Archives de catégorie : Middle Grade

DEPARTMENT OF TREASURE de Steve Sheinkin

Award-winning and best-selling author Steve Sheinkin’s new middle-grade novel follows a group of friends as they set off on an unauthorized road trip in search of a legendary buried treasure. Drawing from the very true story of the Scottish privateer William Kidd, this comedy-adventure is perfect for new and established fans.

DEPARTMENT OF TREASURE
by Steve Sheinkin
Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan, Fall 2027
(via Writers House)

Photo credit: Rob Spring

Sam Sparkler dreams of becoming one of the world’s great treasure hunters. One day. For now, he’s content with metal detecting after lunch at school, digging up a coin on a lucky day. Not the most exciting life, but it’s tough enough adjusting to this new middle school, living with his mom’s new husband. But things start looking up when Sam’s nineteen-year-old step-brother, Tristan, comes into town. Tristan— who fancies himself a modern-day knight, traveling the land in his ice cream truck—is desperately in debt and has agreed to stay with Sam while their parents are off on a long weekend in Florida. It’s the recipe for the perfect adventure.

Inspired by a chapter in his favorite treasure book, Sam proposes a wild idea: solve the mystery of Captain Kidd’s buried treasure! Tristan needs the money, and Sam can’t pass up the chance to follow his treasure-hunting dreams. Rounding out the crew is Smiley Cortez, a clever girl Sam sort of knows from math class. She’s absolutely, one hundred percent joining this quest, invited or not.

But the team quickly discovers they’re not alone in their search. They have a dangerous rival: a disgruntled nonfiction author named Byron Bellamy. A letter buried in Bellamy’s files sets off a chase for clues that leads to a midnight showdown on New York City’s Governors Island, where the notorious Captain William Kidd just may have hidden his loot in the summer of 1699. Drawing on the true history of Captain Kidd, this is a story celebrating the fact that great treasures are still out there, sleeping below the ground. And adventure lives on, lurking under the surface of everyday life. As Sam has been known to say—What’s the point of a fantasy that can never come true?

Steve Sheinkin is the author of fast-paced, cinematic nonfiction including Bomb, Fallout, Undefeated, Born to Fly, The Port Chicago 50, and Impossible Escape, as well as The Bletchley Riddle, a middle grade historical mystery written with Ruta Sepetys. Steve’s accolades include a Newbery Honor, three Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards, a Sibert Medal and Honor, three National Book Award finalist honors, and the Margaret A. Edwards Award. He lives with his family in Saratoga Springs, New York.

THE PLACE BETWEEN WORDS de Jesset Karlen

When a boy’s untimely passing upsets the delicate balance between life and death, he must embark on a thrilling adventure to restore it. Sold in a heated four-house auction, and set against an immersive yet accessible fantasy world, this standalone middle-grade debut is perfect for fans of Erin Entrada Kelly, Grace Lin, and Kelly Barnhill.

THE PLACE BETWEEN WORDS
by Jesset Karlen
Simon & Schuster, Fall 2027
(via Writers House)

Quill Owens is dead, and that’s just the start of his troubles. Upon his untimely death, he is transported to the realm of the Betwixt, where his arrival inadvertently upsets the delicate balance of the two powerful beings that reside there: Life and Death. Now, with unchecked life wreaking havoc across the realm, Quill is tasked with finding Death’s long-ago stolen power. Without it, Death is too weak to check the overzealous power of Life, and the souls trapped in the Betwixt will never know peace.

As Quill scrambles to find footing in this strange new world and come to terms with his passing, he meets Ellie, a girl who claims to have died in the 1800s. She’s been stuck in the Betwixt ever since, unable to move on, but the circumstances of how she got there are shrouded in mystery. Together, Quill and Ellie set out to find the only one who might be able to help them both: Time, the middle sibling of Life and Death. But journeying in the Betwixt is not without its dangers—even for those who are already dead. Quill and Ellie will have to uncover the dark secrets of the famed Memory Market, make it through the Forgotten Library, and catch the elusive King of Dreams if they are to find the missing power. And all the while, Life has her own plans for Quill. She wants Death’s power for herself, and she’ll promise Quill anything to side with her. Anything—even a return to the land of the living.

Jesset Karlen is a writer from Vancouver Canada with a fondness for children’s literature and speculative fiction. He has participated in the Banff Centre’s writing residency, Diaspora Dialogues mentorship program, and he holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. He is also a content reader for PRISM International and Pulp Literature.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR EVIL ROBOT de Joy McCullough & Eduardo Medeiros

A hilarious and thought-provoking middle-grade graphic novel that uses a tiny would-be villain to explore the promise and pitfalls of artificial intelligence, blending comic book-style fun with big questions about technology, empathy, and what it means to be human, for fans of Adam Rubin and Peter Brown.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR EVIL ROBOT
by Joy McCullough
illustrated by Eduardo Medeiros
Sourcebooks Explore, July 2026

He’s three inches tall. He has enormous plans. And he’s about to learn a very important lesson.

This is the wildly funny picture book that helps kids make sense of the AI world they’re already living in — without any of the anxiety, and with all of the laughs. One kid, one skeptical dog, and one very overconfident robot walk readers through what AI can do, what it can’t, and why being human is still pretty great.

Perfect for curious kids, savvy parents, and anyone who wants to stay one step ahead of the robots!

The funniest AI book your kid will ever read — a tiny robot with massive ambitions meets his match in one clever kid and their very unimpressed dog
Finally — a way to talk to your kids about AI that’s actually fun, age-appropriate, and doesn’t require a computer science degree
Smart, funny, and wildly timely — covers what AI can do (and what it definitely cannot) in a way that sticks with young kids
Comics-style art and laugh-out-loud storytelling make every page an adventure — even the big ideas feel like play
The must-have gift for the AI age — because every kid is growing up with technology, and this book makes that hilarious instead of scary

Joy McCullough is an award-winning author and a NYT bestseller. She writes books and plays from her home in the Seattle area, where she lives with her husband and two children.

Eduardo Medeiros is a Brazilian author and artist, and has been captivated by storytelling since childhood and has always dreamed of creating comics. Eduardo enjoys quality time with his 4-year-old son, Gabriel, or hitting the road in his beloved vintage car.

THE NEST (GRAPHIC NOVEL) de Kenneth Oppel

Kenneth Oppel has re-imagined his acclaimed novel as a graphic novel with stunning artwork by Susan Kao.

THE NEST: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL
by Kenneth Oppel
Simon & Schuster, April 2027
(via Writers House)

She was very blurry, not at all human looking. There were huge dark eyes, and a kind of mane made of light, and when she spoke, I couldn’t see a mouth moving, but I felt her words, like a breeze against my face, and I understood her completely. “We’ve come because of the baby,” she said. “We’ve come to help.”

For some kids, summer is a sun-soaked season of fun. But for Steve, it’s just another season of worries. Worries about his sick newborn baby brother who is fighting to survive, worries about his parents who are struggling to cope, even worries about the wasp’s nest looming ominously from the eaves.

So when a mysterious wasp queen invades his dreams, offering to “fix” the baby, Steve thinks his prayers have been answered.

All he has to do is say “Yes.” But “yes” is a powerful word. It is also a dangerous one. And once it is uttered, can it be taken back?

A compelling story that explores disability and diversity, fears and dreams, and what ultimately makes a family.

Kenneth Oppel is the author of numerous books for young readers. His award-winning Silverwing trilogy has sold over a million copies worldwide and been adapted as an animated TV series and stage play. Airborn won a Michael L. Printz Honor Book Award and the Canadian Governor General’s Literary Award for children’s literature; its sequel, Skybreaker, was a New York Times bestseller and was named Children’s Novel of the Year by the London Times. He is also the author of Half Brother, This Dark Endeavor, Such Wicked Intent, The Boundless, The Nest, and Inkling. Born on Canada’s Vancouver Island, he has lived in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, Canada; in England and Ireland; and now resides in Toronto with his wife and children.

MILO & THE MONSTROUS BETWIXT de Rebecca Mix

A beautifully written book, filled with heart, and an incredible adventure for fans of the magic and wonder of The Boy & The Heron and Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow.

MILO & THE MONSTROUS BETWIXT
by Rebecca Mix
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, July 2027
(via Dystel, Goderich & Bourret)

Milo Huron is fine. Even though his mom is always gone, and his dad up and walked out years ago. But when Milo and his sister are sucked into a portal world called the Betwixt, a strange land where memories are currency and children transform into monsters once they have no more memories to offer, things become decidedly less fine.

Then a fierce memory-stealing monster called the Magpie captures Milo’s little sister. Now, with the help of a definitely-cursed sword, an annoying Will o Wisp, and a Betwixter girl, Milo has until the next new moon complete seven monstrous trials, reach the Magpie’s lair, and save his sister — or they’ll both be turned into monsters for good.

Rebecca Mix is the New York Times bestselling author of stories about weird magic & hope. Her debut novel, The Ones We Burn, was an instant New York Times & Indiebound bestseller. Her other books include The Mossheart’s Promise, the first in a middle grade fantasy duology out now, and Neopets: The Omelette Faerie, official graphics novel developed in partnership with the game.