Summer 2021 Middle Grade Books We Can't Wait To Read

By: Shanleigh Klassen

One summer morning at sunrise a long time ago
I met a little girl with a book under her arm.
I asked her why she was out so early and
she answered that there were too many books and
far too little time. And there she was absolutely right.
― Tove Jansson


Ahh, summertime. A time to relax, play, and read to your heart's content. Alas, there's only so much time before school starts up again, so make sure you squeeze every last drop of summer out this year. And while you're at it, take a look at these incredible new releases out in middle grade! 


June Releases:
     Text reads The Hidden Knife by Melissa Marr. Cover shows two kids, a boy and girl, back-to-back, with two horses made of water behind them. They stand in front of a towering castle in the background.      Text reads A Spider-Man Graphic Novel, Miles Morales: Shock Waves written by Justin A. Reynolds, illustrated by Pablo Leon. Cover shows a young Afro-Latine boy running on a rooftop, holding onto a black Spider-Man mask. Background shows a yellow cityscape and a graffit-ed water tower.     Text reads Both Can Be True by Jules Machias. Cover shows two kids in purple tones, one with longer hair hanging upside down from top left side, one with shorter hair holding a small white dog at bottom right hand corner. Background colour is light blue.      Text reads Rea and the Blood of the Nectar by Payal Doshi, The Chronicles of Astranthia. Cover shows a young girl in a purple shirt with magical flames extending from palms. Background shows a black winged horse, a jeweled castle, a light pink fairy, and tree. Cover is framed by leaves.

July Releases:

      Text reads Josephine Against the Sea by Shakirah Bourne. Cover shows a young Black girl in a white tank top standing in magical waves with her hands on her hips. In the waves, there's a woman hover over the girl.      Text reads The Verdigris Pawn by Alysa Wishingrad, with a quote by Anne Ursu on the side. Cover shows three kids in a pawn piece silhoutte, each looking in a different direction. Background is teal with a dark brown pattern.      Text reads Maya and the Robot by Eve L. Ewing, illustrated by Christine Almeda. Cover shows a young Black girl in a orange tshirt linked arm-in-arm with a robot. Girl and Robot are surrounded by books, pencils, nuts, bolts, wires, and the like.      Text reads Weird Kid by Greg Van Eekhout. Tag line reads Sometimes it takes a little weird to get things back to normal. Cover showers a boy holding a guitar on a roof with a dog. Boy and dog stair off into the sunset, with other houses in the distance. House windows emanate an eerie glow.

August Releases:

      Text reads Black Boy Joy edited by Kwame Mbalia. Tag reads 17 stories celebrating black boyhood. Cover shows a young Black boy with natural hair smiling towards the camera. Title is in gold, background is light blue.      Text reads Kingdom of Secrets by Christyne Morrell. Cover shows a young Black girl with natural brown hair wearing a scarf and a young white girl with straight brown hair wearing a jacket staring into the camera. Girls are framed by a golden arch and colourful, patterned pillars. Colourful hot air balloons float above their heads.      Text reads Pax Samson The Cookout by Rashad Doucet and Jason Reeves. Cover shows a group of people in varying ages in a variety of superhero attire, posing heroically.      Text reads New York Times Bestselling author of Clean Getaway Nic Stone, Fast Pitch. Tag line reads Sometimes to win, you have to strike out. Cover shows a young Black girl in a backwards red baseball cap and orange striped shirt with her arms crossed. In one hand she holds a baseball mitt as she tosses a baseball with the other. Background is bright blue.

What books are you planning on reading this summer? Let us know in the comments!


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