Emily has a PhD in English from the University of Southern Mississippi, MS, and she has an MFA in Creative Writing from GCSU in Milledgeville, GA, home of Flannery O’Connor. She spends her free time reading, watching horror movies and musicals, cuddling cats, Instagramming pictures of cats, and blogging/podcasting about books with the ladies over at #BookSquadGoals (www.booksquadgoals.com). She can be reached at emily.ecm@gmail.com.
Middle grade novels are really shining in 2025. There have been so many great middle grade novels already released this year—if you haven’t checked them out yet, just take a look at these 10 middle grade books that came out this March. And that’s just one month! We have even more exciting new middle grade books coming out in the next few months. Maybe you plan to read these with the middle grade kid in your life, or maybe you just enjoy reading these books on your own. Either way, you’ll want to add all four of these titles to your library hold list so you can grab them as soon as they become available!
Smoke & Mirrors by Rosalyn Ransaw (Amulet Books, June 10)
Mystery lovers will want to grab a copy of this new middle grade novel, full of twists and turns. When Andy Carter is forced to spend the summer helping renovate a crumbling mansion, the young boy does not expect to uncover a mystery. In the ’50s, the mansion was owned by a magician who went by the name the Red Nave. The Red Nave became infamous for being accused of murder and then disappearing from the town forever. To this day, everyone still believes that the Red Nave committed this crime. But Andy is not so sure. The more he finds out about the story, the more things just aren’t adding up.
Kickturn by Brie Spangler (Knopf, June 17)
Skateboarding fanatic Lindy would love for her family to put down roots and stay in one place. Maybe then Lindy could make friends (you know—other friends besides just her cat) and live a normal life. But while living with influencer parents who travel in a bus from national park to national park to build content, that seems highly unlikely. Then one day, the bus breaks down in San Jose. Could this be Lindy’s chance to make new friends? To meet her skateboarding idols at a real skate park?
Another by Paul Tremblay (Quill Tree Books, July 22)
Horror author Paul Tremblay’s middle grade debut kicks off with Casey Wilson’s parents telling him that a new friend is coming over for a sleepover. When Morel shows up, Casey thinks something seems off about the boy. It’s been so long since Casey has had a friend, and his parents seem so charmed by their new visitor, so despite the fact that Morel doesn’t speak and his skin is the color of clay, Casey accepts him. At first. But the sleepover seems to never end, and Casey isn’t even sure Morel is really a friend at all.
Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave by Ally Russell (Delacorte Press, September 16)
Here’s a new middle grade heroine you’re going to love. 13-year-old Mystery James was raised in a funeral home after being abandoned in a cemetery. Sure, it’s not a conventional upbringing, but it suits Mystery just fine. When a necklace goes missing, Mystery fears her family’s funeral home might be shut down. The only way she can save the business and the life she loves so dearly is to find out who is responsible for taking the necklace—even if it means facing her deepest fears, including a sleep paralysis demon, a half-vampire, a half-ghost, and more.
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Looking for more middle grade book recommendations? If you already know what middle grade classics you love, here’s what you should read next!
English (US) · 