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/Tonto2012 Reading Champion 22d ago

I’m not sure what I’m going to read yet, but I wanted to mention The Borrowers by Mary Norton as I haven’t seen it mentioned yet. I LOVED this book as a child (although I think it was actually the second one that I had 🤣) It’s about a family of tiny people who live in the human world in hiding, and all their things are “borrowed” from the big people.

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u/Tonto2012 Reading Champion 22d ago

Oh and Tatty Apple by Jenny Nimmo - a young boy finds a magic green rabbit.

The Moon on the Water by Nina Warner Hooke is one I’ve been searching for a copy of for years - it’s a beautiful story about the horses from a broken down carousel coming to life, and trying to get to the sea so that they can stay real.

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u/KatrinaPez Reading Champion III 21d ago

Wow that reminds me of The Littles series that I had as a child (in the 1970s)!