Archives de catégorie : Middle Grade

LIONEL MESSI’S WORLD CUP TRIUMPH de Chris Barish & Nate Sweitzer

This thrilling new nonfiction graphic novel series offers a front row seat to the greatest moments in sports history, starting with Lionel Messi and his triumph in the 2022 FIFA World Cup against French superstar Kylian Mbappé.

LIONEL MESSI’S WORLD CUP TRIUMPH
(History’s Greatest Games #1)
by Chris Barish
illustrated By Nate Sweitzer
Abrams Fanfare, March 2026

Age Range: 8 – 12

It’s the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, and Lionel Messi—one of the greatest players to ever take the field—is one match away from victory. Despite his many awards and accolades, Messi has never been able to add a World Cup trophy to his collection. If Argentina wins, this would be a historic moment not just for the country, but for the entire legacy of soccer on the international stage. Travel back in time to learn how the World Cup began and see the incredible players—from Maradona to Mbappé—who built it into the global phenomenon we know today.

This exciting new graphic novel series offers a portal to the past, putting young readers in the middle of the most epic moments in sports history. Along with action-packed games and nail-biting victories, this series zooms out to explore the incredible backstories, social and political issues, and larger historical context that truly make these games the greatest in history.

This will be the first graphic novel to tell his incredible story for middle-grade readers. Along with play-by-play scenes from actual games, Chris Barish expertly adds trivia, fun facts, and historical context that soccer fans will love.

When Chris Barish is not reading about sports or history, he’s writing about sports history. Much like the first person who ever put together the chocolate and the marshmallow, he realized that it was possible to combine his two favorite things to make an even cooler thing. Barish currently lives in New York with his family, in a house filled with sports gear, books, instruments and lots of muddy boots.

Nate Sweitzer became an illustrator shortly after he could hold a pencil. His work bridges the past and present, blending techniques from art history with fresh approaches from the digital world. He brings human stories to life with dynamic illustrations full of action, suspense, and striking perspectives. A lifelong fan of history and sports, Nate draws inspiration from the drama of real-life events and athletes competing at the highest level. He works out of his studio in New York, creating artwork for books, magazines, and posters. When he’s away from his desk, you’ll likely find him exploring the outdoors, watching sports, or stubbornly refusing to change his guitar strings.

WHISKED AWAY de Shaina A. Cordas

A whimsical middle-grade cosy fantasy perfect for those who are glued to their screens every Bake Off season.

WHISKED AWAY
by Shaina A. Cordas
(via Zeno)

On an island kingdom, where sugar is currency, twelve-year-old Sundae secretly enters a life changing baking competition with a stolen thimble of sugar and her best friend, Basil the ferret, hidden in her pocket. Of course, entering the competition breaks her father’s only rule: no baking, no matter what! But Sundae is determined to change his mind about her greatest passion, and is determined to win the competition and its prize—an endless sugar fortune.

Sundae brings a secret talent to the baking competition; the ability to weave the stories she loves into her recipes. As the contest picks up speed, Sundae is forced to bake at new and dizzying heights as she keeps her secret, even from friends that begin to feel like family. As the final draws closer Sundae finds herself facing her greatest rival—the kingdom’s reclusive prince.

But when Sundae discovers that this year’s winner will also be named heir apparent to the realm, the competition becomes more than the chance to win her fortune. Sundae isn’t sure that she wants to rule, especially now that she’s discovered a wide world outside her little village.

Shaina a. Cordas is a middle grade and young adult fantasy author dedicated to whimsy and adventure. Shaina made the 2025 RevPit shortlist, and won the 2020 Story Pony flash fiction contest. Her writing has appeared in the Rejection Letters literary magazine. She has a degree in Biology and English, which she’s used in grant-writing and fundraising for nonprofits.

FORBIDDEN MOUTAIN de Brandon Mull

Choose your guardian. Choose your destiny. From the #1 bestselling author of the Fablehaven and Beyonders series comes an epic new fantasy set in a world where children bond with a spiritual guide—some promising greatness and glory, while others, destruction and death.

FORBIDDEN MOUTAIN
by Brandon Mull
Labyrinth Road/Random House, April 2026
(via Writers House)

Every Anoran child dreams of the day they will enter the sacred bonding hut and match with a guardian—a spiritual guide who grants magically enhanced abilities. A lucky few will bond with Advocates, who promise greatness and glory. Others will be tempted by forbidden offers from the Accursed—dangerous spirits who bring nothing but destruction and a penalty of death to any Anoran who chooses them. But when Mako discovers that the worst of these agents of chaos has returned to spread an ancient evil through the empire, he faces an unthinkable choice: Will he bond with one of the Accursed to gain the power to stop another?

Halfway across the empire, Arden has no guardian and no prospects of adventure…until she infiltrates an underground criminal network to find her missing friend. Relying on her knack for sensing the truth through even the smoothest lies, Arden finds herself at the center of a sinister conspiracy that runs much deeper than she ever imagined.

Soon Mako’s and Arden’s fates collide, and together they must face bandit armies, dark secrets, and untold dangers to fight an enemy who could destroy all they’ve ever known.

Brandon Mull no longer lives on the side of a mountain above a prison. He now resides in a happy little valley near the mouth of a canyon with his wife and three children. Since the arrival of his new daughter, he is more the golem of the household than ever, following whatever orders trickle down the chain of command. Brandon is the author of the New York Times bestselling Fablehaven books and The Candy Shop War.

CREEPY KID de Caleb Michael Roehrig

It’s one thing to see ghosts—it’s another to have one for a roommate. This hilariously creepy page-turner features a macabre-obsessed kid who moves into a haunted house only to find that communing with the other side might be a little more than he bargained for. It’s a heartfelt but snappy exploration of grief, moving on, and finding one’s place in the world, developed in conjunction with the hit-making movie production studio, Temple Hill.

CREEPY KID
by Caleb Michael Roehrig
HarperCollins Children’s Books, August 2026

Creepy Kid is a heartfelt, spooky-funny middle grade novel developed in conjunction with the hit-making powerhouse Temple Hill Productions that’s sure to make you laugh, jump in fright, cry, then jump in fright again.

LIGHT HORROR: As spooky stories continue to be winners in the middle grade marketplace, Creepy Kid is perfectly positioned to be a breakout in the genre – not too scary, but with just enough creepy spooks to keep readers on the edge of their seats!

DEALING WITH GRIEF: Poe, our main character, begins the book with the loss of his grandmother, and struggles throughout with his grief. Readers will be able to sympathize with Poe, and relate to his emotions, as he processes this major life event.

OPTIONED BY TEMPLE HILL: Developed in conjunction with the production company Temple Hill, Creepy Kid has potential to hit the big screen!

RELATABLE NARRATOR: With his dry, whip-smart humor and oddball personality, Poe will immediately appeal to readers who feel like they’ve never quite found their footing in middle school.

Originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Caleb Roehrig grew up with a healthy fixation on ghosts, witches, and all things spooky. A former actor and television producer, he’s done a lot of wacky things to earn a paycheck, and sometimes they even turn up in his books.

STYX AND STONES de Gary D. Schmidt & Ron Koertge

Percy Jackson meets The Labors of Hercules Beal in this hilarious, page-turning fantasy adventure with a heart of gold from two award-winning authors.

STYX AND STONES
by Gary D. Schmidt & Ron Koertge
Clarion/HarperCollins, May 2026

Simon expected more from life than being orphaned in ancient Greece and stuck in the Underworld for eternity. Determined not to forget who he is, he commits himself to escaping Hades. Along the way, he faces the monster Cerberus, befriends the tormented Sisyphus, and becomes Persephone’s favorite servant. Then, after centuries of failed attempts, he is finally thrust into modern times—and into the stall of a middle school bathroom. Naked.

With the help of Zeke, a nerdy rich kid on the social fringes, Simon learns to navigate this amazing and bewildering world. And with Simon’s help, Zeke begins to question his comfortable life and understand the true meaning of friendship. Everything seems to be going great . . . until the god of the Underworld sends a demon girl to bring Simon back. And suddenly, it’s not just the secret of Simon’s past that’s threatened, but their very lives—and everyone’s around them, too. Is their friendship strong enough to withstand the Will of Hades and save St. Nikolaos Academy Middle School?

From two-time Newbery honoree Gary D. Schmidt and two-time PEN Award winner Ron Koertge, Styx and Stones is an unforgettable coming-of-age adventure about friendship, courage, and identity, brimming with Greek mythology and high-stakes action.

Gary D. Schmidt is the bestselling author of The Labors of Hercules Beal; Just Like That;National Book Award finalist Okay for Now; Pay Attention, Carter Jones; Orbiting Jupiter; the Newbery Honor and Printz Honor Book Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy; and the Newbery Honor Book The Wednesday Wars. He is also co-author, with Ron Koertge, of A Day at the Beach. He lives in rural Michigan.

Ron Koertge is the author of many acclaimed novels for young people, including Stoner & Spaz and Shakespeare Bats Cleanup, and most recently is co-author, with Gary D. Schmidt, of A Day at the Beach. A two-time winner of the PEN Award, Ron lives in South Pasadena, California, where he is currently the city’s poet laureate.