6 New Middle Grade Books, August 2024
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I’m only sharing six August middle grade books after deciding most others ones I would not recommend. Luckily, I’m already way more impressed by September’s middle grade books, which I can safely say are AMAZING. (Thankfully!)
For August, these six are the best books of the month.
And in case you missed it, see which books are my favorite middle grade books of 2024 so far!
Middle Grade, August 2024
Mia and Friends written by Karlin Gray, illustrated by Micheline Hess
GRAPHIC NOVEL BIOGRAPHY
Soccer fans will love reading about Mia Hamm as a child who loved sports. They’ll read about how hard she worked and her humility as an elite athlete who, along with her team, went to the World Cup and the Olympics. Mia broke the 100-point record but always gave credit to her teammates.
Molly and the Bear: An Unlikely Pair written by Bob Scott and Vicki Scott with art by Bob Scott and color by Vicki Scott 
GRAPHIC NOVEL HUMOR
When Bear breaks into Molly’s house for cookies, she learns that he’s not your ordinary bear. He’s an anxious bear with many fears and phobias and he won’t go home (it’s too scary in a cave). Molly agrees to hide Bear in her house. (As one does.) When it’s time for Molly to go back to school, she decides to bring Bear along. Of course, the other kids LOVE Bear. Who wouldn’t? But the teachers FREAK OUT! Then, her parents discover Bear — and now things are really complicated! This is a fantastic friendship adventure with Calvin and Hobbes vibes.
Invisible Isabel written by Sally J. Pla, illustrated by Tania de Regil
REALISTIC / ANXIETY
Isabel’s stomach hurts, especially when kids are mean to her at school, or the teacher is unkind. Her parents (who I strongly dislike for most of the book) tell her that she’s imagining the pain. But, then Isabel’s stomach gets worse–and she’s hospitalized with appendicitis. Finally, her mom listens to Isabel about her stomach pain–hooray, both the medical pain and the worry moth pain, and does what she should have done all along. She listens and believes her daugher. Talk about a great character arc and a gift to Isabel.
My oldest daughter had stomach aches from her worries (I took her to the doctor ALL the time. The doctor finally told me nothing was medically wrong — and we ended up on a therapeutic journey.) My youngest daughter had stomach aches due to severe food allergies, constipation, and gut infections. I hope we can all learn from Isabel’s parents’ growth and always believe our kids when they tell us something is wrong.
Double Booking: The Tail of the Mummy Cat written by Chas! Panburn and Kim Shearer, illustrated by Nic Touris
GRAPHIC NOVEL ADVENTURE
If you like fast-paced adventures, read this graphic novel about a trip to Egypt when (often bickering) siblings Otto and Nan first explore while their travel blogger mom works. Inside a pyramid, Nan loses her bracelet, and they accidentally release a mummy and the mummy’s cat. Now they have to find the mummy cat who is traipsing through the city, causing lots of damage. Not only is the adventure exciting but there’s a very fun surprise... in the middle of this book, you can flip the book over and read the same story from a different perspective! (With a different art style.) How cool is that?
A Bite Above the Rest written by Christine Virnig
SLIGHTLY SCARY
Caleb and his mom move to a town where everyone dresses in costumes like it’s always Halloween. But it doesn’t take long before Caleb suspects that some of the costumes are real — and that the town is full of vampires and werewolves. Incidentally, Caleb’s costumes are hilarious puns –that no one “gets” except his one new friend, Tai. He and Tai decide to uncover the truth about the town. Don’t worry, this is a delightful adventure and not at all scary, perfect for scaredy cats like me and kids who like mysteries with spooky elements, and themes of friendship and family.
The Epic Guide to Dragon Masters written and illustrated by Tracey West
SERIES GUIDE
This full-color guide filled with drawings and maps has over 200 pages of information about the Dragon Masters‘ history, setting, characters, and dragon mythology, plus short stories. Honestly, this guide is so well done that it will entice kids who haven’t read the series to read it. For fans of the series, it’s a must-own. **Incidentally, if you want to encourage kids to write — writing your own ULTIMATE GUIDE is a great way to do it.
KEEP READING
