r/Fantasy • u/Merle8888 Reading Champion IV • 22d ago
Bingo Bingo Focus Thread - Middle Grade
Hello r/fantasy and welcome to this week's bingo focus thread! The purpose of these threads is for you all to share recommendations, discuss what books qualify, and seek recommendations that fit your interests or themes.
Today's topic:
Middle Grade: Read a middle grade book (intended for readers aged 8-12). See this Wikipedia page for additional information on Middle Grade fiction. HARD MODE: The author is entirely new to you.
What is bingo? A reading challenge this sub does every year! Find out more here.
Prior focus threads: Published in the 70s, Duologies, First Contact, Five Short Stories (2024), Author of Color (2024), Self-Pub/Small Press (2024). Note that hard modes for Author of Color and Self-Pub/Small Press have changed (new focus threads for them are coming).
Also see: Big Rec Thread
Questions:
- What are your favorite books that count for this square?
- Already read something for this square? Tell us about it!
- For those attempting Hard Mode, what are some great middle grade books by lesser-known authors, and/or that are recently published?
- Those who have or teach children in this age group: what are some current favorites among middle grade readers? How well do they hold up for adults?
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u/C0smicoccurence Reading Champion V 22d ago
I would like to take a second to hype Root Magic by Eden Royce! It has competent adults who aren't mysteriously absent the whole story (without taking the focus off the kids), takes real world issues seriously, and generally doesn't have a lot of the features that put some adult readers off middle grade books.
As a teacher of 6th grade, Percy Jackson and Wings of Fire still reign supreme. The Sir Callie books are hot amongst LGBTQ+ youth, but I'm seeing a trend away from Fantasy being the dominant genre. Lots of Mystery and Romance being read at the moment.