20 Middle Grade Novels in 2020

On the last post of each month I’ll be featuring lists of twenty items. This post is middle grade novels I plan on reading in 2020. Not all of them are 2020 releases. Some of them are 2019 releases. For every pick, I share why I want to read it.

Leave a comment and let me know more titles I should add to my list. It would be great if we could get twenty new titles in the comments.

1. The Battle by Karuna Riazi

Sometimes I meet an author, and I’m so impressed by her as a person that I buy her book even if it’s not something that I would normally gravitate to. This year when I listened to Karuna Riazi speak at nErDcampLI I knew I wasn’t leaving without her book in my hand. All of my videogame loving students (isn’t that just about everyone) are excited to have a book that centers around gaming in our room. Riazi’s The Battle may be the only book that fits the definition. Lastly, Riazi is a middle school teacher who writes. A novel written by a teacher, say no more!

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2. Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes​

The last page of Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes left me reeling. It feels as if I just read the book yesterday, yet I read it over a year and a half ago. So, of course I’m going to read her new release Black Brother, Black Brother that comes out on March third. I suspect I’m going to have more of a personal connection to this book because there are two brothers, one who presents as white and the other as black. My husband is Japanese. He finally became a naturalized U.S. citizen yesterday after living here for forty-one years. Anyway, we have two biracial sons and people have often times said strange things to us. Our oldest son is now a freshman in college. But, when he was in high school, one of his running teammates told him that he thought he was adopted because he looked different from his father. So, one of the reasons I’m excited to read this book is because it features a family whose members look racially different from one another.

​3. The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman

This summer at Cooperative Children’s Book Center in Madison, WI, I was lucky enough to score a copy of Padma’s novel. But on the first day of school, one of my student’s snatched it up. So, I haven’t had a chance to read it yet. However, I did hear Padma talk about The Bridge Home at nErDcampLI in November, and it made me even more anxious to read the book. Looking forward to getting my hands on it again at the end of the school year.

4. Chirp by Kate Messner

Kate Messner is a generous, brilliant human being. So, it’s no surprise that her novel, Chirp, which comes out on February fourth, is on my list. On Jennifer Laughran’s podcast, Kate referred to Chirp as a #metoo novel. Laurie Halse Anderson, the author of Speak and Shout, calls is, “A deftly layered mystery about family, friendship and the struggle to speak up.” It’s a good thing February break follows quickly on February fourth’s heels. I don’t think I’ll be able to wait till the summer to read this one.

5. ​The Dark Lord Clementine by Sarah Jean Horwitz

​Sarah Jean is an incredibly kind person, and I love her book The Wingsnatchers: Carmer and Grit. Her latest book The Dark Lord Clementine seems like a delightful mix of good-natured evil (is there even such a thing?) and humor. The race is on to read this book before the school year ends because I’m pretty sure I have a student who would absolutely love this book. So, I need to finish it so that I can put it in her hands before June 20th!

​6. Disaster Days by Rebecca Behrens

Disaster Days is another book I found out about at nErDcampLI. We just started reading it aloud in my class. We’re tracking the characters so that we can keep everyone straight. Kids are already leaning in, paying attention, wondering what’s going to happen next. I can’t wait to find out with them!

7. ​Explorer by Katherine Rundell

I didn’t mean to snatch Explorer by Katherine Rundell away from my friend’s son, I really didn’t. To be fair, I did not take it out of his hands. There the book sat on the kitchen island. The red plane surrounded by flames roared my name and I picked it up. “You can take that,” she said. I protested saying that I should leave it for her sons. “You already read it, right Will.” He confirmed that he had. “Take it,” she said. “Charlie hasn’t read it yet, but you’re a fast reader…” Yikes! I better get on that!

8. Fly on the Wall by Remy Lai 

​My friend, Rajani LaRocca, recommended Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai. I loved it so much that I sent it to my nephew for Christmas. Both of his parents are immigrants. He’s half Japanese and half Russian. Anyways, his mom called to tell me how much he was enjoying the book. Then, she sheepishly admitted that she, too, was enjoying the story and could relate to it. Fly on the Wall seems like it will be just as entertaining as Pie in the Sky. In addition, Fly on the Wall is illustrated like Pie in the Sky. So, the book is friendly for readers who sometimes get overwhelmed by lots of print on one page.

9. From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks

Jewell Parker Rhodes recommends Janae Mark's debut, From the Desk of Zoe Washington. The recommendation alone is reason to pick it up. Zoe’s dad is in jail, but he says he didn’t commit the crime. This is a super important idea to discuss in the classroom. In general, people are quick to judge and try to put people into boxes so that they can easily be categorized into labeled groups. But who has the power to put the labels on, and are the labels accurate?

​10. Gegeer the Robot Goes to School by Jarrett Lerner

It’s hard to get into the first day of school mindset in January, but we all know this school year will be over before we know it, and a new one will be upon us. Jarrett’s new book, Gegeer the Robot Goes to School comes out August 25th, just in time for the new school year. This could be a super fun way to ease back into the school year with your new crew. If you haven’t ever checked out Jarrett’s website, treat yourself. He has tons of amazing visuals for educators, and he does a ton for teachers, students and fellow creators.

11. ​Maybe He Just Likes You by Barbara Dee

Surprise! I found out about Maybe He Just Likes You at nErDcampLI. Yes, it’s true. Barbara Dee was there, too. She spoke in the same session as Padma. This book is also a #metoo for middle grade readers. So, it should pair nicely with Kate Messner’s Chirp. 

12. ​Leaving Lymon by Lesa-Cline Ransome

Okay, really this entry should count as two because before I read Lesa Cline-Ransome's Leaving Lymon, I should read Finding Langston. In the spring, our historical fiction unit centers on the civil rights movement. Some of the picture books we read touch on segregated libraries, but none of them touch on Langston Hughes. Then, if we followed up with Leaving Lymon we could get a new perspective on the bully, Lymon. During our interactive read alouds I ask the students three questions: 1) What happened? 2) Why did it happen and 3) Should it have happened? The three questions really get students thinking about characters and the world we all live in. Hmmm… These two books may have to go to the top of my pile!

13. The Line Tender by Kate Allen

I admit it. I love to read books that make me cry. Supposedly, The Line Tender by Kate Allen will make me do just that. Plus, I’m spending a ton of time reading scientific papers about sea creatures. So, it would be fun to read a novel that centers around some of the creatures I’m reading tons of facts about!

14.  The List of Things that Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead 

​Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me is one of my all-time favorite novels. Every time I read it I find something new to marvel at, and I never stop admiring its genius. So, I’m psyched to read The List of Things That Will Not Change. It seems like it might pair nicely with Varian Johnson’s The Parker Inheritance and Richard Peck’s The Best Man, but I won’t know until I read it!

15. The Only Black Girls in Town by Brandy Colbert

The Only Black Girls in Town by Brandy Colbert also seems as if it would pair well with Varian Johnson’s The Parker Inheritance for different reasons. Colbert’s novel features a mystery like The Parker Inheritance and it seems as though Colbert’s two main characters, Alberta and Edie, will have to be as brave as The Parker Inheritance’s Candice and Brandon to solve it. 

16. Parked by Danielle Svetcov

Parked by Danielle Svetcov seems as though it will pair nicely with Ann Braden’s The Benefit of Being an Octopus. I truly hope I am right because we need more books like Braden’s The Benefit of Being an Octopus because so few books are brave enough to show what poverty looks like when it’s surrounded by wealth. Plus, I’m a huge fan of dual narrators. I’m hopeful that Jeanne Ann and Cal’s voices will appeal to many readers in my classroom.

17.  ​A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

​It’s always fascinating to read novels written by two authors. The first book that came to my mind when I read about A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan was Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan. I used to own a copy of that book, but it walked away from my classroom. In addition to appealing to readers who like to read novels with dual narrators, A Place at the Table will also appeal to kids who like to cook. I’m looking forward to this treat.

18. Shouting at the Rain by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

​Lynda Mullaly Hunt is another incredibly kind genius who is incredibly dedicated to kids and their teachers. I had the honor of being on a panel with her at nErDcampNNE this past fall. Her heart awaits inside each one of her novels and beckons her readers to join her in a celebration of life. I'm looking forward to Shouting at the Rain being as warm and honest as Lynda is herself.

19. Strange Birds: A Field Guide to Ruffling Feathers by Celia Perez

​Admit it! Who hasn’t enjoyed ruffling someone’s feathers before? Isn’t this what siblings do all the time? But in Strange Birds: A Field Guide to Ruffling Feathers by Celia Perez, it seems as though the characters have their hearts set on something bigger. They’re going to overturn an outdated tradition. This is another one I want to put at the top of the pile, and the good news is it’s out already so I can. It’ll be interesting to see if this novel pairs well with three of my favorite nonfiction books about feathers: Melissa Stewart and Sarah Brannen’s Feathers: Not Just for Flying, Leslie Bulion’s Superlative Birds and Birds of a Feather: Bowerbirds and Me by Susan Roth.

20. Worse than Weird by Jody Little

I loved Jody Little’s Mostly the Honest Truth, and I’m so excited that she has another novel coming out in March. She tells readers all about Worse than Weird on TeachersBooksReaders. This book features a city-wide food cart scavenger hunt. I’ll be interested to see if it pairs nicely with A Place at the Table. As we say in writing, the beginning always holds the end. Jody is a third grade teacher in addition to being a writer. A novel written by a teacher, say no more!