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Middle Grade

Kaleidoscope

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Kaleidoscope by Brian Selznick
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Kids, Teens

“We stood side by side, holding hands. I thought about an hourglass, where the sand is pouring down from above until the top half is empty. My head felt like the top half of the hourglass, and I could feel everything pouring out – my thoughts, my memories, my past, all the books of I’d read, all the diagrams of telephones I’d memorized, my family, my dreams, my fears. I was dissolving and becoming something new.”

This collection of short stories is a magical and mysterious exploration of loss, loneliness, and longing. Each story is linked by reoccurring themes and motifs, but most notably by the connection between the narrator and his friend, James. With settings that shift over time, space, memory, and dreams, these vignettes interspersed with Selznick’s illustrations form a tapestry examining love, friendship, and the grief that follows loss.

While Kaleidoscope is suggested for young readers ages 9-12, the overarching themes and speculative writing style will also appeal to teens and adults.

Find Kaleidoscope in the catalog here!

Garlic and the Vampire

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Garlic and the Vampire by Bree Paulsen
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Kids

Garlic, an enchanted garlic bulb, lives in a quiet garden with other enchanted vegetables under the care of their friend and mentor, Witch Agnes. Garlic chronically oversleeps and over-worries, but she loves tending the garden and finds her bliss safely in her comfort zone.

Interrupting their idyllic existence, smoke rises from a nearby (and supposedly long abandoned) castle. A vampire has moved in! Garlic, obviously having natural resistance to vampires, is volunteered to investigate and deal with their terrifying new neighbor. She doesn’t know how she could possibly do that – she’s just a little garlic! – but with encouragement from her best friend, Carrot, Garlic overcomes her self-doubt and confronts the vampire. Even with her newfound courage, it doesn’t go exactly the way she expects.

A wholesome and absolutely adorable story, Garlic and the Vampire is a middle-grade graphic novel about anxiety and bravery, believing in yourself, and perhaps most importantly, not judging a vampire just by his teeth.

Find Garlic and the Vampire in the catalog here!

Kiki’s Delivery Service

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Kiki’s Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Kids

It is witch tradition that at thirteen a young witch leaves her home to find a town in need of magical services. Half-witch Kiki hasn’t fully mastered her magical abilities yet, but she also never runs from a challenge. Flying on her broomstick (one of the few magical things Kiki actually is pretty good at) with her black cat, Jiji, Kiki decides to stay one full year in the seaside town of Koriko. At first she’s met with some skepticism by the locals, but determined and lovable Kiki quickly finds her footing.

Kiki’s Delivery Service is a wholesome and warmhearted coming of age story. Originally published in 1985, it was later adapted into the animated movie of the same name by legendary director Hayao Miyazaki in 1989. The newest translation was published in 2020 with new beautiful new cover art and illustrations by Yuta Onoda. Families looking for a book to read aloud together will love its episodic chapters, but I wholeheartedly recommend Kiki’s Delivery Service to any witch in need of a cozy read.

Find Kiki’s Delivery Service in the catalog here!

Alone

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Alone by Megan E. Freeman
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Kids, Teens

After waking up in a town evacuated while she slept, Maddie has to learn to survive on her own. At only twelve years old, she weathers harsh climate, natural disasters, illness, looters, and wild animals. Remembering her dad’s advice to “stay put” during a crisis, Maddie scavenges nearby houses for food and supplies, soon also finding the neighbor’s Rottweiler, George, who becomes her constant companion. With only George and the books she’s able to pilfer from her local library to keep her company, brave and determined Maddie perseveres in the hopes that one day her parents will come back for her. In simple but powerful verse, she often heartbreakingly remembers her life “before,” worries about her loved ones, and wonders when – and if – she will ever see them again.

Alone is a middle-grade novel in verse and Megan E. Freeman’s debut. At 400 pages, it manages to be incredibly fast-paced and keeps its momentum until the last page. Reminiscent of Hatchet, Island of the Blue Dolphins, and the I Survived series, Alone is a story about the internal struggle of isolation, but also, survival, courage, family, and hope.

Find Alone in the catalog here!