6 New Middle Grade Books, June 2024
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This month, I haven’t found as many favorite middle grade books to share with you as I did last month. But here are six worth telling you about.
If you missed them, I posted two May middle grade review posts — 8 books here and 13 books here.
As you know, I read all the books, curate the best for you, and write original reviews using my background as a teacher, parent, and book reviewer. Thank you for reading and supporting Imagination Soup.
New Middle Grade, June 2024
The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman written by Gennifer Gholdenko 
REALISTIC – FOSTER CARE
In this heart-wrenching story about children caretaking siblings, found family, and kindness, when 11-year-old Hank’s mom leaves them alone again, after a week, he takes his three-year-old sister Boo to his deceased grandmother’s best friend, a grumpy and bossy woman named Lou Ann. Lou Ann falls in love with Boo but does not like Hank. Luckily, Hank meets a kind neighbor named Ray, who helps him learn to play basketball and shows him kindness while Hank is trying to find his mom. Hank starts to make friends at his new school and wants to try out for the basketball team, but his mom shows up and fails him again, and he’s separated from his sister and sent to a group home. Don’t worry; there is a beautiful redemption arc that will restore your faith in humanity, but I won’t tell you what it is. READ THIS BOOK. It’s gorgeous, heartfelt writing.
Darkness and Demon Song (Marius Grey, book 2) written by M.R. Fournet
FANTASY / PARANORMAL
In the previous book, Marius saved his mom from death. In this book, he notices that his mom isn’t acting like herself, so Marius needs to find out what’s wrong and how to fix it. Marius gets help from unexpected friends — a retired monster hunter and his witch classmate. But they help him learn the terrible truth— and the near impossibility of fixing it. But of course, he will never give up on his mom. I loved the folklore, the edge of creepiness, the interesting relationship dynamics, and the unbreakable bonds of love. I recommend it for readers ages 9 to 12 who like scary, folkloric stories about amazing kids.
Breaking Into Sunlight written by John Cochran
REALISTIC – DRUG ABUSE
Reese is a 7th-grade boy whose dad has an addiction problem. One day, Reese arrives home to find his dad overdosed and near death. When his dad refuses to get treatment, Reese’s mom moves them to a trailer at a friend’s farm, where Reese meets siblings whose parents have both died, one with Down’s Syndrome. Reese blames his mom for breaking up their family and continues to hold out hope for his dad until his ruined 13th birthday. Reese’s emotional journey is realistic — understanding addiction is no easy thing and realizing that you can’t change someone is the hardest truth to accept. The author’s note is one of the BEST author’s notes I’ve ever read with compassionate information and suggestions. This is a beautifully written powerful story about family, substance abuse, emotions, and boundaries that you won’t be able to put down. I HIGHLY recommend this important novel.
The Invasion: Animorphs Graphic Novel #1 written by K.A. Applegate and Michael Grant, adapted by Chris Grine
FANTASY ADVENTURE GRAPHIC NOVEL
Introduce a new generation of kids to the Animorphs series, now adapted into graphic novels. In this visually appealing adaptation, the heart-pounding adventure begins with a spaceship crash, revealing that invading aliens are taking over bodies. The dying alien from the crash gives the friends powers to morph into animals they touch for five seconds and tells them the stakes. It’s up to these five friends to save the world from the evil invaders!
Dinner at the Brake Fast written by Renee Beauregard Lute
REALISTIC
This story takes place over one day and is about a girl named Tacoma whose family runs a truck stop serving breakfast food all day long. She feels anxious, worried, and sad because her dad promised to make dinner food with her, and he is not functional today due to his depression. She decides to re-steal what was stolen from her dad, which begins a wild adventure that includes getting accidentally stuck in a big rig truck traveling across Washington state, finding a lost kid in a corn maze, and making two new friends.
I enjoyed the story but have very mixed feelings about what the mom tells Tacoma to feel and do regarding the dad’s depression. It seems like the mom makes excuses for the dad with depression, and when she tells Tacoma to stick with him (the dad,) ignoring and not validating Tacoma’s feelings.
Lost & Found Based on a True Story written and illustrated by Mei Yu
MEMOIR GRAPHIC NOVEL
This memoir stands out because of the creator’s innovative anime-style art and storytelling! Mei, who is an adorable character, moves from China to Canada with her family and her cute-as-can-be cat, who helps her reflect and make sense of the world. As she navigates her life, she has a lot of ups and downs, which are often reflected in a red temperature gauge. I loved the entertaining style of storytelling about an emotional, brave girl learning a new language and making a new friend.
