Top Ten Tuesday: New Middle Grade Novels

Today’s official prompt was actually “The First 10 Books I Randomly Grabbed from My Shelf”, and I was totally going to do a deep dive into the books I chose for my new book nook shelving. But, instead, I’m going to share ten middle grade books on my shelf that I picked up at the ALA Annual Conference. All ten of these middle grade novels have been or will be published this fall and I’m so excited to read them!

ARCs – What are they?

If you’re not a librarian who attends the ALA conferences, let me share with you one of my favorites parts for my bookish heart. The Exhibit Hall is filled with dozens of vendors for all sorts of library-ish things, but some of my favorite vendors to meet with are the publishers. Each publisher sets up a booth and shares popular books in their back list as well as up and coming titles that will soon be published.

Not only that, they have authors signings and ARCs to giveaway. ARCs or advanced reader’s copy are books that are somewhere along the publication timeline that will most likely be published within the next season or so. These are, typically, bound books that may not be finalized in terms of editing or illustrations, but are about 95% ready to go. There are stacks of these ARCs all throughout the conference days and you’re welcome to grab any title that catches your eye. The only caveats are that you can’t sell them or add them as circulating titles to your collection. Publishers provide them so that librarians get excited about upcoming titles and may be more willing to purchase them when the time comes.

Needless to say, I come home with a good number of books every time I leave a conference and then wonder how I’m going to read them all! These ten books are part of my finds at the ALA Conference and I’m excited to dig into them as they’re all newly published this fall!

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New Middle Grade Novels

Billions to Burn by Taylor Banks

Twelve-year-old Zeus Jones is just about the only person in the world who believes in his grandfather’s stories about the Harlem Renaissance. To be fair, they are a bit far-fetched. After all, what are the chances that there was a renowned magazine called Burn! whose headquarters literally burned down, destroying almost every single copy? And who would believe that a secret page was actually hidden amongst the ashes, said to be the key to unlocking a lost fortune? No one, that’s who.

But when Zeus accidentally stumbles upon the secret page on the same day that his grandfather disappears without a trace, he finally has proof that his grandfather’s stories are more than just stories—they’re real. And now he knows that the secret page is more than just a secret page—it’s a treasure map, leading to a prize beyond all imagining.

Follow the map, find the treasure, save his grandfather. Seems simple enough. But as Zeus and his friends work to solve the riddles of the map, long-buried secrets about the Harlem Renaissance, Black history, and Zeus’s own family are unraveled. And what’s more, they aren’t the only ones intent on seizing this prize. . .

The Firefly Crown by Yxavel Magno Diño

In the empire, magic determines your fate. But Yumi is tired of being a failed Cricket. Their magic is lousy and boring. She dreams instead of the sparkling magic of Fireflies, whose powers rival the sun. If only she could harness her talents like other magicians. . . For now, Yumi is ignored by even the crickets who are supposed to follow her spells.

Then, Yumi gets a chance to prove herself sooner than expected when all sorcerers are summoned for the princess’s coronation. But everything falls apart when the Firefly Crown is stolen, leaving the empire defenseless against the Ghost Swarm, a horde of undead bugs. Worse, Yumi is blamed. Suddenly this lowly Cricket is the empire’s most wanted. To clear her name and protect her loved ones, Yumi must find the real thief. But can a Cricket really save the day?

Grady Jones and the Great Detective Game by Kerry Douglas Dye

Only you can solve the mystery of my murder.

Grady Jones has spent nearly all twelve years of his life trying to find a way to be great at something. So when a mysterious note is delivered to his door, addressed to him, asking Grady to solve the murder of his town’s reclusive billionaire, Grady believes his search is over. He’ll be a Great Detective! The only problem is he is not known for being very observant…or intuitive…or clever.

Oh, and he has no idea how to solve a mystery.

Luckily, he has some friends who have skills of deduction, and together, they might have the chops to figure out the murderer. Then a stranger also named Grady Jones comes to town, and Grady fears the note might not have been meant for him at all. And if that’s the case, how will he ever become Great?

In this hilarious mystery about mistaken identity, one boy must make life-changing decisions, perhaps most important of all: is it more important to be a Great Detective, or a great friend?

The Invincible List of Lani Li by Veeda Bybee, illustrated by Hoan Phan

Thirteen-year-old Lani Li has grown up with the legendary tales of the Eight Invincible Brothers—Chinese heroes who used their superpowers to conquer every challenge. Lani has always wished she could be as brave as them. Now, she’s about to face her own test of courage.

When her elite performance band is chosen to perform in London, Lani should be thrilled. But with too many fears to count and her little brother, Gavin, unable to join her due to a serious heart condition, the trip feels more daunting than exciting. Before she leaves, Gavin gives her a challenge: tap into her own hidden strength by embodying the Eight Invincible Brothers—each with a special power.

In London, Lani creates her own “Invincible List” based on the fable, and as she checks off each quality, she discovers that these “superpowers” might not be as far-fetched as they seem. But when the final challenge demands that she face a daunting fear—running down the famous Cooper’s Hill in a wild cheese race—Lani wonders if she has what it takes to complete the list.

With her brother’s courage as her guide, can Lani conquer her fears and prove she’s invincible in her own way? Or will this last challenge be the one that defeats her?

The Island of Forgotten Gods by Victor Piñeiro

Nico wants to be a famous film director. He’s pretty sure if he can make the right movie, and soon, his life will completely change. The catch? His parents are sending him to Puerto Rico for the summer to stay with his iconic, but old-school, Abuela Luciana, and his awesome, but unpredictable cousins. Still, the show must go on.

Until Nico and his cousins awaken a monster. A monster that looks an awful lot like the infamous Chupacabra. And it turns out this isn’t a chance encounter. The creature begins stalking them all over Puerto Rico, turning up on every dark corner, sandy beach, and moonlit night. To make matters worse, a shadowy cult enters the chase, intent on capturing them before the Chupacabra can.

Soon they are thrown into an adventure that brings them face-to-face with the ancient Taino people, even more ancient Taino gods, and the mysterious Chupacabra, who is somehow linked to everything. Nico keeps his camera rolling, hoping the epic documentary will catapult him to stardom. But in the end, it’s the island’s fate that hangs in the balance, as they face down the very gods that created Puerto Rico.

Ivy & Forest Rewrite the World by Hannah West, illustrated by Jen Bricking

Ivy is an isolated, daydreaming girl in the “real” world. Forest is a scrawny, unlikely hero in Ivy’s “pretend” story.

Never the two shall meet . . . until Forest unexpectedly walks through a portal and finds himself in Ivy’s queendom. All Forest wants to do is talk to the author of his story about a few edits to his character arc—he has no idea what kind of narrative stakes he is up against.

As soon as Ivy and Forest try to rewrite Forest’s story, the pair gets caught in an evil wizard’s plot for world domination. They must travel through the multiverse of Ivy’s imagination—along with a mishmash cast of abandoned characters, including junior superheroes, an intrepid Victorian girl detective, and even a rough draft version of Forest himself—to foil their dastardly foe. If they don’t succeed in their heroic quest, each and every world (possibly even Ivy’s own!) could be obliterated with just two short words: “The End.”

Each story splinters into the next in this brilliant spin on classic storytelling tropes that celebrates the power of imagination and creativity during uncertain times. Bursting with energy, Hannah West makes a fresh middle grade debut that is perfect for bookworms and kids with big imaginations. Features spot illustrations and a map of Ivy’s multiverse destinations.

The Picasso Curse by Dan Gutman

There were so many things Edwin Hodge didn’t know when he paid $10 for a cool poster of Kobe Bryant at the local flea market.

He didn’t know that hidden within the frame of the poster was an original drawing by Pablo Picasso, one of the most famous artists in history. He didn’t know the Picasso might be worth millions of dollars. And he didn’t know that kids at school were going to treat him differently, or that he would become a world famous social media superstar.

And he sure didn’t know that people would tap his phone, follow him home, break into his house, or threaten to burn it down. He didn’t know the Picasso was going to ruin his life.

This Way to Happy by Alison Green Myers

Growing up at her grandparents’ amusement park, Reilly Rhoades spent her life in the glow of bright lights, hard work, and sweet treats. That is until her beloved grandfather died. With Grandpa gone now, the sweetness of the park disappears, and the pride Reilly had for her family’s legacy grows bitter.

Without Grandpa, Reilly’s family fights to keep the park going—spreading happiness to others as they struggle to find it themselves. The strain causes one problem after another to erupt, until the Rhoades family, and their amusement park, comes apart at the seams.

As past traditions clash with today’s realities, a new friendship splashes into Reilly’s universe. With epic advice, wild adventures, and a plan (or twenty) for tackling life’s twists and turns, Reilly Rhoades discovers that happiness doesn’t mean you have to choose between the past and the future—sometimes building a bridge connects all the best parts of you!

The Tinkerers by Caroline Carlson

When Peter leads two Tinkerers to his family’s inn in Stargazers Valley, he imagines they’re like other astromancers, researchers from the Imperial College who study starstuff. The valley is a special place, where the magical aurora called the Skeins appear in the sky and starstuff falls in their wake, as thin and wispy as fluff from a seed pod. But starstuff is powerful, and astromancers are the only people allowed to handle it—a law enforced by the strict and stealthy Outbounder Task Force.

When Peter discovers the Tinkerers have used starstuff to invent an incredible not-a-clock that can turn back time for a few minutes, he realizes it’s his chance to undo his mistakes: if he can go back and put away his new boots, he doesn’t need to add their destruction by falcons to his list of ten worst mistakes (#7: stepping on a star-eating newt). But while using the not-a-clock is easy, stopping using it is hard. And maybe not everything that feels like a mistake at the time actually is.

Zeyna Lost and Found by Shafaq Khan

Her monotonous life is suddenly interrupted when Zeyna’s parents decide to visit their native Pakistan―where Zeyna feels she doesn’t fit in either. But then her parents disappear, leaving behind a string of clues that connect them to an international jewel heist. Along with her annoying little brother and her clever Pakistani cousin, Zeyna sets out to find her parents and clear their names. Along the way, she discovers that being shaped by two cultures doesn’t have to mean she’s always an outsider.

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.