One of my reading goals for 2020 was to read more middle grade books, and I like to think I’ve succeeded in that goal.

The middle grade books I’ve read this year have been some of the best I’ve ever read, and they span the gamut in terms of different types of books. I have no idea what 2020 is doing right as far as middle grade, but one, at least 2020 can do something right, and two, we should totally do this more often.

But wait, it’s not over yet! There’s still three and a half months left in the year!

Which is plenty of time for even more great middle grade reads. As I looked at my upcoming reads calendar, I was a little surprised by the sheer mass of middle grade novels in the next few months that I’m eager to read. The end of the year is clearly the time to release such things.

So today, I want to show all the love to these upcoming middle grade reads. And maybe one or two of them will sneak onto your TBRs? Or if you’re like me, you’ll just throw caution to the wind and adopt them all. Although, I can’t say I recommend that one, because the result is … chaos. Good chaos, but chaos nonetheless.

Scritch Scratch

Release Date: September 1

For fans of Small Spaces comes a chilling ghost story about a malevolent spirit, an unlucky girl, and a haunting mystery that will tie the two together.

Claire has absolutely no interest in the paranormal. She’s a scientist, which is why she can’t think of anything worse than having to help out her dad on one of his ghost-themed Chicago bus tours. She thinks she’s made it through when she sees a boy with a sad face and dark eyes at the back of the bus. There’s something off about his presence, especially because when she checks at the end of the tour…he’s gone.

Claire tries to brush it off, she must be imagining things, letting her dad’s ghost stories get the best of her. But then the scratching starts. Voices whisper to her in the dark. The number 396 appears everywhere she turns. And the boy with the dark eyes starts following her.

Claire is being haunted. The boy from the bus wants something…and Claire needs to find out what before it’s too late.

Why I want to read it:

• It’s comped to Small Spaces, which I enjoyed.
• Sounds like a kind of creepy I can handle.
• Perfect fall read to give you goosebumps.
• And yet not enough to keep you awake all night chasing shadows.
• I love ghost stories and books about paranormal happenings.
• Girls who love science will always be my thing.

Whispering Pines

Release Date: September 1

A young boy and girl who must protect their small town from otherworldly forces threatening to destroy it.

Rae’s father vanished without a trace—and Rae knows what happened to him. But no one believes her when she says that her father didn’t run off, that he was actually taken. Now, a year of therapy later, Rae’s mother decides they need a fresh start, and so they move to a new town in the hope that life can return to normal.

The problem is, there is nothing normal about the town of Whispering Pines.

No one knows this better than Caden. He’s lived in Whispering Pines his entire life, and he’s seen more than his fair share of weird—starting with his own family, as the town is the perfect home base for his mother’s ghost hunting business.

When several kids go missing and then show up like zombies with their eyes removed, many locals brush it off. Just another day in Whispering Pines. But Caden has a dark secret, one that may explain why someone is stealing eyes. And Rae, who knows how it feels to not be believed, may be just the person Caden needs to help him put things right.

Why I want to read it:

• Small town with creepy secrets is always a win for setting.
• Then again … isn’t that kind of all small towns? Hmmm.
• Ghost hunting business shenanigans!
• ZOMBIES! IT’S HAPPENING! Quick, execute Zombie Plan A!
• Stealing children’s eyes is some seriously messed up business.
• Sounds like a fantastic creepy fall read!

Embassy of the Dead

Release Date: September 8

Jake Green is dead. Or he might as well be when he mistakenly accepts a package from the Embassy of the Dead in this hilarious adventure of the afterlife, the first in a series.

When Jake Green opens a mysterious box containing a severed finger, he accidentally summons a grim reaper intent on dragging him to the Eternal Void (yes, it’s as fatal as it sounds). Now Jake is running for his life. Luckily, he has a knack for talking to ghosts, which just might help him survive long enough to reach the Embassy of the Dead and plead his case. With the help of a prankster poltergeist and a dead undertaker, Jake dodges fearsome undead creatures, discovers his own ghostly abilities, and gets excused from the school field trip due to a terrible (and made-up) bout of diarrhea. But the Embassy has its own problems, and Jake must be very careful where he places his trust–in both the living and the dead. With a plot that zips and a colorful cast of characters, this delightful new series delivers laughs and shivers in equal measure.

Why I want to read it:

• Delightfully snarky and funny blurb.
• An embassy of the dead sounds like my kind of place.
• Prankster poltergeists sound rather fun.
• I like undead creatures. And living creatures. I just like creatures, okay?!
• A little bit of the perfect fall read, blended with some much-needed humor.

The Language of Ghosts

Release Date: September 8

Forced into exile on an enchanted, moving island, ex-princess Noa Marchena has two missions: reclaim her family’s stolen throne and ensure that the dark powers her older brother, Julian, possesses don’t go to his head in the process. But between babysitting her annoying little sister, Mite, and keeping an eye on the cake-loving sea monster that guards the moving island, Noa has her hands full.

When the siblings learn that their enemies are searching for a weapon capable of defeating Julian—whose legendary spell weaving is feared throughout the kingdom—once and for all, they vow to get to it first. To everyone’s surprise, the key to victory turns out to be a long-lost magical language—and only Noa can speak it.

But what if by helping her brother, Noa ends up losing him?

Why I want to read it:

• A book where language ends up being a secret key?! The linguaphile kid in me has been waiting forever for this.
• Sounds like this book has some serious sibling bonds going on.
• Cake-loving sea monster? I mean, not that I blame it, but still … I’m intrigued.
• This world sounds absolutely cute and charming.

The Way Back

Release Date: September 17

Perfect for readers of Neil Gaiman and Philip Pullman, a sweeping historical fantasy that follows two teens on a journey through the Far Country, a Jewish land of spirits and demons.

For the Jews of Eastern Europe, demons are everywhere: dancing on the rooftops in the darkness of midnight, congregating in the trees, harrowing the dead, even reaching out to try and steal away the living.

But the demons have a land of their own: a Far Country peopled with the souls of the transient dead, governed by demonic dukes, barons, and earls. When the Angel of Death comes strolling through the little shtetl of Tupik one night, two young people will be sent spinning off on a journey through the Far Country. There they will make pacts with ancient demons, declare war on Death himself, and maybe– just maybe–find a way to make it back alive.

Why I want to read it:

• Based on Jewish folk traditions, which is something I’m only slightly familiar with.
• Some interesting new things to explore about this culture!
• Demons. You know I like my books with demons.
• A war on Death himself? Sounds fun!
• The Far Country seems like a scary place. I so want to visit it!

A Wolf for a Spell

Release Date: September 22

The Girl Who Drank the Moon meets Pax in this fantastical tale of a wolf who forms an unlikely alliance with Baba Yaga to save the forest from a wicked tsar.

Since she was a pup, Zima has been taught to fear humans—especially witches—but when her family is threatened, she has no choice but to seek help from the witch Baba Yaga.

Baba Yaga never does magic for free, but it just so happens that she needs a wolf’s keen nose for a secret plan she’s brewing… Before Zima knows what’s happening, the witch has cast a switching spell and run off into the woods, while Zima is left behind in Baba Yaga’s hut—and Baba Yaga’s body!

Meanwhile, a young village girl named Nadya is also seeking the witch’s help, and when she meets Zima (in Baba Yaga’s form), they discover that they face a common enemy. With danger closing in, Zima must unite the wolves, the witches and the villagers against an evil that threatens them all.

Why I want to read it:

• I’m a sucker for books with Baba Yaga.
• I’ve also got a soft spot for wolves, in particular.
• I’m not usually one for animal protagonist books, but one where a wolf is spelled into a human’s body? Well, now that sounds interesting.
• Comped to Pax, which was sweet and charming.

The Secret Life of Sam

Release Date: September 29

When Sam’s dad dies in a car accident, Sam is shuttled off to the dusty town of Holler, Oklahoma, to live with a long-lost aunt. There he encounters a mysterious mangy cat who leads him to an unassuming tree that turns out to be a portal—a passage through which Sam can revisit his old life for a few minutes at a time.

Sam’s visits to the bayou become stranger and stranger. Pa’s old stories unfold around him in beautiful but sinister detail, and Pa is not quite himself. Still, Sam is desperate to find a way for them to stay together—no matter what it takes.

Why I want to read it:

• Comped to A Bridge to Terebithia, so obviously fitting to crush my heart under its heel … errr … spine? I dunno. Pain, that’s all I know.
• Clearly, I’m a glutton for suffering.
• Heeeey, Sam I am! (Sorry. Couldn’t help it. I’ll just put myself in the corner now and think about what I’ve done …)
• The bayou seems like a fantastic setting for a book.
• I love the idea of a son being able to find a way to connect with his lost father’s history!

No Place for Monsters

Release Date: September 15

Levi and Kat are about to discover a very dark side to their neighborhood. Nothing ever seems out of place in the safe, suburban town of Cowslip Grove. Lawns are neatly mowed, sidewalks are tidy, and the sounds of ice cream trucks fill the air. But now…. kids have been going missing – except no one even realizes it, because no one remembers them. Not their friends. Not their teachers. Not even their families.

But Levi and Kat do remember, and suddenly only they can see why everyone is in terrible danger when the night air rolls in. Now it is up to Levi and Kat to fight it and save the missing kids before it swallows the town whole.

Why I want to read it:

• That cover looks both creepy and fun.
• An illustrated story, which I’ve been loving the ones I’ve read so far this year! Best of both worlds.
• Kids going missing is always fun! You know, there seems to be a theme with this post … I can’t quite put my finger on it …
• I’m super curious about the … thing … on the cover. (No, not the kids. I know what they are, and yes, they’re terrifying, but not what I meant.)

The Boy, the Wolf, and the Stars

Release Date: November 17

A boy and his pet fox go on a quest to find a wolf who has eaten all the stars in the sky before the Shadow Witch destroys the stars and removes good magic from the world forever, perfect for fans of The Girl Who Drank the Moon and Nevermoor.

Long ago, the land of Ulv was filled with magic. But that was before a wolf ate all the Stars in the night sky, ridding the world of magic and allowing Shadow Creatures, beasts made of shadow and evil, to flourish. Twelve-year-old Bo knows the stories but thinks the Stars and the wolf who ate them are nothing more than myths—until the day Bo’s guardian, Mads, is attacked by a giant wolf straight from the legends. With his dying breath, Mads tells Bo that Ulv is in danger and the only way to prevent the Shadow Creatures from taking over is to return the Stars to the sky.

And so Bo—accompanied by his best friend, a fox called Nix, a girl named Selene who’s magic is tied to the return of the Stars, and Tam, a bird-woman who has vowed to protect Bo at all costs—sets off on a quest to find the three magical keys that will release the Stars. But Bo isn’t the only one who wants the Stars, and the friends soon find themselves fleeing angry villagers, greedy merchants, and a vengeful wolf. And all the while, an evil witch lurks in the shadows and time is running out.

Why I want to read it:

• Comped to Nevermoor! Does it every time, because I love that series so freaking much.
• More wolves! Yes to every book with wolves, please and thanks.
• Sounds like this world has some fantastic lore and legends.
• The magic in this seems charming and whimsical.
• I’m pretty sure this is a world that’ll be easy to fall into and get immersed in.

Sky Song

Release Date: November 17

The snowy kingdom of Erkenwald was once a magical place—until an evil ice witch cursed the land and began stealing the voices of the kingdom’s people to increase her powers.

Eska is one of the many prisoners of the Ice Queen. With no memories of her past, Eska only knows that she cannot allow the Ice Queen to take her voice, that it might be special in some way…

When young inventor Flint sneaks into the Ice Queen’s palace in an attempt to rescue his mother, he ends up rescuing Eska instead. Together, Flint and Eska must journey to the Never Cliffs and beyond in search of an ancient, long-forgotten song with the power to end the Ice Queen’s reign and return voice back to the people of Erkenwald.

This is the story of an eagle huntress, a boy inventor, and a wicked queen in a castle made from ice. But it’s also a story about finding a place to belong, even at the farthest reaches of the world.

Why I want to read it:

• I’ve heard such wonderful things about this author, and she’s been recommended so many times.
• That cover is absolutely gorgeous and whimsical and magical.
• I love characters that are young inventors! STEM, FTW!
• I love this world already. I just do. Can I move there now, please?
• I’m never too old for a good, solid adventure.

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