It’s the start of a brand new month, which means it’s time for brand new books! Today, I’m sharing a list of the best middle grade books to read in March 2021.
I hope everyone had a great reading month in February! I didn’t have the best reading month, but I’m excited for the new releases in March! There were so many wonderful middle grade releases in February and there’s going to be some great ones this month too!
Whether you’re a teacher, a parent or simply just love to read middle grade books, then this list is for you! With fantasy, contemporary and everything in between, you’ll find the best new middle grade books to read in March 2021.
March 2nd
A coming-of-age middle-grade graphic novel featuring a girl with severe allergies who just wants to find the perfect pet!
At home, Maggie is the odd one out. Her parents are preoccupied with getting ready for a new baby, and her younger brothers are twins and always in their own world. Maggie loves animals and thinks a new puppy to call her own is the answer, but when she goes to select one on her birthday, she breaks out in hives and rashes. She’s severely allergic to anything with fur!
Can Maggie outsmart her allergies and find the perfect pet? With illustrations by Michelle Mee Nutter, Megan Wagner Lloyd uses inspiration from her own experiences with allergies to tell a heartfelt story of family, friendship, and finding a place to belong.
Where there are ghosts, Cassidy Blake follows … unless it’s the other way around?
Cass thinks she might have this ghost-hunting thing down. After all, she and her ghost best friend, Jacob, have survived two haunted cities while travelling for her parents’ TV show.
But nothing can prepare Cass for New Orleans, which wears all of its hauntings on its sleeve. In a city of ghost tours and tombs, raucous music and all kinds of magic, Cass could get lost in all the colourful, grisly local legends. And the city’s biggest surprise is a foe Cass never expected to face: a servant of Death itself.
Cass takes on her most dangerous challenge yet …
Adventure • Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Charlie searches for Charles Darwin’s hidden treasure in South America.
Charlie Thorne is a genius.
Charlie Thorne is a fugitive.
Charlie Thorne isn’t even thirteen.
After saving the world, Charlie is ready to take it easy in the Galapagos Islands. That is, until she’s approached by the mysterious Esmeralda Castle, who has a code she knows only Charlie can decipher.
In 1835, Charles Darwin diverted his ship’s journey so he could spend ten months in South America on a secret solo expedition. When he returned, he carried a treasure that inspired both awe and terror in his crew. Afterward, it vanished, never to be seen again …
But Darwin left a trail of clues behind for those brave and clever enough to search for it.
Enter Charlie Thorne.
In a daring adventure that takes her across South America, Charlie must crack Darwin’s 200-year-old clues to track down his mysterious discovery—and stay ahead of the formidable lineup of enemies who are hot on her tail.
When an ancient hidden treasure is at stake, people will do anything to find it first. Charlie may be a genius, but is she smart enough to know who she can trust?
Mystery • Margaret Ferguson Books
For most of his life, Igor and his family have been on the run. Danger lurks around every corner — or so he’s always been told …
When Igor was five, his father witnessed a terrible crime — and ever since, his whole family has been hunted by a foreboding figure bent on revenge, known only as the Lizard Man. They’ve lived in so many places, with so many identities, that Igor can’t even remember his real name.
But now he’s twelve years old, and he longs for a normal life. He wants to go to school. Make friends. Stop worrying about how long it will be before his father hears someone prowling around their new house and uproots everything yet again. He’s even starting to wonder — what if the Lizard Man only exists in his father’s frightened mind?
Slowly, Igor starts bending the rules he’s lived by all his life — making friends for the first time, testing the boundaries of where he’s allowed to go in town. But soon, he begins noticing strange things around them — is it in his imagination? Or could the Lizard Man be real after all?
Iain Lawrence is a winner of Canada’s Governor General’s Children’s Literature Prize and the California Young Reader Medal. In Deadman’s Castle, he brings readers a mystery filled with intrigue and moments of heart-stopping danger.
To unravel any mystery, find the knot.
When Delphine, a young orphaned dressmaker mouse living in the walls of Cinderella”s château, stumbles upon an enormous secret, it upends everything she thought she knew: The magical tailor mice of legend really existed. Racing to stay ahead of King Midnight, the fearsome leader of the rats who is bent on harnessing age-old magic, Delphine embarks on an epic quest to uncover the truth about the past. Joined by Alexander, the most pompous noblemouse in the royal court, she travels a perilous route, encountering strange enemies and unlikely allies along the way.
Can Delphine uncover the truth and save the kingdom? Or will the evil King Midnight succeed in harnessing the power of the tailor mice? This action-packed novel is sure to be a hit with readers who like magic, adventure, and very tiny heroes with very big hearts.
Harry has always admired the famous escape artist Houdini. And when Houdini asks for help in coming back to life, it seems like an amazing chance … or could it be Houdini’s greatest trick of all?
Eleven-year-old Harry Mancini is NOT Harry Houdini — the famous escape artist who died in 1926. But Harry DOES live in Houdini’s old New York City home, and he definitely knows everything there is to know about Houdini’s life. What is he supposed to do, then, when someone starts texting him claiming that they’re Houdini, communicating from beyond the grave? Respond, of course.
It’s hard for Harry to believe that Houdini is really contacting him, but this Houdini texts the secrets to all of the escape tricks the dead Houdini used to do. What’s more, Houdini’s offering Harry a chance to go back in time and experience it for himself. Should Harry ignore what must be a hoax? Or should he give it a try and take Houdini up on this death-defying offer?
Dan Gutman is the award-winning author of series including My Weird School, The Genius Files, and the baseball card series, including Honus & Me. He uses his writing powers for good once again in this exciting new middle grade novel.
Contemporary, Humour • Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
A humorous and heartwarming bounce-to-the-beat underdog story about a young rapper whose rhymes help bring his community together.
Eleven-year-old Simon Barnes dreams of becoming a world-famous rapper that everyone calls Notorious D. O. G. But for now, he’s just a Chicago fifth grader who’s small for this age and afraid to use his voice.
Simon prefers to lay low at school and at home, even though he’s constantly spitting rhymes in his head. But when his new teacher assigns the class an oral presentation on something that affects their community, Simon must face his fears.
With some help from an unexpected ally and his neighborhood crew, will Simon gain the confidence to rap his way to an A and prove that one kid can make a difference in his ‘hood?
Graphic Novel • Disney-Hyperion
The second book in the internationally best-selling Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer is available as a full-color graphic novel with all-new text and artwork.
The world’s youngest, brightest, and most dangerous criminal mastermind is back.
Artemis Fowl receives an urgent e-mail from Russia. In it is a plea from a man who has been kidnapped by the Russian Mafiya: his father.
As Artemis rushes to his dad’s rescue, he is stopped by a familiar nemesis: Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon fairy police. Now, instead of battling the fairies, Artemis must join them if he wants to save one of the few people in the world he loves.
This all-new adaptation with exciting and cinematic full-color artwork will engage fans both old and new and leave them eagerly awaiting the next installment.
Hailed as “the heir to Roald Dahl” by The Spectator, the UK’s #1 bestselling children’s author, David Walliams, will have fans of Jeff Kinney and Rachel Renee Russell in stitches!
David Walliams burst on to the American scene with his New York Times bestseller Demon Dentist, and now he’s bringing his signature humor to this story of a ten-year-old orphan and a 10,000-year-old mammoth.
When Elsie, an orphan on the streets of Victorian London, hears about the mysterious Ice Monster — a woolly mammoth found at the North Pole — she’s determined to discover more …
Luckily, a chance encounter brings Elsie face to face with the creature, sparking the adventure of a lifetime — from London to the heart of the Arctic!
Perfect for fans of The Girl Who Drank the Moon, this fantastical and heartfelt first book in a new trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Jodi Lynn Anderson follows a girl who must defeat thirteen evil witches.
Twelve-year-old Rosie Singer’s mom is missing whatever it is that makes mothers love their daughters. All her life, Rosie has known this…and turned to stories for comfort. Then, on the night Rosie decides to throw her stories away forever, an invisible ally helps her discover the Witch Hunter’s Guide to the Universe, a book that claims that all of the evil in the world stems from thirteen witches who are unseen … but also unstoppable. One of these witches — the Memory Thief — holds an insidious power to steal our most precious treasures: our memories. And it is this witch who has cursed Rosie’s mother.
In her quest to save her mom — and with her wild, loyal friend “Germ” by her side — Rosie will find the layers hidden under the reality she only thought she knew: where ghosts linger as shades of the past, where clouds witness the world, and a ladder dangles from the moon leading to something bigger and more. Here, words are weapons against the darkness, and witch hunters are those brave enough to wield their imaginations in the face of the unthinkable.
At the core of this stunning novel — the first of the Thirteen Witches trilogy from critically acclaimed author Jodi Lynn Anderson — is a passionate argument that stories have the power to create meaningful change … and a reason to hope even when the world feels crushing.
The thrilling conclusion to the epic middle grade fantasy trilogy from Katherine Applegate, the New York Times bestselling and Newbery Award-winning author of The One and Only Ivan (now a major motion picture!), The One and Only Bob, Wishtree, and Crenshaw!
In the beginning, Byx’s original quest was to discover if there were more of her kind, or if she was destined to become an endling — the last dairne alive. She did indeed find more dairnes, and along the way she also created allies among other creatures in her world, including humans, felivets, raptidons, and wobbyks.
But Byx and her new friends soon learned that it wasn’t just dairnes in jeopardy of extinction, but that everyone was at risk. With the world in unprecedented danger, Byx must rally creatures of all kinds to lead a revolution.
Contemporary • Bloomsbury Children’s Books
From the author of Caterpillar Summer comes a new heartfelt story of a girl’s unexpected friendship that changes her forever.
Annie has always been the odd one out in her family. Her practical dad and brother just don’t understand the way she thinks. Ever since her mother left a few years ago, Annie has been reluctant to get close to anyone.
When a poor decision lands Annie in hot water, she must make amends by watching her elderly neighbor’s weird dog all summer. As Annie begins to connect with her neighbor Gloria, it becomes clear that Gloria won’t be able to live on her own for much longer. But it’s this brief and important friendship that gives Annie the confidence to let people in, and see how rich life can be when you decide to make your own luck and chart your own path to happiness.
Perfect for fans of Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Gillian McDunn has crafted another touching story that will remain in readers’ hearts.
Mystery • HMH Books for Young Readers
Five orphans. Two sword-wielding vigilantes. One mansion. No rules.
April thought she had her happy ending. After all, she has her new house and new friends and new guardian. But she also has a very big new secret.
The kids of Winterborne House are the only ones who know that Gabriel Winterborne — famous billionaire and terrible cook — is really a sword-wielding vigilante.
What they don’t know is that he’s not the only one.
When a masked figure breaks in, looking for something — or someone — it’s clear that Gabriel has met his match, and now no one is safe. April and her friends will have to solve a decades-old mystery in order to hang on to the most important thing in the world: each other.
March 9th
Contemporary • Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
When Abby Braverman’s best friend, Cat, moves to Israel, she’s sure it’s the worst thing that could happen. But then her older brother, Paul, is diagnosed with cancer, and life upends again. Now it’s up to Abby to find a way to navigate seventh grade without her best friend, help keep her brother’s spirits up during difficult treatments, and figure out her surprising new feelings for the boy next door.
In the companion novel to the beloved and award-winning Amina’s Voice, Amina once again uses her voice to bridge the places, people, and communities she loves — this time across continents.
It’s the last few days of her vacation in Pakistan, and Amina has loved every minute of it. The food, the shops, the time she’s spent with her family — all of it holds a special place in Amina’s heart. Now that the school year is starting again, she’s sad to leave, but also excited to share the wonders of Pakistan with her friends back in Greendale.
After she’s home, though, her friends don’t seem overly interested in her trip. And when she decides to do a presentation on Pakistani hero Malala Yousafzai, her classmates focus on the worst parts of the story. How can Amina share the beauty of Pakistan when no one wants to listen?
After thwarting a notorious villain at an eco-summit in Paris, the City Spies are gearing up for their next mission. Operating out of a base in Scotland, this secret team of young agents working for the British Secret Intelligence Service’s MI6 division have honed their unique skills, such as sleight of hand, breaking and entering, observation, and explosives. All of these allow them to go places in the world of espionage where adults can’t.
Fourteen-year-old Sydney is a surfer and a rebel from Bondi Beach, Australia. She’s also a field ops specialist for the City Spies. Sydney is excited to learn that she’ll be going undercover on the marine research vessel the Sylvia Earle. But things don’t go exactly as planned, and while Sydney does find herself in the spotlight, it’s not in the way she was hoping.
Meanwhile, there’s been some new intel regarding a potential mole within the organization, offering the spies a lead that takes them to San Francisco, California. But as they investigate a spy who died at the Botanical Gardens, they discover that they are also being investigated. And soon, they’re caught up in an adventure filled with rogue missions and double agents!
Contemporary • Nancy Paulsen Books
Ellie is tired of being fat-shamed and does something about it in this poignant debut novel-in-verse.
Ever since Ellie wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash at her fifth birthday party, she’s been bullied about her weight. To cope, she tries to live by the Fat Girl Rules–like “no making waves,” “avoid eating in public,” and “don’t move so fast that your body jiggles.” And she’s found her safe space — her swimming pool — where she feels weightless in a fat-obsessed world. In the water, she can stretch herself out like a starfish and take up all the room she wants. It’s also where she can get away from her pushy mom, who thinks criticizing Ellie’s weight will motivate her to diet.
Fortunately, Ellie has allies in her dad, her therapist, and her new neighbor, Catalina, who loves Ellie for who she is. With this support buoying her, Ellie might finally be able to cast aside the Fat Girl Rules and starfish in real life–by unapologetically being her own fabulous self.
In Jason Henderson’s The Serpent’s Nest, the third and final installment of the action-packed middle grade series Young Captain Nemo, a twelve-year-old descendant of Jules Verne’s famous antihero must face down giant sea serpents and solve a centuries old mystery, armed only with his wits, his friends, and his Nemotech submarine.
Gabriel Nemo has never been your normal, everyday twelve-year-old. As a descendant of the famous Captain Nemo, he’s determined to use his Nemotech legacy for good. He and his best friends, Peter and Misty, spend their days studying at the elite Nemo Institute and their spare time trying to solve the mystery of what happened to the original Captain Nemo and his crew.
An engraved anchor pin from the abandoned Nautilus leads the trio to Cardiff Bay in Wales, where they find signs of mysterious underwater rescues. But before long, their search is interrupted when they cross paths with a new kind of sea serpent. Can Gabriel and his friends solve the mystery of the Serpent’s Nest before things turn deadly?
There’s no golden ratio for a family, despite what number-crunching Violet might think.
Twelve-year-old Violet has two great loves in her life: math and pie. And she loves her parents, even though her mom never stops nagging and her dad can be unreliable. Mom plus Dad doesn’t equal perfection. Still, Violet knows her parents could solve their problems if they just applied simple math.
#1: Adjust the ratio of Mom’s nagging to her compliments.
#2: Multiply Dad’s funny stories by a factor of three.
#3: Add in romantic stuff wherever possible.
But when her dad walks out, Violet realizes that the odds do not look good. Why can’t her parents get along like popular, perfect Ally’s parents? Would it be better to have no dad at all, like her best friend, McKenzie? Violet is considering the data when she and Ally get cast in the school play, and McKenzie doesn’t — a probability that Violet never calculated. Maybe friendship and family have more variables than she thought.
Filled with warmth, math-y humor, and delicious pie, this heartfelt middle grade read is perfect for fans of The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl. Includes illustrated charts, graphs, and diagrams throughout.
March 16th
Contemporary • Delacorte Books for Young Readers
The haunting and poignant story of a how a young Japanese girl’s understanding of the historic and tragic bombing of Hiroshima is transformed by a memorial lantern-floating ceremony.
Twelve-year-old Nozomi lives in the Japanese city of Hiroshima. She wasn’t even born when the bombing of Hiroshima took place. Every year Nozomi joins her family at the lantern-floating ceremony to honor those lost in the bombing. People write the names of their deceased loved ones along with messages of peace, on paper lanterns and set them afloat on the river. This year Nozomi realizes that her mother always releases one lantern with no name. She begins to ask questions, and when complicated stories of loss and loneliness unfold, Nozomi and her friends come up with a creative way to share their loved ones’ experiences. By opening people’s eyes to the struggles they all keep hidden, the project teaches the entire community new ways to show compassion.
Soul Lanterns is an honest exploration of what happened on August 6, 1945, and offers readers a glimpse not only into the rich cultural history of Japan but also into the intimate lives of those who recognize — better than most — the urgent need for peace.
March 23rd
Dog Man and Petey face their biggest challenges yet in the tenth Dog Man book from worldwide bestselling author and illustrator Dav Pilkey.
Dog Man is down on his luck, Petey confronts his not so purr-fect past, and Grampa is up to no good. The world is spinning out of control as new villains spill into town. Everything seems dark and full of despair. But hope is not lost. Can the incredible power of love save the day?
Dav Pilkey’s wildly popular Dog Man series appeals to readers of all ages and explores universally positive themes, including love, empathy, kindness, persistence, and the importance of doing good.
Peter Lerangis, the New York Times bestselling author of the Seven Wonders and Max Tilt series, returns with the last installment of his electrifying trilogy about a boy who discovers that he can alter the course of history.
Thirteen-year-old Corey Fletcher is the world’s first Throwback. He has the power to not only to travel back in time, but to change the past. It’s a power that comes with no small amount of responsibility — but when Corey tried fix some of history’s worst evils, he discovers that the consequences for his good deeds have changed him in ways that he never expected and ways he may not be able to fix.
Trapped in a body that’s not his own, his powers all but gone, Corey realizes his latest mission may be the hardest of all — to save himself. With the help of his best friend, Leila, and an uneasy alliance with a shadowy group that’s been watching his every move, Corey’s going to have to risk it all to find a way to fix himself without destroying the world as we know it.
Get ready for time-warping adventure with a historical twist in the last book of the Throwback trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Peter Lerangis, whose books have sold over five and a half million copies worldwide.
Fans of the Penderwicks and the Vanderbeekers, meet the Finkel family in this middle grade novel about two autistic sisters, their detective agency, and life’s most consequential mysteries.
When twelve-year-old Lara Finkel starts her very own detective agency, FIASCCO (Finkel Investigation Agency Solving Consequential Crimes Only), she does not want her sister, Caroline, involved. She and Caroline don’t have to do everything together! But Caroline won’t give up. When she brings Lara the firm’s first mystery — why did Dad burn the brisket he was making for Shabbat dinner? — Lara relents, and the mysteries start piling up.
But soon, Lara and Caroline’s partnership starts to unravel. Caroline normally uses her tablet to talk, but now she’s mostly using it to text a new friend. Lara can’t figure out what the two of them are up to, but it can’t be good. And Caroline doesn’t like Lara’s snooping — she’s supposed to be solving other people’s mysteries, not spying on Caroline! As FIASCCO and the Finkel family mysteries spin out of control, can Caroline and Lara find a way to be friends again?
In this powerful middle grade novel from the acclaimed author of Things You Can’t Say, a young girl navigates the social growing pains of middle school and struggles to find her place while her older brother fights to overcome opioid addiction — perfect for fans of The Seventh Wish and Waiting for Normal.
When Emma starts sixth grade, things finally begin to change. She may still be in the shadow of her older brother, Austin, the popular high school quarterback, but she’s made artsy new friends who get her way more than her bookish best friend, Becca.
But things are changing for Austin, too. After undergoing surgery for a football injury, Austin has become addicted to opioid painkillers. By the end of the school year, everything blows up with Austin — and Becca. When their parents decide to send Austin to rehab and Emma to stay with family friends in Wyoming for the summer, Emma seizes the chance to get away.
Wyoming turns out to be a perfect fresh start, especially after Emma makes friends with Tyler, a kindred spirit who doesn’t judge her — then again, he doesn’t know what she did to Becca. Still, Emma can’t hide forever … or go back to the way things were with Austin or with Becca. But can she find a way to confront the truth and move forward?
March 30th
Contemporary • Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Twelve-year-old Alba doesn’t want to live with her estranged grandmother in Barcelona.
But her mother needs her to be far, far away from their home in New York City. Because this is the year that her mother is going to leave Alba’s abusive father. Hopefully. If she’s strong enough to finally, finally do it.
Alba is surprised to find that she loves Barcelona, forming a close relationship with her grandmother, meeting a supportive father figure, and making new friends. Most of all, she discovers a passion and talent for bread baking. When her beloved bakery is threatened with closure, Alba is determined to find a way to save it — and at the same time, she may just come up with a plan to make their family whole again.
From the author of How to Make Friends with the Sea comes a heartfelt story of finding one’s chosen family, healing, and baking.
Contemporary • Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Breathing Underwater is a sparkly, moving middle grade novel from Sarah Allen, and a big-hearted exploration of sisterhood, dreams, and what it means to be there for someone you love.
Olivia is on the road trip of her dreams, with her trusty camera and her big sister Ruth by her side. Three years ago, before their family moved from California to Tennessee, Olivia and Ruth buried a time capsule on their favorite beach. Now, they’re taking an RV back across the country to uncover the memories they left behind. But Ruth’s depression has been getting worse, so Olivia has created a plan to help her remember how life used to be: a makeshift scavenger hunt across the country, like pirates hunting for treasure, taking pictures and making memories along the way.
All she wants is to take the picture that makes her sister smile. But what if things can never go back to how they used to be? What if they never find the treasure they’re seeking? Through all the questions, loving her sister, not changing her, is all Olivia can do — and maybe it’s enough.
Science Fiction • Delacorte Books for Young Readers
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Sisters Grimm and NERDS comes the second book in an action-packed middle grade series with equal parts humor and heart!
When Finn is saved from the Time Rangers by an older version of himself, it comes with a catch. Old Man Finn needs Finn and his friends, Lincoln and Julep, to help him win battles he lost years ago against the Paradox, a terrible creatures obsessed with revenge against Finn’s father. If they succeed, he promises to tell Finn where his father is. He even gives them a pair of time-traveling pajamas to help them with their quest.
There’s only one problem. The pajamas malfunction almost immediately. Along the way the kids avoid being eaten by sabretooths, shot by revolutionary war soldiers, and start a war with a town full of holograms, all in an effort to fix the jammies.
Just when their goal is in sight, Julep gets sick. Only … it doesn’t seem like she’s sick. It seems like she’s changing. The adventure may cost Finn more than an old pair of pajamas — it may cost him his friends!
Adventure • Margaret K McElderry Books
A boy who accidentally bonds with a magical Beast must set off on an adventure in the mysterious Woods in this whimsical and cheeky middle grade fantasy debut — perfect for fans of Nevermoor and How to Train Your Dragon.
The last thing Barclay Thorne ever wanted was an adventure.
Thankfully, as an apprentice to the town’s mushroom farmer, Barclay need only work hard and follow the rules to one day become the head mushroom farmer himself. No danger required. But then Barclay accidentally breaks his town’s most sacred rule: never ever EVER stray into the Woods, for within the Woods lurk vicious magical Beasts.
To Barclay’s horror, he faces a fate far worse than being eaten: he unwittingly bonds with a Beast and is run out of town by an angry mob. Determined to break this bond and return home, Barclay journeys to find the mysterious town of Lore Keepers, people who have also bonded with Beasts and share their powers.
But after making new friends, entering a dangerous apprenticeship exam, and even facing the legendary Beast of the Woods, Barclay must make a difficult choice: return to the home and rules he’s always known, or embrace the adventure awaiting him.
Contemporary • Walden Pond Press
Award-winning author Elana K. Arnold returns with an unforgettable story of the strange, wondrous threads that run between all of us, whether we know they’re there or not.
Alder has always lived in his cozy little house in Southern California. And for as long as he can remember, the old, reliable, comforting walnut tree has stood between his house and the one next door. That is, until a new family — with a particularly annoying girl his age — moves into the neighboring house and, without warning, cuts it down.
Oak doesn’t understand why her family had to move to Southern California. She has to attend a new school, find new friends, and live in a new house that isn’t even ready — her mother had to cut down a tree on their property line in order to make room for a second floor. And now a strange boy next door won’t stop staring at her, like she did something wrong moving here in the first place.
As Oak and Alder start school together, they can’t imagine ever becoming friends. But the two of them soon discover a series of connections between them — mysterious, possibly even magical puzzles they can’t put together. At least not without each other’s help.
An extraordinarily beautiful novel-in-verse, this important debut weaves a dramatic immigrant story together with Philippine mythology to create something wholly new.
Stella and Luna know that their mama, Elsie, came from the Philippines when she was a child, but they don’t know much else. So one night they ask her to tell them her story. As they get ready for bed, their mama spins two tales: that of her youth as a strong-willed middle child and refugee; and that of the young life of Mayari, the mythical daughter of a god. Both are tales of sisterhood and motherhood, and of the difficult experience of trying to fit into a new culture, and having to fight for a home and acceptance. Glorious and layered, this is a portrait of family and strength for the ages.
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[…] We’ve already had some amazing middle grade book releases throughout 2021. If you’d like to catch up on the books I recommend, be sure to check out my middle grade books to read for January, February and March! […]