Middle Grade Fiction

Swara, almost 9, lives in apartment building in Bengaluru, India. When the pandemic lockdown begins, she especially misses her maternal grandmother, whom she calls Pitter Paati.

Vale’s dad is a folklorist and her mom a geoscientist. Although Vale, 12, enjoys Papi’s stories, trekking near their Colombian home with him and her younger brother, Julián, in search of a patasola, a one-legged woman who sucks her victims’ blood (“Kind of like a vampire, but cooler”) isn’t her idea of a good time even before an earthquake strikes and Papi is injured.

Lawrence is quick to defend himself when he’s taunted, which has gotten him into trouble since he and his younger sister, Nik moved with their mom to Larenville, NC, to live with their grandmother.

A coming-of-age novel follows Modern Orthodox Milla and her best friend Honey (both white) as they prepare for their bat mitzvahs and navigate the ups and downs of a school year.

Mars rover Resilience (“Res”) is being built and tested primarily by NASA scientists Xander and Rania. Res’s understanding of the world is limited to the details in his coding and his observations of the humans around him.

Wolfskinder, German children left to survive in East Prussia after World War II, are the lesser-known subject of this moving historical novel.

In a society where status comes from how far back one can trace the generations of their family, Sai has only a father who’s a thief.

In this kindhearted, stand-alone companion to The Turtle of Oman, eight-year-old Aref moves from Oman to Ann Arbor, Michigan, so his parents can attend graduate school.  The start of their three-year stay is buoyed by welcoming new neighbors and a summer art class that helps ease Aref’s transition.

Lou and older sister Casey’s mom is about to marry Steve, an unwelcome change that means they’ll be moving from San Francisco to the suburbs, enrolling in new schools, and living far from friends.