Middle-Grade Books Publishing in June 2024

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New Month = New Books! June is just around the corner, and with it are so many incredible new Middle-Grade books! It is always so hard to narrow down my picks, but I managed to narrow it down to 9 this month! I have a couple of these books on the way to my house for review, but they truly all look so good. Schools are starting to get out for the summer down here in Florida and I think these books would be awesome for summer reading! So let’s jump right in and check out the 9 Middle-Grade Books publishing in June that I am MOST excited for! Let’s chat!

The Legendary Mo Seto by A.Y. Chan

First up we have The Legendary Mo Seto by A.Y. Chan! Can I just say how excited I am to read this book! I have a copy on the way from the publisher and I can’t wait to dive into it! I love books that feature determined and strong girls, and Mo Seto sounds like my kind of gal! It promises to be fast paced and full of mystery…and I love that it centers around girls in sports…taekwondo in particular! I will be back with a review as soon as I read it! The Legendary Mo Seto publishes 6/4/24. Here is a little synopsis!

Goodreads Synopsis

A fast-paced, high-kicking debut that’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon meets Stand Up, Yumi Chung as a young taekwondo artist uses an ancient book to help save her dreams—and her father.

Twelve-year-old Modesty “Mo” Seto dreams of being a taekwondo champion. Even though her mom disapproves, Mo can always count on her dad, who is her number one fan and biggest supporter. Lately, Mo has been on a losing streak, and it doesn’t help that she keeps losing to her archnemesis, Dax, who’s much bigger than her. If only she were faster, stronger, not so petite. Mo can’t even lean on her dad like usual with how distracted he’s been lately.

When Mo learns about the chance to audition to star alongside her idol and legendary martial artist and movie star Cody Kwok, she knows this her chance to prove to her dad, to the world, and to herself that she can compete with anyone, no matter her size. Unfortunately, Dax is auditioning, too. As Mo and her nemesis progress to callbacks, someone attempts to sabotage the movie set and Mo’s dad disappears—and both events seem linked to a mysterious book, the Book of Joy.

The book contains information on a secret dance-like martial art developed by Mo’s ancestral grandmother. Armed with these powerful moves and an unexpected ally, Mo embarks on a high-octane adventure to rescue her father, save the movie, and discover an unexpected joy in being small.

Greenwild: The City Beyond the Sea by Pari Thomson

Next up we have Greenwild: The City Beyond the Sea by Pari Thomson. This is the second book in the Greenwild series and I am SO excited to read it. I absolutely adored the first book and can’t wait to pick back up where we left off! I have just received a copy of this one and it is such a stunning cover! Full of plant magic and fantastical places, Greenwild is an amazing series for kids who love fantasy novels with amazing adventures. So excited to read this book! Greenwild: The City Beyond the Sea publishes on 6/4/24.

Goodreads Synopsis

Daisy Thistledown’s epic adventure continues in the spellbinding sequel to New York Times bestseller The World Behind the Door by Pari Thomson.In a land ruled by water, treachery runs deep . . . Daisy Thistledown and the Five O’Clock Club might have defeated a terrifying foe, but their journey to find the missing Botanists is only just beginning.

Desperate to join the long-awaited expedition to the heart of the Amazon, Daisy and her friends abandon the safety of magical Mallowmarsh –only to fall face-first into danger on the high seas when they find themselves pursued across the waves by Grim Reapers.

Their only to find the legendary Iffenwild, a mysterious pocket of the Greenwild hidden and lost to time.But beneath the waves, a strange botanical magic stirs. And it will take all of Daisy’s courage and determination – and the trust of an unexpected new friend – if she is to discover the truth that haunts Iffenwild, and save the Greenwild from a terrible fate.

The Spindle of Fate by Aimee Lim

Next up we have The Spindle of Fate by Aimee Lim! Ok, so I fell in love with this book solely based on the cover. How gorgeous is this?!? Well, I am excited to report that not only is it a gorgeous cover…but the synopsis sounds absolutely amazing as well. Magical weavers and the Chinese Underworld…need I say more? This is going to be amazing and I can’t wait to read it! I have a copy headed my way and will be back with a review soon! The Spindle of Fate publishes on 6/4/24!

Goodreads Synopsis

When Evie Mei discovers that her recently passed mother was the head of a guild of magical weavers, she enters the Chinese netherworld to try and bring her back in this middle-grade debut.

Twelve-year-old Evie Mei Huang never did like helping in her mom’s tailor shop. She hated helping to mend fraying clothes, how the measuring tape got all twisted up, and how pushy her mother’s clients were. Most of all, she hates that her mother is dead and isn’t here to help anymore.

But when the universe sends a life preserver, Evie knows to grab it. So yes, it’s weird when a talking monkey shows up and tells her that her plainspoken, hardworking tailor mother was actually the head of a Guild of magical weavers who can change the fate of a person with only a spool of thread. Very weird. But he also comes bearing news that her mother is trapped in Diyu, the Chinese underworld, and that only Evie can get her back. No pressure.

The important thing is that Evie’s mom isn’t dead. And if she’s got this one shot to bring her back and save her family, she’s got to take it.

Inspired by Chinese mythology, Aimee Lim’s debut middle grade peers into the dark and gritty underworld, while showcasing the unbreakable bond between a family and the lengths we’ll go to save them.

The Cookie Crumbles by Tracy Badua and Alechia Dow

Publishing on 6/11/24 is The Cookie Crumbles by Tracy Badua and Alechia Dow. This one captured my attention because it was described as “The British Bake Off meets Knives Out”…I mean…come on. Doesn’t that make you want to read it?! It sounds like a fantastic mystery full of friendship and heart! Really excited to read this one!

Goodreads Synopsis

The Great British Bake Off meets Knives Out in this fun and propulsive middle grade novel following two best friends who must solve the mystery behind a baking competition gone awry.

Laila gave Lucy a cupcake on the second day of kindergarten, and they’ve been inseparable ever since. But the summer before eighth grade, they find out that since they live on opposite sides of town, they’ll go to different high schools. Yuck!

Then Laila’s invited to compete at the Golden Cookie competition, which awards its winner admission and a full ride to the prestigious Sunderland boarding school, and it’s the perfect opportunity. Sunderland doesn’t just have an elite culinary program; it’s also home to an elite journalism track, if only newscaster-hopeful Lucy could build up a strong enough portfolio to impress the scholarship committee.

But when one of the celebrity judges collapses after sampling Laila’s showpiece, rumors of foul play swirl, with Laila rising to the top of the suspect list. Even worse, a major storm has effectively cut off all access to the outside world.

Can the girls find the real culprit and clear Laila’s name before it’s too late?

The Girl Who Kept the Castle by Ryan Graudin

Next up we have The Girl Who Kept the Castle by Ryan Graudin. Another book cover that completely sucks you in with how gorgeous it is. This sounds like such a fun and creative read. Evil shadow queens, killer roosters, and a wizard who doesn’t know he is a ghost…are you intrigued yet? I have a copy of this book on the way as well as part of a book tour I am participating in and I can’t wait to dive in. It is giving me major cozy fantasy vibes and I am here for it. The Girl Who Kept the Castle publishes on 6/18/24.

Goodreads Synopsis

Wizard West was dead for nearly an entire day before he noticed. And it is up to Faye, the daughter of West’s groundskeeper, to inform the wizard that he is a ghost who has lost all of his magical powers. (But not before the wizard tries transforming her into a cat!) To make matters worse, the enchanted castle of Celurdur—the only home that Faye has ever known—will fall apart at the next full moon if its foundation spells can’t be renewed.

After (sort of) accepting his demise, West decides to host a competition to choose his successor. Faye finds herself fighting to keep the tournament running smoothly behind the scenes: putting out kitchen fires, feeding the compost dragon, and making sure competitors stay away from the cockatrice pen.

But killer roosters soon become the least of her worries. A servant of the evil Shadow Queen has sabotaged the contest—set on destroying not just Celurdur but the entire kingdom of Solum. It is up to Faye to stop him, but she’ll need more than a mop. Will a maid’s magic be enough to save everything she loves from utter destruction?

The Last Apple Tree by Claudia Mills

Do you ever just look at a book and get the sense that it is going to make you cry? Yeah, that is what happened when I looked at this book. The cover is beautiful but there is something about it that tells me I am totally going to cry! This sounds like such a sweet and touching story that also has an intergenerational storyline…which I love. I don’t have a copy of this one coming…yet…but I will try to fix that soon! The Last Apple Tree publishes on 6/18/24.

Goodreads Synopsis

When feuding neighbors Sonnet and Zeke are paired up for a class project, they unearth a secret that could uproot Sonnet’s family—or allow it to finally heal and grow.

Twelve-year-old Sonnet’s family has just moved across the country to live with her grandfather after her nana dies. Gramps’s once-impressive apple orchard has been razed for a housing development, with only one heirloom tree left. Sonnet doesn’t want to think about how Gramps and his tree are both growing old—she just wants everything to be okay.

Sonnet is not okay with her neighbor, Zeke, a boy her age who gets on her bad side and stays there when he tries to choose her grandpa to interview for an oral history assignment. Zeke irks Sonnet with his prying questions, bringing out the sad side of Gramps she’d rather not see. Meanwhile, Sonnet joins the Green Club at school and without talking to Zeke about it, she asks his activist father to speak at the Arbor Day assembly—a collision of worlds that Zeke wanted more than anything to avoid. 

But when the interviews uncover a buried tragedy that concerns Sonnet’s mother, and an emergency forces Sonnet and Zeke to cooperate again, Sonnet learns not just to accept Zeke as he is, but also that sometimes forgetting isn’t the solution—even when remembering seems harder.

Award-winning author Claudia Mills brings enormous compassion and depth to this novel of unlikely friendship and generational memory.

Juneberry Blue by Candice Ransom

I was immediately drawn to Juneberry Blue by Candice Ransom because it is listed as a Magical Realism novel…and that is my absolute favorite genre. Oh, and it also features a ghost cat so that is worth some serious bonus points, dont you think? I have a copy of this one on the way as well and can’t wait to check it out. Juneberry Blue publishes on 6/18/24.

Goodreads Synopsis

Taking inspiration from Sleeping Beauty and rural settings, this contemporary magical realism novel includes a mistaken destiny, a dying town, and a determined ghost cat.

Eleven-year-old Andie Jennings, of Morning Glory, Virginia ( 8), is set to inherit a matrilineal gift on Test Day, and she plans to use it to bring her dad home for good from his long-haul trucking job. Except her gift doesn’t come.

Instead, Andie starts seeing and hearing unexplained things, and a see-through cat seems to be following her. Turns out, she didn’t fail Test Day. Her gift just isn’t what anyone expected. But Andie’s ability to communicate with the ghosts at the town’s shuttered Juneberry Blue factory may be the very thing that Morning Glory—and her own family—needs.

Wander Lost by Laura Martin

Next up we have Wander Lost by Laura Martin. This book immediately gave me Jumanji vibes in all the very best ways! A family that has the ability to enter the world of any game they want…immeidately want to read this book! It sounds like it is going to be action packed and so much fun! Wander Lost publishes on 6/25/24.

Goodreads Synopsis

From the critically acclaimed author of Float and Glitch comes a new stand-alone adventure full of humor and heart, perfect for fans of Gordon Korman and Dan Gutman!

Rhett and his brother, Nash, have never been allowed to play board games. It’s their mom’s most important rule; the twins don’t know why, but they know not to push her on it.

When their mom suddenly disappears, they’re reunited with Ace, their long-lost grandfather, who reveals that their family is descended from a board game character who escaped his game and lived in the real world. Their family now has the ability to enter the world of any game they want—but this gift also comes with a price. A game character who’s wanted revenge against their mom for decades has finally caught her and is holding her hostage in the world of a game. Which game? That’s up to Rhett and Nash to figure out, even if it means breaking Mom’s most important rule.

But as they learn to use their newly discovered ability, exploring new worlds and facing new challenges and risks, the brothers quickly realize that saving Mom won’t be all fun and games. It’s game on… or game over.

Release the Wolves by Stefan Bachmann

Last but certainly not least we have Release the Wolves by Stefan Bachmann. This was an immediate add to my June list. My kids and I absolutely LOVED his book Cinders & Sparrows so I knew this one would be a must read for me. Also, how awesome is this cover?!? It promises to be an atmospheric, suspenseful, and haunting read and I am so ready to pick it up! Release the Wolves publishes on 6/25/24.

Goodreads Synopsis

One thousand years ago, the Elduari conquered the country of Varen in a brutal war. Now, every few generations they subject their one-time enemies to a terrible tradition: bloodthirsty monsters are unleashed across the land, attacking indiscriminately, keeping the population in a perpetual dark age.

For Argo, fear of another Release is something he has always lived with. When his friend is killed by a monster during a routine patrol, Argo suspects that another Release is coming, and sooner than everyone thinks. But in a country built on fear, getting answers is dangerous. Elduari spies are hiding behind the most familiar faces, and any hint of disobedience could lead to the death of thousands.

As whispers of dissent circulate, rebellion grows in the villages. Argo’s beloved sister Simna leaves town without warning. Masked figures stalk the alleys at night, offering dangerous gifts. When tragedy strikes a second time, Argo and his new ally, Ana—a mysterious monster hunter in disguise—set off on a dangerous journey to stop the next Release. But what if it’s already too late?

From Stefan Bachmann, the internationally renowned author of The Peculiar and Cinders & Sparrows, Release the Wolves is an atmospheric, suspenseful, and haunting novel about friendship, trust, power, and the monsters all around us.

Happy Reading!

After writing this post I am realizing that I am going to have an extremely busy June. So many Middle-Grade books so little time! It isn’t a bad problem to have though, is it?

What are you looking forward to reading this month? If you didn’t catch last months Middle-Grade list you can check it out here. So many great titles!

I hope you have a great month!