here and there are so many incredible books to look forward to this month! This list features 26 of the best new middle grade books to read in April 2023 — trust me, you don’t want to miss these new releases!
Middle grade books keep getting better with each passing month!
Whether you’re a parent looking for new books for your child or a teacher looking to add to your classroom library, this list is here to help. These brand new middle grade book releases are not to be missed!
From fantasy to contemporary and everything in between, there’s a book for every kind of reader on this list.
These middle grade books to read in April 2023 are guaranteed to help you have a great reading month.
Browse the Books by Release Date
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April 4th Book Releases
A frozen family “business trip” to Sweden’s Ice Hotel sets the Peaches on a new grand adventure. The third book in The Great Peach Experiment, great for fans of The Penderwicks and The Vanderbeekers.
Cashing in on his family’s recent good-luck streak, ten-year-old Freddy Peach has been entering his family in a bunch of sweepstakes, but he doesn’t really expect to win. And then he does—a free family trip to the Ice Hotel in Sweden!
Since the Peaches are now the proud owners of their own bed-and-breakfast, they decide they can’t pass up on the opportunity. It’s research. They’ll learn more about what it takes to operate a successful hotel from one of the most famous tourist destinations in the world.
But what the Peaches don’t know is that five families from five frozen locations have been brought together to compete for the honor of frozen best. They’ll face-off in a series of challenges from dog sled racing to ice carving to an ice-cold cook out. But when the going gets tough, the Peaches have always come together in the past? Why should this time be any different?
The third book in the Great Peach Experiment series, Frozen Peaches is a sweet treat, mixing humor, adventure, warmth (despite the cold) and a lot of heart to make another great book readers will be delighted to devour.
Contemporary • Scholastic Press
A extraordinary novel-in-verse about a neurodivergent girl who comes to understand and celebrate her difference.
Selah knows her rules for being normal.
She always, always sticks to them. This means keeping her feelings locked tightly inside, despite the way they build up inside her as each school day goes on, so that she has to run to the bathroom and hide in the stall until she can calm down. So that she has to tear off her normal-person mask the second she gets home from school, and listen to her favorite pop song on repeat, trying to recharge. Selah feels like a dragon stuck in a world of humans, but she knows how to hide it.
Until the day she explodes and hits a fellow student.
Selah’s friends pull away from her, her school threatens expulsion, and her comfortable, familiar world starts to crumble.
But as Selah starts to figure out more about who she is, she comes to understand that different doesn’t mean damaged. Can she get her school to understand that, too, before it’s too late?
Wings of Fire meets Jurassic Park in this action-adventure middle grade debut series by Skye Melki-Wegner about five outcasts ― and former enemies ― who are the only hope to save their warring kingdoms from impending doom.
Battle rages between the dinosaur kingdoms of Cretacea.
When the Fallen Star struck, it brought death and despair, ash and toxic rain. But some dinosaurs survived … and were changed. Their minds grew alert. They learned to speak. To dream. To wage war.
As the two remaining dinosaur kingdoms fight for territory, Eleri, the disgraced son of a prince, is exiled from his home for saving an enemy soldier. Banished to the merciless Deadlands, a terrifying desert full of tar pits, poisonous gas, and ruthless carnivores, he must join forces with a group of questionable allies―including the enemy soldier he saved―to avoid becoming prey.
When Eleri and his fellow exiles discover the horrific truth behind the war, the unlikely heroes must do all they can to save their kingdoms from a lurking predator … and a secret plot that might destroy them all.
Internationally bestselling superstar author Angie Thomas makes her middle grade debut with the launch of an inventive, hilarious, and suspenseful new contemporary fantasy trilogy inspired by African American history and folklore.
It’s not easy being a Remarkable in the Unremarkable world. Some things are cool—like getting a pet hellhound for your twelfth birthday. Others, not so much—like not being trusted to learn magic because you might use it to take revenge on an annoying neighbor.
All Nic Blake wants is to be a powerful Manifestor like her dad. But before she has a chance to convince him to teach her the gift, a series of shocking revelations and terrifying events launch Nic and two friends on a hunt for a powerful magic tool she’s never heard of … to save her father from imprisonment for a crime she refuses to believe he committed.
From New York Times bestselling comic artist Betty C. Tang comes a funny, fast-paced, and heartrending story about three siblings living on their own as undocumented new immigrants, inspired by the author’s own childhood as a parachute kid. Perfect for fans of New Kid and Front Desk.
A dream trip to America turns into a nightmare!
Feng-Li can’t wait to discover America with her family! But after an action-packed vacation, her parents deliver shocking news: They are returning to Taiwan and leaving Feng-Li and her older siblings in California on their own.
Suddenly, the three kids must fend for themselves in a strange new world—and get along. Starting a new school, learning a new language, and trying to make new friends while managing a household is hard enough, but Bro and Sis’s constant bickering makes everything worse. Thankfully, there are some hilarious moments to balance the stress and loneliness. But as tensions escalate—and all three kids get tangled in a web of bad choices—can Feng-Li keep her family together?
Fly away on a journey to Neverland with this novelization of the Walt Disney Studios live action film Peter Pan & Wendy , coming to Disney+.
Wendy Darling isn’t sure she’s ready to grow up. Growing up means no more nights in the nursery, sharing stories about the heroic Peter Pan with her younger brothers, John and Michael. Then, to Wendy’s surprise, Peter Pan himself appears, alongside his fairy companion Tinker Bell—and the pair whisks the children off to Neverland, a magical place where no one has to grow up.
Once in Neverland, the children plunge headfirst into adventure, encountering Peter’s rival, Captain Hook, and his dangerous pirate crew. But as they team up with Peter’s loyal Lost Boys and the powerful Tiger Lily to match wits and swords with Hook, Wendy wonders if there is more to Peter’s story—and growing up—than she first imagined … and if uncovering those secrets might be the key to saving Neverland and finding herself.
Science Fiction • Disney Lucasfilm Press
A trio of adventure-seekers set off to find the legendary Planet X and save the galaxy as they know it!
Despite rumors of conflict between the Jedi and the Path of the Open Hand, two of the Republic’s most powerful prospecting families announce a contest to chart new hyperlanes.
Under the guise of joining the competition, Dass Leffbruk and Sky Graf recruit Jedi padawan Rooper Nitani, only to reveal their real plan: find the mysterious and legendary Planet X. The trio’s quest takes an unexpected turn when they meet members of the Path of the Open Hand, forcing the heroes to put their goals aside to help the Jedi—and the galaxy—before it’s too late.
Graphic Novel • Quill Tree Books
New York Times bestselling author Jerry Craft is back with the newest adventures of Jordan, Drew, Liam, and all the characters that fans first met in New Kid, winner of the Newbery Award and the Coretta Scott King Author Award! In this full-color contemporary graphic novel, the gang from Riverdale Academy Day is heading to Paris, for an international education like you’ve never seen before …
Jordan, Drew, Liam, Maury, and their friends from Riverdale Academy Day School are heading out on a school trip to Paris. As an aspiring artist himself, Jordan can’t wait to see all the amazing art in the famous City of Lights.
But when their trusted faculty guides are replaced at the last minute, the school trip takes an unexpected—and hilarious—turn. Especially when trying to find their way around a foreign city ends up being almost as tricky as navigating the same friendships, fears, and differences that they struggle with at home.
Will Jordan and his friends embrace being exposed to a new language, unfamiliar food, and a different culture? Or will they all end up feeling like the “new kid”?
Paranormal • Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Rafa would rather live in the world of The Forgotten Age, his favorite role-playing game, than face his father’s increasing restrictions and his mother’s fading presence. But when Rafa and his friends decide to take the game out into the real world and steal their school cafeteria’s slushee machine, his dad concocts a punishment Rafa never could’ve imagined- a month working on a ranch in New Mexico, far away from his friends, their game, and his mom’s quesitos in Miami.
Life at Rancho Espanto isn’t as bad as Rafa initially expected, mostly due to Jennie, a new friend with similarly strong snack opinions, and Marcus, the veteran barn manager who’s not as gruff as he appears. But when Rafa’s work at the ranch is inexplicably sabotaged by a man who may not be what he seems, Rafa and Jennie explore what’s behind the strange events at Rancho Espanto — and discover that the greatest mystery may have been with Rafa all along.
Contemporary • Atheneum Books for Young Readers
In the eagerly anticipated sequel to Jamie Sumner’s acclaimed and beloved middle grade novel Roll with It, Ellie finds her own way to shine.
Ellie is so not the pageant type. They’re Coralee’s thing, and Ellie is happy to let her talented friend shine in the spotlight. But what’s she supposed to do when Coralee asks her to enter a beauty pageant, and their other best friend, Bert, volunteers to be their manager? Then again, how else is she going to get through this summer with her dad, who barely knows her, while her mom is off on her honeymoon with Ellie’s amazing gym teacher? Ellie decides she has nothing to lose.
There’s only one the director of the pageant seems determined to put Ellie and her wheelchair front and center. So it’s up to Ellie to figure out a way to do it on her own terms and make sure her friendships don’t fall apart along the way. Through it all, from thrift store deep dives to disastrous dance routines, she begins to form her own definition of beauty and what it means to really be seen.
Urchin Beach isn’t the sort of place where bad things happen. The little seaside town is too lucky for that. But then one day, a thief steals something precious—the town’s dragonfly staff, which is the source of all its good fortune and the most important part of the upcoming Dragonfly Day Festival.
Amelia MacGuffin is no detective. She’s eleven, quiet, and unlike her four younger siblings, she has no special talents. But Amelia loves her town. Her family has lived there forever. Her parents run the Pacific General Store, and she and her best friends, Birdie and Delphine, are about to start middle school. If Amelia doesn’t find the staff, the Dragonfly Day Festival will be canceled.
The town needs that tourist money to survive. Unless she cracks the case, Amelia’s family will lose everything—including the adorable stray dog they’ve fallen in love with. She only has seven days to solve Urchin Beach’s crime of the century. It’s not a lot of time, but Amelia has her list of suspects. It might be the new kids next door. Or the grumpy mystery writer who lives in the town’s creepiest mansion. Or perhaps even someone closer to home.
Amelia wants to save the town. She wants to save the dog. She wants both, so much.
But first, she has to catch a thief.
April 11th Book Releases
When You Reach Me meets Love Sugar Magic in this unforgettable middle grade novel where time travel, family recipes, and family secrets collide.
There’s something almost magical about the way Maya’s grandmother cooks—and although Halmunee may be losing her memory, she always knows how to make the most delicious gimbap. Maya doesn’t remember her family’s old life in Korea, but she learns new recipes and stories when they cook together—stories that Maya’s mom would prefer stayed in the past, especially if they involve Maya’s father.
One summer day, as Maya and Halmunee are making patbingsu, something unbelievable happens: a single delicious bite transports Maya and Halmunee back in time, into the memory itself. Halmunee explains that their family has the ability to time travel through food—and Maya can do it too, if she practices.
As she eats her way through the past, Maya tries to unravel the mystery of what life was like in Korea, and what really happened to her dad. She learns that time moves in ways she couldn’t imagine … and that sometimes, families keep secrets to protect the ones they love. Brimming with heart, and interspersed with Korean family recipes that readers can make themselves, this is a story to savor.
Science Fiction • Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Eoin Colfer meets Rick Riordan—with a little Margaret Peterson Haddix sprinkled on top—in this hilarious new sci-fi series from award-winning authors Neal Shusterman and Eric Elfman.
When fourteen-year-old Noah falls from the trees on his classmate Sahara, he doesn’t understand how, or why, he would have been up there. It’s just one more in a string of strange things happening to Noah lately.
Like when he keels over and every muscle in his body freezes when confronted by bullies. And when he vanishes into the background at a moment he doesn’t want to be noticed. And when he unexpectedly blasts Sahara with a bird shriek while flapping his arms uncontrollably in the middle of a school dance. What does it all mean? And why do there suddenly seem to be so many mysterious people trying to kill him?
Noah’s friend Ogden has an idea … but like all of Ogden’s ideas, it’s out there. Way out there …
Contemporary • G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
A poignant story of life in India during the pandemic that mixes loss, hope, and even a mystery solved by imaginative, lively, almost-nine-year-old Swara.
When the pandemic hits and India goes into lockdown, high-spirited Swara keeps up her daily chats with her just-as-imaginative grandmother, Pitter Paati, through video calls. But soon Pitter Paati becomes too ill to even call, and then Swara’s parents say she has died of the virus.
Swara can’t believe it. Pitter Paati would not just leave! It’s impossible!
As Swara investigates the mystery of her grandmother’s disappearance, she stumbles upon a neighborhood mystery as well. With help from her friends, usually-annoying brother, and clues she’s certain came from Pitter Paati, Swara solves that very real mystery and, slowly, comes to terms with the truth about her grandmother.
She also realizes Pitter Paati will be with her, in many important ways, forever.
April 18th Book Releases
Contemporary • Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
A grandmother-granddaughter duo set off on the Hollywood adventure of a lifetime in this funny middle-grade novel about breaking rules, growing up, and finding yourself—perfect for fans of Wendy Mass and Booki Vivat.
Audrey Covington’s parents are the textbook definition of strict—they don’t let Audrey stay up late or watch scary movies, and they definitely don’t let her go anywhere unsupervised. Audrey knows it’s best to just accept the way it is. But her friends decide her parents’ rules are getting in the way of all their fun and unceremoniously disinvite her from their annual start-of-summer slumber party so they aren’t tied down by boring Audrey.
Now Audrey is stuck helping her parents move her former-movie-star grandmother into a luxury retirement community. When she finally manages to sneak off to her parents’ car to check her phone, her grandmother climbs into the driver’s seat and speeds off—not realizing Audrey is still in the back seat! After startling each other, they come to a deal: Audrey promises not to tell her parents where her grandma is if Audrey can join in on one last grand adventure—no rules allowed. But as the two make their way across Hollywood, they realize that the life they think they want might not be what they need.
Mystery • Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
From the author of Blue Skies comes a lively middle grade novel set in 1960s Texas about a young, alien-loving girl trying to clear her grandmother’s good name in this mystery that has humor, hijinks, and heart in equal measure.
It’s 1964, the Space Race is well underway, and eleven-year-old Magnolia Jean Crook and the other residents of Totter, Texas, are over the moon about UFOs.
The whole town is gearing up for the First Annual Come on Down Day—in just one week, they are hoping to host any and all space aliens who would like to visit Earth. But right before the kick-off party, a meteorite goes missing—and MJ’s beloved grandmother Mimi, who is the vice president of the Totter Unidentified Flying Object Organization, is the prime suspect.
MJ is desperate to show the town that this Crook is not a thief. The only problem is that there is a lot of evidence against her, and Mimi herself isn’t helping things. She’s acting suspiciously, pulling disappearing acts, and worst of all, can’t seem to answer any questions about where she was or what she was doing.
But much like UFOs, extraterrestrial visitations, and sending people to space, the impossible has been known to happen.
The twelve-year-old daughter of La Llorona vows to free her mother and reverse the curses that have plagued the magical town of Tres Leches in this delightfully sweet and spellbinding adventure by beloved author Diana López.
When Felice learns that she’s the daughter of La Llorona, she catches a ride to the magical town of Tres Leches, where her mother is said to be haunting the river. Growing up with her uncle Clem in Corpus Christi, Felice knew that she had been rescued from drowning—it’s where her intense fear of water comes from—but she had no idea her mother remained trapped between worlds, looking for her. Guided by the magical town’s eccentric mayor, Felice vows to help her mother make peace with the events that turned her into the most famous monstruo of US-Mexico border lore. Along the way, she meets the children of other monstruos, like La Lechuza and the Dancing Devil, and together they free Tres Leches from magical and metaphorical curses that have haunted its people for generations.
Diana López’s electric return to middle grade—the first in a series—brims with magic, adventure, and Mexican folklore, and is perfect for fans of Ghost Squad by Claribel Ortega and the Jumbies series by Tracey Baptiste.
Contemporary • Scholastic Press
From Newbery Honor Winner Cynthia Lord, a brilliant story about how to find home when everything around us is changing.
Mia and her mom visit Grandma in Maine every summer, but this year Mia is going alone. Her mom will stay behind to get their house ready to sell. It’ll be a new start, she says, after the divorce.
Mia doesn’t want a new start. She’d rather everything just stayed the same! At least things will be the same at Grandma’s, though. Mia will walk to town for ice cream, and wait by the water, watching for birds, just like always.
Then Mia meets Grandma’s know-it-all new neighbor, who’s just her age. Cayman acts like he belongs at Grandma’s house. He acts like he’s the expert on everything. And when he and Mia spot an unusual white bird of prey, he acts like it’s his job to find out what it is.
Unless, that is, Mia finds out first. And, in her effort to prove herself to him, she makes a decision that will change things for the town, for the bird, for Cayman, and even for herself. Can Mia stop what she’s put into motion?
Acclaimed author Cynthia Lord, with her trademark sensitivity, weaves her love of nature with a profound reflection on what it means to be at home in a changing world.
Contemporary, LGBTQ+ • Scholastic Press
Twelve-year-old Jude struggles with some things: focusing at school, feeling like everything rests on their shoulders, not being able to come out as nonbinary to their old-fashioned grandparents. But Jude doesn’t struggle with Dallas, their best friend in the whole world. Their person.
Jude and Dallas’s world changes when they learn Stevie, a girl in their class, has been ousted from the popular clique at school. Worried it had something to do with Stevie’s rumored crush on another girl, Jude reaches out to see if Stevie is okay. Stevie quickly becomes an important friend to Jude and Dallas, whose unwavering acceptance of her is a stark contrast to the tests and dysfunction she experienced with her former friend group.
As their friendship deepens and the three open up to each other, Stevie’s unconditional and open acceptance when Jude comes out to her motivates them to create a queer safe space in their community. Jude has the courage and determination it takes to create the first Diversity Club in their community, but will they be able to find the support they need to make it happen?
As Shinji struggles to understand and control his new guardian magic, the members of S.E.A. learn that a sunken ship belonging to the long extinct Natia people has been found on the floor of the Pacific Ocean. Shinji, Lucy and Tinker, along with Oliver Ocean and Phoebe Mystic, a quirky, enthusiastic magic expert who has been called in to help Shinji, head off to check out the wreckage, hoping to get there before the Hightower Corporation can plunder the site, and picking up a young stowaway by the name of Roux along the way.
But nothing goes as planned, and when Shinji accidentally awakens a guardian who’s been hidden on a mysterious island and trapped inside a volcano for a century, he causes a volcanic eruption and releases a massive hurricane that threatens the entire coast of California. Now Shinji must learn to control his powers and best his fears so that he can stop the destruction and regain the trust of S.E.A before it’s too late.
The third book in the Sisters Ever After series of fairy tale retellings, this is the thrilling story of the Pied Piper’s little sister, Clare, who is determined to uncover the truth behind her brother’s seemingly cruel actions.
Clare’s brother, Tom, also known as the pied piper, has stolen away the children of Hamelin. But Clare knows that’s only half the story. Tom isn’t the easiest person to love, but she’s certain that he couldn’t be so cruel. There has to be a good reason why he stole the Fae Queen’s magic pipe and led the children to a faraway land, never to be seen again.
Together with Anna, the mayor of Hamelin’s daughter, Clare embarks on a journey into the Faerie Realms. In order to succeed, she will have to dodge faerie traps and stay out of the evil Rat Prince’s claws. Only she can save the children of Hamelin and clear her brother’s name.
But who will she have to betray to do it?
Take Pippi Longstocking’s joie de vivre, blend it with a 21st century urban setting, toss in a dog named Otto for good measure and what do you get? This joyfully carefree story about two unlikely friends.
It’s a pair of silver sequined sneakers that unexpectedly flips Emily’s comfortable, predictable world upside down. Or, more precisely, it’s the girl wearing them.
The shoes belong to Rani, who moves into Emily’s apartment building—and her life—with absolutely no one but her dog Otto. (Her research scientist mother is away in Patagonia.) And that’s only the first rule that Emily watches Rani break without hesitation.
But it’s not just that Rani breaks rules. Most of the time, she doesn’t seem to know the rules exist. Why can’t she bungee jump off their building? Or bring an ice cream truck to school?
For steady and orderly Emily, Rani’s approach to life feels impossible … and more than a little irresistible. But is there a place for her in Rani’s world? And should she find a way to make space for Rani in her own?
April 25th Book Releases
Humour, Retelling • Disney-Hyperion
Amazon
Disney Villains are known for causing trouble. But what about before they were all grown up? When young Cruella gets to this most magical summer camp, things get hairy!
Bloom loves welcoming new campers to the enchanting Camp Lil’ Vills. But there’s something off about her fancy new bunkmate, Cruella, who seems to hate nature but is very interested in the rare fuzzy nerbit in their creature-care class. Almost too interested. Could this leopard (or Dalmatian) have changed its spots? Or does Cruella have something sinister up her perfect sleeve?
Humour, Retelling • Disney-Hyperion
Disney Villains are known for causing trouble. But what about before they were all grown up? When young Hades gets to this most magical summer camp, sparks fly!
Bloom and Benji get a new teammate for the Charmed Ropes Course relay: Hades, a kid who burns up whenever something doesn’t go his way. He really wants to beat his big brother Zeus’s record, even if he has to smoke out the competition. Will Bloom and Benji manage to stop him before the whole camp goes up in flames?
Adventure • Knopf Books for Young Readers
The now notorious outlaws Scarlett and Browne are back in their second death-defying adventure—and this time it’s not just their own lives on the line …
Albert and Scarlett are a formidable pair. With his ability to read minds, and her way with a weapon, no bank can keep them out and no jail can keep them in.
But their notoriety may have spread a bit too far. Now old enemies from Scarlett’s past and a sinister new threat from Albert’s world are boxing them in—and holding their friends hostage.
To win their freedom, the outlaws Scarlett and Browne are charged with pulling off an impossible mission. And the clock is ticking …
Fans of Jonathan Stroud’s “bleedin’ brilliant” The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne won’t want to miss this new wild ride.
Fantasy • Random House Books for Young Readers
With chaos on the rise, one girl stands in the face of all evil … and we’re not talking about homework! The sequel to the fantasy series inspired by Chinese mythology.
As shamans, Winnie Zeng and her archnemesis, David Zuo, have accepted their roles in guarding the world from evil spirits. But with Halloween around the corner, the balance between realms grows fragile—and so yet another shaman is assigned to help Winnie and David protect the town of Groton, Michigan.
The catch? The new shaman is just the worst. Not only is she way too perfect—she also has an ego to match, and thinks she’s the best thing that’s happened to Groton since Winnie’s red bean brownies. Plus, she’s confident she can save the world all on her own.
With evil spirits growing in number, Winnie and David find themselves in quite a pickle. While the newest shaman isn’t convinced there’s a storm brewing, this town is going to need all three of them on the same team … or there might not be a town left to defend.
More 2023 Book Lists You Might Like
- 41 Wonderful New Books to Read in April 2023
- March 2023 Reading Wrap Up
- February 2023 Reading Wrap Up
Let’s Chat in the Comments!
Which middle grade books are you most excited to read this month? I’d love to hear!
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