Tween Reads

Discover recent releases for tweens.
Updated September 25, 2023
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A First Time for Everything
Dan Santat
A middle grade graphic memoir based on bestselling author and Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat's awkward middle school years and the trip to Europe that changed his life. Dan's always been a good kid. The kind of kid who listens to his teachers, helps his mom with grocery...
School Trip
Jerry Craft
New York Times bestselling author Jerry Craft is back with the newest adventures of Jordan, Drew, Liam, and all the characters that fans first met in New Kid, winner of the Newbery Award and the Coretta Scott King Author Award! In this full-color contemporary graphic novel, the gang from...
Stamped (For Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You
Jason Reynolds
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  
Out of My Heart
Sharon M. Draper
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 year older, and a year braver. And now with her Medi...
The Lost Library
Rebecca Stead
The New York Times bestselling authors of Bob, Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass, introduce readers to a little free library guarded by a cat and a boy who takes on the mystery it keeps. A #1 Indie Bestseller! When a mysterious little free library (guarded by a large...
Starfish
Lisa Fipps
A Printz Honor winner! Ellie is tired of being fat-shamed and does something about it in this poignant debut novel-in-verse. Cover may vary. Ever since Ellie wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash at her fifth birthday party, she's been bullied...
The Marvellers (Marvellerverse, 1)
Dhonielle Clayton
Dhonielle Clayton makes her middle-grade debut with a fantasy adventure set in a global magic school in the sky --an instant New York Times and #1 Indie Bestseller! "The Marvellers deserves the highest compliment I can give a book: I want to live...
FOUR EYES 1
Ogle, Rex,
A humorous and heartwarming middle-grade graphic memoir about fitting in, facing bullies, and finding the right pair of glasses. Sixth grade isn't as great as Rex thought it would be. He's the only kid who hasn't had a growth spurt, and the bullies won't let him forget it. His...
Pony
R. J. Palacio
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...
From the Desk of Zoe Washington
Janae Marks
#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...
Parachute kids /
Tang, Betty C.,
From New York Times bestselling comic artist Betty C. Tang comes a funny, fast-paced, and heartrending story about three siblings living on their own as undocumented new immigrants, inspired by the author's own childhood as a parachute kid. Perfect for fans of New Kid and...
Recognize!: An Anthology Honoring and Amplifying Black Life
Wade Hudson
In the stunning follow-up to The Talk- Conversations About Race, Love & Truth, award-winning Black authors and artists come together to create a moving anthology collection celebrating Black love, Black creativity, Black resistance, and Black life. "A multifaceted,...
TOTALLY PSYCHIC
Martin, Brigid
This debut middle grade series stars a Cuban-American tween medium navigating friends, family and ghosts!   Paloma Ferrer is psychic. In fact, everyone in her family line has "the gift." Now that Paloma has come into her powers, she dreams of becoming a famous medium...
This Is Our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them, and Us
Katherine Locke
The first LGBTQA+ anthology for middle-graders featuring stories for every letter of the acronym, including realistic, fantasy, and sci-fi stories by authors like Justina Ireland, Marieke Nijkamp, Alex Gino, and more! A boyband fandom becomes a conduit to coming out. A former...
Paradise on Fire
Jewell Parker Rhodes
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...
Ellie Engle Saves Herself
Leah Johnson
From award-winning YA author Leah Johnson comes her magical middle grade debut: a laugh-until-you-cry, cry-until-you-laugh story about an ordinary girl whose life is turned upside down by some extraordinary powers. Ellie Engle doesn't stand out. Not at home, where she's alone...
SIMON SORT OF SAYS
Bow, Erin,
Longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature "Funny, poignant and-most important-hopeful." -New York Times For fans of Kate DiCamillo and Jack Gantos, a hilarious, wrenching, hopeful novel about finding your friends, healing your heart, and...
Attack of the Black Rectangles
A. S. King
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...
Rise Up!: How You Can Join the Fight Against White Supremacy
Crystal Marie Fleming
This urgent book explores the roots of racism and its legacy in modern day, all while empowering young people with actionable ways they can help foster a better world and become antiracists. Why are white supremacists still openly marching in the United States? Why are...
Lo & behold /
Mass, Wendy,
Can a virtual reality headset help change the way twelve-year-old Addie looks at things? Introducing an unforgettable graphic novel about connection, friendship, and the wonder all around us from New York Times bestselling author Wendy Mass and debut illustrator Gabi Mendez.<...
The Moth Keeper
K. O'Neill
Being a Moth Keeper is a huge responsibility and a great honor, but what happens when the new Moth Keeper decides to take a break from the moon and see the sun for the first time? From the author of the beloved Tea Dragon Society comes a must-read for fans of the rich fantasies of Hayao...
The Talk: Conversations about Race, Love, and Truth
Wade Hudson
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...
The Only Black Girls in Town
Brandy Colbert
A Bank Street Best Book of 2021! From award-winning YA author Brandy Colbert comes a debut middle-grade novel about the only two Black girls in town who discover a collection of hidden journals revealing shocking secrets of the past. Beach...
MONSTER VS. BOY
Krossing, Karen
A moving middle-grade novel about unlikely friendships and facing our fears-or monsters!-perfect for fans of of Wendy Mass's and Rebecca Stead's Bob. "Monstrously magical and delicious!"-William Alexander, National Book Award Winner for Goblin Secrets "A...
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy
Emmanuel Acho
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...
Good Different
Meg Eden Kuyatt
"The next Wonder. Good Different should be required reading." -- Good Morning America An extraordinary novel-in-verse for fans of Starfish and A Kind of Spark about a neurodivergent girl who comes to understand and celebrate her difference. Selah knows...
Yusuf Azeem is Not a Hero
Saadia Faruqi
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...
Doodles from the Boogie Down /
Rodriguez, Stephanie,
A young Dominican girl navigates middle school, her strict mother, shifting friendships, and her dream of being an artist in this debut coming-of-age graphic novel inspired by the author's tween years. Eighth grade in New York City means one thing- It's time to start applying to...
Return of the Thief
Megan Whalen Turner
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 acclaimed novel...
What Is Black Lives Matter?
Lakita Wilson
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...
HOW TO STAY INVISIBLE
Rudd, Maggie,
My Side of the Mountain meets How to Steal a Dog in this high-stakes and heartfelt middle-grade story of a young boy and his dog surviving on their own in the woods. Being alone is something Raymond is used to. Twelve-year-old Raymond Hurley...
THE BEAUTIFUL SOMETHING ELSE
Van Otterloo, Ash,
Full of humor and heartbreak, this story about a nonbinary character navigating a binary world is perfect for fans of Alex Gino and Kyle Lukoff. It's exhausting trying to be the perfect daughter. Still, getting good grades without making any waves may be the only way to distract from the...
Defiant: Growing Up in the Jim Crow South
Wade Hudson
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,...
COME SEE THE FAIR
Savit, Gavriel,
An unforgettable story of magic, mediums, and séances set during the Chicago World's Fair from the author of the National Book Award finalist The Way Back. Twelve-year-old orphan Eva Root travels the country pretending to channel spirits at séances. Her audiences swear...
FINALLY SEEN
Yang, Kelly,
From the New York Times bestselling author of Front Desk comes a "involving, realistic" (Booklist, starred review) middle grade novel about a young girl who leaves China to live with her parents and sister, after five years apart, and learns about family, friendship, and the...
DON'T TRUST THE CAT
Tracy, Kristen
Fifth-grader Poppy McBean likes rules and order. She's a follower, and she's totally okay with that. And if you judge her for that, she's okay with that too! But after falling prey to her friends' bullying one too many times, Poppy makes a wish to be happy--and it comes true in a very unexpected way...
The Sun and Star
Rick Riordan
Demigods Nico di Angelo and Will Solace must endure the terrors of Tartarus to rescue an old friend in this thrilling adventure co-written by New York Times #1 best-selling author Rick Riordan and award-winning author Mark Oshiro. Percy Jackson fans, rejoice! Nico and Will...
The Night Diary
Veera Hiranandani
A 2019 NEWBERY HONOR BOOK "A gripping, nuanced story of the human cost of conflict appropriate for both children and adults."                                          ...
THE RHYTHM OF TIME
Questlove,
An Instant New York Times Bestseller From the Academy Award-winning, Grammy-winning, and New York Times bestselling author Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and the New York Times bestselling author S. A. Cosby comes this thrill-a-minute novel-the first in a rollicking...
THE ONE AND ONLY RUBY
Applegate, Katherine
An instant #1 New York Times bestseller! From beloved powerhouse author Katherine Applegate comes The One and Only Ruby, starring the adorable baby elephant from the Newbery Medal-winning modern classic The One and Only Ivan and its bestselling sequel, The One and Only Bob. Ruby's...
Frizzy
Claribel A. Ortega
Winner of the 2023 Pura Belpré Award for Children's Text Winner of the 2023 Eisner for Best Publication for Kids October 2022 Indie Bestseller New York Times-bestselling author Claribel A. Ortega and star debut artist Rose Bousamra's Frizzy is about...
Serwa Boateng's Guide to Vampire Hunting
Roseanne Brown
For most kids, catching fireflies is a fun summer activity. For twelve-year-old Serwa Boateng, it's a matter of life and death. That's because Serwa knows that some fireflies are really adze, shapeshifting vampires from the forests of Southeastern Ghana. Adze prey on the blood of...
THE FIRST MAGNIFICENT SUMMER
Toalson, R. L.
Judy Blume meets Barbara Dee in this tender and empowering middle grade novel told in journal entries and poetry about a young writer on the verge of becoming a woman whose summer with her estranged father doesn't turn out the way she'd hoped. Twelve-year-old Victoria Reeves is...
CHARMED LIFE
Dumas, Marti,
After a summer of being the worst witch at a fancy witch school, Hasani can't wait to get back to the peace and normalcy of Riverbend Middle where she knows all the rules and is destined to be captain of the Mathletes. There are a few little hiccups to work out--like how she's going to tell her best...
The Girl and the Ghost
Hanna Alkaf
* Chosen as a 2020 Kirkus Prize Finalist for Young Readers' Literature! * A Malaysian folk tale comes to life in this emotionally layered, chilling middle grade debut, perfect for fans of The Book of Boy and The Jumbies. I am a dark spirit, the ghost announced grandly....
Sisterhood of Sleuths
Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
A secret tied to an old photo--and a box of Nancy Drew books that could be the key to solving the mystery, perfect for fans of Wendy Mass and Trenton Lee Stewart. Maizy always assumed she knew everything about her grandmother, Jacuzzi. So ...
The Ojja-Wojja
Magdalene Visaggio
The first in a new graphic novel series from indie comic stars Magdalene Visaggio and Jenn St-Onge is a coming-of-age story about the transformative power of friendship. And an immortal demon with the power to take over the world. But mostly the friendship thing. Welcome to...
Traitors Among Us
Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
World War II may be over, but two sisters are far from safe. Inspired by true events, this is the latest gripping and powerful novel from the acclaimed author of Making Bombs for Hitler. Sisters Krystia and Maria have been through the worst -- or so they think. World War II ravaged...
WHAT HAPPENED TO RACHEL RILEY?
Swinarski, Claire,
*NOW A REGIONAL INDIE BESTSELLER* 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...
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