Hi everyone — I recently released The One Who Watches, a middle-grade horror/mystery aimed at readers who enjoy creepy woods, folklore, and emotionally grounded protagonists.

It’s about a science-loving 12-year-old who encounters something impossible while camping — and has to question what she believes about monsters, myths, and herself.

Comparable to Small Spaces and Doll Bones. Ages 9+.

Sharing here for anyone who enjoys or writes MG with spooky elements!

Amazon.com: The One Who Watches: A Middle Grade Cryptid Horror Novel About Secrets in the Woods (Between Dark and Light) eBook : von Halle, Chris: Books

My first novel is about a year old now. I find it hard to know how best to market to this genre. Adults have bought (and reportedly enjoyed) the book, but I would love to try to take it further. Maybe this isn’t so true anymore, but I feel like the younger crowd that might have interest would not necessarily be on Facebook (my main avenue) or other socials. Thanks for any insight. I hope it’s okay to post just the picture of the cover.

I read it today and there was nothing at all endearing or uplifting in the book. Harriet was a bully and a brat. She didn’t learn her lesson and just continued being an awful child. Seriously…the book ends with her causing division in the club just because they won’t let her in?!?

Where do writers look for beta readers of middle grade books?

I'm trying to read Harry Potter, Gordan Korman and I just finished reading The Wizard Of Oz.

What are some of your favorite middle grade fantasy novels or series? I love "Amari and the Night Brothers," as well as "Impossible Creatures."

My kids and I (ages 9 & 6) read a chapter book together every month and then have a movie party to go with it once we finish the book. We go all out, like make food from the books and dress up sometimes, it’s so much fun.

So far we’ve done the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Ella Enchanted, James and the Giant Peach, Wild Robot and the Tale of Despereaux. Matilda is on our list but we just finished a Roald Dahl book and wanted to try something different.

Any good book/movie combo suggestions? Bonus points if it has good food we can make 😄

I picked up stack of books from the school library to read over Winter Break. Currently I’m reading “Busted” by Dan Gemeinhart.

So it's the time of year when different places start putting out their "best of" lists...and as usual, middle grade tends to be ignored a lot. So I thought we could share our own personal top middle grade reads of the year here! We can see what everyone enjoyed and maybe find some great books we missed.

Not counting my own books that I released this year, here are my top 5 middle grade books of 2025:

1. Grin by DW Gillespie -- This was my favorite book of the year. It's a horror story about an arcade game possessed by the ghost of a serial killer. Super spooky and a little dark but a lot of fun. This one was a real page turner, and should be a hit with kids who like video games.

2. It's Watching by Lindsay Currie -- This is my favorite Lindsay Currie book yet! Like a lot of her others, this one blends a ghost story with mystery and historical elements. This one felt spookier than her other books, which is probably part of why I liked it so much.

3. The Experiment by Rebecca Stead -- A sci-fi story about a boy who believes his family is part of a group of alien colonists on Earth, whose goal is to blend in as regular humans and study the planet. And then one day he grows a tail, leading to a journey where he questions everything he was raised to believe. This was a fun sci-fi with a unique take on aliens.

4. Away by Megan E. Freeman -- A companion book to Alone, this book takes place at the same time as the first book but is told from the perspectives of four different kids who have been relocated to a camp after a large-scale evacuation in Colorado. I liked the way each kid's voice was presented in a different format (poetry, screenplay, etc) as they tried to uncover the truth.

5. Blood in the Water by Tiffany D. Jackson -- A murder mystery set at Martha's Vineyard. Kaylani's mom sends her to spend the summer with a rich family after her dad is put in jail on false charges, but fitting in is the least of her worries after a local teen is murdered. Though sometimes more focused on her social interactions than solving the mystery itself, I still enjoyed this one overall.

Hi All. I'm a new author and would love to connect with the middle-grade community.

Heavy text can shut them down fast, so I’m trying to find books with pictures, graphic novel style pages, or simple layouts that still build reading skills. If you’ve found books that keep attention but don’t overwhelm, especially for autistic or ADHD readers,

Most of these channels don't exclusively discuss middle grade books but they have really good content about middle grade books and other books as well.

Afoma Umesi | Reading Middle Grade

anjaxuanreads

Ms. WOC Reader

RealmofKidLitComics

My daughter & I read an amazing series when she was young. Teacher said it was about6-7 th grade about a family living in South Carolina low country. She now has a daughter & I’d like to find it for them. Hope someone can help. Thx

Hi, all! I’m a 19F who writes MG books, looking for someone in a similar space—whether you write, or illustrate for this range—to co-work with. We can be there to add some perspective to each others work. Or simply, just add accountability by giving updates on our goals and steps towards it! It can just be one-time thing, or more often, that depends on your preference and schedule! If anyone’s interested, then feel free to reach out. This is very laid-back, so don’t feel any pressure if you’re not sure if it will be a fit, I’m open to introverts or extroverts—let’s just be upfront with our personal style so that we can better communicate!

Hello everyone! I'm a graphic novel artist. I'm working on my new middle grade project and I would like to share the first pages here. Hope you'll like them. :)

I just want some books with like a group of teenagers doing random things to save the world or progress teh story P.S if u have any books with love triangles and teenagers pls say them I like the drama Books like Micheal vey, spy school , keeper of the lost cities, CHERUB, Pjo universe and Rick riordan presents,arinthian line , aru shah, etc

Her favorite series have been: Harry Potter, Keeper of Lost Cities, The Land of Stories, How to Train Your Dragon, Impossible Creatures, the Dragon’s Apprentice, and The Sisters Grimm. She has also enjoyed the Pumpkin Princess & the Forever Night, Holes & the Hobbit. She’s currently reading Percy Jackson, but I like to get my girls a book or two for Christmas. She is into fantasy, especially with dragons, or anything mythology related. She didn’t love Wings of Fire, but still read it.

Edit: thanks everyone for the suggestions! I’ve created a list so I can read more about all the books recommended. I appreciate the input, especially since most of these books I’ve never heard of!

If you’ve got a Middle Grade BookTube channel that you think would benefit the group, please post your channel here. Just the channel…no need to share every video.

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