3 Outstanding New Middle Grade Books, April 2025
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These three middle grade books are so good that I added them to my summer reading lists.
In fact, The Cartoonist Club reminded me of the ways that art can be so beneficial to kids. If you want your kids to get into art, I can’t recommend this book enough!
New Middle Grade Recommendations, April 2025
The Cartoonist Club written by Raina Telgemeier & Scott McCloud 
REALISTIC GRAPHIC NOVEL
I highly recommend this new middle grade graphic novel based on Scott McCloud’s classic Understanding Comics, the ultimate guide to storytelling and comic creation. In this fictional story, a group of kids who like storytelling and cartooning create a cartoonist club with help help of an incredible. The librarian gives the students gentle instruction, ideas, and support for their creative processes. As the kids need more information, the librarian explains concepts such as sequential art, materials, genres, and no rules. Together, the kids work on telling stories and creating characters. Readers will not only enjoy a relatable story but also be inspired to make their own comics.
Please Pay Attention written by Jamie Sumner
REALISTIC / VERSE
A powerful and moving middle grade novel in verse about gun violence, disability, trauma, and horse therapy. Bea, a main character who has CP and rolls in a wheelchair, shares her life story before and after a school shooting in a captivating narrative. After it happens, Bea can’t forget that she was the only student who couldn’t take cover, all because of her wheelchair. Now she can’t sleep because of nightmares, and she doesn’t want to go to back to school. Her mom puts Bea in her horse therapy which helps Bea begin the slow process of recovery and healing. I loved every second of this heartfelt, important story.
The Trouble with Heroes written by Kate Messner
REALISTIC / VERSE
From the incredibly authentic first-person voice to the compelling verse and multimodal format, this is one of the best middle grade books of 2025, if not ever. We meet Finn after his angry rage that knocked over a tombstone, resulting in an unusual punishment–he must climb the 47 Adirondack high peaks during the summer. Not only that, he’s supposed to complete a poetry assignment focused on heroes or he’ll flunk English. He hates both his assignments. And he’s mad about his first responder dad’s death, among other things. This heartfelt story explores the healing power of nature, poetry, and dogs as a boy’s anger and grief turn into something else. I cried at the end– and predict that you will, too.
