Quick Lit: Middle Grade You Might Have Missed

I’ve gone back over my last few years of Quick Lit posts to highlight some middle grade titles I loved. Enjoy!

Northwind by Gary Paulsen

I am a huge Gary Paulsen fan. Hatchet influenced my first novel, May B. Brian’s Winter (and May B.) influenced my novel releasing next year, The Burning Season. Northwind was Paulsen’s last novel (he died in October 2021), and it’s a shining example of what he did best: sparely written survival stories with an eye on the wonders and dangers of nature.

We’re never told when or exactly where Northwind takes place, though it’s a medieval Nordic story (as Norse mythology is peppered in). When an terrible illness strikes, Leif is the only survivor left from his fish camp. He takes a canoe and heads north with the “moon currents” to “the heartbeat of the ocean.” The jacket copy says Northwind “does for the ocean what Hatchet does for the woods.” I agree wholeheartedly.

Wayward Creatures by Dayna Lorentz

Seventh-grader Gabe Meyer is in a rough patch. Things have been tense at home since his dad lost his job, and his friends, Owen and Leo, don’t have time for him anymore. One afternoon Owen and Leo invite Gabe to hang out, but their new friend, Taylor, makes Gabe feel like an outsider. Gabe does something impulsive and stupid in an attempt to win back his friends: he steals some fireworks from a convenience store and sets them off with the boys in a nearby park. A fire starts and the others scatter, leaving Gabe to deal with the consequences.

Nearby, in the woods, Rill, a young coyote, is fed up with her pack. She’s tired of looking out for her younger siblings. Her parents don’t appreciate her. She runs away just before a fire roars through, permanently separating her from her family.

This beautiful book about restoration really digs deep into the feelings of a young person (and coyote!) dealing with the consequences of poor decisions and coming to terms with those choices, the power of community, and the bonds formed between two unlikely friends. I can’t say it any better than Kirkus did in a starred review: “As a story about community, healing, and family—both human and animal—this is one of the best.” Winner of the NCTE Charlotte Huck Award.

Ten Thousand Tries by Amy Makechnie

When I finished Amy’s latest middle grade, I sent her an email saying something like, “You slayed me in the most beautiful way.”

Eighth-grader Golden Maroni is convinced he can master anything if he puts in the effort. He’s going to be soccer captain and get his team to the championship, he’s going to keep his best friend and neighbor from moving away, and he’s going to help his dad beat ALS — all he has to do is try hard enough. I loved Golden’s totally kid-like impulsivity, his big heart, his realistic relationship with his siblings and friends, and the way he slowly comes to terms with his father’s progressive and fatal illness. Soccer fans will gobble this up. Kids who have a family member with a difficult diagnosis will find comfort and so much love in this story.

The Patron Thief of Bread by Lindsay Eagar

Longtime readers here will know I’m a HUGE Lindsay fan. She has an incredible range and is just so good at what she does. (In fact, I describe all her work as an ode to story.) This book got SIX STARRED REVIEWS and is my prediction for next year’s Newbery. WHAT A BOOK!

So, let’s get a picture of it: Duck is a member of the Crowns, a Oliver Twist-like street gang in medieval France. She’s been singled out by the gang’s leader, Gnat, to serve as a funnel for her rag-tag family. Duck will work as an apprentice to Griselde Baker, providing weekly bread and pilfered coins for the Crowns. Duck relishes the chance to help her clan, but she also comes to love the bakery and the baker herself. Griselde (a fabulous, warm-hearted character who reminded me of the kind priest in Les Mis) is devoted to Duck, trusting her completely. Who exactly is Duck and where does she belong? And how does the gargoyle (and secondary narrator) perched on the never-finished cathedral where the Crowns live fit in?

Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

This middle grade novel opens with this dedication: For any child who needs this story: you are never alone. A heads up: it’s about sexual abuse and is handled in a way that is accessible and manageable for young readers. I finished this book days ago and haven’t stopped thinking about it. What Kimberly Brubaker Bradley has written is real, raw, compassionate, and needed. This isn’t an easy read, but it’s a book that’s hard to put down.

Ten-year-old Della and sixteen-year-old Suki have just entered foster care. For years, they’ve fallen through the cracks after their mother was sent to prison and they were left with her boyfriend who didn’t have custody of them. Foster care is a safe place for them, and it’s where they start to have some normalcy and begin to face the years they spent with their mother’s boyfriend. Suki is fiercely protective of her little sister. When she starts to pull away, Della is confused why her sister isn’t there for her. This is a story of sisterly love, of children having to be adults before they’re ready, of adults who do horrible things and others who are kind and supportive (and ones who have the potential to grow into the kind and supportive adults children need). This is a book I hope every school has available, as unfortunately, statistically speaking, sexual abuse touches lives in every classroom.

Any middle-grade titles you’d add to my list?