Middle Readers

Book 1: THE PARTY INVITATION! Middle school was supposed to be simple: survive classes, avoid humiliation, and maybe not trip over your own feet. But for eleven-year-old Avery, it’s more like a reality show called Surviving Middle School: Awkward Edition. With her besties Claire and Ellie dishing out constant warnings about her life choices, Avery is just trying to dodge gym class disasters, keep her locker shut, and avoid the cafeteria pizza (which might be alive). Then, the unthinkable happens—she gets invited to the birthday party. Not just any party, but Mackenzie Harper’s, the ...

Ages 8-12 ◆ For Kids Who Love Minecraft and Video Games Kids who love playing Minecraft will love this book! Jayden “Minecraft” Montgomery's arm and hand suddenly change into blocks. Now he’s got to navigate through the Minecraft world with the help of a fox. But first he’ll have to save a village by fighting pillagers, zombies, creepers, skeletons, facing an iron golem, and warding off an evil hacker. Most of all, he must earn the trust and friendship of the villagers as he navigates this world he’s only ever seen from a screen. Only then will he discover who he was always ...

This stunning debut novel about grief and wonder was an instant New York Times bestseller and captured widespread critical acclaim, including selection as a 2015 National Book Award finalist! After her best friend dies in a drowning accident, Suzy is convinced that the true cause of the tragedy...

Imagine if you were told where to live and work, that your country's leader was an all-powerful god, and that if a relative did something wrong, your whole family would be punished. That is life in North Korea. In our story, after tragedy steals 14-year-old Dae's parents away, he tries to escape to freedom. Experience the challenges and adventures through his eyes in this unforgettable story of hope.The Survival Series that celebrates the awesome history of us. Asian/Pacific American Award for Children's Literature winner Ellie Crowe and bestselling children's author Scott Peters tell this ...

Did you know that the Winchester House, where the Winchester Rifle family once lived, is haunted? And no wonder—there's a door that opens to a 15-foot drop into the garden, another plunges you 8 feet into a kitchen sink, and staircases circle back or dead end at the ceiling. In our story, Jesse and his best friend sneak inside just before an earthquake strikes. Experience their thrilling adventure in this middle-grade book about America's famous haunted house. Bestselling authors Ellie Crowe and Scott Peters tackle the mysterious Winchester House during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake ...

The Avery Diary: My Middle School Crush! A Hilarious Book for Kids 9-12! OMG, my life is a TOTAL rollercoaster right now. First, I thought I liked Jason—the most popular guy in school—so I spent a week trying (and failing) to be cool. Turns out, he likes Taylor, which is great because I might actually like Jake... you know, my old best friend? But how do I tell him without looking like a total dork? Between my little brother Carl’s nonstop pranks, my cat trying to destroy me, and my best friends teasing me, my middle school life is basically a rom-com gone WRONG. Read my diary... but ...

Winner of the 2017 Newbery Medal ★ A New York Times Bestseller ★ An Entertainment Weekly Best Middle Grade Book of 2016 ★ A New York Public Library Best Book ★ A Chicago Public Library Best Book ★ An Amazon Top 20 Best Book ★ A Publishers Weekly Best Book ★ A School Library Journal...

From beloved Saturday Night Live alum Kate McKinnon comes a madcap new adventure about three sisters, a ravenous worm, and a mysterious mad scientist. So, you want to be a young mad scientist. Congratulations! Admitting it is the first step. The second step is reading the (definitely true) tale...

For fans of Lemony Snicket and Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, this first book in the bestselling, award-winning Mysterious Benedict Society Series is not to be missed! "Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?" Dozens of children respond to this peculiar ad in the...

Trapped in a world where magic is powerful and dreams are real, Cole continues his quest in book three of this New York Times bestselling “fanciful, action-packed adventure” series (Publishers Weekly, starred review), from the author of the Fablehaven and Beyonders series. Cole Randolph...

The brilliant and beloved gang from the New York Timesbestselling series is back -- and ready to face new threats, dangerous dilemmas, and irresistible adventures. The Mysterious Benedict Society is a modern classic, drawing comparisons to J.K. Rowling and Roald Dahl, named a Timemagazine "Best...

This #1 New York Times bestselling illustrated middle grade novel from a Caldecott Honor winner tells an extraordinary story full of action and thought-provoking questions as a robot learns to survive—and live—in the wilderness. Can a robot survive in the wilderness? When robot Roz opens her...

Carlos planned to spend the afternoon trying to win a new BMX bike. Instead, he’s stuck in the backyard with his kid brother, a weed whacker, and one very bad beehive. Thirteen-year-old Carlos is stuck watching his kid brother and doing yard work when the weed whacker stirs up a hidden bee's nest. Getting inside the house should be simple—except his kid brother locked the door. Now, the backyard has become one giant escape puzzle. Carlos is an expert at making split-second moves on a BMX bike, which is lucky — because it’s hard to think when a buzzing brigade is dive-bombing your ...

He didn't have a team. He didn't have boots. He had a wall, and he used it every single day. Marco Rivera grew up playing alone on a cracked parking lot in East LA, practicing with a plastic bottle against a concrete wall until the day he spotted a real team training on the other side of the fence. Four days he stood there and watched. On the fifth day, he walked through the gate. What happened next will change everything. From street football to his first tryout, from the moment Coach Ray noticed the kid who read the game like no one he'd ever seen, this is the story of a boy who refused ...

He grew four inches in a single day. But when the surprises keep coming, can this firebreather douse the threat? Alister Drake despises bullies. Determined to stick up for the weak, the soon-to-be thirteen-year-old is happy to make use of his massive overnight growth spurt. But he’s shocked to discover he has a lot more on the line when he learns he’s from a dimension of dragon shifters. Thrilled to find his two friends are also animal-powered aliens, Alister and company head to an isolated spot with their mysterious teacher to experiment with their powers. But their crash course in ...

In this charming journey into the past, a historian reveals medieval wisdom that can still guide us today "One of the most compelling medieval history books I have ever read." –Ian Mortimer, author of The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England Peter Jones was teaching medieval history at...

OVER 6 MILLION COPIES SOLD OF THE BESTSELLNG SERIES! From the author of the Lockwood & Co. series comes a witty, gripping adventure story featuring a boy and his not-so-tame djinni, perfect for fans of Artemis Fowl and Amari and the Night Brothers. Nathaniel is a young magician's apprentice...

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and hailed as “the best history of oil ever written” by Business Week, Daniel Yergin’s “spellbinding…irresistible” (The New York Times) account of the global pursuit of oil, money, and power addresses the ongoing energy crisis. Now with an epilogue that...

For fans of Gary Paulsen’s classic Hatchet and Lauren Tarshis’s bestselling I Survived series, J. L. Esplin's 96 Miles is a story of survival and desperation as two young brothers confront the worst in humanity—and themselves. Dad always said if things get desperate, it’s okay to drink...

Award-winning author Reyna Grande shares her personal experience of crossing borders and cultures in this middle grade adaptation of her memoir, The Distance Between Us—“an important account of the many ways immigration impacts children” (Booklist, starred review). When her parents make...