Recommended Reads
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Windy Night with Wild Horses
The #1 bestselling Magic Tree House series for chapter book readers is ready to whisk you away across the world with Jack and Annie--this time to rescue little horses! Perfect for readers ages 6-9!
The wind started to blow. . . and a new magical journey unfolds when the tree house lands in Mongolia, Jack and Annie can hear the drum beat of horses hoofs. The little horses of Mongolia are returning from near extinction and the kids get to meet the people who take care of them. But the horses are still in danger with wolves nearby. . . Can Jack and Annie protect the last of the little horses?
Did you know that there's a Magic Tree House book for every kid?
Magic Tree House: Perfect for readers who are just beginning chapter books
Merlin Missions: More challenging adventures for the experienced reader
Fact Trackers: Nonfiction companions to your favorite Magic Tree House adventures
Graphic Novels: Relive the original adventures brought to life with art by Kelly & Nichole Matthews
If you're looking for Merlin Mission #39: Dark Day in the Deep Sea, it was renumbered as Merlin Mission #11 when the series was rebranded in 2017. -
The Monarchs of Winghaven
Young naturalist Sammie loves to do field research in a special stretch of wilderness in the suburbs--but now she must protect it. Science and heart combine in this engaging story.
Sammie, a budding naturalist, knows of a secret and wonderful place: Winghaven, an abandoned lot in the middle of the suburbs where wildlife flourishes. She spends hours making notes and drawings in her meticulous field journal. When Bram, a new boy, turns up with his camera, Sammie worries he'll give away her hidden haven--after all, the other boys at school bully her. But Bram is a scientist like Sammie, and together they observe tiny pond creatures, a pileated woodpecker with a red crest like a pirate's bandana, and thriving monarch butterflies whose habitats are becoming scarce. When Sammie and Bram discover bright flagging tape encircling the trees, they learn Winghaven is in danger from a local developer--and it's going to take courage, spirit, and science to save it. This beautifully written story, full of details about the natural world, includes Sammie's field illustrations as well as real-life notes on keeping a nature journal, studying monarchs, and bird-watching. -
The Labyrinth of Lost and Found
Doll Bones meets Skandar and the Unicorn Thief in this spooky, illustrated middle grade novel about a boy who doesn’t believe in magic discovering a supernatural world full of danger.
It began with a crack in the wall.
Eleven-year-old Benjamiah Creek believes in science, logic, and the power of reason. He definitely does not believe in magic. But when he receives a mysterious doll in the mail—a doll that can transform into a bird—he is led into an impossible (and most definitely magical) realm: Wreathenwold.
Wreathenwold is dangerous and holds many secrets within its labyrinthine walls—magi prowl, Hanged Men stalk, and at the center of its shifting streets lurks the Minotaur, a beastly creature and object of terror. In no time at all, Benjamiah is swept into a perilous adventure with the fierce and brilliant Elizabella, a girl determined to solve the disappearance of her missing brother, who may be caught up in a decades-old conspiracy that could doom them all.
Will Benjamiah ever find his way home? Or will he be lost forever in the labyrinth? -
Crushed
A heartfelt middle grade story about changing friendships, peer pressure, and the courage to speak up when lines are crossed, perfect for fans of Starfish and Finally Heard.
Sophie Valentine would rather be at home, doing school virtually. Instead, she's waiting in a crowded middle school building for her best friend, Eve, who's finally back after an extended absence, which only Sophie knows the truth about.
But when Eve returns, things aren't the same. First, Eve stops walking to school with her in the morning. Then, she's ditching Sophie to hang out with the Crash Crew, a group of popular kids notorious for their social media dares. Eve seems to fit right in, but Sophie is devastated: Did she just lose her best friend?
When rumors surface that Eve is hiding a painful secret she didn't share with Sophie, Sophie is spurred on an investigation to discover what--or who--caused the incident behind Eve's sudden change...and why all clues lead back to the Crash Crew. Using lessons from her forensics class and the help of a new friend, Sophie will have to uncover the truth before more harm is done. -
Out of the Valley of Horses
The valley of horses has been a safe haven for Honey and her family for seven peaceful years, but this seemingly perfect valley has also become their prison. Trapped by a mysterious magic, and fearing for her father's life, Honey is determined to find a way out of the valley of horses.
The valley of horses is the only true place Honey remembers since her family stumbled upon it in their converted ice cream truck while escaping from the rest of the world, and the illnesses that was spreading there. Honey's parents, her brother Rumi, and her NanNan become self-sufficient, living off the land and sharing the valley with mystical horses who seem to have a wisdom of their own. But there is a magic in the valley that prevents Honey and her family from ever leaving. When Honey suspects her father has become ill, Honey knows she must find a way to escape the valley to find help from a world she only knows about through stories.
Wendy Orr, author of the award-winning Nim's Island and Dragonfly Song, creates a magical land filled with awe and mystery. Showcasing the endurance of family, and the beauty of restoration and self-sufficiency, Orr crafts a heartfelt adventure and enchanting world to fall into.
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Through a Clouded Mirror
Inspired by The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and set in a magical imperial Japan, this is a breathtaking fantasy adventure from the acclaimed author of The Pearl Hunter.
Yuki Snow wishes she were anywhere but here.
She hates Santa Dolores, where her mom and stepdad just moved the family. Her BFF back home, Julio, has already forgotten his promise to stay in touch--and worse, he like likes Yuki's mortal enemy. At her new school, the kids think she's either invisible or a know-it-all nerd.
The only friend she's made so far is the shopkeeper at a Japanese antiques store. Among the treasures there is an ancient brass mirror supposedly once owned by celebrated Japanese writer Sei Shonagon. It's also rumored to be a portal to Shonagon's world, which opens every hundred years. So when a woman with long jet-black hair and flowing silk robes appears in the glass, beckoning, Yuki knows there's only one thing to do--step through to the unknown....
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Eagle Drums
**A NEWBERY HONOR BOOK**
A magical middle grade debut about the origin story of the Iñupiaq Messenger Feast, a Native Arctic tradition. With beautifully hand-drawn full color art throughout!
As his family prepares for winter, a young, skilled hunter must travel up the mountain to collect obsidian for knapping—the same mountain where his two older brothers died.
When he reaches the mountaintop, he is immediately confronted by a terrifying eagle god named Savik. Savik gives the boy a choice: follow me or die like your brothers.
What comes next is a harrowing journey to the home of the eagle gods and unexpected lessons on the natural world, the past that shapes us, and the community that binds us.
Eagle Drums by Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson is part cultural folklore, part origin myth about the Messenger’s Feast – which is still celebrated in times of bounty among the Iñupiaq. It’s the story of how Iñupiaq people were given the gift of music, song, dance, community, and everlasting tradition. Hopson's full-page illustrations and spot art, rendered in colored pencil, accompany this powerful story. -
Release the Wolves
When a blacksmith's apprentice witnesses a friend being killed by a legendary monster, he must decide between waiting for war in fear and silence, or risking everything to fight back. An extraordinary novel about friendship, tradition, obedience, and the monsters lurking behind every corner from internationally bestselling author Stefan Bachmann. For readers of Scary Stories for Young Foxes and Serafina and the Black Cloak.
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 expects. 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. Now Argo and his new ally, Ana--the King's eldest daughter who is also a monster hunter in disguise--must decide whether or not to join the fight. 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, family, power, and the monsters all around us.
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Clara Poole and the Long Way Round
Mr. Lemoncello meets the Amazing Race in this quirky high-octane balloon-racing middle grade around-the-world adventure.
When an unintended flight over Michigan in her class science project—a lawn chair held aloft by balloons—brings her instant celebrity, Clara Poole is invited to be the spokesperson for a round-the-world adventure race. But when her overprotective father refuses, Clara forges his signature in a moment of defiance and runs away to Paris to take her place in the skies. If only she’d read the fine print first.
Partnered with a veteran aeronaut who wants nothing to do with her, Clara faces down ten treacherous stages in a race around the world—capturing flags in the perilous mountains of Nepal; being a guest of honor at a maybe-wedding in the Saharan desert; flying through rings of fire in Hong Kong—all while learning the ropes alongside a colorful cast of international competitors.
But there are more dangers ahead. Someone is trying to sabotage the competition. And surviving this race means Clara must come to terms with the tragedy that set her fleeing to the skies in the first place, and accepting that forgiving herself isn’t a process she has to undertake alone.
Gorgeous prose and winning characters combine in this quirky, often-hilarious, sometimes heart-breaking, and thoroughly captivating middle grade adventure series starter from an incredible new talent.
A Crown Award Nominee -
The Strange Wonders of Roots
From the acclaimed author of Manatee Summer comes a poignant story about a girl who learns to lay down roots as she's drawn into a fight over a local grove of trees that's in danger of being torn down. Perfect for fans of Hoot and Operation Redwood.
Holly Foster knows that nothing lasts--not hometowns or schools, or even family. It's just safer to keep herself uninvolved. So when she's sent to spend part of the summer with her uncle, she knows better than to get attached to him...or any part of his small Vermont town of Arden.
But when she arrives, she's drawn into the drama that's split the town: The local plastic factory is trying to tear down the trees in the center of Arden to build a visitor's center and museum. Holly shocks herself by stepping into the fray and taking on one of the most powerful families in the area. But as she learns more about the town--and makes a new friend or two--Holly is determined to protect the one place she thinks she could finally belong. But will she be able to convince the other townspeople that the trees deserve to stay?
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The Girl Who Kept the Castle
Nevermoor meets Howl's Moving Castle in this engaging fantasy--the first in a duology--from acclaimed author Ryan Graudin. Perfect for fans of wizards, dragons, magical castles, spectacular spells, and a spunky cat who may not be what he seems.
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?
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Majestica
Jurassic Park meets Skandar and the Unicorn Thief in this page-turning middle grade fantasy adventure set at a nature preserve for magical beasts, where two girls find themselves on a wilderness expedition gone disastrously wrong.
Hattie Swift is a maid-in-training at Majestica, a resort and nature preserve where visitors come face-to-face with rare magical flora and fauna. She’s thrilled to be invited along on the park’s famous wilderness train excursion for the first time, but there’s a catch: She has to accompany Evelyn Ridgewell, the hotel owner’s haughty niece, who wants nothing to do with her.
Soon after embarking, Evelyn overhears a man who aims to hunt the park’s creatures for sport, and Hattie meets Jacob Threadborne, an apprentice magician sent by a foreign government on a top-secret mission. Then the magical fences keeping guests safe stop working, and the train breaks down in the most treacherous part of the jungle. Faced with poachers, man-eating trees, and a dragon on the loose, Hattie, Evelyn, and Jacob must stick together to figure out what’s gone wrong at Majestica . . . that is, if they want to make it out alive.
Features a richly illustrated map of the expansive nature preserve, as well as a bestiary with all the magical—and dangerous—creatures at Majestica. -
The Secret Library
An instant New York Times bestseller!
Travel through time with National Book Award Finalist Kekla Magoon in a page-turning fantasy adventure about family secrets and finding the courage to plot your own life story.
Since Grandpa died, Dally's days are dull and restricted. She's eleven and a half years old, and her exacting single mother is already preparing her to take over the family business. Starved for adventure and release, Dally rescues a mysterious envelope from her mother's clutches, an envelope Grandpa had earmarked for her. The map she finds inside leads straight to an ancient vault, a library of secrets where each book is a portal to a precise moment in time. As Dally "checks out" adventure after adventure--including an exhilarating outing with pirates--she begins to dive deep into her family's hidden history. Soon she's visiting every day to escape the demands of the present. But the library has secrets of its own, intentions that would shape her life as surely as her mother's meticulous plans. What will Dally choose? Equal parts mystery and adventure--with a biracial child puzzling out her identity alongside the legacy of the past--this masterful middle-grade fantasy rivets with crackling prose, playful plot twists, and timeless themes. A satisfying choice for fans of Kindred and When You Reach Me. -
They Call Me No Sam!
- An Instant New York Times BestsellerAn Indie Next PickA "howlingly funny tale." --ALA Booklist (starred review)
From Drew Daywalt, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Day the Crayons Quit, and illustrator Mike Lowery comes a heavily illustrated, paper-over-board middle grade novel about Sam, a noble pug who will go to any lengths to protect his family from the bad guys!
Meet Sam: an insolent pug--and incidental hero--who will stop at nothing to protect his family!
When scientists Elaine and Gary Peterson adopt Sam to keep their son, Justin, company in the midst of a top-secret research project, they never imagine the precocious pup will cause more harm than good. But from chewing up Elaine's hair dryer (the "brain-melting heat cannon") to his inability to be house-trained (who could resist the "pooping rug"?), the Petersons aren't sure how much more they can take. And that's before Sam starts harassing Justin's crush (and potential new friend), Phoebe, who Sam is sure is an evil wizard out to harm Justin.
But when a pair of crooks encroaches on the Peterson household in an attempt to steal their confidential findings, Sam's actions--never mind his reasoning for them--just may save the day.
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The Spindle of Fate
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 Perilous Performance at Milkweed Meadow
Butternut and the meadow creatures return in this middle-grade adventure sequel that will charm animal-loving fans of The Tale of Despereaux and Clarice the Brave. Illustrated by Caldecott winner Doug Salati.
After their remarkable rescue, the meadow creatures are back—now closer than ever and with beloved rabbit Butternut still captivating them all with her storytelling. But when a dazzling group of traveling turkeys shows up and persuades the meadow creatures to join them in putting on performance, Butternut is not sure she can find her place in all the excitement. She questions her storytelling abilities compared to this new crew.
When it turns out the turkeys—and the grand show—are not what they seem, Butternut's family and friends are suddenly in imminent danger. Butternut must figure out how to trust herself and find help. In the end, the hope is that friendship will win once more.
Beautiful and arresting black-and-white illustrations bring the animals to life in this nail-biting and heartwarming story about trust: trusting our instincts, trusting our creative talents, and trusting those who know and love us, even when it’s hard.
“Treasured classics designed to be read aloud and shared.”
—Caroline Carlson, author of Wicked Marigold -
The Ghosts of Nameless Island
Twelve-year-old Gus Greenburg can see ghosts; in fact, he uses this paranormal superpower to help them "go on." But when Gus and his mom move into an old mansion on the mysterious and remote Nameless Island, he meets a ghost that's set out to hurt him. Bestselling author Carly Anne West weaves a spooky and thrilling series opener in this spine-tingling tale about mystery, family, and all things paranormal.
After his dad goes missing and his mom is hired to restore an old building called the Rotham Manor, twelve-year-old Gus Greenburg and his mom move to a quaint, secluded island called Nameless. Gus was hoping for a new start on the island (despite throwing up on the boat ride there . . . twice), but a mysterious ghost has another idea. Throw in a mean kid who hides rats in the manor, two new friends, an eclectic island chef who's competing to be on a reality TV show, and Gus's power to talk to the dead . . . well, that's a lot of chaos for one kid!
Gus needs to find out the identity of the mysterious ghost - and fast - or else he might be doomed to the same lethal fate.
That is, if the island's signature "Heavenly Hash" dish doesn't get to him first.
The Ghosts of Nameless Island is the first book in a new trilogy from bestselling author Carly Anne West. It's infused with Carly Anne West's signature wit and humor, and spooky enough for fans of Claribel Ortega's Ghost Squad, Scott Cawthon's Five Night's at Freddy's, and Carly's own Hello Neighbor series. This book also features black-and-white spot illustrations throughout.
"Along with this classically atmospheric setting and scary thumps and other noises aplenty, West treats readers to multiple specters that are even more rousingly hideous in her descriptions than in Skaffa's spiky, stylishly grotesque monochrome scenes and spot art . . . Hints of dark doings in the island's past also emerge before this trilogy opener ends with a sudden and terrifying cliffhanger . . . All the shivery feels, escalating to the nightmarish in spots." - Kirkus
"Join author Carly Anne West on Nameless Island for a haunting, spine-tingling mystery that will leave you on the edge of your seat! The Ghost of Nameless Island is an illustrated tale of hidden rats, mystery ghosts, and reality TV that is sure to lift your spirits." - Terrance Crawford, bestselling author of the Piggy series
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Hum
A chance encounter with an old llama astonishingly reveals a language Allen didn’t know he could speak in this captivating and one-of-a-kind middle-grade novel.
Eleven-year-old Allen has a recurring nightmare, a persistent habit of humming, and difficulty connecting with other people. Making a fresh start, he and his grandmother move to a small village in northern New York. But when he meets an old llama at a winter festival, the encounter reveals a language he didn’t know he could speak and unveils repressed memories that contradict what he has long believed about his earliest years and his parents’ deaths.
When the llama’s life is threatened, Allen vows to free it. Together they begin a desperate trek through a snowy wilderness, a journey on which Allen must wrestle with lies about his past while struggling against the elements to survive. -
Johnny, the Sea, and Me
A timid ten-year-old boy meets Johnny, a gruff islander who will change his life, in Johnny, the Sea, and Me, a heartwarming middle-grade novel by Melba Escobarabout finding yourself and your place in the world-featuring illustrations by award-winning artist Elizabeth Builes.
Translated from Spanish by Sara Lissa Paulson
Pedro has always dreamed of going to the sea. So when his mom takes him on a special trip to a small island in the Caribbean, he's so happy that he grows an extra inch! But the troubles at home-bullying from classmates and an absent father-find a way to follow Pedro, even on vacation... Overwhelmed, the boy takes to the beach and runs away, hoping to leave his worries far behind.
That's when he meets Johnny, an islander descended from pirates. At first, Pedro is frightened by Johnny's imposing appearance and brusque manners. But Johnny, along with his chatty parrot Victoria, takes young Pedro under his wing and shares his island and his stories with him, thereby changing Pedro's life. Because sometimes, like Pedro, you have to lose yourself to find yourself. -
Else B. in the Sea
Else B. in the Sea is a poetic picture book biography about a daring and pioneering woman artist that combines themes of art and science from author Jeanne Walker Harveyand illustratorMelodie Stacey.
Else Bostelmann donned a red swimsuit and a copper diving helmet and, with paints and brushes in hand, descended into the choppy turquoise sea off the coast of Bermuda. It was 1930, and few had ventured deep into the sea before. She discovered a fairyland six fathoms below the surface--fantastic coral castles, glittering sunbeams, swaying sea plumes, and slender purple sea fans. And fish! Flashy silverfish, puckering blue parrotfish, iridescent jellyfish.
Else painted under the sea! She painted what she saw with her own eyes, and, back on land, she painted the never-before-seen deep-sea creatures described by world-renowned scientist William Beebe on his momentous 1930s bathysphere expeditions for the New York Zoological Society's Department of Tropical Research. It was a daring and glamorous adventure and a dream come true for Else B., who shared this new, unfathomable world with humankind.