With my kid in the tween stage, these days I’m surrounded by piles of middle grade books. All year long, I’ve been thinking about which anti-bias books would make the cut for my best middle grade books of 2024 post.
Below, I’ve shared my favorite books for roughly ages 8 – 14, broken down into contemporary fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, and non-fiction that were published in 2024.
With book challenges and bans on the rise, this has been a difficult year for BIPOC, Queer, and Disabled authors, as well as authors who write about social justice issues. You can help by purchasing some of these best middle grade books of 2024 – or requesting that your library carry them!
This post includes affiliate links. If you purchase items through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional charge to you. I received a free review copy of The Secret Library from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
Best middle grade books of 2024: contemporary fiction
Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi.
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If I could wave a magic wand, I’d add Kareem Between to every middle school’s reading list, so that children could understand the impact Trump’s 2017 Muslim ban had on real people. But that’s not the only reason this National Book Award-winner will resonate with young readers.
Kareem is relatable mess of a tween who pings back and forth between compassionate and self-centered behavior at both home and school. More than anything, he wants to make the school’s football team, so when the quarterback asks him to do something he knows is wrong, he reluctantly agrees. Unfortunately for Kareem, it turns out to be more than a one-time request.
Kareem’s mother is known as one of the most generous, caring members of their mosque. This means she expects Kareem to befriend Fadi, a newly arrived refugee from Syria. Kareem enjoys talking with Fadi outside of school, but is torn about being seen with him at school. Meanwhile, Kareem’s mother makes an unexpected trip home to Syria to bring her parents to the United States just as Trump makes good on his campaign process to ban Muslims from entering the U.S.
Soon, Kareem will have to find the courage to speak up about who he truly is in order to protect his family and friends. (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Novel in verse. Syrian-American author.)
Related post: 18 engaging children’s books starring Muslim characters
Blue Stars: The Vice Principal Problem by Kekla Magoon and Cynthia Leitich Smith. Illustrated by Molly Murakami.
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The moment my 12-year-old finished reading Blue Stars, he asked me to get him the next graphic novel in the series. (Unfortunately for him, it has been written yet but I share his enthusiasm for this collaboration between two of my favorite children’s authors!)
Cousins Riley and Maya haven’t seen each other since they were little, and now both of them are moving to Urbanopolis to live with their grandma. Extroverted Riley can’t wait, but Maya’s having a much harder time with the move since her military parents won’t be coming with her.
Maya interprets Riley’s enthusiasm as an invasion of her privacy, and at first it seems the cousins won’t be getting along at all. Soon, however, their shared frustration at their vice-principal’s desire to throw every student into detention unites them. (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Graphic novel. Black author and Muscogee author.)
Related post: 12 diverse and inclusive graphic novels for middle grade readers
Louder Than Hunger by John Schu.
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The novel-in-verse is inspired by the author’s own experience of spending nearly a year in a recovery center (in the 1990s) as he grappled with anorexia.
Jake’s experience of being bullied in middle school leads to him eating so little and exercising so much that even his mother, who clearly has her own mental health struggles, can’t ignore the problem. The only person who really makes him feel loved is Grandma, but the hateful voice inside him is so loud that he even begins to doubt her love. But when he lands in a treatment center called The Pines, the voice tells him that he can’t trust anyone there, because they’ll trick him into eating.
I’ve read many wonderful novels-in-verse, but part of what makes this one so special is the way Schu uses repetitions in the text to mimic Jake’s obsessive, destructive thoughts. While this is a painful story, there are many moments of warmth, care, and self-discovery that will keep readers cheering for Jake throughout. (Recommended for ages 10+. Novel-in-verse. Author who has experienced an eating disorder.)
Related post: Body positive books for all ages
On the Block: Stories of Home, edited by Ellen Oh.
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The latest We Need Diverse Books short story anthology weaves together the various characters’ stories in interesting ways. All of the children live in the Entrada apartment building, and all of their families have recent or long-ago immigration stories.
There’s Lenny, son of the apartment-owners, who discovers that his immigrant grandfather’s bootstrap story had a shadow side that his parents are determined not to repeat. As he and his friend Angel secretly play with action figures they’re supposed to have outgrown, Angel reveals that his veteran father’s injuries could mean they can’t pay the rent this month.
One of my favorite stories was Tumpa’s, which focuses on her relationship with the bold and slightly weird grandmother she’s meeting for the first time. Dida doesn’t seem to care what anyone else thinks, while Tumpa (of course) very much does care. (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Short stories. Authors of various races and ethnicities.)
Isabel in Bloom by Mae Respicio.
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This honest and relatable novel-in-verse captures the feelings of 12-year-old Isabel as she moves from the Philippines to San Francisco. Isabel has been living with her grandparents while she was separated from her mother for 5 years. But what Isabel has wanted all along was for her mother to come home, rather than having to be the one to have to move across the world.
Her Lolo gives her advice to look for things that are familiar, which at first is hard to do. But as she gets to know her new school, she discovers an abandoned community garden that seniors from a nearby Filipino center started. Isabel soon realizes the potential of this space for so many things and mobilizes a few of her fellow students to put her vision into action. Will a sudden announcement from the school board derail all the students’ hard work? (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Novel-in-verse. Filipina-American author.)
Related post: Filipino children’s books for ages 4 – 14
Red Bird Danced by Dawn Quigley.
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I didn’t expect to have this many novels-in-verse on my list of the best middle grade books of 2024, but there were so many wonderful ones published this year!
Red Bird Danced alternates between the voices of two Native children, Ariel and Tomah, who live in an urban intertribal housing complex. Ariel has to let go of her beloved ballet lessons because the family needs the funds to search for her missing Auntie Bineshiinh. But her aunt is the one who first inspired her love of dance, and family members encourage her to learn to traditional jingle dance as a way to find healing for both the community and herself.
Ariel’s friend Tomah is a lovable jokester, but what most people don’t realize is that he uses humor to distract from the truth that he can barely read. Tomah struggles with feeling invisible, but his desire to support Ariel in her aunt’s absence gives him newfound courage to step into the spotlight. (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Novel-in-verse. Ojibwe author.)
Related post: 15 Indigenous children’s books set in the present day
Fake Chinese Sounds by Jing Jing Tsong.
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When Měi Yīng’s Nӑi Nai comes to visit for the summer, she isn’t sure how much they’ll be able to communicate. But she soon discovers that she and her grandmother have plenty in common. By the time Nӑi Nai returns to Taiwan, it’s time for Měi Yīng to get ready for the new school year.
She’s looking forward to being one of the star players of the Divas soccer team, but soon racist jokes by a new classmate Sid have completely derailed her. A teacher she complains to doesn’t take it seriously, and her best friend Kirra only makes half-hearted attempts to stop the bullying. Even her mom tells her to focus on her inner strength and reasons that Sid may have problems Měi Yīng doesn’t know about.
Měi Yīng has decided that no matter what else she does in 5th grade, she won’t ignore what’s unfair. But will that be enough to stop Sid and the friends that cheer him on? (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Graphic novel. Taiwanese-American author.)
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Gamerville by Johnny Christmas.
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Max can’t believe that he’s finally qualified for the finals of Gamerville, where he’ll have the chance to defeat his video game nemesis and classmate Wilder. But just as he’s ready to take his gaming to the next level, his worried mother decides it’s time to enroll him in nature-based (i.e. no screens) Camp Reset. His mom doesn’t seem to care that this will mean Max can’t make the tournament. But when Max gets settled in at camp, he realizes that Gamerville is being held just across the lake. Can he figure out a way to make his escape in time for the tournament?
In a society that often pits gaming culture and screen-free living against each other, this zany graphic novel shows respect for kids that tend toward either end of that spectrum. (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Graphic novel. Black author.)
Best middle grade books of 2024: fantasy
The Secret Library by Kekla Magoon.
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Ever since her adventure-loving Grandpa died, 11-year-old Dally has chafed at life under her strict mother’s supervision. All her mother seems to care about is maintaining the family’s wealth and preparing Dally to take over the family’s massive business one day.
Dally has generally been an obedient child, but when her mother denies her request to join the school Adventure Club, Dally decides to break into Grandpa’s study to examine the papers he left behind for her. Using a mysterious map, she soon arrives at a library full of secrets – including those of her family.
Being able to step foot into the actual secrets as they are happening gives Dally the adventures she’s been longing for. Other secrets help her understand family members’ better, but the fact that she’s not allowed to reveal her knowledge to anyone proves more painful that she expects.
I can’t say much more about the plot without giving too much away, but I absolutely loved this unique blend of fantasy and historical fiction, especially its rule-bending heroine! (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Chapter book. Black author.)
Clairboyance by Kristiana Kahakauwila.
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Ever since her best friend Leo abandoned her, Clara has been counting down the days until she can leave Hawaii and join her dad in Arizona. She just wishes she could convince her Tūtū (grandmother) to join them, instead of trying to talk dad into keeping Clara in O’ahu.
While Clara’s trying to figure out a solution to the argument between Tūtū and Dad, she off-handedly makes a wish on a family heirloom that she could know what boys are thinking. On the bus the next morning, Clara is flooded with the boys’ non-stop interior monologues, and she had hardly cope.
Tūtū and Clara’s new friend Pua soon learn about Clara’s newfound gift. They both encourage her to use it not just to benefit herself, but to also help others. This proves to be harder to pull off than Clara expects.
I chose this author’s debut novel as one of the best middle grade books of 2024 because of its thoughtful blend of friendship struggles, gentle humor, delicate family relationships, Native Hawaiian culture, and connection with the land. (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Chapter book. Native Hawaiian author.)
Kingdom of Dust by Lisa Stringfellow.
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In this medieval-era fable, young Amara wonders if the Kingdom of Kun will ever be the beautiful green land she’s been told it once was. Her foster mother Zirachi encourages Amara to pray to the goddess Oala, but all Amara can see are signs Oala has abandoned them. Their king certainly doesn’t seem to care about their fate, and the griots and their magic have been missing for a decade.
Soon, Amara has been kidnapped by the king’s guard, who for reasons she can’t understand is looking particularly for her. When Amara escapes, a kind stranger sets her on a path to fulfill her destiny to challenge the king’s control of Kun.
At just under 200 pages, this book is also a great choice for children who enjoy emotionally complex content but have trouble making it through longer middle grades books. (Recommended for ages 9 – 13. Chapter book. Black author.)
Jasmine Is Haunted by Mark Oshiro.
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Ever since Jasmine’s father died four years ago, every home she and Mami have lived in has been haunted. They’ve moved often, and she can’t even make friends because she never knows when the ghost will start throwing objects around the place and scaring people off. Jasmine desperately hopes this new house will be different, and they can finally stay somewhere for more than a year.
When a kind teacher invites her to join the GSA at her new school, she’s not sure Bea and Jorge (the only two other members) want her there. But she soon discovers that they have an obsession with the supernatural, so much so that they’ve secretly renamed the club the Gay Supernatural Alliance.
Oshiro deftly weaves together spooky experiences with much-deeper themes of grief and loss, and how keeping our pain bottled up inside has many unintended consequences. (Recommended for ages 10 – 14. Chapter book. Latine Queer non-binary author.)
Amari and the Despicable Wonders by B.B. Alston.
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Because this is the third book in the Amari series, I wasn’t sure if I should include it in my best middle grades books of 2024 post. What if you’ve haven’t read the first and second books yet? In the end, I was so impressed with the growing emotional complexity of this series that I decided I had to include it.
As the book opens, the Bureau of Supernatural Investigations is about to be plunged into war with magician (and former friend of Amari’s) Dylan Van Helsing. Amari is haunted by thoughts that she could have stopped Dylan if she hadn’t chosen to save her best friend Elsie instead. Amari’s big brother Quinton, the star of the Bureau, has finally woken from his coma and is ready to take charge. But as a big brother, Quinton isn’t willing to let Amari and her friends takes the necessary risks to end the war.
At each and every turn in the book, Amari wrestles with complex problems and feelings about her role as a sister versus her role within the Bureau; learning to lean into community instead of always going on her own; and how much to let the past influence her present decisions. (Recommended for ages 10 – 14. Chapter book. Black author.)
Related post: Diverse fantasy books for ages 7 – 14
Lunar Boy by Jes and Cin Wibowo.
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This unique graphic novel vulnerably tackles themes of culture, language, gender identity, loneliness, blended families, and more. Through emotional and honest text and dazzling, otherworldly illustrations, readers meet Indu, a transgender boy whose adoptive mother first finds him alone on the Moon. For years, they live on the Eyesun spaceship, where everyone is a friend to Indu.
But when they move to New Earth, Indu struggles to catch up in school with his limited Indonesian language skills. Kids keep warning him about the tutor he’s been assigned, but Aminah, a transgender girl, turns out to be a bright spot through painful struggles. After his stepfather misgenders Indu and his new penpal (and first crush) Noah stops writing to him, Indu decides he should return to the moon. But as he waits for the right time to leave, the people of New Earth still have a lot to teach him about family and community. (Recommended for ages 10 – 14. Graphic novel. Chinese Indonesian authors.)
Best middle grade books of 2024: historical fiction
Max in the House of Spies by Adam Gidwitz.
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Adam Gidwitz has a unique gift for blending humor and imagination with painful history, and this gift shines through once again in the World War II-themed novel Max in the House of Spies.
As Max’s parents send him to England on the Kindertransport, he’s desperate to get back to Germany. Max has always felt that he’s more able to protect his parents than they are able to protect him, but now he won’t be able to help them navigate the violent antisemitism that’s gripped his country
On the boat to England, Max discovers that he has two new invisible companions on his shoulders: a kobold named Berg and a dybbuk named Stein. These bickering creatures certainly don’t seem to be there to make Max’s life easier, but they still provide him company.
Max discovers that his new foster family is both Jewish and has a connection to the top levels of British espionage. He knows that the only way he can protect his parents is to get UK authorities to send him back to Germany as a spy. (Recommended for ages 10 – 14. Chapter book. Jewish author.)
Related post: Books that help children and teens understand antisemitism
One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-Ransome.
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This moving novel-in-verse brings Black women’s voices to the forefront of the story of Exodusters, Black families who moved from the South to the Midwest in search of land they could call their own.
Letty and her family live in southern Mississippi, and her father Thomas has decided the only way they will ever be able to have land they own (not work for a White man), is by heading to Nebraska. Letty doesn’t want to leave her home and her best friend, and her mother Sylvia is devastated to leave her own family.
Still, Thomas is determined, and the family is soon part of a small wagon train of other Black families who share their goal. The journey is harrowing, with the threat of danger from disease, wildlife, and possible attacks by White people. Because there’s so little room in the wagon, most of the family must walk the twenty or so miles a day.
Most of the poems are written in Letty’s voice, with a smaller number from Sylvia’s perspective. A third character, a single woman who needs to get to Nebraska to become a teacher, voices some of the poems. There is so much to be learned from the story about both Black experiences generally and Black women’s experiences particularly. (Recommended for ages 10 – 14. Novel-in-verse. Black author.)
Related Post: 12 alternatives to Little House on the Prairie
Across So Many Seas by Ruth Behar.
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This moving work of historical fiction traces a family’s ancestry through the lives of four family members across centuries: Benevenida, Reina, Alegra, and Paloma. All four women are connected by a song sung in Ladino. Readers meet Benevenida in 1492, where she and her family members must make a terrible journey out of Toledo, Spain after the Christian King’s cruel expulsion of the Jews. They eventually land in Turkey, where centuries later we meet Reina.
Reina’s free spirit and the sexism of the time result in her being sent to Cuba to live with her aunt in 1923. Reina’s daughter Alegra ends up fleeing from Miami to Cuba after Castro’s revolution. Forty years later, Alegra plans a trip to Spain with her daughter Paloma as well as her now aged mother. Though the women know they have Sephardic heritage, there they will learn far more about their family’s connection to the country than they expected.
As with all of Behar’s books, she beautifully captures the commonalities and connections between people of different ethnicities and religions who live in a community, as well as the bold spirit of girls and women who refuse to “know their place.” (Recommended for ages 10 – 14. Cuban-American Jewish author.)
Best middle grade books of 2024: Non-fiction
What Jewish Looks Like by Liz Kleinrock and Caroline Kusin Pritchard. Illustrated by Iris Gottlieb.
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Co-authored by one of my favorite anti-bias educators, What Jewish Looks Like goes far beyond the narrow images of Judaism presented by mainstream media to highlight stories of Jewish leaders from a wide variety of races, ethnicities, genders, and nationalities.
The boldly-colored illustrated biographies are grouped into sections that illustrate Jewish values including repairing a broken world, courage, the unique value of every person, and hope. The opening chapter, “Big Questions” also addresses important issues such as whether Judaism is a race, various ways Judaism is practiced, and what antisemitism is. There’s also a valuable world map that shows the different parts of the world various Jewish groups trace their ancestries to.
I highly recommend this book for both Jewish and non-Jewish readers alike! (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Biography anthology. Korean-American Queer Jewish author.)
Related post: 20 children’s books starring Jewish characters
Borderlands and the Mexican American Story by David Dorado Romo.
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This comprehensive yet accessible guide to the history of Mexican Americans in what is today the southwest United States and northern Mexico is a must-read for youth and adults alike.
Romo covers the region’s history, from pre-European contact through the present day mistreatment of asylum seekers, emphasizing the experiences and resistance of young people throughout. Along the way, readers will experience new perspectives on events including Spanish missions, the Alamo, the impact of railroads on everyday people, the Mexican Revolution, Zoot Suitors, and many more topics.
For tweens, the book is best used as a read aloud, though it could be read independently by teens. (Recommended for ages 10+. Mexican-American author.)
