With the start of a brand new year, it’s the perfect time to find great books to read! Add to your bookshelf this month with the best new middle grade books to read in January 2023!
There’s nothing better than curling up with a good middle grade book.
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 January 2023 will help you kickstart a fantastic reading year!
Browse the Books by Release Date
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January 3rd Book Releases
The third book in the middle-grade series that’s part Scooby-Doo, part A Series of Unfortunate Events, and entirely genius! Follow the Sinister-Winterbottoms on their most outrageous adventure yet, when they find themselves at a normal summer camp!
After leaving the Sanguine Spa in pursuit of Edgaren’t, the kids find themselves at a mysterious summer camp, Camp Creek. There are lake games and happy counselors, and there’s even a tie-dye cabin. It’s all very … normal.
But if Theo and Alexander know one thing, it’s that normal doesn’t always mean good. When everyone around her starts acting strange, Theo wonders if maybe the fumes from the tie-dye cabin are seeping into their brains, and she resolves to investigate what’s really going on at Camp Creek.
The third book in New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White’s Sinister Summer series continues the adventures of the Sinister-Winterbottoms and their aunt, who never saw a discount vacation destination she didn’t love.
Cousins Rose and Cora Seville aren’t your typical eighth graders. They are matchmakers-in-training, learning how to magically make love connections out of San Francisco’s Hotel Coeur, where they live in the penthouse suite. As young Fledglings, Rose and Cora must perfect their charms and enchantments to pass a test that will determine their future, but they are not prepared for all the drama ahead!
Confident, cool Rose, the most promising Fledgling of her generation, thinks her magic can help her handle any assignment that’s thrown at her. But when she is faced with a bitter rival and headstrong Kindling, will she be able to rise to the challenge?
As for kind-yet-complicated Cora, she’s usually in her cousin’s shadow. But new powers that allow her to see others’ emotions might make her a secret weapon in the matchmaking world. Will Cora’s special abilities help or hurt her when a crush on a boy puts her matchmaker ethics on the line?
From debut author Tamika Burgess comes the captivating and empowering story of Sicily Jordan — a Black Panamanian fashionista who rocks her braids with pride — who learns to use her voice and take pride in who she is while confronting prejudice in the most unexpected of places.
Sicily Jordan’s worst nightmare has come true! She’s been enrolled in a new school, with zero of her friends and stuck wearing a fashion catastrophe of a uniform. But however bad Sicily thought sixth grade was going to be, it only gets worse when she does her class presentation.
While all her classmates breezed through theirs, Sicily is bombarded with questions on how she can be both Black and Panamanian. She wants people to understand, but it doesn’t feel like anyone is ready to listen — first at school and then at home. Because when her abuela starts talking mess about her braids, Sicily’s the only one whose heart is being crumpled for a second time.
Staying quiet may no longer be an option, but that doesn’t mean Sicily has the words to show the world just what it means to be a proud Black Panamanian either. Even though she hasn’t written in her journal since her abuelo passed, it’s time to pick up her pen again — but will it be enough to prove to herself and everyone else exactly who she is?
From the author of the Pegasus series comes the second book in a spellbinding fantasy series for fans of Rick Riordan and Shannon Messenger, in which Riley’s return home is short-lived and full of unforeseen danger.
Riley thought that her adventure was over when she arrived back home in Colorado. Although she misses her dad, she’s back with her mom and brother and has caught up with her classes at school. Though Maggie, Pea, and her aunt have to hide in their basement apartment during the day, they are making the most of things and settling into their new life.
But things get much more complicated when a gang of thieves plagues Riley’s neighborhood and her family takes in a group of children who don’t know about the Atlanteans living in the basement. To make matters worse, the Atlanteans are becoming gravely ill, and everyone starts to worry that they may not be able to survive so far from the island’s magic.
As tensions escalate, their only option is to return to Atlantis—and face all the enemies they made during their escape, plus a few new ones.
From award winning author Lucy Strange comes a thrilling story of six sisters who must fight against circumstance and fate, gorgeously told and steeped in history and legend.
On a poor farm surrounded by marshlands, six sisters — Grace, Willa, Freya, and triplets Deedee, Darcy, and Dolly — live in fear of their father and the superstition that haunts him: The Curse of the Six Daughters. Their beloved grandmother tries to protect them, but the future seems bleak.
When the Full Moon Fayre makes a rare visit to Hollow-in-the-Marsh, the girls slip out to see the famous Shadow Man, an enigmatic puppeteer. Afterwards, oldest sister Grace is missing.
Following the Full Moor Fayre into the Lost Marsh, Willa will have to battle her inner doubts and the legends that have haunted her family. Can she save her sister from one fate, and outrun her own?
The thrilling new novel from acclaimed author Lucy Strange, author of The Secret of Nightingale Wood, The Ghost of Midnight Lake and the Waterstones Prize-shortlisted Our Castle by the Sea.
Adventure • Random House Books for Young Readers
CHOOSE YOUR PATH. CHANGE THE STORY. SAVE THE EARTH.
From the creator of the interactive Escape This Book! series comes a new adventure series about climate superheroes in which YOU get to help save the planet by choosing which story line you think is the right one!
The Calamity Corporation is determined to end life on Earth as we know it. The company has built hotels that orbit Earth and small cities on the moon and has plans to move the human population to Mars. The sinister corporation is determined to ruin Earth so that people have no choice but to leave it.
Not so fast! Four kids who secretly possess the powers of land, air, sea, and creatures are about to change the course of history. These kids may not be the likeliest of heroes, but they are determined to stop Calamity Corporation from destroying Earth. And they have a secret weapon: a fifth hero. YOU!
Throughout the book, there are three chances for you to help change the course of the story alongside our fearless team. Choose incorrectly and it’s game over. But choose wisely and you might save the planet!
Sometimes, it’s not so easy to tell the differences between good guys and the bad ones. Filled with superheroes, supervillains, and epic showdowns, The Unforgettable Logan Foster and the Shadow of Doubt is the thrilling second book in the acclaimed Logan Foster series from super-author Shawn Peters.
After using his photographic memory to defeat Necros and her minions, Logan has seen his life change completely. Now, the Multinational Authority for Superhuman Control (MASC) is keeping a close eye on everything he does in order to keep him out of Necros’s clutches.
But when Logan stumbles upon the fact that Necros was in the area on the very same day he became an orphan, he can’t help but wonder—is MASC hiding the truth about who his parents really are?
When superheroes mysteriously start going missing, all signs point to the same supervillain who also may hold the clues to Logan’s past. Only Logan—along with his super-strong best friend, Elena, and their new bestie, Connie—can uncover the truth, find the missing superheroes, and stop Necros. Will Logan be able to save the day and uncover the truth about his birth parents before it’s too late? It’s another action-packed Logan Foster adventure from super-author Shawn Peters.
Let the good times roll with this rom-com about sushi rolls, secret crushes, and chasing your dreams!
Susannah Mikami dreams of becoming a famous sushi chef like her dad. And this summer, she plans to learn everything about his traditional kitchen. Only he refuses to teach her, and won’t tell her why. Is it because he doesn’t want her to embarrass him in front of the documentary crew filming at his restaurant? Or worse, because she’s a girl? Either way, Sana decides he’s not the only one who can keep secrets.
So when she meets Koji, a cute boy who wants to help her cook up some trouble in the kitchen — and film online tutorials to show the world her mad skills — Sana is all in. But sneaking around means lying to her parents, something Sana’s never done before. Can she take the heat, or will she get out of the kitchen for good?
January 10th Book Releases
From Gordon Korman, the bestselling author of Restart and The Unteachables, comes a hilarious new story about a mysterious new teacher who turns out to be an AI robot from a secret experimental program.
Oliver Zahn, spitball champion and self-declared rule-wrecker of Brightling Middle School, is not a fan of his new homeroom teacher, Mr. Aidact. The guy is sort of stiff, never cracks a smile, and refers to them as “pupils.” The worst part is he catches Oliver before he can pull any of his signature pranks! It’s time for Oliver and his best friend, Nathan, to show the new teacher who’s boss.
But as the weeks go by, they start to realize that Mr. Aidact is not what they expected. He has an uncanny ability to remember song lyrics or trivia. When the girls’ field hockey team needs a new coach, he suddenly turns out to be an expert. He never complains when other teachers unload work on him—even when it’s lunchroom duty and overseeing detention. Against all odds, Mr. Aidact starts to become the most popular teacher at Brightling.
Still, Oliver and Nathan know that something is fishy. They’re determined to get to the bottom of the mystery: What’s the deal with Mr. Aidact?
At once darkly suspenseful and heartfelt with stunning spot art from illustrator Rovina Cai, this trilogy finale of New York Times-bestselling author Daniel Kraus’s action-packed The Teddies Saga is perfect for fans of Victoria Schwab, Katherine Arden, and Holly Black.
After searching so long for a place to call home, the daring teddies–clever Buddy, shrewd Sunny, fearless Nothing, and wise Reginald–find few answers at the place where they were created, Furrington Industries. But with a new friend—a teddy of legend!—the teddies head back into the dangerous world to seek the secrets of their creation.
Soon the teddies find themselves surrounded by people who hated them, and discover that the founder of Furrington Industries, known as the Suit, is on trial for an unknown crime. Left reeling but determined, Buddy leads his friends–those that survive–through the protestors that line the streets outside and into the bowels of the courthouse … where they’ll find out the true, incendiary reason the teddies were thrown away.
In this engrossing and inventive contemporary middle grade novel that’s Where’d You Go Bernadette? with a #MeToo message, an eighth grader uses social media posts, passed notes, and other clues to find out why a formerly popular girl is now the pariah of her new school.
Anna Hunt may be the new girl at East Middle School, but she can already tell there’s something off about her eighth-grade class. Rachel Riley, who just last year was one of the most popular girls in school, has become a social outcast. But no one, including Rachel Riley herself, will tell Anna why.
As a die-hard podcast enthusiast, Anna knows there’s always more to a story than meets the eye. So she decides to put her fact-seeking skills to the test and create her own podcast around the question that won’t stop running through her head: What happened to Rachel Riley?
With the entire eighth grade working against her, Anna dives headfirst into the evidence. Clue after clue, the mystery widens, painting an even more complex story than Anna could have anticipated. But there’s one thing she’s certain of: If you’re going to ask a complicated question, you better be prepared for the fallout that may come with the answer.
January 17th Book Releases
Contemporary • Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
A fun, fast-paced novel about friendship, family, fighting for what’s right, and standing out from the crowd while standing up for yourself.
Twelve-year-old Brooklyn Ace is ready to take the Valentine World Scouts by storm and build her own cookie empire. She nearly won the top cookie selling spot last year and is determined to make her mom—who recently passed away—proud by coming in first this time around. With her fabulous best friends by her side, Brooklyn knows she’ll become Santa Monica’s District Cookie Queen. The crown is practically in the bag.
Then Piper Parker arrives.
Piper has a rich dad, a fancy hotel, and a drive to steal the cookie crown right off Brooklyn’s head. Before long, most of the seventh grade is under Piper’s spell. But Brooklyn is in it to win the biggest cookie war the school has ever seen. With the help of her cookie squad, her rockstar grandmother, her super cool therapist, and a lot of self-love and inner growth, maybe—just maybe—Brooklyn can end up a winner after all.
Contemporary • Katherine Tegen Books
Tanita S. Davis, author of Partly Cloudy and Serena Says, has written another funny, warm story featuring middle school and family life—all about the complex calculations it takes for everyone to balance the equations of their lives and what it takes to be part of a team while handling a learning disability. This middle grade novel is perfect for fans of From the Desk of Zoe Washington and A Good Kind of Trouble.
Seventh grader Henrietta Weldon gets to switch schools—finally! She’ll be “mainstreaming” into public school, leaving her special education school behind. She can’t wait for her new schedule, new friends, and new classes.
Henri’s dyscalculia, a learning disability that makes math challenging to process and understand, is what she expects to give her problems. What she doesn’t expect is a family feud with her sister over her new friends, joining the girls’ soccer team, and discovering poetry. Henri’s tutor and new friend, Vinnie, reminds her to take it slow. One problem at a time.
If Henri Weldon has twenty-four hours in a day, and she has two siblings who dislike her four new friends, two hours of soccer practice, seven hours of classes, and three hours of homework … she has:
A. No free time
B. No idea how to make everyone happy
C. No time to figure it out, Henri Weldon!
Science Fiction • Simon Spotlight
Star Trek: Prodigy is a brand-new animated series streaming on Paramount+ and airing on Nickelodeon! In this middle grade adventure based on the Star Trek: Prodigy video game, Dal and Gwyn must rescue their missing crewmates.
When the Protostar crash-lands in a peculiar star system, the crew ends up separated and Dal and Gwyn must work together to find their missing crewmates. They don’t have much time, though: the nearby star is destabilized and in danger of creating a supernova. Then Dal and Gwyn discover evil droids patrolling the area, and they look just like the Watchers back in Tars Lamora. How will Dal and Gwyn confront this nightmare from their past … and prevent an explosion in their near future?
Fantasy • Random House Books for Young Readers
Getting three baby dragons back home was just the beginning. Now Jaxon is on a mission to help all magical creatures from Dragons in a Bag! But things in the magical realm are more complicated than they seem in the fourth book in the critically acclaimed series.
With their new special abilities, Jaxon and his friends are not the ordinary kids they used to be. No longer destined to become a witch, Jax finds himself caught up in a secret plan involving the Guardian of Palmara’s mysterious twin brother, Ol-Korrok. As the ambassador to the realm of magic, Jax must convince Sis that magical creatures should be free to return to the human world.
But to reach Palmara, Jax and his friends must cross Ol-Korrok’s enchanted bridge connecting the two realms. Is Ol-Korrok really the ally he pretends to be? Or has Jax set in motion a plan that will endanger both realms?
It takes strength to build a bridge. But sometimes even the strongest bridges must be burned.
Contemporary, Grief • Dial Books
An enchanting middle grade about navigating the odd spaces between grieving and everyday living, and learning to carry sadness in one hand, and joy in the other.
Ten-year-old Dottie Bing is a problem-solver and question-asker who is never more gleeful than when she’s encountering a new dilemma — whether it’s her own, or someone else’s. But when her Grandpa Walter comes to stay (and stay, and stay!) he brings the biggest question that Dottie has ever encountered: How do you heal a broken heart?
You see, Grandpa Walter is grieving the loss of his beloved wife, Dottie’s Grandma Ima. Even though she knows every solution starts with a question, for the first time in her life, Dottie isn’t sure what to ask.
Historical Fiction • Roaring Brook Press
From the author of Nowhere Boy — called “a resistance novel for our times” by The New York Times — comes a brilliant middle-grade survival story that traces a harrowing family secret back to the Holodomor, a terrible famine that devastated Soviet Ukraine in the 1930s.
Thirteen-year-old Matthew is miserable. His journalist dad is stuck overseas indefinitely, and his mom has moved in his one-hundred-year-old great-grandmother to ride out the pandemic, adding to his stress and isolation.
But when Matthew finds a tattered black-and-white photo in his great-grandmother’s belongings, he discovers a clue to a hidden chapter of her past, one that will lead to a life-shattering family secret. Set in alternating timelines that connect the present-day to the 1930s and the US to the USSR, Katherine Marsh’s latest novel sheds fresh light on the Holodomor – the horrific famine that killed millions of Ukrainians, and which the Soviet government covered up for decades.
An incredibly timely, page-turning story of family, survival, and sacrifice, inspired by Marsh’s own family history, The Lost Year is perfect for fans of Ruta Sepetys’ Between Shades of Gray and Alan Gratz’s Refugee.
A heartfelt and hopeful middle grade novel from Jacquetta Nammar Feldman, author of the Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection Wishing Upon the Same Stars, about family, joy, and growing up in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Perfect for fans of Nic Stone’s Fast Pitch and Erin Entrada Kelly’s We Dream of Space.
Sammy and Matty are the Putterman twins—the perfect team of two. But Matty has a secret he’s not ready to share with his family yet, and he suddenly quits baseball and stops talking to his sister. With their twin telepathy broken, Sammy doesn’t know what to do without her teammate.
Becky Putterman is sick of her family only cheering for her cousins, Sammy and Matty. They all used to be friends, but since everything became about the twins, Becky’s felt left out. With her bat mitzvah around the corner, she hopes it’ll finally be her turn in the spotlight.
But then Hurricane Harvey hits Houston, Texas, and the twins’ house is damaged in the flood. Their family moves in with Becky’s—which no one is happy about. As their grief, anger, and uncertainty grow, they’ll soon find they need each other now more than ever before. With all nine Puttermans under one roof, can Sammy, Matty, and Becky find a way to glue their family back together?
Christopher finally uncovers the Raven’s identity in this sixth novel of the award-winning Blackthorn Key series.
The stakes are higher than ever when the Raven sets Christopher up for a horrible crime, leading him to be locked away in London’s most notorious prison. This terrible act is the first in a series of games the Raven plans to play with Christopher … games that are as dangerous as they are challenging.
Once free from prison, Christopher, Tom, and Sally engage in a cat and mouse game with the Raven that takes them all over London. Can Christopher outwit the Raven one final time and finally unmask him? And what price might he have to pay to achieve that? This is the thrilling conclusion to the Blackthorn Key series that fans have been waiting for!
Mystery • Simon & Schuster / Paula Wiseman Books
From Edgar Award–nominated author Martha Freeman comes a compelling middle grade mystery following a young boy working at his family’s secondhand store that is a steal-your-heart story about family and friendship.
Arthur Popper helps out in his family’s Boulder, Colorado, junk store, Universal Trash, a place so full of cool stuff it inspires awe in first-time shoppers. When it comes to ukuleles, peppermills, and rhinestones, Arthur knows what’s what. But unlike his motorcycle-riding grandma and his namesake, King Arthur, he’s not brave or adventurous.
Then Arthur finds a chipped teacup, of all things, and realizes it’s the key to solving the perfect crime—a crime only he knows about.
With help from a supernatural sidekick, his best friend, his annoying little sister, and a sad-faced police officer, Arthur embarks on the hard work of detecting. Everyone knows Arthur is good at customer service. Does he have what it takes to solve a mystery and confront a thief?
Contemporary • Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
A girl channels her grief and pain into love and activism in this heartbreaking, heart-mending novel of family, friendship, and community.
Iris tries to act normal at school, going through the motions and joking around with her friends. But nothing is normal, and sometimes it feels like she’ll never laugh again. How can she, when her dad is dying of a virus that’s off-limits to talk about? When she knows that soon all she’ll have left of her kind, loving dad are memories, photos, and a binder full of the poems they used to exchange?
In a sea of rage and grief, Iris resolves to speak out against the rampant fear, misinformation, and prejudice surrounding AIDS—and find the pieces of Dad that she never knew before. Along the way, Iris might just find new sides to herself.
Award-winning author Ami Polonsky has crafted a lyrical, tender, earth-shattering novel that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page.
January 24th Book Releases
This timeless fantasy debut follows four unlikely heroes—a boy-turned-dragon, his reluctant dragon rider, a runaway witch, and a young soldier—bound by the Fates to save their world, and magic itself, from being destroyed.
Blue, River, Wren, and Shenli grew up on different sides of a war they didn’t start. Their land has been torn apart over centuries of conflict, with humans taught to fear all things magical, dragons driven to near extinction, and magic under attack. But an ancient prophecy has put the four them on a collision course with destiny—and with each other—in a mission to heal the fractured realm once known as Haven.
All of them must follow the threads of Fate, leaving behind the lives and homes they know to discover the truth about the seemingly endless war—and the truth about themselves. As the barriers between them begin to crumble, can they unravel the lies they’ve been taught to believe in order to restore the balance between humans, dragons, and magic before it’s too late?
Contemporary • Nancy Paulsen Books
The author of What Lane? and Tight delivers a fast-paced read that packs a punch about a boy figuring out how to best use his hands–to build or to knock down.
Trev would do anything to protect his mom and sisters, especially from his stepdad. But his stepdad’s return stresses Trev–because when he left, he threatened Trev’s mom. Rather than live scared, Trev takes matters into his own hands, literally. He starts learning to box to handle his stepdad. But everyone isn’t a fan of his plan, because Trev’s a talented artist, and his hands could actually help him build a better future. And they’re letting him know. But their advice for some distant future feels useless in his reality right now. Ultimately, Trev knows his future is in his hands, and his hands are his own, and he has to choose how to use them.
Fantasy • Bloomsbury Children’s Books
In this sweeping, modern fairy tale, acclaimed author Megan Frazer Blakemore breathes new life into the the tale of Sleeping Beauty and asks readers: Who deserves to be the hero of your story?
A curse will fall …
A hero will rise …
Princess Harbor Rose is cursed. Since the day of her christening, she’s lived her whole life hidden away on a remote island with her magical aunts and the eccentric islandfolk. She’s been waiting patiently each day, of each year, following all the rules for being a princess. And now it is only one year until her thirteenth birthday, when a hero will finally arrive to save her.
But as with any story, there are two sides … and the curse told of much more than a single princess’s fate. It told of a dangerous foe rooted in powerful magic that would soon approach. It told of a dangerous war that could destroy everything if a young hero didn’t arrive in time. It told of a magic imbued with hope that could save everyone, as long as they believe. With her beloved kingdom and island at grave risk, Harbor Rose has a choice: should she wait for the hero, or take matters into her own hands?
In this lyrical novel that will appeal to fans of Meg Medina, Maya turns to her trusty “wheel of fortunes” for guidance on the toughest questions—like why her best friend suddenly feels far away, or when her Daddy will move back home. But can Maya find the courage to write her own fortune?
Maya J. Jenkins is bursting with questions:
Will she get the MVP award at this year’s soccer banquet? Who will win the big grill off between Daddy and Uncle J? When will she pass the swim test and get a green bracelet? For answers and a dose of good luck, 12-year-old Maya turns to her Wheel of Fortunes, a cardboard circle covered with the small slips of wisdom she’s collected from fortune cookies.
But can the fortunes answer her deep-down questions? The ones she’s too scared to ask out loud? Like, where did Mama’s smile go, the real one that lit up everything around her? When will Daddy move back home? And most of all, does she have enough courage to truly listen to the voice in her heart?
January 31st Book Releases
Contemporary • Union Square Kids
Twelve-year-old Graham Dodds is no stranger to hospital waiting rooms. Sometimes, he feels like his entire life is one big waiting room. Waiting for the next doctor to tell them what’s wrong with his mom. Waiting to find out what city they’re moving to next. Waiting to see if they will finally get their miracle—a heart transplant to save his mom’s life.
Now Graham is stuck in Florida for the summer, waiting once again. But when he meets a girl named Lou at the hospital, he finds a friend who needs a distraction as much as he does. She tells him about a contest to find the endangered Snail Kite, which resides in the local gator-filled swamps. Together they embark on an adventure, searching for the rare bird … and along the way, Graham might just find something else—himself.
Jeff Miller crafts a heartfelt story about what it means to live in this unforgettable middle grade novel. Rare Birds is a rare find.
Contemporary, Grief • Disney-Hyperion
Simon O’Keeffe’s biggest claim to fame should be the time his dad accidentally gave a squirrel a holy sacrament. Or maybe the alpaca disaster that went viral on YouTube. But the story the whole world wants to tell about Simon is the one he’d do anything to forget: the story in which he’s the only kid in his class who survived a school shooting.
Two years after the infamous event, twelve-year-old Simon and his family move to the National Quiet Zone—the only place in America where the internet is banned. Instead of talking about Simon, the astronomers who flock to the area are busy listening for signs of life in space. And when Simon makes a friend who’s determined to give the scientists what they’re looking for, he’ll finally have the chance to spin a new story for the world to tell.
From award-winning author Erin Bow, Simon Sort of Says is a breathtaking testament to the lasting echoes of trauma, the redemptive power of humor, and the courage it takes to move forward without forgetting the past.
Fantasy, Mystery • Holiday House
The Addams Family meets The Westing Game in this exhilarating mystery about a modern magical dynasty trapped in the ruins of their once-grand, now-crumbling ancestral home.
Twelve-year-old Garnet regrets that she doesn’t know her family. Her mother has done her best to keep it that way, living far from the rest of the magical Carrefour clan and their dark, dangerous mansion known as Crossroad House. But when Garnet finally gets summoned to the estate, it isn’t quite what she hoped for. Her relatives are strange and quarrelsome, each room in Crossroad House is more dilapidated than the last, and she can’t keep straight which dusty hallways and cobwebbed corners are forbidden.
Then Garnet learns the family secret: their dying patriarch fights to retain his life by stealing power from others. Every accident that isn’t an accident, every unexpected illness and unexplained disappearance grants Jasper Carrefour a little more time. While the Carrefours squabbles over who will inherit his role when (if) he dies, Garnet encounters evidence of an even deeper curse. Was she brought to Crossroad House as part of the curse … or is she meant to break it?
Written with loads of creepy atmosphere and an edge-of-your-seat magical mystery, this thrilling story reads like The Haunting of Hill House for preteens. Perfect for late-night reading under the covers.
Fantasy • Margaret K McElderry Books
Barclay and his friends find new dangers and fresh adventure when they encounter mysterious sandstorms in the Desert in this thrilling third book of the New York Times bestselling Wilderlore series.
After saving the Sea, Barclay and his fellow apprentices are eager to take part in a new kind of adventure—the Symposium, a set of courses that all apprentices of the Lore Keeper Guild need to pass before they can take their licensing exam. Barclay is excited to travel to the Desert to study at the University of Al Faradh, the most respected school in all the Wilderlands, and to reunite with the new friends he made at the Sea.
He’s slightly less excited about the Tourney, the traditional, good-natured prank war between the various apprentice tracks. As an Elsie, he’s pretty sure he’ll have enough on his hands keeping up with the Symposium without having to worry about stink bombs and slime warfare.
But as mysterious, unnatural sandstorms start to appear around the Desert, there are more than just exams and bragging rights at stake. And the appearance of an exclusive, magical library might just be the key to everything …
A gripping, richly imagined African-inspired fantasy in which a Black girl finds her power and saves her people from evil, by the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award-winning author of Black Panther: The Young Prince.
In the land of Alkebulan, twelve-year-old Asha is an orphan, raised by Madame S, the proprietor of a traveling carnival. When Madame S is attacked by ghoulish creatures, she manages to tell Asha before she dies, “Seek the Underground Kingdom, where the black flowers bloom.” Asha doesn’t understand the mysterious words, but they launch her onto a page-turning quest to protect her people and stop an ancient evil. Along the way, she uncovers shocking secrets about the family she never knew and begins to find her place in the world as she discovers her own untapped powers.
More 2023 book lists you might like
- 55 New Middle Grade Books I’m Excited to Read in 2023
- 51 New Books I Can’t Wait to Read in 2023
- 50 New Young Adult Books I’m Excited to Read in 2023
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