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Summer break is the perfect time to tear through books as fast as your librarian can hand them to you! My youngest sister is making her way through the Animorphs series right now (always a great choice). But suppose you’ve read all of the classic middle grade series and want to try something new? These five middle grade series launched within the past few years will have you covered, from fantasy adventures to clever mysteries.
5 of the Best New Middle Grade Series
Supernatural Investigations by B.B. Alston
Book 1: Amari and the Night Brothers
If you want to dive into a magical world that’s wild and exciting (and just a tad scary), you’ve got to start with the Supernatural Investigations series. Its heroine is Amari Peters, who investigates her brother Quinton’s disappearance for herself when police refuse to help.
As she follows her brother’s trail, she discovers an invitation to something called the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. If she wants to find out where Quinton went, she’ll have to pass summer tryouts (and stop an evil magician from destroying the supernatural realm she’s just discovered).
Montgomery Bonbon by Alasdair Beckett-King
Book 1: Murder at the Museum
Everyone thinks Montgomery Bonbon is an eccentric, mustachioed detective who can catch any killer. They’re only half-right. Montgomery Bonbon is a famous detective, but his mustache is just a disguise. He’s actually a clever 10-year-old named Bonnie Montgomery, who can solve crimes quicker and better than detectives twice her size.
Kwame Powell by Craig Kofi Farmer
Book 1: Kwame Crashes the Underworld
This fantasy series is just as thrilling a read as you’d expect from that cover. Inspired by Akan mythology, it follows Kwame Powell as he falls through a portal into the underworld. As he tries to save humanity from the wrath of the gods, he finds an unlikely friend when he runs into his recently deceased grandmother—who is a kid again!
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Vanya by Sangu Mandanna
Book 1: Vanya and the Wild Hunt
Vanya Vallen may have some odd habits (talking to books, for example) that others in her English village don’t understand. But when her family is attacked by a supposedly mythical creature, it appears there’s more to her favorite stories than could be contained within a book. Soon, Vanya is enrolled at a school for young archivists, where she discovers that her quirks are magical gifts, and she can be taught to wield them.
Mysteries of Trash and Treasure by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Book 1: The Secret Letters
I grew up with Haddix’s Among the Hidden series, and you can’t go wrong with any of her books when you’re in need of a twisty read that will get your heart pumping. But her latest series is a great place to start.
The Secret Letters follows Colin and Nevaeh, whose parents run competing junk removal businesses. When they discover strange letters around town, they disobey their family’s rivalry and work together in secret to decode and follow the clues.
If you’re looking to stack your library holds list, try these great middle grade mysteries, or these other middle grade mysteries from 2024.
