Archives de catégorie : Middle Grade

SCAREGROUND d’Angela Kecojevic

The brand-new spine-tingling middle-grade novel from Angela Kecojevic, featuring a deliciously spooky atmosphere and a feisty female protagonist, perfect for fans of Katherine Rundell and Jennifer Killick.

SCAREGROUND
by Angela Kecojevic
Seven Seas/Neem Tree Press, September 2023
(via Randle Editorial & Literary Consultancy)

Roll up, roll up, the Scareground is in town…

The infamous Tombola fair has not been back to Greenwich since tragedy struck it years ago, but everything changes when black balloons float into town announcing the return of the Scareground. The whole town is abuzz with excitement and anticipation but Mr and Mrs Crumpet, the bakers, forbid their adopted daughter Nancy from going.

Nancy is certain the fair holds the answers to the disappearance of her birth parents, and with her best friend Arthur Green by her side, they meet the peculiar Skelter Tombola and uncover a world full of magic, mystery and the macabre. But behind such wonders hides a darkness Nancy never expected, a place where she must confront her greatest fears. Not least that someone might find out her hidden talent/curse, just one more thing that makes her different and must be kept secret…

Angela Kecojevic is a senior librarian and a creative writing tutor and has written for the Oxford Reading Tree programme. She is also the author whose work inspired the multi award- winning adventure park ‘Hobbledown’. Her characters can be seen walking around the park, something she still finds incredibly charming! She is a member of the Climate Writers Fiction League, a group of international authors who use climate issues in their work.

NOT QUITE A GHOST d’Anne Ursu

From award-winning author Anne Ursu comes a dark, deeply-felt story of illness, of growing up, and of the ghosts that that lurk just beyond our sight—as well as the ones we carry with us.

NOT QUITE A GHOST
by Anne Ursu
HarperCollins, January 2024
(via DeFiore and Company)

The house on Katydid Street seems to sit apart from the others, silent and alone, like it doesn’t fit among them. For Violet Hart—whose family moves into the house—little feels like it fits anymore. Like her old home, too small since her mother remarried and the new baby arrived. Or her friend group, which since middle school began is no longer enough for Violet’s best friend, Paige. But maybe, Violet tells herself, change is sometimes okay. Then Violet sees her new room.

The attic bedroom is shadowy, creaky, and wrapped in faded wallpaper covered with twisting vines and sickly flowers. After moving in, Violet falls ill, and days turn into weeks without any improvement. Her family grows more confused and her friends wonder if she’s really sick at all.

Violet finds herself more and more alone in the room with the yellow wallpaper, the shadows moving in the corners, wrapping themselves around her at night. But soon, she starts to suspect that she might not be alone in the room at all….

Anne Ursu is the author of the acclaimed novels The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy, The Lost Girl, Breadcrumbs, and The Real Boy, which was longlisted for the National Book Award. The recipient of a McKnight Fellowship Award in Children’s Literature, Anne lives in Minneapolis with her family and an ever-growing number of cats.

THE DARK TIMES OF NIMBLE NOTTINGHAM de Ryan James Black

Set during World War II, a twelve-year-old orphan who accidentally unleashes a shadow monster onto the streets of London must team up with unlikely allies to hunt it down.

THE DARK TIMES OF NIMBLE NOTTINGHAM
by Ryan James Black
Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin, August 2025
(via Park, Fine & Brower)

Surviving on the streets of World War II London alone certainly hasn’t been easy, but Nimble Nottingham has perfected the art of going it alone—and that’s just how he likes it. The only friend he needs is his beloved dog, Winnie. To pass the time between rolling blackouts and bombs falling through the air, Nim spends his days fence-climbing, roof-jumping, and gargoyle-perching…that is when he’s not scrounging for food to stave off the ever-present hunger the war has brought to London.

So when opportunity strikes in the form of a bomb falling onto the notoriously creepy Gravenhurst Manor, Nim knows he has to get inside and find whatever spoils he can get his hands on to sell for food. Get in. Get out. Quick as a flash. At least, that was the plan until Mouse—a member of a local street gang called the Dead End Kids—shows up and invites himself along for the heist.

Inside, Mouse and Nim encounter far more than just crumbling walls and shattered windows. Beneath Gravenhurst Manor lies a secret room and inside that room is a locked safe. Nim, inspired by the Hardy Boys adventures he used to read at Waifs and Strays orphanage, knows that something this protected has to be valuable, and so he cracks the safe and unknowingly unleashes a monster.

A shadow creature is now loose on the streets of London, and it’s up to Nim, Mouse, and a band of unattended children to end its reign of terror.

“The twists and surprises just keep on coming. My kind of book! »—R.L. Stine, author of Goosebumps and Fear Street

Ryan James Black is Ryan James Black is a writer from Manitoba, Canada, where he lives with his wife, two children, and a Jumanji’s worth of pets. When not writing or reading, Ryan enjoys travelling, watching scary movies with all the lights on, and exploring the Great Outdoors with his family.

THE WINGFEATHER SAGA d’Andrew Peterson

Once, in a cottage above the cliffs on the Dark Sea of Darkness, there lived three children and their trusty dog, Nugget.

THE WINGFEATHER SAGA
by Andrew Peterson
WaterBrook/Crown, March 2020

Book 1: ON THE EDGE OF THE DARK SEA OF DARKNESS (March 2020)

Janner Igiby, his brother, Tink, and their disabled sister, Leeli, are gifted children as all children are, loved well by a noble mother and ex-pirate grandfather. But they will need all their gifts and all that they love to survive the evil pursuit of the venomous Fangs of Dang, who have crossed the dark sea to rule the land with malice. The Igibys hold the secret to the lost legend and jewels of good King Wingfeather of the Shining Isle of Anniera.

Full of characters rich in heart, smarts, and courage, ON THE EDGE OF THE DARK SEA OF DARKNESS is a tale children of all ages will cherish, families can read aloud, and readers’ groups are sure to enjoy discussing for its many layers of meaning. Extra features include new interior illustrations from Joe Sutphin, funny footnotes, a map of the fantastical world, inventive appendices, and fanciful line art in the tradition of the original Frank L. Baum Wizard of Oz storybooks.

Book 2: NORTH! OR BE EATEN (March 2020)

Janner, Tink, and Leeli Igiby thought they were normal children with normal lives and a normal past. But now they know they’re really the Lost Jewels of Anniera, heirs to a legendary kingdom across the sea, and suddenly everyone wants to kill them.

In order to survive, the Igibys must flee to the safety of the Ice Prairies, where the lizardlike Fangs of Dang cannot follow. First, however, they have to escape the monsters of Glipwood Forest, the thieving Stranders of the East Ben, and the dreaded Fork Factory. But even more dangerous are the jealousies and bitterness that threaten to tear them apart. Janner and his siblings must learn the hard way that the love of a family is more important than anything else.

Book 3: THE MONSTER IN THE HOLLOWS (September 2020)

Janner, Tink, and Leeli Igiby, the Lost Jewels of Anniera, are hiding from Gnag the Nameless in the Green Hollows, one of the few places in the land of Aerwiar not overrun by the Fangs of Dang. But there’s a big problem. Janner’s little brother–heir to the throne of Anniera–has grown a tail. And gray fur. Not to mention two pointed ears and long, dangerous fangs. To the suspicious folk of the Green Hollows, he looks like a monster. But Janner knows better. His brother isn’t as scary as he looks. He’s perfectly harmless. Isn’t he?

Book 4: THE WARDEN AND THE WOLF KING (September 2020)

All winter long, people in the Green Hollows have prepared for a final battle with Gnag the Nameless and the Fangs of Dang. Janner, Kalmar, and Leeli are ready and willing to fight alongside the Hollowsfolk. But when the Fangs make the first move and invade Ban Rona, the children are separated.

Janner is alone and lost in the hills; Leeli is fighting the Fangs from the rooftops of the city; and Kalmar, who carries a terrible secret, is on a course for the Deeps of Throg. Monsters and Fangs and villains lie between the children and their only hope of victory in the epic conclusion of THE WINGFEATHER SAGA.

Andrew Peterson is the bestselling author of the Wingfeather Saga, a singer/songwriter, and the founder of The Rabbit Room, which fosters community through story, art, and music. He and his wife, Jamie, live in Nashville.

SECRETS OF STONE de Coltrane Seesequasis

A fast-paced, fantasy adventure novel set in the post-human world ruled by sentient animals. A debut middle-grade novel and the first book of a planned four-book series that follows the adventures of the young wolf Silversong. Perfect for fans of Erin Hunter’s work, The Wings of Fire series, and Avatar: The Last Airbender.

SECRETS OF STONE
(A Wolf in the Sun, Book 1)
by Coltrane Seesequasis
Kegedonce Press, July 2024
(via The Rights Factory)

Centuries have passed since the forces of nature won the war against humanity. Sentient animals now rule a healing world, and as the stain of mankind continues to dwindle, a young wolf called Silversong is determined to rise in the hierarchy of his pack. Strong at manipulating wind and air, all he needs is a way to prove himself to his Chief.

Before he can get the respect he deserves, however, Silversong’s aspirations are cut short by the Heretic and his outcast wolves. Against all odds, the Heretic and his band of exiles escape their imprisonment far to the west and wreak havoc on Silversong’s pack. The exiles pose a threat unlike any other, and their enigmatic leader won’t stop his brutal conquest until all wolfkind submits to him.

Silversong can’t let a monstrous wolf like the Heretic roam free. With the wind at his back, he pursues the leader of the exiles into forests of shadow and into ancient places better left forgotten. But the further he strays from home, the more he comes to realize that maybe his enemies aren’t so evil after all. Maybe there’s a reason for the destruction they seek. and maybe there’s a far greater danger lying in wait.

Coltrane Seesequasis is a young fantasy writer of Willow Cree heritage who grew up in Gatineau, Quebec. Inspired by a love of nature as well as myths and folklore that challenge the limits of creativity, Coltrane Seesequasis joins a new generation of writers, adding his voice to the immersive genre of fantasy.