Tween
17 Middle Grade Books to
Look Forward to in 2017
by Melissa Taylor
Check out this list of incredible 2017 middle grade books! We’ve found 17 brand-new stories coming out in 2017 that we think your kids will love. Whether they enjoy coming-of-age tales, fantasy, humor, science fiction, history, or adventure, middle grade readers will find plenty of great books to choose from on this list.
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The Warden's Daughter
It’s 1959 and 13-year-old Cammie, nicknamed Cannonball, lives with her prison warden father at the Hancock County Prison. She’s angry at life, mostly because of her mother’s death when she was a baby. A series of unique events and unusual people, including a prison inmate named Boo Boo, help Cammie come to terms with her grief and find out who she really is.
(On Sale: 1/3/17) -
The Uncommoners #1: The Crooked Sixpence
With intruders and nefarious police at their house and a grandmother in the hospital, Ivy and her brother Seb flee to a mysterious city underneath London where everyday objects become magical. Unfortunately, the outsider siblings aren’t safe here either, more so after a dangerous family secret is revealed that puts their whole family in jeopardy.
(On Sale: 1/31/17) -
Short
From the author of Counting by 7s, and based on her own childhood, comes the story of Julia, a girl who, as the title suggests, is physically short. Over one summer, she’s cast as a Munchkin in “The Wizard of Oz” production where she befriends wise, diverse adults and learns that her size doesn’t define her.
(On Sale: 1/31/17) -
100 Women Who Made History
These 100 significant women will inspire your children. Read the detailed biographies about each woman then check out special features of what came before and after each person. Dynamic illustrations and photography throughout.
(On Sale: 2/7/17) -
The Castle in the Mist
Sent to the English countryside for the summer with her brother, Tess discovers a secret castle where a lonely boy named William lives. It’s a strange castle — dreams come to life, a wish equals a carnival ride, and the sinister hawthorn trees loom threateningly. But it isn’t just strange, it’s dangerous too.
(On Sale: 2/7/17) -
Last Day on Mars
In this action-packed science-fiction adventure, it’s the year 2213. Earth no longer exists and humans have been living on Mars. Until now. Most humans have already left Mars for a new solar system, but Liam Saunders-Chang and his friend Phoebe are still there. And they’ve discovered something big — shocking information about time, space, and other lifeforms.
(On Sale: 2/14/17) -
One Amazing Elephant
When Lily’s beloved grandfather dies, she travels to the circus where he worked. Once there, she realizes that Grandpa Bill’s beloved elephant, Queenie Grace, is mourning her grandfather too. Their shared grief helps Lily overcome her fear of elephants and bonds them together. When the other circus folks want to send Queenie Grace away, Lily and her friend Henry Jack are determined to save her.
(On Sale: 2/14/17) -
See You in the Cosmos
Eleven-year-old Alex loves two things: his dog and space. He sets out on a cross-country journey to record the human experience on his iPod, which he plans to launch into space so that alien lifeforms can understand what life on Earth is like. As he travels from Colorado to L.A., Alex meets interesting characters that help him grow up and understand that family isn’t always what or who you think it is.
(On Sale: 2/28/17) -
Well, That Was Awkward
To help her best friend, Sienna, Gracie writes Sienna’s texts to a cute boy named A.J. even though Gracie has a crush on him too. What A.J. texts back is funny — nothing like how he is in real life — making Gracie wonder if it’s really A.J. or his friend Emmett doing the texting. This story of middle school relationships is both hilarious and poignant.
(On Sale: 2/28/17) -
The Metropolitans
Adventure, magic, and history intertwine in this exciting story set during World War II. Four 13-year-olds are tasked with locating the missing pages of an ancient Arthurian book because the pages hold the key to preventing attacks like Pearl Harbor. It’s up to these kids to find the pages that are hidden somewhere inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
(On Sale: 3/14/17) -
One Trick Pony
Nathan Hale illustrated El Deafo, Roller Girl, and Rapunzel’s Revenge. Here he’s both writer and illustrator in a graphic novel about tech-sucking aliens, determined kids, and a robot pony. The rare and beautiful robot pony helps Strata and her brother escape the horrible men and fight the invading aliens. Good versus evil, robots, and aliens — I think I know a kid or two who will love this book!
(On Sale: 3/14/17) -
Miss Ellicott’s School for the Magically Minded
Chantel prefers magic to manners, but it doesn’t matter now that Miss Ellicott and all the other sorceresses in the city are missing. Can Chantel and her friends protect the now defenseless city and find the missing sorceresses?
(On Sale: 3/21/17) -
Jake the Fake Keeps it Real
You’ll laugh your way through this disaster-waiting-to-happen story about Jake, a mischief-maker whose entrance into the Music and Art Academy is his biggest trick ever. Because he’s not musically or artistically talented at ALL. Now what is he going to do?
(On Sale: 3/28/17) -
Jack and the Geniuses: At the Bottom of the World
Jack and his genius foster siblings, Ava and Matt, travel to Antarctica with their new boss Dr. Hank Witherspoon. Strange things happen once the kids arrive, including the mysterious disappearance of a scientist and all her research. The kids are determined to figure out what happened and why in this first new adventure from renowned science educator Bill Nye the Science Guy.
(On Sale: 4/4/17) -
Lemons
After her mom dies, Lemonade moves to a small, kooky town in California, the Bigfoot Capital of the World, to live with her grandmother. Here she embarks on the adventure of a lifetime with a new Bigfoot fanatic friend and learns to make lemons into lemonade, just like her mom would have wanted.
(On Sale: 5/2/17) -
Funny Girl: Funniest. Stories. Ever.
Funny Girl celebrates all things comical with side-splitting stories from 25 female children’s writers including Cece Bell, Sophie Blackall, Libba Bray, Shannon Hale, Lisa Graff, and Raina Telgemeier. Because girls are funny and so are their stories.
(On Sale: 5/9/17) -
Tumble & Blue
From the author of Circus Mirandus, Tumble and Blue is a heartwarming and hilarious story about two kids who are determined to fix their ancestors’ curse by confronting the swamp’s golden alligator. Unless the alligator isn’t actually real. Then what will they do?
(On Sale: 8/29/17) -
BONUS PICK: DK Eyewitness Books: Presidents
Updated to include the 45th president, Donald Trump, this book gives readers the inside story on the early lives and careers of U.S. presidents, including how they were elected, campaign memorabilia, family information, letters, speeches, and more. It’s filled with eye-catching photographs and images spaced throughout the informational text.
(On Sale: 1/3/17)
What middle grade books are on your to-be-read list for 2017?