31 Days, 31 Lists: 2024 Middle Grade Novels

Now I really really REALLY didn’t get to read all the middle grade fiction I wanted to this year. As a result, consider today’s list not to be a “Best Of” but rather a “What I Read and Legitimately Thought Was Splendid” since I missed a whole slew of titles. Feel free to mention in the comments what I should have also have read. Next year I vow to try to get more books in.

If you’d like a PDF of today’s list, you may find it here.

Curious about past middle grade lists? Then check out the ones from previous years!

• 2023
• 2022
• 2021
• 2020
• 2019
• 2018
• 2017
• 2016

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2024 Middle Grade Fiction

Benji Zeb is a Ravenous Werewolf by Deke Moulton

As if Benji didn’t have enough to worry about! He has to study constantly for his upcoming bar mitzvah, he’s a werewolf in a kibbutz full of other werewolves, and now his frenemy/crush from school Caleb Gao has just shown up as a werewolf too! Well, apparently last year’s vampire/Jewish combo (Don’t Want to Be Your Monster) was just a warm up for Ms. Moulton. This year she has a werewolf/Jewish combo and it is intense! The book runs the usual danger of including almost too much exposition on a SLEW of different topics, but I think the writing and the plotting make up for it. The most touching thing, for me, is how one character has watched someone they loved go down the rabbit-hole of toxic FoxNews b.s. (they never name the station but there is definitely a QAnon character lurking around the pages). It’s a really good character study that touches on everything from anxiety to the history of Chinese workers in America to the logistics of how you precisely turn into a werewolf. And it’s fun! Plus, now I have an excuse to sing 30 Rock‘s “Werewolf Bar Mitzvah” on a loop. Previously seen on the Fantasy List.

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody by Patrick Ness, ill. Tim Miller

Zeke’s having a rough time. He has family problems, bully problems, and the country of France on his knee (it’s a whole thing). A hilarious tale of friends, villains, and fromage. If you are looking at this book and saying to yourself, “Wait, is that The Knife of Never Letting Go Patrick Ness?” then that is the correct reaction. And yes. Yes it is. But who knew that the man had such a good sense of humor? I feel like a stuck record saying this, but increasingly I have a deep and abiding respect for authors who go weird. And about the time that the nation of France appears on our hero’s knee, I had a suspicion that this was precisely the kind of story I wanted. I was right. Tim Miller provides the perfect counterpart to Ness’s wild visions. I have complicated feelings about the weight issues brought up, particularly when the pony gets involved, so I’d love to have a conversation about that, but in the end I think it holds up brilliantly. For anyone who has ever felt like a bit of an outsider, this is the monitor lizard for you.

The Color of Sound by Emily Barth Isler

Rosie seriously impresses as a music prodigy. It doesn’t hurt that when she plays and listens to music, she can see the vivid colors with each note. But when she starts craving a break from the violin, Rosie’s mother is NOT on board with the plan and their relationship suffers. Over a summer living with Rosie’s grandfather, the girl discovers new friends, new interesting, and an unexpected connection to her mother’s past. While admittedly I was caught entirely off-guard by the time travel element to this story, I thought Isler did an excellent job of keeping everything simple and working within its own internal logic. The synesthesia isn’t played like a superpower or anything (something I’ve noticed that other authors have attempted in the past). It just informs Rosie’s character. Also, I was all set to loathe that mom character, but Isler so deftly keeps you from really being able to do that. I also appreciated that by the end the mom wasn’t perfect but she was at least getting better. That dad, though! Man! Talk about a realistic and seriously annoying guy!

Dinner at the Brake Fast by Renee Beauregard Lute

This is a title I came to late in the year and ended up listening to on audio. Now when I listen to things off of my Libby account I tend to not finish them before they’re due. And some books are very difficult to return to later, mid-point in the storyline. Not this one. I knew it was worth exploring when my co-workers raved about it earlier in the year and they were right. The premise is that Tacoma Jones works in her family’s roadside diner, primarily serving an all-day breakfast to the truckers that stop there. Frankly speaking, she is sick of serving breakfast. Tacoma’s dream, and I love how small this is (but it rang true), is to serve… wait for it… dinner! One that doesn’t involve pancakes in any way. Aiding her is Denver, a kid stuck traveling with a rock band, when their bus breaks down near the Brake Fast. But before anything can be cooked, Tacoma is determined to steal back a photograph that no good trucker Crocodile Kyle stole from her dad. In getting it back, she and Denver end up with a third accomplice, Hudgie, who happens to be Kyle’s nephew. This book has laughs and thrills and some tense moments and a truly creepy highway curios store. It also has a psychotic rooster, and what story isn’t improved significantly by a psychotic rooster? Tacoma’s dad suffers from some serious depression, but beyond that the book is fairly free of angst. It’s kind of a road trip, but more an adventure, and I am here for it! 

Drawing Deena by Hena Khan

Deena has a lot on her mind. How can she juggle her dreams of being an artist with her parents’ money problems, her attempts to help her mom’s business, and the fact that she feels sick every single morning? A loving portrayal of doing what you love and letting go of what you don’t need. I was so picky this year. Maybe it’s because 2023 was so particularly strong in middle grade novels, but I had a hard time sticking with anything I pick up in 2024. Thank goodness for Hena Khan then. Even if this book isn’t filled with action packed drama, Khan has a gentle style that is capable of keeping you engaged, even when a scene is as basic as our main character getting her teeth cleaned. And as the mother of an anxious child, I couldn’t help but appreciate the depiction portrayed here in this book. I liked Khan showing that even a sympathetic character like Deena’s dad can be wrongheaded when it comes to dealing with mental issues like the ones in this book. Reads like a dream and feels wholly satisfying by the end. 

Ferris by Kate DiCamillo

Ferris has some problems. Her beloved grandmother isn’t just getting older but is now seeing ghosts, her sister is determined to be an outlaw, and other family members are having issues of their own. Fortunately, one thing always rings true: “Every story is a love story”. Even when it’s not. This is without a doubt DiCamillo’s most personal book to date, so it’s not what one might call a “plot-forward” story. That said, it has all the hallmarks you’re looking for. That thread of darkness coupled alongside a lot of hope with some love tied in there as well. Kooky characters in a small town and surprisingly present details (I can smell the inside of that steakhouse even now). No one does what this woman does, nor could they even come close if they tried. A good one. 

The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly

It’s 1999 andMichael is terrified of what will happen when Y2K hits. When he meets a teen time traveler named Ridge he’s convinced he has the key to his problems in hand. A strange, fun tale of living in the now. Also, it’s definitely a toned down version of When You Reach Me. I liked it just fine. Always happy to see another science fiction book on our shelves. I was a little sad that the book missed a golden opportunity with Y2K, of course. I always thought the cool thing about Y2K is that we were really worried that something bad was going to happen but then a bunch of people all around the world worked together to solve the problem. When nothing bad happened, people just thought it was a hoax when it was really people working together well. But Kelly’s not interested in that story, which is a bummer. That aside, the book is nice. Sort of a very soft 12 Monkeys. Previously seen on the Science Fiction List.

Flying Through Water by Mamle Wolo

Living in rural Ghana, Sena knows his future depends on his schooling and grades. But when a chance to make money for his family arises, he jumps at the chance. Now he’s trapped and must make his way back home so he can help others too. Mamle Wolo was the author behind a previous book on my best books list, The Kaya Girl, which I absolutely adored. Now she’s returned as America’s #1 Ghanian middle grade author (which, in 2024, is an interestingly tight race) to a tale of fisher boys and contemporary slavery. Again, we’re in Ghana and her switch to a boy’s p.o.v. is seamless. She’s just so good. Too good, maybe. The ending is left on a bit of a cliffhanger, and while it bodes for good things, the 10-year-old in me wanted an unrealistic scene of Sena busting up his previous captor’s home and saving Baby Joe. I had no idea just how Hatchet-esque the story was going to become. It’s both frustrating and satisfying but in the end it’s accomplished. Would love you to give it a read.

A Game of Noctis by Deva Fagan

In the city of Dantessa nothing is more important than games. Now Pia needs to compete in the ultimate challenge if she’s going to save her grandfather from life as a pawn. But when everything’s a game, who do you trust? Look, I’m not gonna say it’s Hunger Games with magic, but I’m not not gonna say it either. I was convinced for quite a while that I’d read a Deva Fagan book, but it turns out I was getting her confused with Jenn Reese (understandable). After getting a good tummy full of trauma in my middle grade fiction this year, I wanted something fun and this book delivered tenfold. It’s an alternative Venice where games are literally everything. Fagan’s having a blast making up games, as well as getting you to fall in love with her characters. It’s short and it’s sweet and it’s a standalone fantasy (which is like a unicorn these days). The cover of the book is brilliant too (I only just noticed that the Noctis board and the final players’ mascots are hidden in the details). If you need a palate cleanser, this is the one to grab. Previously seen on the Fantasy List.

Island of Whispers by Frances Hardinge, ill. Emily Gravett

Milo knows he’s not cut out to be a ferryman like his father, transporting the dead to their next destination, but when tragedy strikes and danger threatens the passengers, it’s up to one dreamy boy to do what’s best for both the living and the deceased. Let it be known that in an era of bloated fantasy novels (I had to put down the 426 page tome I was reading recently because halfway in I realized it just wasn’t any good and that is a LOT of time wasted figuring something like that out!) this slim, sleek little book clocks in a handsome 112 pages, and not a bit of it is bloat. I was already a Hardinge fan, but this is a distinctly different beastie for her. Plotwise it’s very much her thing and full of inventions and internal logics that only she could conjure, but she’s gone a bit younger with it, and that’s impressive. Even so, you have plenty of bad guys, death, and weird bird things with monkey hands for feet. So, y’know, typical Hardinge. I loved the plot, the resolution, and the fact that this woman is just so good at her craft. Previously seen on the Fantasy List.

Keep It Like a Secret by John David Anderson

Mouse has a plan. Sure his older sister Morgan is away all the time, but he’s sure he can get her to move back home. But when she takes him on a day of fun and adventure, things may not go the way either of them expects. Pretty darn impressive. And, bonus, horrendously realistic too. This mom character proved to be way too real for me in this story. Anderson does this incredible job of managing to switch your loyalties from the mom to the sister within the course of the narrative. But honestly, you really feel the most for poor Mouse, our narrator, by the end. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the audiobook since it does a poor job of distinguishing the past from the present, but I thought emotionally the book does a really remarkable job of focusing in on small town America in a way I haven’t much seen before. It’s just damn capable.

Kwame Crashes the Underworld by Craig Kofi Farmer

After a tricky little aboatia steals something precious from him, Kwame takes a dive into the underworld to get it back. Soon he meets figures from Ghanian mythology, and one with diabolical plans. Can Kwame save us all? Funny, fast-paced, but with lots of heart. So how is this the first book Farmer has written? I tell you, writing a book of this sort is an art and Farmer is already a master. Right from the start he does this incredible job of pulling you in and introducing all the emotions and pertinent details as quickly and efficiently as possible. The fantasy world is complex but not overwhelming and doesn’t require 500 pages of exposition. But most importantly is what it’s doing with the character of Kwame. His grief and emotional journey just click. Plus it has one of those prophecies that actually work on the page rather than just annoying you. This is a fascinating pairing with another Ghanian middle grade novel Flying Through Water. The two books couldn’t be more different but they complement one another nicely. Previously seen on the Funny Books for Older Readers List and the Fantasy List.

The Long Way Around by Anne Nesbet

Cousins Owen, Vivian, and Amy may be young but their parents are allowing them to do a little camping on their own. But when an earthquake cuts them off from help and other people, they decide to search for help on their own, no matter what happens. I was utterly enthralled by Nesbet’s Cloud & Wallfish back in the day, so you’d think I’d remember to read this book earlier rather than later in the year. I’ve been saying that the first chapter in Not Quite a Ghost is my favorite of 2024, but Nesbet might give Ursu a run for her money. This book is trim, slick, and fun. It really does pair well with Mountain of Fire by Rebecca Barone, though it’s far less dire. I thought it did a really super job of drilling into these three characters’ fears and development. Yeah. This is great. Previously seen on the Blueberry List.

Louder Than Hunger by John Schu

So I read this book to myself and then thought about it. Then I sat down with my 10-year-old son and we read it together right after that. Now this is one book that seems like it’s just a graphic novel memoir in the making. Indeed, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Candlewick hasn’t already thought of this and is imagining the perfect artist to adapt it as we speak (it should be Dave Valeza, by the way). The story is a fictionalized memoir following a kid named Jake who’s having a helluva time. Between some seriously messed up bullying at school and his own anxieties, Jake has developed a full-blown eating disorder. What the book does really well is show how getting help isn’t this instantaneous process. There are ups and downs (some serious downs) and in the end Jake gets out of it but you can tell it’s never going to be this “cure” that solves everything. I thought John did a good job with both the voice of the book and the Voice of the book (the words Jake hears that keep him down). Written in verse, so it goes down real smooth and easy for any reluctant reader who balks at the page count. A good strong read.

Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller

Magnolia Wu and new friend Iris are on the hunt to locate the owner of every missing sock found at her parents’ laundromat. An investigation that delves into the heart of what makes NYC special. I love a NYC middle grade where it feels like the author has actually lived in NYC for a significant amount of time. And I thought this book did such a nice job of showing both the dirty, grimy, hot and annoying side of the city as well as what makes it so special. It’s nice too to have a shorter middle grade work of fiction in the mix. Too often chapter books for kids are either early chapter books or heavy tomes. This book slots neatly into older but not too old fiction. Loved the characters and thought this was an original take on trying to see your immigrant parents through the (kind) lens of others.

Max in the House of Spies: A Tale of World War II by Adam Gidwitz

Sent off to Britain to escape the Nazis, Max Bretzfeld finds himself hosting two immortal creatures on his shoulders. And when he discovers his new hosts have connections to Britain’s spy ring, he’ll do anything to take part. A rip-roaring adventure! A World War II thriller where a kid has to learn how to spy on Nazis? Yes and please! The fact that Adam Gidwitz is the author is just icing on the cake. Now is this book fast-paced? You bet. Does it involve my favorite trope in literature (clever people being clever)? It does! My one quibble is the magical realism element which I found them a bit superfluous. But you know what’s nice about the guys on Max’s shoulders? Jokes! They have them ah-plenty! Oh, and this book is DEFINITELY the first in a series, so watch out for that. You’ll learn spycraft, you betcha, just don’t expect to use it too much. Previously seen on the Funny Books for Older Readers List.

Mid-Air by Alicia D. Williams

Isaiah and his friends love biking, skating, and trying to break world records. When an accident claims the life of his buddy Darius, Isaiah feels responsible and lost. Will he ever learn to forgive and accept himself? I don’t know why I was putting off reading this. I guess I missed reading the Newbery Honor winning title Genesis Begins Again and that made me worried about picking up anything else by Alicia D. Williams. Plus it’s a verse novel on tough topics, and that’s not as much fun as other titles out there, right? So glad I actually did read this though. I get now why Ms. Williams won a Newbery. LYRICAL is precisely the word you have to use for this book. She’s actually doing this really complicated story about grief compounded by violence that you wouldn’t think a middle grade author could pull off, and yet she does. Expertly. This is one book you canNOT miss this year.

Not Quite A Ghost by Anne Ursu

There’s something deeply wrong with Violet’s new house, but only she seems to know it. Too bad, since the thing in her wallpaper has its eyes on her, and as she becomes more and more ill, it seizes a horrible opportunity. As with most books I went into this one not knowing anything about it. The first thing that occurred to me, though, is that this is probably the best first chapter of a middle grade novel of 2024. Seriously, Ursu should teach entire classes of up-and-coming authors on how to do what she does in this book. You read that chapter and you are HOOKED. It also made me wonder if the story had any relation to The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Not only is it based off of that story, but Ursu manages to hook in all these more contemporary issues of women not having their symptoms believed by the medical establishment (something Ursu has experienced herself). And I take issue with the folks on Goodreads who didn’t think it was sufficiently ghost storyish enough. To me, it felt like The Grudge lite. The title is pretty accurate, and I liked the parallel between the house having an infection and Violet having an infection. GREAT writing too.

Not the Worst Friend in the World by Anne Rellihan

“Reasons I Think I Was Kidnapped”. When Lou gets this message from the new girl at school she has to decide how to be a good friend in a situation that feels out of her control. A good title on how people willfully misunderstand things because it’s easier than facing the truth. I though bisecting the book between the past and the present, and featuring three girls (rather than just two) with particularly complicated relationships was clever. The book does follow a bit too directly into the footsteps of Harriet the Spy at one point (I think Rellihan is trying to raise the emotional stakes) but overall it’s a pretty smart take on the nature of friendships and the simple act of saying sorry. Plus, I like books where the “mean girl” has so many sympathetic sides.

One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-Ransome

It’s 1879 and Lettie’s daddy has decided the family needs to pick up and move from Mississippi to Nebraska to start a new life. A marvelous glimpse of the Black exodusters and what it took to cross America on foot. I listened to the audiobook of this which was cleverly cast with three different voices, all women. It could easily have just stuck with one voice, but I really got a better feel for the story having the three women separated like it was. I also didn’t have much trouble telling the characters apart since Ransome tends to try to remind you who folks are as you go. It’s a lot of walking but also a lot of death and drowning, so I found it fairly exciting all the way through. Did NOT expect some of those deaths either! Initially I was not particularly pleased that there were zero mentions of displaced Indigenous people mentioned, but Ransome makes up for that, to a certain extent, in the backmatter. Better still, she manages to avoid having the characters come up with 21st century ideas in a 19th century world. Pretty cool.

The Pumpkin Princess and the Forever Night by Steven Banbury

I would like a movie of this please. Like, right now, please. You know all those lamentable Nightmare Before Christmas spin-offs we’ve seen recently? The comic prequels and half-hearted middle grade novels? Forget all those. Disney should be snapping up the rights to THIS book since it contains the same vibes but with a wholly original story of its own. There are lots of adult and YA tales of girls being whisked away by dark romantic figures. Personally, I am far more interested in middle grade stories of girls being whisked away by dark father figures instead. In this story young Eve is attempting yet again to escape her orphanage when she encounters The Pumpkin King. Like, he literally has a pumpkin head. Fairly swiftly he decides he will adopt Eve as his daughter, but now this undead creature of the night has to deal with how to be a parent, and Eve has to learn what it means to be a pumpkin princess. Not gonna lie. I was reading this in the car with my family while traveling, tears streaming down my face as I got to the pair’s deep heart-to-heart near the end of the book. But that’s not all! It’s also funny, strange, and a mystery all at once! I did NOT see the true villain coming, and there’s at least one scary bit that’s legit scary. I seriously think your kids are going to get a real kick out of this one. 

Read at Your Own Risk by Remy Lai

Imagine if the Dork Diaries were ghost-written by David Cronenberg. That’s what you find in this body horror-ific tale of blood, teeth, and curses gone awry. It’s a helluva thing. I doubt I’ve ever seen that much blood in a children’s book before. And the whole bugs crawling out of your face element? chef’s kiss That said, I do feel like I had to reread the ending twice before it made any kind of sense to me. We’re living in a rather golden era of children’s book horror, and this feels like Remy Lai wanted to push the envelope as far as she possibly could. The end result? Beautifully upsetting. Previously seen on the Fantasy List and the Gross List.

Slugfest by Gordan Korman

The Bad News Bears meets the Great British Bakeoff… sorta. Can a group of kids that all failed physical education not only make up for it but go on to win a football seven-on-seven championship? A hilarious tale of slugs, stars, and sumptuous baked goods. I love it! We’re always on the lookout for strong sports-related titles, but boy howdy are they (a) hard to find and (b) not something (quite frankly) that some librarians are crazy about reading. Now have I ever read a Gordon Korman book before? Odds are good that I must have at some point in the past, but darned if I could remember what it was. This book, in contrast, will live in my memory a nice long time. Korman’s clearly a pro at writing a middle grade novel, but he’s also just fun to listen to. You get very invested in these characters. One note? Not sure why he failed to give Fiona her own p.o.v., but aside from that I’m a big time fan. Just don’t read it while hungry. Previously seen on the Older Funny Books List.

The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko

I credit my readers with alerting me to Choldenko’s latest and how good it really is. I opted to do the audiobook of Hank, and it went down really nicely. In this story, Hank’s one of those kids with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He loves Boo, his preschool little sister, but when the book opens they’ve run out of food. His mom took off one evening five days ago and she hasn’t been back since. Out of desperation, the two find their way to an unknown woman that their mom listed as an emergency contact on a permission slip once. Lou Ann, the woman in question, runs a daycare and is able to help the two kids out a lot, but her dislike of teenaged boys (Hank’s tall for his age but not a teen yet) taints her relationship with Hank. As he and his sister finally start to settle into their new life, there’s always the fear of Lou Ann sending them to foster care… and then Hank’s mom shows up again one day. I was looking through the Goodreads reviews and like a lot of people I just find the adults in this book to have some seriously twisted understandings of how much responsibility Hank should be held accountable for. He’s placed in an impossible situation and is made to apologize for his actions repeatedly, which really jarred. Other than that, though, it’s a deeply satisfying book and Geri, Hank’s mom, is certainly in the running of Worst Mom of 2024 (which is worth a blog post in and of itself). Good stuff. 

Wrong Way Home by Kate O’Shaughnessy

Fern is miserable. Her mom has taken her away from the only home she’s ever known, and now the girl is desperate to get back. But what if the home you’re looking for is the wrong one to seek?  A show of hands. How many of you were screaming, “DON’T GET INTO THAT VAN!!!” near the end of this story? My god. This may be the most realistic girl-escapes-cult-and-wants-to-go-back book I’ve ever read. I found it freakin’ gripping, even if it’s not written that way. How many books can you name where you’re actively rooting against the heroine to succeed? I loved how good and bad were wrapped up in The Farm, and the slow rise in realizing how freakin’ creepy Dr. Ben is. As I told my kids, I think there’s a lot more going on at The Farm than Fern was aware of, but this book has to be appropriate for kids, so it didn’t get into all that. Still, the moment her new friend mentions the word “cult” for the first time, I was pumping my fist in the air. This book is a ride, I’ll tell you. Incredible.

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So with all that in mind, here are the other lists for 2024:

December 1 – Great Board Books

December 2 – Picture Book Readalouds

December 3 – Simple Picture Book Texts

December 4 – Transcendent Holiday Picture Books

December 5 – Rhyming Picture Books

December 6 – Funny Picture Books

December 7 – CaldeNotts

December 8 – Picture Book Reprints

December 9 – Bilingual Books for Kids

December 10 – Math Books for Kids

December 11 – Books with a Message / Social Emotional Learning

December 12 – Fabulous Photography

December 13 – Translated Picture Books

December 14 – Fairy Tales / Folktales / Religious Tales

December 15 – Wordless Picture Books

December 16 – Poetry Books

December 17 – Unconventional Children’s Books

December 18 – Easy Books & Early Chapter Books

December 19 – Comics & Graphic Novels

December 20 – Older Funny Books

December 21 – Science Fiction Books

December 22 – Fantasy Books

December 23 – Informational Fiction

December 24 – Gross Books

December 25 – Science & Nature Books

December 26 – Unique Biographies

December 27 – Blueberry Award Contenders (Celebrating the Environment)

December 28 – Nonfiction Picture Books

December 29 – Nonfiction Books for Older Readers

December 30 – Middle Grade Novels

December 31 – Picture Books

Filed under: 31 Days 31 Lists, Best Books, Best Books of 2024