The Case of the Contraband Closet (Bubblegum Shoes #1)

Moldvasky, Goldy. The Case of the Contraband Closet (Bubblegum Shoes #1)
July 1, 2025 by Random House Books for Young Readers
E ARC provided by Netgalley

Maya Mendoza loves to solve mysteries, even though it's gotten her in trouble with her former friend Jordan. When Maya asks to go to the restroom during class to check on her friend (and to get a hit of bubblegum), she and Jordan are caught in front of the contraband closet, where the school stores all of the toys, technology, and other distractions that get taken away from children. The principal sentences them to an after school detention, where they meet Ava Agarwal, a ten year old prodigy who runs a Happy Helpers business, as well as Clementine, who has moved to the school from a ritzier neighborhood. Jordan has had the school choir pitch pipe confiscated, and Clementine has lost her cell phone, so the group distracts the monitor and breaks into the closet... only to be caught again. The closet is empty, and unless they can find the culprit, the group will be in detention every day. Maya's parents are divorced, and her father has a girlfriend, Madge, who doesn't appreciate the 1940s detective films as much as her father does, but is a better cook, and her parents' inattentiveness gives her some leeway to investigate the case. Using Ava's Happy Helpers as a front, they give coupons to the suspects so they can sneak into their houses. They start with Johnny Persnicowitz, but find no evidence, and are hired to do someone's diorama for school, to clean bathrooms, and to play cards with someone's grandmother. None of their investigations pan out, although they get some leads to follow. A tagger named Frito seems a likely suspect until he turns out to be a fairly mild mannered (and a little bit cute) classmate named Seth. Suspecting Jordan's friend Kaylee makes checking her out difficult, but Maya spray paints her garage and then sneaks into her house while cleaning it up. Is she the culprit? Maya and her group won't rest until they find out who has stolen 40 years worth of contraband. 

Strengths: Maya's love of a mystery causes a lot of tension with Jordan, and that kind of friend drama is definitely typical of middle school. The investigation is well constructed, and lets Maya and her fellow detainees talk to all manner of different students. My favorite part of the book was the father's girlfriend, Madge, who ends up picking Maya up from school one day after she gets in trouble, and is a very reasonable and supportive person. I'm curious to see what the next mystery will be. 
Weaknesses: I cannot even imagine the wrath of a parent whose child's cell phone was taken away and not given back the same day! This would never happen at my school. If a student's phone is taken away, a parent is called IMMEDIATELY, and the parent has to pick up the phone. Phones are expensive! Also, if there is 40 years' worth of contraband, why doesn't it get handed back to students at the end of the book after the mystery is solved? And why is the closet in the hallway and not in the office? This was not at all realistic, which made it hard for me to become invested in the story. There is some problematic language as well. I don't think my students use phrases like "take a leak", "other side of the tracks', or "broad" (which is highly offensive!).
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed the film noir highjinks in Tidhar's The Candy Mafia, Daneshvari's The League of Unexceptional Children, or Krosoczka's  Platypus Police Squad.

The Other Side of Imani

Springer, Lisa. The Other Side of Imani

July 29, 2025 by HarperCollins

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Imani's father is from Barbados, and after spending time assisting in high end restaurants, has moved the family from California so that he can open the Calypso Grill food truck in New York City. The family, including Imani's mother, who is from Ghana, as well as her sister Lyric and brother Jesse, all pitch in, especially at events like the West Indian Day Parade. Imani is very interested in fashion, so is excited to be in the city, although she is a bit apprehensive about starting a new school. She makes some friends right away, including Harlee, who also designs clothes and has a mother who was a model and now works in the industry. Imani's mother works as a cook for the school, which Imani doesn't mind. After visiting Harlee's house and working on designs for an upcoming, high stakes school contest (the winner gets a place at the Dekalb Art and Design High School), Imani questions Harlee's use of traditional Ghanian Kente cloth in her designs and discusses the idea of cultural appropriation with her. Harlee doesn't think what she is doing is wrong, althought Imani gets back up from her family, who agree with her. After the visit, Imani realizes her sketch book with all of her designs for the contest is missing, and Harlee says she hasn't seen it. When the two submit designs, however, they submit almost identical garments. The school admiistration gets involved, and Imani is accused of plagiarism, in part because she is new and Harlee's mother gives the school donations, but there is some implied racism involved as well. Imani is hurt and devastated, and starts a new Imagegram account under the name of Estelle to post some of her new inspiration and to try to educate people about culture and fashion. Many people like Estelle's account, but Harlee of course does not. Will the school finally clear Imani's name and let her enter the contest?

Strengths: Imani's family was great fun, and it was delightful to get to see all of the delicious food that the father made for the family dinners. I was glad to see that Imani didn't complain about moving such a distance, and that she was able to make friends quickly, even if not all of them worked out. There are strong themes of cultural identity and racial justice. My favorite part was all of Imani's exuberant and colorful fashions. Not many 8th graders can sew clothing, much less have their own machines. Having her work with a mentor, Aida, in the garment industry was fascinating. 
Weaknesses: The way the "plagiarism" was handled in the school did not ring true to me at all. Schools are so concerned about law suits these days that it was surprising that Imani was very pointedly guilty until proven innocent. Certainly makes for a more compelling story, though! Also, my students don't care very much about fashion. Most wear sweats and hoodies in gray, black, and navy. Perhaps things in New York City are just very different. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoy fashion design and liked Taylor's Sew Zoe books, West's Maybe This Time or Wilson's Be Real, Macy Weaver. 

Haunting of Bellingham Cottage

Parnum, Laura. Haunting of Bellingham Cottage
July 29, 2025 by Storytide
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Iris is looking forward to spending time with her parents and her mother's friend, who has a daughter her age. Three years ago, Iris and Violet had a great time playing together, constructing "haunted houses" and even buying a creepy doll. Iris is all set to continue these activities, and Bellington Cottage is deliciously creepy. The home of the "toaster tycoon" Bellingtons, who experienced a family tragedy, the house had been abandoned since the 1920s but reopened in the 200s as a Rent-a-Bode. It features the Bellington's odd and eerie taxidermy, as well as antiques, which is perfect for all of Iris' plans. When Violet arrives with her mother and her mother's new boyfriend, however, she is in a foul mood and irritated by any and all of Iris' overtures. Iris admits that creating a haunted house might not have been the best idea, given Iris' mood, but things start to happen around the house that neither she nor Violet have done. The girls' get warned, and told not to continue to mess up the taxidermy, but they slowly start to realize that there are supernatural forces at work. They find a hundred year old diary, and after some cursory research, learn about the family tragedy that involved Anna Bellington and her younger sister, Ruth. Their parents, of course, don't believe that the house is haunted, even though online reviews indicate that it is. Will they be able to discover why Ruth's ghost is haunting the property, and mend their friendship at the same time. 

Strengths: While it is a well known fact that the chances of MOVING to a haunted house in middle school are very high, the dangers of RENTING houses for vacation that are haunted has been underexplored. It's fun to have friends that you only see occasionally, and Iris' best friend has moved to New York, so she craves spending time with Violet. It makes perfect sense that Violet, whose parents have divorced in the intervening three years, is not as glad to be on vacation; she would rather be with her father. I did enjoy that the mother's boyfriend seemed like a genuinely good guy. The parents aren't around much, so there is plenty of time for the girls to explore and uncover secrets. The cottage itself is really the star of the show; old houses filled with antiques are always intriguing! 

Weaknesses: My students still like ghosts to be murderous, so there was not enough blood and gore for this one to circulate well in my library, although the friend drama would definitely help sell it. 

What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like lightly creepy ghost mysteries like Parris' Field of Screams or Ford's The Lonely Ghost. 
 

MMGM- The Blossoming Summer

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Johnson, Anna Rose. The Blossoming Summer

July 29, 2025 by Holiday House

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

It's 1940, and Rosemary Rivers parents, who have struggled with employment and have had to split up their children, have decided that it's no longer safe to stay in England. They decide to go to the US and stay with the father Leslie's estranged mother, Charlotte, in Wisconsin. Rosemary, who has been staying with an aunt, is looking forward to the move, even though she is apprehensive about reconnecting with her brothers, Patrick and Kenneth, whom she hasn't seen in five years. The journey by ship goes well, if a little awkwardly, and the family is fortunate that a man is willing to sell them a car for $22 at the end of their train ride. The grandmother's property is enormous, and had been run as a resort by her grandmother and her Aunt Ann, the wife of Leslie's deceased brother. Leslie and Charlotte often bickered, and the mother's controlling ways are what motivated Leslie to move away from home. At 72, she hasn't changed much, and tells her son right away that he needs to get a job. Rosemary is enthralled by the gardens, and makes friends with Jacob, who works on the property. Her grandmother is nice to her, taking her shopping for clothes, telling her about the family's Ojibwa heritage that the father has never discussed (the family name is really Rivière), and asking Rosemary for a big favor. Charlotte has always wanted to win all of the ribbons at the Sturges County Fair, but can't do it alone. Rosemary does her best, and encourages the rest of her family to help as well, which they do mainly because Charlotte has promised any cash prizes to them. Rosemary is also interested in the attic full of antiques that her cousin Corinne shows her, and a farmhouse on the property. Two days before the fair, when preparations are well underway, her grandmother slips on the stairs and has a concussion. The family bands together to get the produce and flowers to the fair, where they make a decent, but not winning, show. In the end, the grandmother doesn't care about the winnings; she is just glad to be able to make peace with her son and his children, and even gifts the family part of the property that they can use for running a resort. Even with the war raging in Europe, Wisconsin is the paradise of which Rosemary has long dreamed. 

Strengths:This is certainly a love letter to Wisconsin's Northwoods, and I have to admit to looking up some of the scenery on Google Earth as well as looking up some family resorts! There's enough about the poor conditions in England, and Rosemary's estrangement from her family, that Wisconsin does really seem like a paradise. It was good to see that her grandmother wasn't horrible, and that her father was able to make peace with his past, and even find a job. The descriptions of the flowers, the house, and the family items in the attic was wonderful. Johnson's other titles, The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry and The Star That Always Stay also showcase various aspects of Native American identities, and Rosemary's lack of knowledge about this part of her identity makes sense for the time period. This has a happy ending that had me envisioning the Rivers having a lovely time running their resort through the 1950s and 60s. 
Weaknesses: This was very lovely, but a bit slow and atmospheric. Readers looking for action packed World War II titles will need to look elsewhere. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who are interested in homefront tales like Elliot's  Louisa June and Nazis in the Waves, Albus' Nothing Else but Miracles, Cushman's The War and Millie McGonigle, or Giff's Gingersnap.

The League of Littles

Lyall, Casey and Faber, Sara (illus.). The League of Littles
June 17, 2025 by Greenwillow Books

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In this graphic novel, the League of Littles is needed to help find a lost pet, but all of the best teams are on other missions! What to do? Call in Eli, Lexi, and Mo for their first mission. Gabi has "borrowed" her sister Gabi's hamster, Chester, a known escape artist for show and tell, but took the extra precaution of taping his cage shut. Still, he's escaped. The L.O.L. members are on it, sneaking into the first greade classroom to investigate. They find Chester, but he skedaddles down the hall and into the ducts in the library ceiling. The L.O.L. members have to go to class, but try to recapture him after school, sending Mo into the ducts. She realizes that Chester is working with the Band of Bigs just before she plunges into a waiting barrel of water in the library! Mo's brother, and Gabi's sister are in the B.O.B., which is at odds with the L.O.L. There is also the Middles and Onlys Guild, but while they can watch the altercation in their own guild lair, they don't want to intervene unless necessary. Eventually, the L.O.L. lures Chester out with a disco dance party in a box, and return him to Gabi. Will the two groups ever reach a detente, or will there be further adventures?
Strengths: I really enjoyed Faber's artwork. The colors were great, and the illustration style is a little more comic book like, with finer line work than a lot of middle grade graphic novels. This was a fast paced, rather charming story that drops readers right into the adventure without spending too much time explaining how all of the different groups were formed or why they have secret lairs. The evil hamster is adorable, and I liked that the kids had to make sure they got to class before solving the mystery. This is very different from Lyall's Waking the Dead and Other Fun Activities. 
Weaknesses: This is a bit young for my middle school students, even though the Band of Bigs are tweens. Also, lets not have water in libraries under any circumstances. Even evil hamsters should know better! 
What I really think: This is a good choice for elementary readers who like Marvel or DC style adventures like Fridolfs and Nguyen's Study Hall of Justice (DC Comics: Secret Hero Society #1) or Venable and Yue's Katie the Catsitter. 

Saturday Morning Cartoons

Fajardo, Kat. Miss Camper (Miss Quinces #2)

July 1, 2025 by Graphix

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Sue, whose adventures with her family in Honduras were covered in Miss Quinces, is finally allowed to go to a two week sleep away camp in Upstate New York with her friends. Her older sis ter Carmen will be a counselor, and her younger sister Ester is going along as well. Her friend Same is also attending, and the two are in the same cabin. Their counselor is Minji, and Sam's friend Marisol is there as well. All of the campers introduce themselves by their pronouns, and there are a wide variety of identifications among both the counselors and campers. While there are some traditional camp activities like archery, bracelet making and being outside, there are also Live Action Role Playing Workshops. A culminating activity in a carnival. Sue has to deal with Ester being very clingy, some light friend drama, and whether or not she "like likes" Izzy, who wants her to be his girlfriend. The author includes pictures of herself at summer camp in the early 2000s, as well as a note about how much it influenced her life. 

There have been a number of graphic novels about summer camp lately (Miller's Stuck, Agarwal and Durfey-Lavoie's Sink or Swim, Karim Summer Vamp, LaMotte and Xu's Unhappy Camper, Smith, Tanner, and Gomez's Absolute Zeros: Camp Launchpad, Mercado's Chunky Goes to Camp, and this is another solid entry, but it felt like I was missing a LOT of information. In Miss Quinces, Sue's mother was against her going to camp, and I wasn't sure how her sister ended up as a counselor. Readers who liked the first book and want more of Sue's story will enjoy this one.

Mitchell, Dora M. The Puzzling Fate of Millicent Graves
May 20, 2025 by Little, Brown Ink
E ARC provided by Netgalley

Millicent and her sister Gillie live with their parents in a flat in a house with their landlady, Nona, and her sister Babs, who are both older and crochety. Millie's mother runs an aquarium consulting business, and their father has stopped being a professor and now washes window. Millie's neighbor, Sam, annoys her with constant nicknames and random observations, and Gillie is constantly bringing bugs into their shared room. When Millie meets another older woman in the attic, doing puzzles, she starts to realize that the puzzles control the lives of the people around her. She tries to "fix" everyone, but just ends up making Gillie less fun, and sets an infestation of monkeys on Sam. She keeps trying to make things better, but only makes them worse, to the point where her parents say they have no children. Consulting Nona and the other ladies, Millie finds out secrets about them and the puzzles. Trying to change people's lives has caused a rift in the world that sucks people into another world. Will Millie be able to change things back the way they were?

This had an interesting premise, and the three Fates don't get much coverage in middle grade literature. I did enjoy Sam, and how Millie slowly became friends with him. The cracks in the world made the situation more dire; I sort of wish that Millie had to deal with various changes in the people she knew in more realistic ways instead. I liked the drawings of the house.

Poetry Friday- Spark

Baron, Chris. Spark

July 15, 2025 by Feiwel & Friends

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Finn and his friend Rabbit love their California neighborhood of Redwood Hollows, and especially like following the local wildlife, even posting trail cameras to track animals. Finn's family has been in the area ever since his grandfather came to the country. Their area has been without rain for 151 days, and since his father works construction, he's not had any jobs. Finn's mother works as the local animal resue, so the family is hanging on, but when the father gets a construction job with the father of Jonah Oster, who gives Finn a hard time in school, they are relieved. Finn, however, is concerned about the environmental impact of the project, which will put housing very close to the forest. Since there have been a number of fires, he and Rabbit are opposed. When the Redwood Hollows community is devastated by fires, Finn and his friends are scattered. Finn's family goes to their Aunt Juliet's, Rabbit goes to Amarillo, Texas, and Mia goes to Crescent City. Rabbit's dog goes missing. It's a fraught time made only a bit better by the efforts of school counselor Mr. Finkel, who invites the students to virtual class meetings to process their feelings. He's been covering classes for Rabbit's Uncle Charlie, who is a climate scientist from the Philippines who is trying to convince people to improve the wildland-urban interface to prevent future fires. When Rabbit's trail cam shows that Oster's equipment might have started the fires, the community rallies against further development, and rebuilding tries to consider the environmental implications. 

Strengths: This is based on the real life experience of the author, who lives in California, and who lost one of his favorite natural places to a devastating fire several years ago, so there are lots of hard hitting descriptions of the devastation. I loved that Finn and Rabbit are interested in the wildlife around them, and want to try to preserve their neighborhood and community. It's also realistic that Mr. Oster wants to build closer to the woods than he ought, since people seem to ignore most environmental advice! Luckily, the community rallies around Finn and Rabbit's initiative. The fact that Finn and his friends had safe places to go will be comforting to readers, and the description of the temporary housing that Mia and her mother, who is in a wheelchair, have after their house is completely destroyed was educational. There is a fair bit of Jewish culture, and Mr. Finkel is a great and supportive teacher. Fans of this author's work will look forward to this new title. 

Weaknesses: The novel in verse format, while poetic and descriptive of sights and sounds, makes it a bit harder to understand some of the details about evacuation and rebuilding. 
What I really think: There have been books about wildfires in California since at least Cooney's 1995 Flashfire, but most, like Philbrick's Wildfire , Rhode's Paradise on Fire, and Henry's Playing with Fire, 

focus on escaping the fire. Spark, like Bard's Wildfire and (to some extent) Tashjian's My Life as a Meme, is more concerned with the aftermath. Faris' flood Finding Normal, and Bishop's 14 Hollow Road also discuss tweens who have to recuperate from devastating losses due to flooding and a tornado, respectively. 
 

Bard, Breena. Wildfire
September 5, 2023 by Little, Brown Ink

Library copy

Julianna and her family live in rural Oregon. While out and about one day, she runs into boys from her school who are shooting off fireworks. She tells them that there is a burn ban, as fire conditions are hazardous, but they don't listen. Soon, Julianna's whole family is evacuated, including their goats. They have to leave their chickens behind, and they all die in the fire that consumes the family's entire home. They go to Portland to live with friends, and the parents find new jobs and a home to rent. It's hard to change to city living, but Julianna does okay in school. When she sees one of the boys responsible, she's angry, but the two both get involved in an environmental club to help change the world so that the conditions for wildfires to spread are not as prevalent. 

A very good representation of what it would be like to lose a home in a wildfire and have to relocate. The illustration style is much different from other graphic novels.

The House of Found Objects

Beckett-King, Jo. The House of Found Objects 

(Bea Bellerose #1)

July 29, 2025 by Simon & Schuster BYR

E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus

Bea is visiting her relatives in Paris while her parents are at a conference. She's staying with her Aunt Juliette, who has promised to take her sight seeing, but who always have to work, leaving her little else to do but visit her grandmother Mamie's antique store, The House of Found Objects. It's vaguely interesting, but has seen better times, and is now relegated to a cramped space in the basement. Before the summer, Bea purposefully threw a Mathletes tryout, and is worried that her best friend and parents will be angry with her when they finally find out that she's no longer on the team. When Bea and her cousin Celine are left to watch the shop alone, a man from a local theater comes to pick up a box of items, but there is a mix up, and the box contained a precious drawing of Henri Matisse's that was her grandmother's prize possession. A worker at the shop, Roland, labeled the box incorrectly, but Bea is still devastated. Since she loves puzzles, wants the chance to travel around the city with Celine, and receives a mysterious note from someone who claims to know where the painting is, she embarks on an investigation. This takes her and Celine to various parts of Paris, has them breaking many codes, allows them to hang out with cute boys, and does get them into a little bit of trouble. Will they be able to get the grandmother's painting back before the landlord doesn't renew her lease? This is labeled as the first book in a series, but I don't see any information on a sequel yet.

Strengths: I'm a big fan of books where tweens get to travel, like Callaghan's Lost In... books. It's even more interesting because Bea gets to spend time with her grandmother and cousin. There are plenty of intriguing details about Paris, and it was very true to life that Bea and Celine did perfectly well traveling alone but probably shouldn't be. Readers who like to solve clues and ciphers will enjoy the puzzles. 
Weakness: It was clear from the beginning that someone knew where the Matisse sketch was, which lessened the tension a bit. Even though there was a kind of sweet ending to this, and the painting was returned, toying with the family seemed a little mean spirited. 
What I really think: This had some similarities to Runholt's The Mystery of the Third Lucretia (2008), and I love the cover. My students, however, would probably like this more if a gory murder had been committed in the shop. Sigh. 

Arzu All Around

Abbas, Marzieh. Aarzu All Around
July 29, 2025 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In this novel in vese, we meet Aarzu Raza who lives in Karachi, Pakistan with her aunt and uncle following the death of her parents in an earthquake. While her cousins Arsal and Irfan are encouraged to play and watch cricket, her uncle has strict ideas about acceptable activities for girls, and cricket isn't one of them. Instead of watching the matches, she's encourage to help in the kitchen. Her young sister, Sukoon, has been suffering from kidney disease for a long time, and the family struggles to pay for her treatment on the uncle's salary as a rickshaw driver. At school, Aarzu's best friend is Nazia, who is much bolder than she is. Trying to earn money to help her sister is hard, and the only thing Aarzu can find to do is sell cooked, sliced onions at the market. When a wealthy man is hiring servants for his family, Aarzu disguises herself as a boy and is hired as a servant to the children's Amma, and calls herself Azlan. She's even chopped off her hair so it will fit under a turban. She makes friend with the daughter, Zoya, and tells her the secret. Zoya is helpful, but lives a completely different kind of life. Aarzu finds it hard to balance all of her responsibilities, but still harbors a deep wish to play cricket. When she hears that there is a tournament with a large cash prize, she wonders if this might be a possibility to help save her sister. In the end, Zoya's family helps out a lot, offering the family a place to live and hire Aarzu's uncle as a driver. Will Aarzu be able to save her sister but also gain more freedom as a girl?

Strengths: Aarzu has many challenges in her life, but she meets them all with resilience and determination. She clearly cares about her sister, loves her cousins, and is grateful to her aunt and uncle even if she doesn't always agree with them. I loved that she tried to earn money to help her sister out. While cricket isn't something that excites students in the US, it has a large following internationally, and fans of basketball or football will understand Aarzu's love of a sport. As with many Southeast Asian books, there are a lof of descriptions of food that made me what to go out to eat! I'd love to see more books written by authors living in other countries, since there are so many differences. US readers will have a hard time understanding Aarzu's uncles opinions about what girls can and can't do; in the US, these sorts of opinions haven't been as strong as this since the 1960s. 
Weaknesses: This starts with a lot of information about cricket, which I enjoyed, but might be a bit of a stretch for US readers who are completely uninformed about the sport. The only book I've come across that mentions cricket at all is Lorenzi's The Long Pitch Home, and that doesn't circulate well, even with the inclusion of baseball. 
What I really think: Ellis' 2009 The Breadwinner first introduced me to the idea of girls pretending to be boys to have more rights; Hashimi's One Half From the East is similar. This is a good choice for readers who thought the differences in experiences between wealthy and poor characters in Faruqi's A Thousand Questions or Saeed's Amal Unbound were thought provoking. 

Fantasy Round Up

Moses, Rucker. Encounter at Owl Rock  

June 3, 2025 by Nancy Paulsen Books

E ARC provided by Netgalley

Brothers Oakley and Cypress, and their best friend, Jaz, are angry that Orion industries have taken their home and neighborhood by eminent domain. The loss of the neighborhood water park is especially hard, and the fact that the Youngs have been in their home since the 1960s makes the loss crushing, especially since the boys have also lost their parents. The boys and Jaz have been looking for shards of meteorites, thinking about UFOs, and filming their exploits. When the brothers argue, Oakley disappears into the Owl Rock formation, and Cypress and Jaz must find him. Readers who enjoyed Smith's Project Mercury or Dao's Team Chu and the Battle of Blackwood Arena will enjoy this fantastical romp. Bonus points for an abandoned water park, skateboards, and fantastic grandparents. 

Riazi, Karuna. Sabrena Swept Away
July 8, 2025 by Greenwillow Books

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Sabrena (called Bree) has moved with her mother and father from Brooklyn to live with her grandmother who is descending into dementia in Richmond, Virginia. Her father has taken a job at her private Al-Muhaymin school, teaching while working on his PhD thesis about Sinbad. After several water leaks cause problems at her grandmother's house, Bree's mother and aunt Keisha want to move the grandmother into an assisted living facility, which Bree thinks is horrible. When there is a water leak in the school auditorium right before her father is set to speak to the school, Bree finds herself dragged into a fantasy world where her grandmother and father's insistence that the family is descended from Sinbad seems to be true, and she must work with Ali Baba, Marjana, and the prince of the Black Isle, Idris, to make her way back home. 

Like Riazi's The Gauntlet, this is an interesting twist on the Arabian Nights tales and a good choice for readers who enjoy books like Abu-Jaber's Silverworld or Bowman's Where the Lost Ones Go. I'm never a fan of tweens who fight against their grandparents going into senior facilities. Sometimes it's the only way to keep older people safe, and it feels like an unfair judgement against people who DO put their elderly loved ones into such facilities. Had my mother stayed home with my father, who was not good about watching out from her, she would have probably suffered from the effects of worsening Parkinson's even more than she did. 

Bagley, Jessixa.Jazzy the Witch in Broom Doom 

July 15, 2025 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In this early graphic novel, Jazzy and her bat get into a number of scrapes with her magic, but are supported by her Granny Titch and mother. This reminded me a bit of Glovach's Little Witch series, or 1970s Ruth Chew titles. Lerner's Welcome to Scare School, Punset and Vicedo's Unicornia: Learning to Fly or Owen's Lumber-Jackula. From the author of Duel.

From the publisher:

The Okay Witch meets Hooky in this utterly charming and timeless middle grade graphic novel about a young witch who struggles to fit in!

In her town full of witches, Jazzy’s always been a little bit different. She’s not excited about magic. She forgets the steps to spells. And even though her parents run the town’s broom shop, she doesn’t want to fly.

Then, one day, she discovers what she was born to cycling! Now she just has to find a way to get a bicycle…and learn how to ride it. But will her new passion come between her and her best friend—and possibly get her in big trouble?

MMGM- The Scott Fenwick Diaries and The Metamorphosis of Bunny Baxter

It's

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
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Always in the Middle 

and #IMWAYR day 

at

Unleashing Readers

Nilsin, Kristin. The Scott Fenwick Diaries

July 22, 2025 by SparkPress

Copy provided by the publisher

In this sequel to Worldwide Crush, Millie is back home and settling back into school. Topmost in her mind is Scott Fenwick, a super cute boy who seems as interested in her as she is in him! There are passed notes, lingering glances, and Scott even talks to her! Of course, interrupting her constant need to document every interaction she has with her crush in her diary are all of the annoying things real life throws at her. Her grandmother Cheryl (who is delightful) is still staying with the family while her retirement condo is being renovated, and helps a lot with Millie's younger brother Billy. Her great grandmother Phyllis is in an assisted living facility, but likes to be taken out to Target (which takes FOREVER) and is also trying to fix Millie up with another of the residents' grandsons, Kendrick. Her best friend, Shauna, is worried that her father will move back from California with his new wife, and things will be weird. Still, Millie manages to think about and dissect every small action Scott takes. What does it mean that he wants to hang out with her after school? Her friend Tibbs is his neighbor, and manages to arrange some opportunities for the two to hang out, like an elaborate plot for Millie to get a ride to Hebrew school from Scott's mother so that she can be in the back seat while carpooling with Tibbs. Scott's mother is super cool, but wants to check with Millie's parents before she drops Millie off, but invites her to Scott's Bar Mitzvah. This sets a lot of planning in motion, and Millie has to negotiate with her parents so they don't embarass her. There's also an unfortunate incident where Phyllis, who is staying with the family as well, let's Millie's dog, Pringles, out, and he suffers an injury. Throughout all of this, Millie is eddying in a maelstrom of emotions surrounding her relationship with Scott, and wondering if she is doing everything she is supposed to. 

Millie's obsession is completely realistic, and her experiences will resonate with tween readers who are navigating similiar new relationships. While I personally prefer romance books to have a secondary plot so that there is something for the main character to do besides obsess about a love interest, my students are fine with Millie's type of thinking and rethinking of events, because their souls have not, in the words of my older daughter "shrunken in the wash and given you a wedgie" like mine apparently has. The notebook, complete with acrostic odes to Scott,  the machinations to "accidentally" meet Scott, and the sweet moments like when he doodles a heart on the bottom of her tennis shoe will give readers reassurance that their own crushes are not unusual, and may have a happy ending, just like Millie's. 

I love how involved Millie's family is with her life, because many books don't show enough of how irritating family can be! Younger siblings require a lot of care, parents have unreasonable expectations like singing tunes from The Sound of Music at the school talent show, and grandmothers can be helpful, but also embarrassing. The negotiations Millie conducts with her parents about their behavior at the Bar Mitzvah are brilliant. My favorite quote where Millie describes her mother's behavior perfectly sums up my entire experience with my younger daughter's teen years: "She loves me so much that she's doing her best to ignore me, just like I asked. It feels good."

Teachers and librarians who are my age (i.e. a little younger than Grandma Cheryl) will appreciate all of the shout outs to popular culture of our youth, and I highly recommend the podcast that Nilsen does with Caroline Cochrane and Michelle Newman, The Pop Culture Perservation Society. Nilsen, who is also works in a school library, not only remembers her own tween years vividly, but has a good feel for what has changed and what has stayed the same for girls who are tweens now. 

Romance books always circulate well with my students, and readers who enjoyed Angela Darling's Crush books or Suzanne Nelson's Wish books will adore having a ringside seat to Millie's romance with Scott. While this is a sequel, it could also be read alone, although readers won't want to miss all of the references to the fictional pop culture sensation that was Rory Calhoun, especially since Millie frequently quotes his songs. 

Roberts, Barbara Carroll. The Metamorphosis of Bunny Baxter

July 22, 2025 by Margaret Ferguson Books

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Theodosia "Bunny" Baxter lives with her older sister, Bella, her veterinarian mother, and garden designer father. She's struggled with anxiety her entire school career, but her friend Alex has always helped her out. Due to school redistricting, she will be starting seventh grade at E.D. Britt Middle School when everyone else from her elementary school will be attending Wade's Run. Bunny's mother knows this is stressing her out, but also knows there is no changing it, so encourages Bunny to just do her best. While Bunny makes some good decisions (gray t shirt and shorts is excellent camoflage), she makes some bad ones as well. She borrows Bella's pink, high heeled sandals, brings along a dead cicada in a baggie as an emotional support bug, and can't manage a civil conversation at the bus stop, even though neighbor (and popular 8th grader) Kyle is perfectly nice. At school, she manages to trip on the stairs and face plant... right on Kyle's butt! Other kids make fun of her, but Sylvia feels bad for Bunny and sits with her at lunch, and they are joined by Elena. Sylvia is fairly awkard as well, and a mishap ends with the dead cicada in the food of the popular 8th grader Paige. To make matters worse, Bunny ends up in Discoveries class AND gym with both Kyle and Sylvia. Kyle doesn't say anything, but Paige is mean. Bunny hears that one of the ways students can choose an alternate school is if they are a disclipline problem, and since she already has a bad attitude, it is surprisingly easy to not turn in homework, not follow the physical education teacher's directions, and generally cause trouble. Ms. Clodfelter, the Directions teacher, is super excited about her elective class, where there aren't tests; the students all think about their place in the universe. There is a project to spend two thousand dollars in grant money, and Bunny, who is extremely interested in insects, wants to put trees and a butterfly garden near the outdoor bleachers. Other projects include a photocollage of students and buying picture books for the library, and the class will vote. Bunny has found out that if she gets expelled, she doesn't get to pick an alternate school, she will get sent to The Alternative Learning Center, which is a completely different thing. Since she is now invested in her project, and has actually been making friends, she has a difficult decision when the superintendent agrees to let her transfer back to Wade's Run. Alex is invested in volleyball and her new friends, and Bunny starts to realize that she would rather compete in the Challenge Day competition at her new school, since she's discovered quite a talent for badminton. Will she stay at her new school?

Strengths: I have to say first of all that I was really torn before I started reading this. Roberts' Nikki on the Line was fantastic, but my patience with real life and fictional people who have to talk about their anxiety all the time has worn exceedingly thin. I get it; times are tough, but my mother would have slapped me sideways into Sunday if she knew how apprehensive I was about middle school. Luckily, Bunny's mother, while supportive of her daughter, also expected her to pull up her socks and get to work. Bunny's thought that she could get transferred made sense in the way that something makes sense to a 12 year old. It was great to see that both parents, as well as Bunny's sister, were involved and around, and there is also a lot of discussion about the fact that Bunny is adopted, which is something I've not seen a lot recently in middle grade literature. The best part was probably that Bunny forgot to be so anxious when she found purpose in her gardening project and had a group of people to talk to. A lot of being anxious is just having too much time on one's hands to wallow in the anxiety.
Weaknesses: At my school, it would be unusual for 7th and 8th graders to have any classes together, and it seemed slightly odd that there wasn't an opportunity for Bunny to apply for open enrollment. My district opened a new middle school last year, and I was surprised at how well even the new 8th graders assimilated. Every school district is different. 
What I really think: I'm glad that Bunny is in seventh grade, and that some of her friends are in 8th, and that she has a lot of school projects and activities in which she is taking part. I wish there were more slightly humorous realistic fiction books like this, with everyday middle school problems. I would have saved up my babysitting money to buy a copy of this title, which reminded me in the best way of Betty Miles' books or the work of Ellen Conford. Hand this to readers who love Miller's Not If You Break Up With Me First, Papademetriou's Far-Fetched, or the Scholastic WISH novels. 

Olive Little Gets Crafty

Urban, Linda and Fajardo, Kat (illustrator) 

The Kids in Mrs. Z's Class: Olive Little Gets Crafty (Mrs. Z's Class #7)
July 8, 2025 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Olive Little is new to Curiosity Academy, but is enjoying it. Her grandmother, Sally, is a cook at the school and responsible for much of her care, since Olive's mother works the night shift. Olive loves crafts, and when she is tired of carrying her school issued recorder around in an old sock, she decides not only to make a sparkly new case, but to start a Cool Recorder Case Club. Josh, a fifth grader in charge of letting the third graders know about clubs, is a bit dismissive, but Olive doesn't let this stop her big plans. She's determined to make 18 cases, but even with Sally and her mother's help, she manages just four. This is enough to start her club, which she renames the Crafty Kids Club. In order to get members, she sets up a table during the club expo, and has a carton of glitter eggs on hand as invitations. There is a mishap when the wrong carton is brought out, but even this gooey mistake appeals to the third graders, and Olive, along with the other students in Mrs. Z's class like Emma, Rohan, Poppy, and Memo, look forward to sparkly recorder cases and more crafts!
Strengths: It's great that this series can be read out of order, although I'm sure there are some long suffering readers who have to wait a long time to get the next book if they want to read sequentially! Olive is an engaging character who loves her crafts, even if she miscalculates how many she can make before her early bedtime. I loved that she went to school early with her grandmother; what a lucky school to be able to serve banana pancakes for breakfast! Sally quilts, raises chickens, and often watches Olive's younger cousin Pete, adding to the interest. I wasn't aware that elementary schools had much in the way of clubs, but of course the fabulous Curiosity Academy does, and I would have been first in line (with my knitting project in first grade!)to sign up for Olive's Crafty Kids Club.
Weaknesses: Ms. Urban must be pro glitter! The idea of glitter eggs at school, and children cracking them over their heads, made me itchy, knowing how hard it would be to clean all that glitter up. Early elementary readers, however, will not share this fear.
What I really think: This series will be a hit with first through third graders, who will enjoy the various antics from the wide range of personalities. I keep reading them because the array of middle grade authors is so spectacular, but the series is really best suited for younger readers and wouldn't transfer well to older grades. Olive and her friends seem much younger than third grade to me. 

 https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/landing-page/the-kids-in-mrs-zs-class/

The Cartoonists Club and Huda F. Wants to Know

Telgemeier, Raina and McCloud, Scott. The Cartoonists Club: A Graphic Novel
April 1, 2025 by Graphix
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Makayla is obsessed with a fantasy video game and is always doodling scenes from it, and her friend Howard is always doodling, but has trouble making up stories. When the two come up with a fun idea for a story, Tofu Pup, they camp out in the library to work on it after school. Luckily, the school media specialist, Ms. Fatima, also loves comics, and agrees to help them set up a club. They recruit the shy and slightly troubles Lynda as well as the nonbinary Art, who likes all manner of crafts. Ms. Fatima has the group do all manner of creative exercises to help them with their work, and after some research, lets them know that there are no specific rules or standard ways to create comics. All of the members doubt various aspects of their skill sets; Makayla still struggles with capturing her thoughts, Howard's father doesn't like comics and dissuades him from spending time on them, Lynda is a perfectionist who gets stuck on minutiae and also doesn't want to share her sad backstory with others, and Art has trouble sticking to just one project. His father introduces the group to small comic books and zines, and they are soon producing their own and selling them at school. The Cartoonists Club applies for a table at a small local comics convention and gets one. At first, they don't have many people stop by, but buoyed by the support of a popular author, they persevere.
Strengths: I had never heard of Scott McCloud's 1993 Understanding Comics, but will certainly take a look at it. It makes sense that Telgemeier wanted to put together a similar "how to" book for younger readers; her Share Your Smile  had similar elements. There is a TON of good information about many aspects of comics creation, from different media to storyboarding to business sense that will appeal to readers who want to try their hand at this format. There's even additional notes at the end as well as a glossary of terms. My favorite part my be the explanation of the names of the characters, which reflect different cartoonists!
Weakenesses: I'll definitely buy this, and my students will check it out, but I don't have any students who are interested in CREATING comics, which is a shame. I have several other books on the topic, but maybe this will be the one that encourages young readers to try their hand at writing and drawing.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Doucet's Art Club or Burgos and Faison's Bodega Cats: Picture Purrfect.

You also might want to have Facing Feelings on your radar. It's definitely a guide to the retrospective exhibit at the Billy Ireland museum. There's a lot more text than readers may be expecting, and seems to be aimed at more of an adult audience, so I will probably pass on purchasing. Adult fans of the author will love seeing all of the backstories to her work. 

Telgemeier, Raina.
Facing Feelings: Inside the World of Raina Telgemeier Raina 
October 21, 2025 by Graphix
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

From the publisher:

A companion catalogue for a museum exhibit showcasing more than twenty years of Raina Telgemeier's work, including original artwork from Smile, Sisters, Guts, Drama, and Ghosts, an interview with Raina, and more!

Raina Telgemeier is the #1 New York Times bestselling, multiple Eisner Award-winning cartoonist who has been at the forefront of today's middle-grade graphic novel boom and has published several beloved graphic novels that are widely regarded as modern classics. Facing Feelings is a companion catalogue for the 2023 exhibition at The Ohio State University's Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum. As a retrospective of Raina's career, the exhibit and catalogue explore the factors that shaped her into a legendary cartoonist, including the artists who influenced her work and style, and why her art resonates so strongly with readers of all ages. This catalogue includes original artwork spanning from Raina's childhood to her bestselling graphic novels, the captions displayed at the exhibit, and an interview.

Famy, Huda. Huda F. Wants to Know? (#3)
April 1, 2025 by Dial Books
E ARC provided by Netgalley.com

As she enters her junior year, Huda has a LOT of plans to help her on her way to a full tuition scholarship. She's looped in her best friend, Nabz, as well as her sisters, but nothing is going as she expected. Her grades are slipping because she is trying to do too much, and she has a crush on Hassan even though her parents have said she cannot date. When her parents call a big family meeting, Huda and her sister think they are going to buy another car for the girls to drive, but instead, announce that they are getting divorced. Huda is devastated, and feels that they won't still be a family, especially when her father decides not to go to Muslim Con in Chicago with the mother and girls. At the masjid, Huda goes to a young women's discussion group, and a counselor, Dr. Haifa, comes to talk to them about various mental health issues, which usually get swept under the rug at Huda's house. Huda's mother works to get Montessori certified so that she can go back to work, and the sisters all deal with the impending divorce in their own ways. At the convention, Huda attends a talk that Dr. Haifa gives about grief, and is surprised when her mother takes her to the Muslim Singles meet up even though she doesn't think Huda is ready. After a blow up at home, Huda starts therapy and is able to mend her friendship with Nabz as she adjusts to her new family dynamics.
Strengths: My students are very invested in this graphic novel series, and I loved that Huda is in high school. Middle School readers enjoy older characters, but even though Huda is concerned about her PSAT, college essays, and acceptance into a university, the main concerns of this graphic novel will still appeal to middle School readers. Divorce is something many of my students experience at this age, and there are relatively few books on the subject. Fighting with friends, personal identity, crushes, and of course the newly ubiqitous mental health issues will speak to readers across a wide age range. I would not be surprised if there were at least one more book in the series.
Weaknesses: I have forgotten why the one sister is depicted in invisible looking outlines, and the use of Huda's alter egos looking over her shoulder was used a lot more than in the past.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who want to follow characters as they grow and evolve in books like the Holms' Sunny or Craft's New Kid.

Poetry Friday: Let Sleeping Cats Lie: Pet Poems

Bilston, Brian. Let Sleeping Cats Lie - Pet Poems
September 26, 2024 by Macmillan Children's Book
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

I am very picky about poems, so when I say that this book was okay, it's actually high praise. This is a longer book of poetry (over 60 poems), and is quite varied in both content and format. A wide range of animals, from cats, dogs, snakes, and hamsters to the more imaginative blue whale, sloth, chicken, and tarantula, are described in a style that can best be described as Robert Frost meets Ogden Nash. There are some concrete poems, some with standard rhyme and meter, some free verse, and some that are innovative, like the poem "written" by a cat getting on a keyboard!

There are some stand outs, like ACROSSTICK, about a dog with a tick, Pet Peeve, about a chameleon, and Love Poem to My Dog. All are interesting, and show a great love of pets. There is plenty of humor, some puns, and the poems read well out loud. There is an index of first lines that is particularly helpful.

This author also has a book about football called 50 Ways to Score a Goal which was momentarily exciting, until I realized it was not about US football, but rather about soccer. He is also apparently very active on social media. I'm debating whether or not to buy the book. It's an impressive collection, even if some of the poems are a bit lengthy (my middle school readers prefer shorter poems), and the meter could use some work, but if I had to buy one collection this year, this would be the one. Sadly, none of the language arts classes cover poetry now, and I have a decent collection of poetry books that don't circulate.

Larger libraries with more budget or more interest in poetry should definitely take a look, since pet themed poetry books are usually in demand with young readers.

The Accidental Stowaway

Eagle, Judith and Rioux, Jo (illus.) The Accidental Stowaway

July 1, 2025 by Walker Books US

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Esme Leonard, called Patch, is a girl in 1910 whose mother has run away and whose father has died. She's been sent from relative to relative, but always gets passed on. Her latest placement, according to Mr. Ringe, the lawyer, is with Miss Alice Grey, a family friend who teaches at a girls' school in Liverpool. Patch gets herself there with little help; she has become very resourceful over the years. She gets settled into Miss Grey's home by Mrs. Blakeney, but when out on an errand, has a run in with Turo, who works on the Cunard ship The Glorious, and asks for her help in locating a candy store. Once there, he steals candy and puts the blame on her! She manages to go after him, and even board the ship... which sets sail before she can find him! Armed with only one skate, she is lucky enough to be helped by Lilian de Haviland, whose parents have sent her off to New York by herself, watched over by Esty, a stewardess. The girls decide that Patch should hide in plain sight, and go to eat in the dining saloon, where they are seated at a table of "outsiders" including the older June Fortune, Jimmy, who plays piano on the ship, and the shifty Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds. Patch eventually locates Turo, who feels bad, and makes some friends among the staff. She also rescues a famous stowaway, Babbette. Patch has a ring that she picked up at Miss Grey's that she feels was meant for her, and it turns out to be a Tiffany ring. She decides that she should try to solve the mystery of the jewelry when she lands in New York, but there are a lot of other mysteries that surface on the trip. Why is Lilian unsure of who will meet her when the ship docks? Why do the Reynolds want to kidnap Lillian? Even after Patch is found out and put to work in the kitchen to pay for her passage, she and Lilian must work to solve some of the mysteries.

Strengths: Students still have a fascination with the fate of the Titanic, and the fictional Glorious offers an interesting look at a happier voyage. This starts with a labeled map of the ship, which is quite interesting. Patch and Lilian's friendship makes perfect sense, and the two help each other out while they have fun exploring the ship. There are LOTS of mysteries to be solved, but I don't want to say too much about them and spoil the suspense! It's very clear that Eagle has done her homework reading vintage literature from the early 1900s. 
Weaknesses: There are a lot of people who are hiding secrets, and I would have found the story more believable if there had been more characters who WEREN'T hiding something. 
What I really think: This was a very fun and fast paced mystery, and fans of historical fiction like Salerni's The Tontine Caper,  Nesbet's 2020 Darling Darleen, Queen of the Screen or Rose's Jasper and the Riddle of Riley's Mine (2017) will enjoy Patch's adventures. I personally love Eagle's quirky, British mysteries, but they're a hard sell to my students, even with Rioux's delightful illustrations. 

The AI Incident

Thomas, J.E. The AI Incident
July 8, 2025 by Levine Querido
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Malcolm Moore has been in foster care his entire life, since his parents both perished in a car accident when he was a baby. His latest foster placement is with Ms. Bettye, and since he is almost 13, he is making a concerted effort to be adopted, since teens usually stay in the system. He has a checklist of behaviors he thinks will increase his chances. He starts at Shirley Chisholm Charter Middle School, where Dr. Hatch is set to pilot a Forensically Reimagined Anticipatory Nanocerebral Integrated System robot (FRANCIS) to help students with the Colorado state tests (B-CAUSE). Because the robot is so large, and are unwieldy to move, Malcolm, along with another student, Tank, are put on special assignment to ferry FRANCIS around. Tank is an enthusiastic about the school aquarium, and spends so much time cleaning it with special soap that he often retains an unpleasant odor, but doesn't always do very well in school. The boys' teacher, Mr. P., is somewhat leery of the robot, but willing to try to integrate the system. FRANCIS has a significant data bank, but no filters, and will do things like scan the classroom and identify students by the odds that they will be suspended! Malcolm isn't thrilled about taking time out of his day to work with FRANCIS, but thinks that having a note from Principal Neagle will help him get adopted. His relationship with Ms. Bettye develops slowly; at first, the two just mumble at each other, but once Ms. Bettye plays soccer with him, the two spend a little more time together. Both are leery of developing relationships when they could so easily end. While the robot spends time observing classrooms, it doesn't take long until he is taking over teaching, and even infiltrating all of the school and home computers. He even tries to use an AI video of Malcolm not returning his school computer to frame him and get him in trouble, and almost succeeds until Tank notices that the "evidence" shows Malcolm with extra fingers, an AI "tell". When Malcolm's former foster family comes back for him, it shows that FRANCIS has an evil streak. Malcolm is removed from Ms. Bettye's house for a while while investigations continue. What else has FRANCIS been up to? Can Malcolm and Tank figure out a way to get the robot removed from their school?

Strengths: Malcolm is an interesting character who has had a difficult life. I enjoyed the fact that he and Tank became good friends, and worked together to warn their community about FRANCIS, even if they weren't taken seriously at first. Dr. Hatch was a good example of an evil villain, and Principal Neagle was a bumbling administrator who thought that having a robot would make test scores go up. There are a lot of fun supporting characters, like Tank's twin sister Jade, and a pair of very enthusiastic physical education teachers. The part I liked best was Malcolm's growing relationship with Ms. Bettye, and the exploration of how both of them had been disappointed in the past, but were able to work past that. The cover is bright and attractive; there's something unusual about it that is appealing. 
Weaknesses: Malcolm's difficulties in foster care would make an interesting story all of their own, but combining this with the goofiness of the robot lessened the impact of this plot a bit. 
What I really think: This was easier to follow than Thomas' Control Freaks, another STEAM related title that had multiple perspectives. Readers who enjoyed the robotic staff in Angleberger's Fuzzy or Hepburn's new graphic novel Schoolbot 9000 will enjoy this lightly humorous romp about an evil robotic teacher. 

Fantasy Round Up

Trying something new: can I write one sentence synopses of fantasy books with another sentence of opinion? As I've said before, there are so many great culturally connected fantasy books, but almost all of the ones that I've bought are gathering dust on my library shelves despite my best efforts to promote them. 

Cruz, Caris Avendaño. The Boy, the Mountain, and the Serpent Who Ate the Moon
July 1, 2025 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Bayani and his sister Isay team up with Aaron to investigate a mystery surrounding the celebration of Pistang Bayan in their hometown in the Philippines, but get whisked off to an island of eternal darkness and need to survive in order to do so. A scary adventure with plenty of Filipino culture intertwined. 

From the publisher:

From the author of Marikit and the Ocean of Stars, a magical middle grade adventure about three Filipino children who must find their way through a mystical land filled with monsters and gods from Filipino lore.

The town of Santo Cristo is known for two things–their colorful town fiesta capped off with a solemn evening procession, and the dozens of people that have disappeared over the years. When three kids–the headstrong Bayani, his sister Isay, and anxious Aaron–find their way over the other side of a mysterious bridge and to a long-forgotten island of myth, they're faced with monsters, cryptids, and sinister characters. In this land of Night, they must find their way back to their world and keep their light burning bright lest they lose themselves too.

Lim, Aimee. Thread of Destiny (Spindle of Fate #2)
July 8, 2025 by Feiwel and Friends
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

After her adventures trying to find her mother's killer in the first book, Evie not only has to try to do her late mother's job as head weaver in the Guild, but has to deal with monsters that she has managed to bring with her. A good conclusion to an action packed duology with plenty of Chinese mythology and culture. 

From the publisher:

Full of grotesque monsters and revenge, Evie Mei's journey to confront her mother's killer comes to an end in this middle grade novel from Aimee Lim.

Evie Mei has literally been to hell and back. And while the trip to Diyu, the Chinese underworld, alongside Kevin was a grueling feat filled with endless horrors, nothing compares to the fact that she was unable to bring her mother back.

She now has the great responsibility to assume the role her mother once held: head weaver in the magical Guild. Spinning people’s fates sure seemed easier said than done, and now Evie finds herself buried in Guild duties while trying to maintain a strained relationship with her best friend.

What could make a 13-year-old’s life even more complicated? Escaped monsters from the underworld that broke through when she returned to Earth. A mysterious yellow fog that seems to be turning their city upside down and hinting at an approaching massive force they aren't prepared to fight. Not to mention the looming man who sent her mom to the underworld in the first place (and her aunt’s fiancé). Can’t a girl catch a break?!

Aimee Lim’s fast-paced conclusion to Evie Mei’s story is filled with her signature sardonic voice, explorations of grief and relationships, and thrilling action that will leave readers rooting for the young girl whose courage outshines everyone.

Mendonca, Sarah J. An Encantadora's Guide to Monstros and Magic
July 8, 2025 by Quill Tree Books
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

For her 12th birthday, Rosa has to use her knowledge of the Coelho Family Bestiary to take on her first solo monster hunting job, and finds herself even deeper in the family business when her grandparents owe money to the government and risk losing their shop. This fantasy heist novel has plenty of Portugese culture as well as a feeling of Tamora Pierce's world of Tortall. 

From the publisher: 
Encanto meets Oceans 8 in this middle-grade fantasy-adventure, set in a Portuguese-inspired world, following a tween girl who joins a notorious band of thieves to steal a priceless jewel and discovers corruption that must be stopped.

Rosa Coelho has spent her whole life hunting monstros, wandering the city streets with her best friend Tiago, and dreaming of a better life for herself and her grandmother. And in a society that favors the rich and educated, every piece of knowledge comes with a hefty price, even the most basic books Rosa’s family needs to trap monstros.

So when the powerful Ministério dos Monstros threatens her family’s struggling Encantadora shop, Rosa only has two weeks to scrape together the money for their debts. It seems like an impossible task… until Rosa tricks her way onto an infamous thief crew as their magical safecracker.

Thrust into the world of high class luxury and betrayal, Rosa is pulled into a scheme with the highest possible stakes: stealing from the Ministry itself. She must learn to trust her magical abilities and her crew—for if the heist goes wrong, everything she loves is forfeit.