Hot Off the Presses Middle Grade Chapter Books

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Affiliate Links 150 2I loved all of these new and very good middle grade chapter books – from detectives to manicurists, fantasy to mystery – and I think you’ll find something exciting for your child to read. 🙂 Middle grade refers to the chapter books for children ages eight or nine to about twelve. (I’ve added a favorite YA – young adult – book, too.)

sparkle spa
Sparkle Spa: Purple Nails and Puppy Tails
by Jill Santopolo (ages 7 – 10)
Surprisingly, I thought this was a delightful new middle grade chapter book series. Sisters, Aly and Brooke, start their own nail business in the back room of their mother’s nail salon for their soccer friends. To help a local animal shelter, the girls decide to give free pedicures to help support the shelter’s efforts find homes for the animals. And yes, pet-icures are in the story, too!

sherlock lupin me
Sherlock, Lupin & Me: The Dark Lady
by Irene Adler (ages 9 – 13)
I totally love this story — so does my 11-year old! The setting is late 1800s, France. The heroes? Three best friends, one of whom just happens to be Sherlock Holmes. Only in this story, he’s a young boy. You’ll fall in love with the spunky, Irene Adler, our author and junior detective as she and her best friends seek to solve the small beach town’s greatest mystery.

NickTesla_9J
Nick and Tesla’s High-Voltage Danger Lab
by Science Bob Pflugfleder and Steve Hockensmith (ages 9 – 12)
A Mystery with Electromagnets, Burglar Alarms, and Other Gadgets You Can Build Yourself
You don’t need to be a science geek for this story because by the time you get done, you’ll want to be one anyway. Siblings Nick and Tesla are shipped off to live with their mad-scientist Uncle Newt for the summer while their parents are . . . doing something with soy beans in Uzbekistan. (Or so they say.) When left to fend for themselves, they discover something very suspicious happening at the old mansion down the street, more than just losing their rocket in that yard. And of course, they must invent more gizmos to get it back. And discover why a girl in the window holds up a sign to go away. Fun and adventurous and sure to be a winning middle grade series.

minerva mint
Minerva Mint The Order of the Owls
by Elisa Puricelli Guerra (ages 7 – 10)
Minerva lives in a huge but run-down mansion (that she owns) with her guardian, a quirky artist who found her abandoned at a train station (with the house deed.) Every year, her guardian put an ad in the papers to find her real parents. And, every year imposters answer the ad. This year is no different for imposters but this year, Minerva has two friends her own age. Minerva and her friends not only run off the imposters, but discover answers about Minerva’s past. On the easier side of middle grade.

children of the king
The Children of the King
by Sonya Hartnett (ages 10+)
I love how Harnett takes a beautiful historical story and infuses it with magical realism. In this chapter book, we’re transported to the English countryside during World War II when children were evacuated out of London. The girls find two boys in the ruins of an old castle  – boys who have also been removed from London, only from another historical period.

templeton twins
The Templeton Twins Make a Scene
by Ellis Weiner, illustrated by Jeremy Holmes (ages 8 – 12)
An amusing adventure of the twins who must save their father’s job and invention with the help of an incompetent babysitter and a very sarcastic narrator. Better than the first book. This is a middle grade chapter book series.

midnight tunnel
The Midnight Tunnel: A Suzanna Snow Mystery
by Angie Frazier (ages 8 – 12)
My 12-year old says this is a GREAT mystery. Set in 1905 in New Brunswick, Suzanna works at her family’s inn. When a young guest disappears, Suzanna’s detective uncle arrives for the search. But, Zanna finds clues of her own that lead her to think there is more than one mystery going on.

dangerous
Dangerous
by Shannon Hale (ages 12+)
I’m a HUGE Shannon Hale fan so I was excited that she branched out to YA. I devoured this book! Maisie’s dream of attending the NASA-like summer camp turns into a nightmare when she’s exposed to alien technology that embeds in her body, giving her special powers. But powers for what? An alien invasion?

hot off the presses chapter books for kids!

Don’t miss these book lists:

You might also want to read this post of 26 books for kids who like Harry Potter.

I’ve added each of these books to my new master book lists by age.

Don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest and Facebook for more ideas!

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One Comment

  1. The Sparkle Spa and Minerva Mint books will be right up my daughter’s alley! Thanks for the reviews.