Tween Reads

Discover recent releases for tweens.
Updated May 8, 2026
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The Moon Without Stars Hardcover
Miller, Chanel.
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The Newbery Honor-winning author of Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All explores the way growing up, finding friends, and discovering who you are can be both awkward and empowering in this heartfelt middle school novel. ★ "Genuine and...
Graciela in the abyss
Medina, Meg
Paper Book
"A thrilling, action-packed journey filled with heart, bravery, and ghostly exploits." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) A sea ghost, a mortal boy, and a dangerous enchanted harpoon . . . A Newbery Medalist takes us far beneath the waves in this extraordinary foray into...
Stamped (for kids) : racism, antiracism, and you
Cherry-Paul, Sonja
Paper Book
THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER This chapter book edition of the groundbreaking #1 bestseller by luminaries Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds is an essential introduction to the history of racism and antiracism in America  
Starfish
Fipps, Lisa
Paper Book
A PRINTZ HONOR BOOK . Ellie is tired of being fat-shamed and does something about it in this poignant novel-in-verse. "In her debut novel, Starfish, Lisa Fipps confronts diet culture and fat phobia head-on. . . . The book reads as if Ellie herself is writing these poems, which...
Out of my heart
Draper, Sharon M.
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller! Melody faces her fears to follow her passion in this stunning sequel to the acclaimed, New York Times bestselling middle grade novel Out of My Mind. Melody, the huge-hearted heroine of Out of My Mind, is...
A scar like a river
Graff, Lisa
Paper Book
From bestselling author Lisa Graff, this important coming-of-age story follows a thirteen-year-old with a mysterious scar on her face--and a big secret she feels pressured to keep. Fallon Little has a secret--and it's not how she got the enormous scar that divides...
A kid like me
Feuti, Norman
Paper Book
Perfect for fans of Jeff Kinney and Terri Libensen, A Kid Like Me is a timely exploration about finding your place in the ever-evolving social landscape that is middle school, written and illustrated by award-winning graphic novelist Norm Feuti.  Ethan doesn't...
Pony
Palacio, R. J.
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * NAMED ONE OF THE BEST CHILDREN'S BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WALL STREET JOURNAL "Perfection." -The Wall Street Journal The bestselling author of Wonder returns with an enthralling adventure about a boy...
The experiment
Stead, Rebecca
Paper Book
"Many twists await in this fast-moving and optimistic story by one of today's most inventive writers for readers ages 8-12." --The Wall Street Journal From the Newbery Medalist and national-bestselling author Rebecca Stead, here is a bold story that will appeal to fans of...
The incredibly human Henson Blayze
Barnes, Derrick
Paper Book
All eyes in the small town of Great Mountain, Mississippi, have been on Henson Blayze since he first showed star power in youth football. Now a thirteen-year-old phenom playing his first varsity game, he stuns the crowd with his sheer talent and drive. Knowing they're seeing a national legend in the...
From the desk of Zoe Washington
Marks, Janae
Paper Book
#1 Kids Indie Next List * Parents Magazine Best Book of the Year * Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book of the Year * SLJ Best Book of the Year * Kirkus Best Book of the Year * Junior Library Guild Selection * Edgar Award Nominee * Four Starred Reviews * Bank Street Best...
A tale of plagues and perfumes
Halpern, Jake
Paper Book
"A stunningly original fantasy world that will blow your mind." --Eoin Colfer, #1 New York Times-bestselling author "A delightful, redolent adventure--I couldn't put it down! . . . I'll never sniff a spice drawer the same way again." --Catherine Gilbert Murdock,...
The poisoned king
Rundell, Katherine
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * THE SECOND BOOK IN THE LANDMARK NEW FANTASY SERIES THAT BEGAN WITH IMPOSSIBLE CREATURES "Rundell is back with a sequel . . . which offers magical thrills for young readers and adults alike."--The New York Times
The curse breaker
Calonita, Jen
Paper Book
The highly anticipated second book in the New York Times bestselling Isle of Ever series by Jen Calonita! The game is far from over! In fact, it's only just begun. Having finally reached the Isle of Ever, Everly "Benny" Benedict thinks she's won the game of clues her ancestor Evelyn...
Paradise on fire
Rhodes, Jewell Parker
Paper Book
From award-winning and bestselling author Jewell Parker Rhodes comes a powerful coming-of-age survival tale exploring issues of race, class, and climate change.​   Addy is haunted by the tragic fire that killed her parents, leaving her to be raised by her...
Bye forever, I guess
Meadows, Jodi
Paper Book
Can a guarded gamer girl lower her shield for a new friend... or more-than-friend? "EARNEST AND LAUGH-OUT-LOUD... PITCH PERFECT."--Publishers Weekly, starred review Thirteen-year-old Ingrid's been living a double life. At school, she's her popular...
Attack of the black rectangles
King, A. S.
Paper Book
Award-winning author Amy Sarig King takes on censorship and intolerance in a novel she was born to write. When Mac first opens his classroom copy of Jane Yolen's The Devil's Arithmetic and finds some words blacked out, he thinks it must be a mistake. But then when he and his friends...
The library of unruly treasures
Birdsall, Jeanne
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER . In this funny, winning, and unexpected adventure from the New York Times bestselling, National Book Award-winning author of the Penderwicks series, a girl finds herself an unlikely hero when she stumbles upon a big secret about little creatures.
Candace, the universe, and everything
Smith, Sherri L.
Paper Book
A speculative middle grade novel about three generations of Black girls connected across time and space through a wormhole in their school locker. A School Library Journal and Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year What if your locker was a...
The teacher of Nomad Land : a World War II story
Nayeri, Daniel
Paper Book
Winner of the National Book Award * Named Amazon's #1 Children's Book of 2025    In the shadow of World War II, two orphaned siblings embark on a perilous journey across the mountains of Iran--where survival depends on finding a common language in a world torn...
The talk : conversations about race, love & truth
Hudson, Wade
Paper Book
Thirty diverse, award-winning authors and illustrators invite you intotheir homes to witnesstheconversationsthey have withtheir children about race in America today in this powerful call-to-action that invites all families to be anti-racists and advocates for change. "Project s love...
Uncomfortable conversations with a black boy
Acho, Emmanuel
Paper Book
Adapted from Emmanuel Acho's New York Times bestseller Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man, comes an essential young readers edition aimed at opening a dialogue about systemic racism with our youngest generation. Young people have the power to affect...
Scarlet morning
Stevenson, ND
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * USA TODAY BESTSELLER * NATIONAL INDIE BESTSELLER From the powerhouse creator of Nimona comes a breathtaking illustrated novel, the start of a duology, following two orphans who leave the only home they've...
Some of Us Are Brave
Faruqi, Saadia.
Paper Book
From the acclaimed author of The Strongest Heart comes a stirring new novel from the perspectives of three very different kids who are navigating the waters of fear and friendship through the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey in Texas.  It's a humid...
Yusuf Azeem is not a hero
Faruqi, Saadia
Paper Book
At a time when we are all asking questions about identity, grief, and how to stand up for what is right, this book by the author of A Thousand Questions will hit home with young readers who love Hena Khan and Varian Johnson--or anyone struggling to understand recent U.S. history and how it still...
The Last Resort Hardcover
Kelly, Erin Entrada
Paper Book
The next evolution in storytelling from New York Times bestselling, Newbery Medal Winning author Erin Entrada Kelly! Twelve-year-old Lila has two goals for the summer: 1. Win back the friends who ditched her for being "too dramatic" 2. Stop being so dramatic ...
What is Black Lives Matter?
Wilson, Lakita
Paper Book
From the #1 New York Times bestselling series comes the latest title in the Who HQ Now format for trending topics. It tells the history of a political and social movement that advocates for non-violent civil disobedience and protests against incidents of police brutality--and all racially...
Return of the thief
Turner, Megan Whalen
Paper Book
The thrilling, twenty-years-in-the-making conclusion to the New York Times-bestselling Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner. The epic novels set in the world of the Queen's Thief can be read in any order. This beloved and award-winning series began with the...
Coach Hardcover
Reynolds, Jason.
Paper Book
Three starred reviews! In this "beautifully executed victory lap" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) to Jason Reynolds's award-winning and New York Times bestselling Track series, meet Coach as a boy striving to come into...
The Beautiful Something Else
Van Otterloo, Ash
Digital file
Defiant : growing up in the Jim Crow South
Hudson, Wade
Paper Book
As the fight for equal rights continues, Defiant takes a critical look at the strides and struggles of the past in this revelatory and moving memoir about a young Black man growing up in the South during the heart of the Civil Rights Movement. For fans of It's Trevor Noah- Born a Crime,...
Schooled
Sumner, Jamie
Paper Book
A Golden Kite Award Winner for Young Readers and Middle Grade Fiction An "insightful and absorbing" (Shelf Awareness, starred review) novel from acclaimed author Jamie Sumner about new schools, unexpected friendships, and overcoming loss. ...
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