On Guard! by Cassidy Wasserman - ESSENTIAL

On Guard! by Cassidy Wasserman, 252 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL RH Graphic Random House, 2025. $22 

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

Grace is going in to 7th grade alone. Her best friend dropped her at the end of the last school year. Grace is unsure of herself and wants to hide from her old friend. Plus, her parents have gotten a divorce and her relationship with her mother is difficult. Grace signs up for the fencing club, hoping to gain a friend and perhaps a more sure footing. 

This book brings up a lot of issues: losing a friend in middle school when friends go different direction, mother-daughter relations, divorce, trying something new, and trying not to look foolish in front of peers. This is a great book that addresses all of that. The biggest focus may be on imperfect family relations and how to work on them and that it's ok to advocate for yourself. The fencing is only a side bar, really. Great way to spark discussion and realize you're not alone. The art is bright and well done. Grace appears white, but has friends from multiple backgrounds. 

Michelle in the Middle 

Beth is Dead by Katie Bernet - MANY

Beth is Dead by Katie Bernet, 400 pages. Simon and Schuster, JANUARY 2026. $20 

Language: R (47 swears, 6 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG-13 (steamy makeout mentioned, off-page sex, drinking, drunkenness mentioned); Violence: PG-13 (death, blood mentioned) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

Beth March is dead. Who killed her? The police aren’t letting anyone off the hook - including her three sisters. Meg, Jo, or Amy might have motives - but sisters can argue without wanting each other dead, right? Jo is sure this is somehow related to the best-selling book their author father wrote based on the girls’ lives. But they haven’t heard from him in six months now. The surviving sisters will have to figure out who Beth's murderer is before someone they love is irrevocably charged.

I had to separate what I know from reading Little Women many times from the characters in Bernet’s modern murder mystery reweaving. I don’t think many of my students have read the original nor seen any of the movies - so how will they enjoy this? I think they will like it alot. Bernet gives us plenty of suspects with motive and added sisterly and high school drama. The addition of their own father being the author of the book that compels them to insta-fame was great. So don’t hesitate to buy this because it is “just another rewrite”. And recommend it to your adult friends who love the original - I had a great time seeing how Bernet used the characters - both main, secondary, and tertiary - in familiar ways and how she deviated from their origins and storylines. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS 

When Sally O'Malley Discovered the Sea by Karen Cushman - ADVISABLE

When Sally O'Malley Discovered the Sea by Karen Cushman, 230 pages. Knopf (Random House), 2025 $18. 

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (peril, attempted hold-up) 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

13yo Sally was raised in an orphanage in the late 1800s, and things have never worked out for her. So, when she loses her latest job at a hotel in Oregon, she decides to leave on her own and head west. She's heard the sea is something to see. She has some tips from her job at the hotel, and buys a pair a dungarees so she can rip off the torn hem of her dress. When a delivery wagon comes by, and a woman named Major offers Sally a ride, she takes it, despite her promise to herself to trust nobody. But when Major gets an unusual shipment - a spoiled 7yo boy named Lafayette, Sally wonders if walking would have been a better plan. 

I was so excited to see another book by Karen Cushman! Sally is funny and smart and independent. Lafayette was perfectly irritating, and Major the kindest. Cushman's character development was spot on. Because they are traveling, there are a lot of side characters, but even they are fleshed out a bit - the Saloon girl who brings Sally and Lafayette sandwiches to the drunk robber on the road - tiny pieces of the stock characters of the west. Marvelous. It was hard to pinpoint the time period - Sally mentions once having to wait for something until 1899, so we know it takes place before then. I adored When Sally O'Malley Discovered the Sea and am so happy to add it to my Karen Cushman collection. Sally and her companions are white. 

Lisa Librarian 

Survive This Safari by Natalie D. Richards - ESSENTIAL

Survive This Safari by Natalie D. Richards, 384 pages. Random House, 2025. $18 

Content: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ESSENTIAL; MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

12yo Lucy has earned a place on a team to try out a new escape room style game set in her favorite safari park - Wildlands - where her older sister works. Paired with three others, she is spending the night and solving puzzles - and one of their team has the chance to become a student ambassador for the park. Lucy is anxious to prove her worth; she loves animals, but on her previous tryout, she froze on the viewing platform and had to be rescued. She is hoping that she can overcome her anxiety issues and win the spot. 

Richards creates great tension between the group members without resorting to melodrama. The addition of a real crisis in the park ups the stakes in a way that works well. While I am not a fan of anxiety as a plot point, I did enjoy how Lucy receives encouragement and sound advice from her teammates along the way. Fans of Stuart Gibbs’s funjungle books will also enjoy Lucy’s story. 

 Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS 

Penny Draws a Team Sport by Sara Shepard - ADVISABLE

Penny Draws a Team Sport by Sara Shepard, 218 pages DOODLE FICTION Putnam (Penguin), 2025. $15 

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

Penny Lowry is a fifth-grader who is an artist, not an athlete. Her PE teacher has proposed a pickleball tournament to raise money for an animal shelter. Penny reluctantly signs up with the rest of her class and her buddy Rocco. They make a pact not to take the game too seriously, which works out fine until Rocco discovers he's really good at pickleball. Now Penny is worried she'll let down Rocco and the whole school with her playing. 

There is some nice humor and Shepard captures elementary school angst well. I wish the art and the captions were bigger so I could read them easier. That said, this is along the lines of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" format but with more text, making it a deeper read. Students should be able to relate to Penny's anxiety and nervousness about not being good at something as well as studying for end of year testing. Race isn't mentioned, and it's difficult to tell what anyone's ethnicity is from the line drawings. 

Michelle in the Middle 

Murder Between Friends by Liz Lawson - SEVERAL

Murder Between Friends by Liz Lawson, 384 pages. Random House, 2025. $20 

Language: R (73 swears, 11 ‘f’); Mature Content:PG-13 (smoking weed mentioned, pantless mentioned, romantic entanglements mentioned) ; Violence:PG (murder and dead body mentioned) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

Henry’s brother Jake was incarcerated for murder based on the testimony of Grace - not only one of his BFFs, but also the girl he had secretly started dating. Now Jake has been released on a technicality, but a new trial will be coming soon. Ally, the other member of the BFFs, is determined to prove Jake’s innocence before it is too late. And Grace is beginning to question her own memories of that night. But the murderer is out there and they do not want their secrets to be exposed. 

Lawson tells the story from the alternating POVs of the BFFs. Lawson has them vacillating between a variety of suspects. The tension between the former best friends is nicely handled - Lawson avoids the mean girl trope trope and also avoids having everything be drugs and alcohol related. The relationships that are implied to be sex related are between adults. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS 

The House Next Door by Ellen Oh - ADVISABLE

The House Next Door by Ellen Oh, 192 pages. HarperCollins, September 2025. $19. 

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (the children are clawed, and there is talk of eating the youngest, the monster battle is intense, and the kids do have to kill things.) 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

12yo Rory lives next door to a haunted house. Years ago his best friend Joey was seriously injured when he fell down the stairs in the house and his family eventually moved. Now Rory sees ghosts walking around inside, and sinister eyes watching him. His grandfather came for a visit from Japan and showed Rory how to spray holy water around the house to protect himself. Now, a new boy, Jack, and his sister Mira have moved in. Jack doesn't believe in ghosts, but Rory knows someone needs to protect Mira, and he knows just what to do 

First of all, Ellen Oh must be a connoisseur of fine Japanese and Korean food because all the dishes sound fantastic and now I'm craving Korean Fried Chicken. With more adults than kids in the story, I had a lot of names to keep track of, and the main job of the adults seemed to be to cook all the food. Jack is smart, and had some great ideas on defeating what was in the house. Good build as well to the final battle. Keeping some salt near me for the next few nights just in case. Jack and his family are Korean, Rory is Japanese. 

Lisa Librarian 

Spirit Service by Sarena and Sasha Nanua - OPTIONAL

Spirit Service by Sarena and Sasha Nanua, 320 pages. Simon & Schuster, 2025. $18 

Content: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: SOME 

7th grader Raveena wants to save her school’s art program, but she and her three BFFs are having a hard time coming up with a service project to help them win a school-wide contest, which would restore funding to a couple of programs. At a local antiques store, Raveena is literally shocked by a pink rotary phone, which then rings, and the voice on the other end turns out to be an actual ghost. The girls may have the edge they need - help spirits pass on, make money, and win the contest. 

 The four girls on the cover look multi-cultural, but that’s about the extent of their culture. The town they live in is founded by and embraces spiritualism, so that isn’t a big leap for them. I like the reviewers that compare the book to Babysitters Club meets Ghostbusters. Nothing earth-shattering here to read, but reasonably enjoyable. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS 

Speak Up, Santiago by Julio Ata, illustrated by Gabi Mendez - ESSENTIAL

Speak Up, Santiago by Julio Ata, illustrated by Gabi Mendez, 220 pages GRAPHIC NOVEL RH Graphic Random House, 2025. $22 

Language: G (0 swears) Mature Content: G Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

Santiago is going to visit his grandmother in Hillside Valley to improve his Spanish the summer before he starts 7th grade. His dad is Columbian and speaks Spanish, but his mother is of European descent and only speaks English. Santiago is really self conscious about his accent and ability to keep up with the language. Perhaps the universal language of soccer will help him, but as he prepares for a soccer tournament, his self doubts might be his own worst enemy. 

I loved that a lot of the text is in Spanish. Most of it is translated, but not all. I also liked that some words were inked out, because Santiago couldn't understand them when people talked too fast. This is a great book for Spanish speakers trying to learn English, or English speakers trying to learn Spanish. It is a real empathy builder for second generation kids who are trying to learn their heritage through language and have lost either language or culture. As an English speaker, the book was totally accessible. As someone who wants to learn Spanish, I found it insightful. Positive relationships and message-loved it! 

Michelle in the Middle 

Meet Me at Sunset by Lee Heart - ADVISABLE

Meet Me at Sunset by Lee Heart, 160 pages. Simon Spotlight, 2025. $8 (pb)

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Julie is looking forward to a summer at the family beach house, but is not excited when her parents invite an acquaintance, Sophia, to come along. Julie had plans to catch the eye of her summer crush, James, and she drags Sophia into them. Cue a bit of relationship drama, changes of plans, and mild hijinks.

Very much a first crush book. Heart does a good job of keeping all of the relationships light - Julie and Sophia have misunderstandings, which do not become drag-out wars; the girls have crushes which do not become major make-out sessions. I applaud showing early relationships which do not need to become soap opera episodes. Plus it is such a great length for a middle grade book. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS 

The Unlikely Heroes Club by Kate Foster - ADVISABLE

The Unlikely Heroes Club by Kate Foster, 198 pages. Candlewick, 2023 (US edition 2025) $18. 

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SOME 

11yo Oli has been enrolled in 1 week course for autistic kids and their family called Hero Club. The kids learn about emotions and being friendly while the parents receive training in another room. Although Oli is initially reluctant to participate, the kids soon bond - over a dog they can see hiding in a derelict building near by. Maybe they can be real heroes and rescue the dog. 

I loved seeing Oli and the others grow a bit during the classes - I liked that they had homework and that 

Oli's family was so supportive. There was a parent who seemed impatient, almost embarrassed by their child, and it was good to notice that, while we didn't see what the parents were learning, there was some change there as well. I also loved that each child had an obvious strength, one draws beautifully, another sings and dances. Oli's character was smartly developed - I connected with him right away and cared about his choices. A nice book to build empathy or for an autistic child to see themself and others like them. Oli describes himself as brown. 

Lisa Librarian 

Dating and Dragons by Kristy Boyce - ADVISABLE

Dating and Dragons by Kristy Boyce, 336 pages. Random House, 2024. $13 (pb)

Language: PG-13 (44 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG (light kissing); Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

After the dramatic break-up with her best friend and D&D group, Quinn is ready for a fresh start when her family moves to be closer to her aging grandmother. While she quickly finds a new group, she also finds a very cute, very enticing boy in that group - which also has a no dating policy. Try as she might, Quinn can’t seem to stay away from Logan.

While also connected to gaming like Dungeons and Drama, Quinn’s story doesn’t have the same emotional power for me. I was irritated by her dithering, which did not read as romantic tension. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS 

Eyes on the Sky by J. Kasper Kramer - OPTIONAL

Eyes on the Sky by J. Kasper Kramer, 256 pages. Atheneum (Simon), 2025. $18

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

After her parents died, now 12yo Dorothy has been cared for by her older brother, who was recalled from duty in World War II. Dorthy’s fascination with science, especially outer space, has her at odds with her brother, who is trying his best to keep life and limbs, Dorothy’s limbs, together. When her weather balloon experiment gets caught up in a potential crash, Dorothy also becomes entangled with the federal government, who have secrets at nearby Roswell that Dorothy’s antics could expose.

Kramer could have given us an actual historical fiction book about life around Roswell in the 1940’s, but takes things step too far and out of actual historical context and into science fiction. While movies like the Marvel Universe sell well on screen, they do not sell well as middle grade books. I would have a hard time finding an audience for this one.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS 

Framed! Crime Fighting Collection (#1-3) by James Ponti - ADVISABLE

Framed! Crime Fighting Collection (#1-3) by James Ponti. Aladdin (Simon). $30

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: MANY

Ponti’s original mystery series has been reprinted in paperback with great new covers which help them pair better side by side with the Sherlock Society set. I like all of Ponti’s books - perfect for middle grade readers. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

A Study in Secrets (Last Chance Academy #1)by Debbi Michiko Florence - OPTIONAL

A Study in Secrets (Last Chance Academy #1)by Debbi Michiko Florence, 304 pages. Aladdin (Simon), 2025. $18

Content: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Since her mom died, 12yo Meg  tried to get her father’s attention by doing worse and worse in school, but this has only landed her in a boarding school that the kids call Last Chance Academy, for troubled but wealthy and smart students. Meg’s not really interested in making friends, but there are only 3 other kids in her age group.  When a mysterious invitation for a treasure hunt arrives, with a prize that Meg really wants, she is determined to be the first to the prize.

I was expecting more intrigue and excitement  - the blurb compares it to Only Murders in the Building.  Instead it is a puzzle-solving book, no blood or death involved. Fans of The Westing Game or Gollywhopper Games could enjoy this.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

This Could Be Forever by Ebony LaDelle - OPTIONAL

This Could Be Forever by Ebony LaDelle, 384 pages. Simon & Schuster, 2025. $20.

Language: R (129 swears, 7 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Needing to see her future college campus before she can accept, Deja (17yo) goes to the University of Maryland over spring break. After she falls in love with the city and the campus, she celebrates her college decision with a tattoo—and feels the first sparks of love with her tattoo artist, Raja (18yo). They come from wildly different family cultures and expectations, but, if their love could be forever, then it’s worth every battle.

LaDelle’s characters are not only dealing with the pressures of staying home versus moving out and decisions about college majors that will impact their future dream careers, they also have to choose whether their relationship is worth clashing with their loved ones over traditions and biases. As readers watch these characters navigate all these difficult decisions, they will see examples of self care and reprioritizing activities, including letting some go until a later time, and the importance of support systems and honesty. Maybe the decisions readers are facing aren’t exactly the same, but we have all felt the chaos of having to make difficult choices now all at once, and Deja’s and Raja’s stories illustrate hope for a happy ending for each of us.

Deja and her family are Black, Raja and his family are Nepali, and there are characters whose families are from Sri Lanka and the Dominican Republic. A couple side characters are mentioned as being part of the LGBT community. The mature content rating is for alcohol use (including underage drinking), kissing, mild innuendo, and mentions of drugs, menstruation, and sex.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

The House No One Sees by Adina King - OPTIONAL

The House No One Sees by Adina King, 295 pages. Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan), 2025. $20

Language: R (24 swears, 21 ‘f'); Mature Content:  R (mentions of sex for drugs, mention of rape, attempted rape, grooming, drug use); Violence: R (animal killing, abuse, neglect, bullying, death by overdose)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

A trauma narrative in verse and prose. Penny is celebrating her 16th birthday at the carnival with friends. When she gets a desperate text from her estranged mother, it pulls her into the difficult memories of her past. Penny grew up with an opioid addicted mother who could be kind and sweet, emotionally abusive, and neglectful, depending on her state of mind. She often had men of questionable character staying at the house. The story is interwoven with a fairy tale theme as Penny tries to make sense of her past to move forward with her future. 

Beautifully written, but it was hard to read about the difficulties Penny had as a result of her mother's addiction. Luckily, at some point, she was sent to live with her grandparents, who loved and cared for her. I liked the continued theme of fairy tales throughout the narrative. There was also a somewhat creepy metaphor of the house throughout. Some readers will relate to Penny's experiences.  Penny is assumed to be white.

Reviewer: A. Snow, Librarian

A Home For Unusual Monsters by Shaun David Hutchinson - ADVISABLE

A Home For Unusual Monsters (Kairos Files #2) by Shaun David Hutchinson, 288 pages. Random House, 2025. $18

Content: G (mild danger)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

With her ability to make others see her as she wants them too, Sam could be an excellent agent for Kairos - a secret agency that investigates mysterious happenings. Sam has been sent to the Griffin family, where the grandfather, Archie, a former Kairos agent, has recently passed away. Archie supposedly kept of monsters hidden all over the world and Kairos wants that list before someone else finds it. But as Sam looks for the list, she also learns what being part of a family could be, and she wants to investigate the strange family next door, even though she;’s been told not to. 

You don’t need to read the first book in the series to follow number two - I had no idea there was a  book #1. The cover is more appealing to upper elementary than true middle school readers, but the action will be satisfying for those that pick it up. I never caught a definitive age for Sam, but this being middle grade, she’s probably 12.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Give Me Something Good to Eat by D. W. Gillespie - ADVISABLE

Give Me Something Good to Eat by D. W. Gillespie, 259 pages. Delacorte (Random House), 2024. $18

Language: G (0 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG (kidnappings) ; Violence: PG (many dastardly creatures and some fighting)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Mason knows there is something wrong with his town, Pearl - ever since his best friend, Marco, went missing on Halloween.  Mason remembers Marco, but no one else, not even Marco’s parents does. This Halloween Mason is determined to figure out what is going on, but his parents have saddled him with taking his younger sister Meg out with him.  Mason is mad that Meg is cramping his style until the moment he realizes that Meg is this year’s victim - how could he be so careless! Mason is determined to rescue Meg and find out the truth about the yearly Halloween-related disappearances, even if he has to find his way into the flip side of Pearl - an underworld ruled by an evil witch who uses the disappeared in a dastardly scheme.

Gillespie’s story is the right amount of dark and disturbing, with hope and sibling determination combined. What the witch does with the souls of the disappeared is downright creepy, but is nicely set off with Mason and his friends' heroics.  I prefer my horror with a positive ending.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Incorruptibles by Lauren Magaziner - OPTIONAL

The Incorruptibles by Lauren Magaziner, 386 pages. Aladdin (Simon), 2025. $19

Language: G (4 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: G (some fighting)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

After fighting against the children of the local evil sorcerers who rule their lives in Fiora’s small village, and then tangling with even more powerful sorcerers known as the Radiance, fiora and her uncle are running for their lives with the aid of a group of Incorruptibles - a technology-focused group whose goal is force the sorcerers from power. Fiora is given a chance to become an Incorruptible, or Inc, but because she started late, even her own squad are slow to welcome her. Then it seems that someone is feeding information to the Radiance - and Firoa will go to great lengths to prove her own innocence and catch the culprit.

I only rated Magaziner’s book as OPTIONAL, because it is awfully long, especially as it reads more for upper elementary, rather than middle school. Your voracious fantasy will love it. 

The characters cue white. A trans character mentioned.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS