New & Noteworthy 2020 Middle Grade Reads
Although 2020 looks different from how we had all imagined it, one thing that hasn’t changed is that there is no shortage of new books to get excited about. We have committees of librarians who are reviewing the new releases of the year, for consideration on our Best of 2020 lists and to recommend for our patrons in the library branches eventually.
Here are just a few of the middle grade chapter books that our librarians are loving so far.
The Inside Battle by Melanie Sumrow
Longing for his father's approval, 13-year-old Rebel Mercer follows him inside a racist, anti-government militia group, but when his father plans an attack on an African American church, Rebel must make the most important decision in his life.
Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte
Mary Lambert has always felt safe and protected on her beloved island of Martha's Vineyard. Her great-great-grandfather was an early English settler and the first deaf islander. Now, over a hundred years later, many people there—including Mary—are deaf, and nearly everyone can communicate in sign language. But recent events have delivered winds of change. Mary's brother dies, leaving her family shattered. Tensions over land disputes are mounting between English settlers and the Wampanoag people. And a cunning young scientist has arrived, hoping to discover the origin of the island's prevalent deafness. His maniacal drive to find answers soon renders Mary a "live specimen" in a cruel experiment. Her struggle to save herself is at the core of this penetrating and poignant Own Voices novel that probes our perceptions of ability and disability.
When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
Moving with her parents into the home of her sick grandmother, young Lily forges a complicated pact with a magical tiger, in a story inspired by Korean folktales.
Clean Getaway by Nic Stone
An 11-year-old boy confronts the realities of race relations, past and present, and his unconventional grandmother's mysterious agenda during an unplanned Spring Break road trip through the once-segregated American South.
A High Five for Glenn Burke by Phil Bildner
After researching Glenn Burke, the first major league baseball player to come out as gay, sixth grader Silas Wade slowly comes out to his best friend Zoey, then his coach, with unexpected consequences.
A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat
Escaping from the prison where he was born, Pong discovers harrowing truths about the gap between the world's privileged ruling class and impoverished laborers, while the prison warden's daughter who is hunting him uncovers other daunting secrets. Set in a Thai-inspired fantasy world, this twist on Victor Hugo's Les Miserables is a dazzling, fast-paced adventure that explores the difference between law and justice and asks whether one child can shine a light in the dark.
Leaving Lymon by Lesa Cline-Ransome
Behind every bad boy is a story worth hearing and at least one chance for redemption. Raised by his grandparents, first in Mississippi then in Wisconsin, ten-year-old Lymon moves to Chicago in 1945 to live with the mother he never knew, while yearning for his father. Readers will see a new side of the bully Lymon in this story of an angry boy whose raw talent, resilience, and devotion to music help point him in a new direction.
Mañanaland by Pam Muñoz Ryan
If Max could see tomorrow, he would know if he'd make Santa Maria's celebrated futbol team and whether he'd ever meet his mother, who disappeared when he was a baby. He longs to know more about her, but Papa won't talk. So when Max uncovers a buried family secret—involving an underground network of guardians who lead people fleeing a neighboring country to safety—he decides to seek answers on his own.
When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed
A Somali refugee who spent his childhood at the Dadaab camp and the Newbery Honor-winning creator of Roller Girl present the graphic novel story of a young refugee who struggles with leaving behind his nonverbal brother when he has an opportunity to help his family by going to school. The audio book is also worth checking out.
Go With the Flow by Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann
Easily one of the favorites of the committee so far, this coming-of-age tale of high school students embarking on a crash course of friendship, female empowerment, and women's health issues. The characters are in high school, but this will absolutely resonate with middle school students as well.
Snapdragon by Kat Leyh
A magical realist graphic novel about a young girl who befriends her town's witch and discovers the strange magic within herself. Great story, art, coloring, memorable characters, and the perfect amount of magic.