Triskaidekaphobia! Fear of the number 13th. As in Friday the 13th! What better day to recommend some mildly scary reads for your middle grade readers (which we define as ages 8 or 9 through 12, or for everyone, to be honest!)?
So scroll through and find something fun. And for those Middle Grade readers who crave the creepy, stay tuned for our Creepy Reads display this October, filled with our Children's Specialist, Laura G's favorite thrilling and chilling reads!
We're so excited to invite you to our Fall Kids programs! Printed postcards with our events listing are in store for you to pick up as well. Check the events below to see what's coming up and make sure to stop by!
I’m a huge fan of stories where the real world intersects with the weird, the strange, the ‘other.’ I love the idea that we can be going about our ordinary lives and then boom! We’re confronted with something not quite of this world. Or at least the characters think that’s what’s happening. So when I picked up the advanced copy of Shannon Greenland’s middle grade novel, SCOUTS, and saw it was about a group of friends in Tennessee in the 80s who may or may not have seen a meteor crash and UFO, I knew I would enjoy the read.
LAURA G: The trope of girl-dressed-as-boy has historical precedence from Shakespeare to Tolkien. Usually the crossdressing heroine makes her choice after suffocating under the pressures of being a woman: marriage, etiquette, etc. The same is certainly true of Maia who dreams of becoming a tailor yet is held back by her gender. Why did you choose to incorporate this into your story? Why do you think it’s a theme we return to time and again?
Summertime means many things: swimming, ice cream, and our favorite, books! Check out Brazos' 2019 Summer Reading Guide to discover some great picks - and be sure to look out for the Treehouse stamp of approval, noting our favorite two books in the section! Download the form at the bottom of the page or click on the books below to order your copy today. Happy reading from your friends at the Treehouse!
Ada Twist is a scientist to her very core, but can her science help when Rosie Revere’s Uncle Ned gets literally carried away in his famous helium pants? Based off the beloved picture books, Andrea Beaty brings us a sweet early reader series filled with your favorite characters!
Published: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers - April 16th, 2019
Hank is the prickliest cactus in the world. He sits in his pot all day facing a barren desert, which is just the way he likes it … maybe. Perhaps this spiny succulent is really just searching for a friend. The only problem? Nobody hugs a cactus. Done in earth-toned watercolors reminiscent of its desert setting, this book is sweet, droll, and utterly charming.
Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - June 4th, 2019
Once there was a river flowing through a forest. The river didn't know it was capable of adventures until a big bear came along. But adventures aren't any fun by yourself, and so enters Froggy, Turtles, Beaver, Racoons, and Duck. This delightful story is filled with cheeky characters, onomatopoeia, and a love of adventure.
Jamie and the beach are friends. Jaimie hums. The waves swish. And other people ask her questions. A lot of questions. Desperate to finish her sandcastle in peace, Jamie meets a like-minded friend who shows her the beauty of introversion and creativity. Done in heavy acrylic paints, the illustrations evoke a sense of peace known only at the beach in summer.
Georgia’s not like the rest of her artistic family. But when she longs to complete a science project of her own she finds she needs some help to think of an original idea. This beautiful, colorful picture book is a scientific adventure that is both emotionally satisfying and visually stunning.
Published: Atheneum Books for Young Readers - July 9th, 2019
When Truman the Tortoise's owner, Sarah, leavers for her first day of school, his quiet life gets turned suddenly upside down. Despite his small size, he won't cower in the face of change. TRUMAN is smart and cute, complete with sketchbook-style illustrations and an unassuming hero.
Published: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) - May 7th, 2019
We’ve all eaten just a little too much cake at some point in our lives - but none of us have gone on to accidentally tear a hole in the space-time continuum! This fun and silly picture book is full of laughs and lessons on the potential problems of too much cake!
Lottie goes to swimming lessons every Saturday - she just doesn’t get into the pool. Why? Because there’s a shark swimming in the water intent on eating her and only her! When Walter the Walrus shows up he shows her just how courageous she can be. Walker’s illustrations are gorgeously done, perfectly complementing this heartwarming tale of facing your fears.
Published: Sterling Children's Books - March 5th, 2019
Aven Green loves to tell people she lost both her arms wrestling a gator or in a wildfire in Tanzania, but the truth is she was born without them. When her parents move to run a western theme park in Arizona, Aven finds a new friend in her classmate, Connor. Together they must solve the theme park’s many mysteries in this funny, poignant, and exciting read.
Published: Dutton Books for Young Readers - April 16th, 2019
The Unicorn Rescue Society is back, and this time they’re in our own backyard in the Rìo Grande! Friend of Brazos David Bowles joins Adam Gidwitz in authoring the latest of the fantastical and fun series! Elliot and Uchenna must team up with new friends and allies to save the mythical chupacabras!
Nothing kills summertime fun like the looming first day of school. Of course, the way to solve this usually doesn’t involve a time-stopping camera wielded by a strange man. It’s up to Otto and Sheed (and their crew of oddballs) to re-start time and save the day in this zany, clever romp.
After a late-night taco run Sid, Axl, and Ivan return to find themselves. Not in a deep, metaphorical sense: they find actual clones of themselves walking about pretending to be them. Chaos, humor, and adventure ensue in this newest graphic novel from acclaimed author Nathan Hale.
Can Mimi undo the mayhem caused by her baking in this retelling of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM? LaRocca’s novel is bursting with magic, mystery, and, of course, mayhem! This is the perfect read for fans of Anna Meriano’s LOVE SUGAR MAGIC series.
Published: Algonquin Young Readers - May 7th, 2019
All Fig wants is to see the world the way her artistic father does. A once-renowned pianist, Fig’s father now has good and bad days. When Fig tries an art class to grow closer to him, she inadvertently brings social services to the door. In her novel about taking risks and facing fears, Melleby shows readers the power of art and love.
Published: Katherine Tegen Books - June 11th, 2019
MAXIMILLIAN FLY is the middle-grade METAMORPHOSIS mash-up you didn't know you needed! The Lemony-Snicket-esque prose work perfectly to tell the strange and fascinating tale of Maximillian, a human with the features of a cockroach. Wacky, fun, and so satisfying, Maximillian will steal your heart!
Jude never thought she’d be leaving her beloved older brother and father behind, across the sea in Syria. But with rising tensions threatening to break, Jude and her mother must travel to America to start over. A lyrical and moving novel told in verse, OTHER WORDS FOR HOME is a coming of age story for increasingly difficult times.
High School senior Emoni Santiago is a single mother who dreams of becoming a professional chef, but circumstance and culture stand against her. Told in short, vignette-like chapters, WITH THE FIRE ON HIGH takes difficult, often disenfranchised issues and makes them easy to empathize with. Printz and National Book Award winner Acevedo is a powerhouse of love, compassion, and raw talent.
Published: Knopf Books for Young Readers - July 9th, 2019
Expected to marry for the good of her family, young Maia thwarts her fate and disguises herself as her brother to enter the palace and become the royal tailor. Lim reimagines the tale of Thousandfur in an epic adventure filled with beautiful, rich imagery and a stunning, breathless plot.
When the crown prince who was never meant to be unleashes a dangerous power he must team up with a cunning, face-changing thief to stop the end of days. This epic story is richly detailed with deep roots in Latinx culture - a complex tapestry woven with skill and magic.
The girls of Raxter Island are changing - some grow fins, some have bones of steel, and many have died. Seemingly abandoned by the outside world, the girls struggle to survive inside a harsh quarantine zone - that is until Hetty's best friend, Byatt, goes missing. WILDER GIRLS is unflinching when looking into the hearts and minds of adolescent girls - their wants, fears, and will to survive.
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Kokila - June 18th, 2019
When Jay discovers that his Filipino cousin was murdered as part of President Duterte’s war on drugs, Jay travels to the Philippines to learn the real story. Told through lyrical prose, this coming-of-age tale shows the struggle to reconcile faith, family, and immigrant identity.
CJ Katsuyama does not live up to her mother’s type A standards, but when CJ’s mother sells the family shop to the family that swindled CJ’s grandparents during the WWII Japanese Internment, CJ finally finds something to fight for. Sugiura tackles tough issues with finesse, telling a story filled with love, humor, and insight.
Laura Dean is the most popular girl in high school; confident, charming, and SO cute. She’s Freddy’s dream girl, but possibly not the best girlfriend. When a medium tells Freddy she must break up with Laura Dean, their relationship spirals out of control. With trichromatic panels and a romantic story, this graphic novel is a beautiful work of art perfect for summer.
Published: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers - June 11th, 2019
When seventeen-year-old Marisol is caught illegally crossing the US border, she is given a choice: be deported or become a grief keeper, someone who takes the grief of another into themselves. This tender tale explores the consequences of when both love and human beings are branded illegal.
In this poignant novel, a young woman named Hannah travels to Florence to outrun her old life and combat an eating disorder. Whenever she falters in her journey, the city, in all of its crumbling grandeur, is there to pull her out of the shadows. Chaffee presents a protagonist as flawed as she is beautiful.
Porter's latest novel continues the beautiful, soul-searing work he started in GRIEF IS THE THING WITH FEATHERS. In LANNY, he delves into the intricacies of modern day life in a small village, all told through the eyes of a forgotten hedge-god. Simultaneously archaic and modern, this book entrances with lyrical prose and a creativity that cannot be denied.
Availability: Not On Our Shelves. Usually arrives in 1-5 Days
Published: Knopf - May 14th, 2019
Each of Karen Russell's short stories are masterpieces in their own right; achingly familiar and yet highly peculiar. ORANGE WORLD is her third and latest collection of short stories featuring a ghost-ship lodge, a drowned city, a tornado farm, and a local succubus. Russell is gifted with acute insights, compassion, and a daring imagination.
Published: Farrar, Straus and Giroux - May 21st, 2019
In 1666, a blind astronomer makes a prediction shared by no one else in the world: at the stroke of noon on June 30 of that year, a solar eclipse will cast all of Europe into darkness for four seconds. Is he mad or is he a visionary? Sachs brings his unique comic and philosophical sense to his debut novel, an intricate fable about understanding ourselves and the world.
I have been a huge fan of Rosanne Parry’s work since her first middle-grade novel, HEART OF A SHEPHERD, arrived back in 2009, when she and I were both debut children’s authors and occasionally appearing together at book events. Rosanne’s books are frequently set in her home state of Oregon and are heart-warming, lovely, and honest. Rosanne beautifully evokes both character journeys and the landscape in which they take place. They’re perfect middle grade novels! A WOLF CALLED WANDER is just out and it’s based on the real story of the journey of wolf named OR7.
We’ve got a fantastic summer planned here at the Treehouse - from wildlife conservation to Drag Queens to constellation pajama parties and more! We couldn’t be more excited for the fun, nature-themed kids events we’ll be hosting alongside Brazos’ Summer of Walt Whitman so check out our awesome events below and be sure to stop on by!
We give out a LOT of bookmarks here at Brazos, and we are always looking for new ideas for their design. This spring we’re asking kids to lend their artistic expertise to our annual Bookmark Contest! Download the official entry form here and return it to the store by Sunday, April 29, 2019. We’ll announce the winners at our summer reading kickoff party on Saturday, May 25 at 3 pm!
We’re big fans of Emily Duncan’s debut YA Slavic folklore-inspired fantasy, WICKED SAINTS here. Laura G has a blurb for it featured in the current kids’ issue of INDIE NEXT. And I found it such a fun page-turner that I begged Emily’s publicists for an interview and was delighted when they said yes! WICKED SAINTS is the story of warring kingdoms, blood magic, unlikely heroes, and a girl who hears the voices of any number of gods, all of whom provide her with guidance and magic. And oh yes, a healthy dose of forbidden love, because really what is a YA fantasy novel without a bit of that?
I first came across Crown of Feathers back in October and let me tell you, it has been so difficult to wait for it to hit shelves! I read the book in one day, completely engrossed in the world building and characters. I am so thrilled I was able to interview the author, Nicki Pau Preto, about her gorgeous story of sisterhood, deception, and betrayal.
Once there was a river flowing through a forest. The river didn't know it was capable of adventures until a big bear came along. But adventures aren't any fun by yourself, and so enters Froggy, Turtles, Beaver, Racoons, and Duck. This delightful story is filled with cheeky characters, onomatopoeia, and a love of adventure.
