Top 12 Middle Grade Books of 2024

I had to do a top middle-grade book list. I have fallen in love with middle-grade books more than ever these last few years. It's my most highly read age range by a small margin but still. I read 46 middle-grade books last year and I've narrowed it down to 11 favorites. I'm going to repost the reviews I've already written (and some edited down ones). For my favorites of the year I will try to articulate everything in a short paragraph.

#12 The Cursed Moon by Angela Cervantes

The brother-sister bond hit me real hard. Made me think of me and my brother who is close to me in age. I felt the love. I was surprised to read that their mother is incarcerated and coming back home. That's not something that I think would have been in a middle-grade book when I was growing up. It added depth to Rafael's character who was so sweet to his sister but held a lot of anger towards his mom. This anger puts his sister in danger in a way. I thought there was just the right level of scary. I was a little creeped out by this girl who wanted someone to dive into a pond to retrieve her journal. She was very suspicious. So this had the right spookiness level with a great sibling relationship and handled some tough family situations well. A great read that I'm glad I stopped putting off.

#11 It Happened to Anna by Tehlor Kay Mejia

It Happened to Anna was so much fun with a fast-paced storyline that'll keep you on the edge of your seat! It was obvious what was going on with Sadie's new friend Mal but I think there was a reason it was written that way. You could see the pranks getting worse and worse. And Mal becoming more and more jealous. She was slowly revealing her true nature so by the end she looked monstrous. The vivid nightmares added in were truly terrifying! I think young horror lovers will love this one.

#10 Midsummer's Mayhem by Rajani LaRocca

Now this is a well-described foodie read! So many delicious descriptions. I only wish I baked more often to understand how wonderful the combination of ingredients were. I've never read A Midsummer's Night Dream but everything was connected with the original story at the end so it was a satisfying conclusion. I liked that all the family members were distinct and how they all came together at the end for Mimi. Mimi who feels overlooked but like her siblings has a passion they excel in because they love their passion all that much. I loved the magical and foodie elements. I was surprised at how Mimi tied into everything. Lastly, I was happy to see that all of the siblings were able to take something important away from the experience. They all became closer because of it.

#9 Grow Up, Luchy Zapata by Alexandra Alessandri

This was a bittersweet read of a friendship in turmoil. Grow Up, Luchy Zapata did an amazing job showing the difficulties of navigating friendships during the emotionally charged atmosphere that is middle school. Luchy and Cami's relationship completely changed after summer break. There was some serious fighting with one person taking another's artwork and the other taking their soccer cleats. It was really sad to see how their relationship was dissolving but it is a realistic view of how friendships change. There was also a great exploration of Luchy exploring her Columbian identity through art which she felt detached from because she isn't fluent in Spanish. Very well thought out debut middle grade book.

#8 Cinderella and the Beast (or, Beauty and the Glass Slipper) by Kim Bussing

Belle has always been my favorite princess since I was a kid because she loved books like me so I especially liked how she uses her cleverness. She knows when to keep quiet and use opportunities to her advantage. And that's the type of princess I can get behind! I loved her and Marie's friendship. Marie is one of Cinderella's stepsisters who is a little odd herself. She is willing to help find Cinderella with Belle and Prince Amir as soon as she finds out that's what they are doing. Marie slowly finds that bravery within her thanks to Belle. I gasped at an incredible scene with Marie and Belle. This is worth reading just for Belle and Marie's friendship.

Then there is Cinderella who becomes stuck living with a Beast because she is simply kind and doesn't want Belle's father to lose his chance to save his daughter. I understood why the author chose to switch Cinderella and Belle together at this moment; they are both very selfless in their stories. Cinderella sympathizes with the Beast who is truly mean to her at first. However, she understood what it felt like to be isolated and angry in a world that treated her unfairly. I loved that they found a friend in each other and a hint at something more. I was truly stumped on how she would help break the Beast's curse until it all became clear and what a great message it sends. I also liked how the story was changed so that Cinderella had a glass leg which was such a great way to have disability representation.

#7 The Pumpkin Princess and the Forever Night by Steven Banbury

As a lover of Harvest Moon and other farming games coupled with the found family and Halloween vibes, this was the perfect read for me. Such a heartwarming story in which Eve is trying to escape her orphanage and runs straight into the Pumpkin King. She isn't scared of the creature with a pumpkin for a head which is how she becomes his adopted daughter in a Halloweentown sort of place. She slowly settles in and makes friends with a very blunt witch and a skittish and inventive vampire. But most of the town is wary of this human when they are all supernatural beings so much so that there is a coup to get her out of the town and remove the Pumpkin King from the council. Although, I didn't feel the suspense within the story as this is more of a slow-paced read with lots of warm, cozy vibes.

One of the sweetest father-daughter relationships I've read in a while. I loved how kind and accepting the Pumpkin King was to his daughter. He would spoil her with an overabundance of blankets and books and would tell anyone off if they said anything rude about her. He even joined in her tradition of Christmas and made her feel special. I also enjoyed Eve learning all about the farm and how certain vegetables needed to be treated before they were planted or removed. I think it added to the quiet and cozy atmosphere of the story. The scarecrows were wonderful too especially Scrags who acted sort of like a mother at times. And then there were her new friends Lyla and Vlad. Lyla was so blunt and I loved that about her. She helped out at the local bookstore begrudgingly and so did Eve although she loved it (I loved all the different types and titles in the bookstore). Vlad has a tough home life and just wants to cook a good meal and work on his inventions. He's sweet but I really want more of him and Lyla's perspectives in the next book.

#6 The Last Hope School for Magical Delinquents by Nicki Pau Preto

Immediately loved Vin because she was getting bullied to use her magic which is what made her lose control so many times. Her genuine fear of hurting others, because her magic was unpredictable, endeared her to me. The magical system itself was very interesting although slightly confusing in the beginning. I enjoyed seeing Vin exploring what she could do through her magical lessons. I also secretly loved seeing her lose control because boy was she powerful! Her growth in confidence and determination was such a wonderful thing to see.

The story could drag a little but I also liked that it was so lengthy because by the end of the story, I got a sense of the world as well as all the characters' personalities and motivations. Although the villain was obvious I liked how everything played out and look forward to the sequel. There's a lot of potential for this to be a great magical academy series that fans of Nevermoor and Harry Potter would enjoy.

#5 Cece Rios and the Queen of Brujas by Kaela Rivera

I absolutely loved this series from beginning to end. Thinking back and knowing that I was hesitant to read the first book is silly to me now. I liked that both sisters were fighting the villains together. Cece was making mistake after mistake. Nothing was easy for her. The whole community was against her. She had everything to lose. Lots of great moments and so unbelievably happy with the epilogue. Let me tell you, everyone... I was denying the romance in this story. I was excited to see Cece and Coyote moments but never did I think it would unfold the way it did. So this is the sweetest romance ever and so surprisingly underrated. It's a crime.

#4 My Not-So-Great French Escape by Cliff Burke

This is a 5-star read and I've never written a review on it... This is a peaceful meandering read. It feels like you are the one spending time on a farm in Paris making friends and learning new things about farming. It's like a warm hug. Rylan does deal with some sad moments like realizing his friend has moved on from him and his father being a disappointment. But then there are all the new "weird" friends he makes. The vibes are just there. It's a perfect book for me. Like I mentioned in an earlier review - I grew up playing Harvest Moon so this seemed like it was made for me. 

#3 The Clackity by Lora Senf

This four-star read beat out a five-star book but I finished the whole trilogy recently so I've gone on a whole journey with Evie.

My original review: 

Very enjoyable! Evie's voice and determination to break through her fears made her a likable character. I think adding that she frequently had panic attacks will really help kids who are anxious see her as a role model.

I got some Coraline vibes while reading The Clackity especially with her having to go into a portal world and go from house to house receiving help or meeting a new obstacle. And of course the ghosts. I thought the world-building and characters were so imaginative. The villains were also pretty scary for a middle-grade. But for some, this is the perfect kind of scary.

I did think there could be a tad more build-up before Des has to be saved from the villain. I also thought that there were never any real stakes. I mean there was but things worked out for Evie at every turn. I never thought she wouldn't make it and would have liked more heart-racing moments. I will read the next book and appreciate there was no cliffhanger to this one. I'm curious about the mystery behind her parent's disappearance and who Evie will face next time.

#2 Brick Dust and Bones by M.R. Fournet

There is just something about the wholesomeness of the main character and the monsters in his world. The friendship he has with a flesh-eating mermaid and his quest to resurrect his mother are all top-tier elements from the story. Every moment was fantastic. 

My original review:

I've been on a horror middle-grade kick these last couple of months and I never expected to read one so wholesome. Cemetary Boy, Marius Gray is a monster hunter. Every monster he defeats he receives a mystic coin. The higher the level of difficulty of defeating a monster, the more mystic points he receives. He takes drastic measures to gain more coins in order to bring his mother back from the dead. His mother who he hears behind him wherever he goes but can never see.

He has no family and lives alone except for his best friend who happens to be a flesh-eating mermaid. The description of her eating will assure you that she isn't a Little Mermaid type of mermaid. She's definitely classed as a monster but Marius refuses to turn her in since she's an orphan too. She also doesn't eat any humans thanks to Marius' guidance but always loves eating all the seafood Marius brings her. I love their relationship. It's really where you first see who Marius is as a person. He's the nicest kid ever and deserves a hug. He repeatedly proves that throughout the book. He gave off strong Percy Jackson vibes with his sense of loyalty and justice.

I don't know why but books set in Louisiana are always so wonderful. I loved the accents of the other characters and the descriptions of food. The monsters were also all so terrifyingly described.

#1 A Game of Noctis by Deva Fagan

This felt the same as when I was reading Ruby Khoury books. This had the best world-building out of all the middle-grade books I read. It pulled on my heartstrings, the competition was so cool, and like the Khoury books... this had to do with corrupt governments. And I've loved those types of books since I first read The Hunger Games when I was 15 or 16 years old. This is just an all-around amazing read. Please, I beg you. Read this book!

My original review:

The only thing that would have made this better if it was a trilogy. I could have easily seen this storyline drawn out with more POV from the people of Dantessa and how unfair the games are. I had that feeling again which I haven't had since reading Skyborn that this was going to be amazing from the start. Such a clever concept and a fascinating world. Interesting motives for each character in Pia's team to win the games. I particularly liked Pia and Vittoria's friendship since they were probably the most strategic out of all of the teammates. Although, doom and gloom Serafina has a little piece of my heart. Ugh. I wish this book was a trilogy. It deserves that level of time spent in this imaginative world.