New Middle-Grade Books Publishing March 2025!

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Happy March, my friends! Time is such a crazy thing. January was approximately 476 days long, but February disappeared in a blink. Did it seem that way to anyone else? Anyway, March is here and that means it is time to chat about all of the amazing books that are publishing this month! There are so many amazing Middle-Grade titles on the way starting TODAY! I am so excited to share just a few of the books that I am MOST looking forward to! I also have a little bit of exciting news…so stay tuned until the end of the post for that! Now, lets chat! Here are the new Middle-Grade books that are publishing in March 2025!

The Strongest Heart by Saadia Faruqi

First up we have The Strongest Heart by Saadia Faruqi. Publishing on March 4th, The Strongest Heart tackles the subject of mental illness. I am so looking forward to this book. I adore Saadia Faruqi’s writing and this promises to be another amazing title. Here is a synopsis for you.

Goodreads Synopsis

Mo is used to his father’s fits of rage. When Abbu’s moods shake the house, Mo is safe inside his head, with his cherished The best way to respond is not to engage. Apparently, his mama knows that too—which is why she took a job on the other side of the world, leaving Mo alone with Abbu.

With Mama gone, the two move to Texas to live with Mo’s aunt and cousin, Rayyan. The two boys could not be more different. Rayyan is achievement-driven and factual; Mo is a “bad kid.” Still, there is a lot to like about living in Texas. Sundays at the mosque are better than he’d expected. And Rayyan and his aunt become a real family to Mo.

But even in a warm home and school where he begins to see a future for himself, Mo knows that the monster within his father can break out and destroy their fragile peace at any moment…

The Deadly Fates (A Conjuror Novel) by Dhonielle Clayton

Next up, and also publishing on March 4th, we have The Deadly Fates by Dhonielle Clayton. This is book 3 in her Conjurverse series and I cannot wait to read it! If you love books full of action, adventure, and magic…then definitely check out this series! I know you will love it! Here is a quick synopsis!

Goodreads Synopsis

After saving the world from the diabolical Ace of Anarchy, Ella, Brigit, and Jason return for year three at the Arcanum Training Institute. But the heroes’ return is far from welcoming. Ella’s big reveal last year threw everything into chaos, unearthing long-buried secrets and unwinding a twisted trail of deceit. As tensions rise between Marvellers and Conjurors, Ella realizes that the only way to end the chaos is to unveil the truth about what happened to the Conjure architect once and for all. To do that, she’ll have to enlist the help of the living and the dead. As they plunge deeper into the truth, the search leads them to the Underworld and the Cards of Deadly Fate―an impenetrable prison for supervillains.

But before Ella can figure out how it’s all connected, the tension between magical worlds boil over, threatening everyone around her. Will Ella and her friends uncover the truth about the missing architect before their worlds collide?

The Peach Thief by Linda Joan Smith

Our next book, The Peach Thief by Linda Joan Smith is also publishing on March 4th. This is a Historical Fiction novel set in the 1850’s in Lancashire England. This is a debut Middle-Grade novel and I can’t wait to read it. I adore historical fiction, especially Middle-Grade!

Goodreads Synopsis

The night that workhouse orphan Scilla Brown dares to climb the Earl of Havermore’s garden wall, she wants only to steal a peach—the best thing she’s ever tasted in her hard, hungry life. But when she’s caught by the earl’s head gardener and mistaken for a boy, she grabs on to something more: a temporary job scrubbing flowerpots.

If she can just keep up her deception, she’ll have a soft bed and food beyond her wildest dreams . . . maybe even peaches. She soon falls in with Phin, a garden apprentice who sneaks her into the steamy, fruit-filled greenhouses, calls her “Brownie,” and makes her skin prickle. At the same time, the gruff head gardener himself is teaching lowly Scilla to make things grow, and she’s cultivating hope with every seed she plants. But as the seasons unfurl, her loyalties become divided, and her secret grows harder to keep.

How far will she go to have a home at last? Beautifully crafted with classic middle-grade themes of fate and ambition, identity and personal responsibility, this stunning debut features brisk pacing, crackling dialogue, and deep insight into what makes a garden thrive—and a heart and mind flourish.

The Trouble with Sunshine by Yamile Saied Méndez

Next up we have The Trouble with Sunshine by Yamile Saied Méndez…also publishing on March 4th! I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to this book. Yamile Saied Méndez is a phenomenal author…I fell in love with her writing when I read Furia a couple of years ago! This book tackles the topic of grief and new beginnings and I think it is going to be fantastic!

Goodreads Synopsis

THE TROUBLE WITH SUNSHINE IS IT COMES EVEN IF YOU THINK YOU DON’T DESERVE IT.

Dorani’s mom, Isa, taught her to be bold and challenge the rules if they don’t seem fair. People are more important than rules. But she never taught Dorani how to do it all without her. So, when Isa dies on the way to speak with the principal about Dori’s latest revolution, Dori loses her voice. Her grief and guilt become the loudest parts of her.

Moving from vibrant Miami to quiet, middle-of-nowhere Wyoming with her aunt feels like the punishment she deserves. She spends most of her time with their newest horse, Sunshine. Sunshine was involved in an accident that’s left her skittish and hard to care for. Tia Ivette knows her behavior comes from fear, and she is trying everything to make Sunshine brave again. But Dori knows grief can feel like fear… and grief is just love with no place to go.

Speaking up for Sunshine reminds Dori that the very best parts of her mother live on through her, and so when she starts to notice that the rules at her new school unfairly target specific students, she knows just what her mother would do…

Vanya and the Wild Hunt by Sangu Mandanna

Next up we have Vanya and the Wild Hunt by Sangu Mandanna! I fell in love with Sangu Mandanna’s writing when I read her book The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. So, I am extremely excited to read her new Middle-Grade novel. This promises to be full of magic and perfect for fans of Rick Riordan! Vanya and the Wild Hunt publishes on March 11th. Here is a quick synopsis!

Goodreads Synopsis

Eleven-year-old Vanya Vallen has always felt like she doesn’t fit in. She’s British-Indian in a mostly white town in England, her parents won’t talk about their pasts, and she has ADHD.

Oh, and she talks to books. More importantly, the books talk back.

When her family is attacked by a monster she believed only existed in fairytales, Vanya discovers that her parents have secrets, and that there are a lot more monsters out there. Overnight, she’s whisked off to the enchanted library and school of Auramere, where she joins the ranks of archwitches and archivists.

Life at Auramere is unexpected, exciting and wonderful. But even here, there’s no escaping monsters. The mysterious, powerful Wild Hunt is on the prowl, and Vanya will need all her creativity and courage to unmask its leader and stop them before they destroy the only place she’s ever truly belonged.

Last Chance Academy- A Study in Secrets by Debbi Michiko Florence

Our next book is the first book in a new series! Last Chance Academy- A Study in Secrets is written by Debbi Michiko Florence and publishes on March 11th. This book immediately got added to my TBR because it is said to be Only Murders in the Building meets Mr. Lemoncello’s Library…and that was all I needed to hear! Check out this synopsis…doesn’t it sound fantastic??

Goodreads Synopsis

Ever since her mom passed away, twelve-year-old Megumi “Meg” Mizuno has been spiraling. After too many low grades and cut classes, she’s been expelled from school—apparently, everyone else has moved past her grief and expects the same from her. Her dad secures her a spot at the prestigious Leland Chase Academy, a boarding school in the middle-of-nowhere New York, called the Last Chance Academy by its student body. If Meg can’t make it work there, she’ll be forced to live with her horrible aunt.

At first, Leland Chase seems like an average, if very strict, boarding school, though Meg tentatively warms up to her roommate and some of their classmates. Then, one night, a mysterious envelope appears under her door, inviting Meg and her roommate to participate in a scavenger hunt. The only rules: don’t get caught by faculty or staff and no cheating. The grand prize? A luxury stay at a fancy resort in California. And after learning her dad has plans to sell their family home—with all its memories of Mom—Meg knows she has to win the competition and use the trip to convince Dad to stay.

Thanks to her mom, who taught her how to solve ciphers, Meg has a knack for puzzles she uses to get ahead in the hunt. But she quickly learns that her classmates seem to have their own sets of skills keeping them in the competition. And as they get deeper in the game, Meg and her fellow competitors realize the anonymous creator has their own agenda…and LCA isn’t quite what it seems.

Cincinnati Lee, Curse Breaker by Heidi Heilig

Our next book is Cincinnati Lee, Curse Breaker by Heidi Heilig. Publishing on March 25th, this book looks like it is going to be action packed. It is said to be perfect for fans of Rick Riordan and Indiana Jones…and that is enough for me. Immediate add to TBR! You can read a little more about it below!

Goodreads Synopsis

Cincinnati Lee’s great great (great?) grandfather is famous. His adventures discovering ancient artifacts have been made into movies, and his work is widely respected by museums across the world. The thing is, in that line of work, you’re bound to get cursed. And that leaves your great great (great?) granddaughter to break the curse by returning the artifacts you “preserved.”

Cincinnati’s own adventure begins in the Cosmopolitan Museum in New York City, where her single mom works and Cincinnati has grown up. Soon she learns about the ancient Spear of Destiny—and its potential to right all the wrongs in her family’s past. Or bring about the end of the world. It all depends on whose hands it falls into. Cincinnati must beat two relic hunters to the spear, and her quest will take her to surprising locations throughout the city and even across the Atlantic Ocean.

Along the way, she’ll make a new friend (which is not the easiest thing to do), make some enemies (surprisingly easy to do), and ultimately learn what makes the world worth saving. Acclaimed author Heidi Heilig makes a dazzling middle grade debut with an irrepressible hero, a compelling cast of friends and enemies, nonstop action, and a thoughtful approach to viewing our responsibilities to each other and the world around us.

The Girl and the Robot by Oz Rodriguez and Claribel Ortega

Next up, and also publishing on March 25th, is The Girl and the Robot by Oz Rodriguez and Claribel Ortega. I am so excited for this book. I am a huge fan of Claribel Ortega, and this sounds like it is going to be a fantastic read. So excited for any books that feature girls in S.T.E.M. and this sounds like a gem! Here is a little more info.

Goodreads Synopsis

With a little heart, you can fix anything.

Mimi Perez fixes things. Phones, tablets, speakers, printers. She gets it from her dad—helping him at the family e-repair shop was always one of Mimi’s favorite things to do. But ever since Papi was deported, there’s a lot more than electronics that need fixing in Mimi’s world. Things too big for any twelve-year-old to handle on her own.

Mimi hustles around her Brooklyn neighborhood trying to earn enough money to finally fix her family. There’s no time for school or friends, but Mimi knows it will all be worth it the day Papi comes home. Then her ex-friends approach her with a proposition: enter a robotics competition with them, and they could win $50,000. It could be her chance.

Not part of the plan? A mysterious robot crashing to earth. From space.

The robot is scared, alone, and broken, and federal agents are after her. Mimi does what any street-smart electronics repair person would do: she takes the robot home, fixes her up, and in the process, makes herself a friend.

Suddenly, Mimi is anything but alone. She’s part of a robotics team. She’s sheltering a robot. She’s dodging federal agents. And keeping all of it a secret from her mom.

Isle of Ever by Jen Calonita

Our next book is Isle of Ever by Jen Calonita. This is the first in a brand new series and it publishes on March 25th. I am such a huge fan of adventure/quest type books and this sounds like it is going to fit that bill perfectly. If a book has clues to uncover…I am all in. Here is the synopsis…doesn’t it sound like it is going to be an awesome time?

Goodreads Synopsis

Two hundred years ago, an island disappeared. Benny has just two weeks to find it.

Everly “Benny” Benedict and her mom have always managed to get by, though they’re broke most of the time. But all that could change. Benny’s just learned she’s the sole heir to the vast fortune of Evelyn Terry, a mysterious ancestor from the 1800s!

There’s a catch, though. First Benny needs to play―and win―a game: following clues that are more than a century old, she must find her way to the tiny island Evelyn wrote about in her diary. It was somewhere off the shoreline of Evelyn’s home town, but according to legend, it vanished long ago and hasn’t appeared on maps for hundreds of years. Yet Benny has only a couple weeks to locate it.

If she’s successful, she’ll collect the inheritance. But what if there’s more than a fortune at stake in this game? What if Benny has to break an ancient curse to win?

Once For Yes by Allie Millington

Last, but certainly not least, is Once For Yes by Allie Millington. I am counting down the days until I can read this book. Allie Millington is the author of one of my top reads of 2024, Olivetti. I fell head over heels in love with her writing…it was one of the most beautiful Middle-Grade books I have ever read. You can check out my full review here…but I definitely recommend reading it if you haven’t yet. Once For Yes I have no doubt that this book is going to tear my heart out, but I also know that I am going to love it so much. Once For Yes publishes on March 25th. Here is a synopsis.

Goodreads Synopsis

The Odenburgh, an old apartment building made of brick and blunt opinions, is the last of its kind in a swiftly changing neighborhood. After years of putting up with people and their many problems, the Odenburgh knows there’s no point in getting attached. They all just leave eventually. A truth that comes all too soon when the building is sold and slated for demolition, giving tenants a month to move out.

No one is more troubled by the news than eleven-year-old Prue, who refuses to leave her family’s apartment. Not when it was the last place she lived with her sister Lina, before she lost Lina forever. When Prue launches a plan to save their home, the Odenburgh joins in―flickering lights, jamming elevators, triggering fire alarms―all to try and bring a building full of bickering residents together. In the process, Prue meets Lewis, an eccentric boy who lives across the street―and the only one who can help her discover the missing elements of her sister’s story.

Heartfelt and bursting with a community of unique characters, Once For Yes is a testament to the endurance of love and the people we carry with us, wherever we go.

Exciting News!!!

I mentioned above that I have a little bit of exciting news! Well, I just learned last week that I have been included in FeedSpot’s Top 100 Children’s Book Influencers of 2025!! I was so shocked and so thrilled to be chosen. The list is full of some of my ALL TIME favorite bookish creators, so it is such an honor to even be mentioned with them! If you love children’s literature as much as I do, please check out their list of amazing influencers! Thanks so much to FeedSpot for including me!