This year one of my reading goals is to reread some of my favourite middle grade books that I loved as a kid. I plan to read one a month for the whole year, and since it’s Middle Grade March, I thought now would be a good time to talk about which ones I’ve chosen.
The last two years have sparked a need for some nostalgia. I want to see what magic is working in the pages of these books that left such a lasting impact. I’m eager to see how they all hold up two decades later.
12 Middle Grade Books I’m Rereading in 2022
Most of these books are probably familiar to you, and have made their way onto many a middle grade reading list over the years, but each one was, for various reasons, formative in my life as a reader.
1. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Has anything captured the imagination quite like Narnia? Every portal fantasy that came after took some of its inspiration from the world that opened up at the back of a wardrobe. I missed the religious allegory of it all as a kid, which in retrospect is hilarious because it’s not subtle, but I was enchanted by the magic. I wanted nothing more than to find my own magical world. It sparked a lifetime of longing for doorways that would lead elsewhere.
2. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
I think I was a bit older than the target age group when I first read Ella Enchanted, but I was enthralled with it nonetheless. It’s a charming retelling of Cinderella with a feisty heroine who hates following the rules (in other words, the best kind of heroine). I’m about a third of the way into the story right now and even as an adult I feel the injustice of Ella’s plight keenly. She’s cursed to obey any direct order given to her. I remember shockingly little about the details of Ella’s adventure, so I’m eager to see how it unfolds.
3. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
A Wrinkle in Time is another book whose details escape me. The exception is the passage where Meg Murray and her travel companions end up in a Stepford-ish neighbourhood. Identical houses with identical children bounce balls at the ends of identical driveways perfectly in sync, until one boy’s ball escapes and it’s clear that this has been a breach of some terrifying regime. It haunts me to this day and that’s enough to lure me into revisiting this world. That, and the intriguing line from Mrs. Whatsit when she says, “Meg, I give you your faults,” and recontextualizes them as potential strengths.
4. Holes by Louis Sachar
With full sincerity, I ask, “Does a more perfect book exist than Holes?” Now it’s been a while since I’ve read it, but it’s easily one of the most unique books I’ve ever read. It’s bizarre from beginning to end, starting with our protagonist’s palindrome name, Stanley Yelnats. I can’t remember exactly how Stanley’s family history is entwined with the history of Camp Greenlake, where boys are forced to dig holes all day, but I’m ready to dive into the mystery all over again. This one might be my most anticipated reread on the list.
5. Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret? by Judy Blume
A classic by any standard, written by the patron saint of young girls everywhere, Judy Blume. There’s a reason that Judy Blume is so popular, and has remained so, and it’s because her books are honest and relatable in a way that many other books for young girls are not. I can’t tell you a single, solitary detail of what occurs in this book, but I do remember loving it. I have no doubt that this one will hold up.
6. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
No, I can’t believe I’m doing this to myself either. Bridge to Terabithia utterly wrecked me as a kid, and it was probably the first middle grade book that did. I didn’t know such devastation could come from a book. I remember far more of the specifics in this story, probably because it had such an emotional impact on my young psyche. A lot of books for kids deal with death in some way, but rarely the death of a friend. I don’t think that knowing what’s coming is going to make this book any easier to read. Wish me luck.
7. A Handful of Time by Kit Pearson
Kit Pearson was hands down one of my favourite authors as a child. I read everything she wrote, but A Handful of Time, in particular, stood out. Probably because of the time travel. A reluctant visitor at her aunt and uncle’s cottage, Patricia ends up finding a watch that takes her back to a summer when her own mother was twelve. Again, I’m hazy on details, but I’m excited to revisit this one. If it holds, I’ll have to squeeze in another Pearson favourite, Awake and Dreaming.
8. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
This. Book. Where do I even begin? The first line of Tuck Everlasting has lived with me ever since I first read it: “The first week of August hangs at the very top of summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning.” Not a single August passes me by that I don’t think of it and of the immortal Tuck family that Winnie Foster befriends. The magic in it is fairly understated in the practical sense—existing only a spring of water that grants eternal life—but the story brims with enchantment. And it grapples with some pretty big questions for a kids’ book. Like, if given the choice, would you choose to live forever?
9. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
I’m pretty sure everyone read The Outsiders in school. It’s going to be another one that devastates me, probably, but I’m looking forward to it anyway. The thing I recall most strongly about this story is the found family that Ponyboy has with his gang of greasers. You’d think I’d be able to remember more, since I can still recite Robert Frost’s “Nothing Gold Can Stay” because of it. The impact of “Stay gold, Ponyboy” is undeniable.
10. Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe
What a brilliant concept, honestly. A vampire bunny that sucks the juice out of vegetables, and the dog and cat detective ready to solve the mystery. I mean, c’mon. What more can you ask for? This was clearly where my vampire obsession began, and is likely the source of my love for duos solving strange mysteries (hello X-Files, Fringe, and Supernatural). Of course I’ll be saving it for October. Maybe I’ll do a vampire reading theme this fall.
11. Into the Land of the Unicorns by Bruce Coville
I think Bruce Coville was better known for the My Teacher is an Alien series. In fact, my most vivid memory of Into the Land of the Unicorns is not being able to find a single other book in the Unicorn Chronicles series. Since this was in the days before Google, I had to rely on bookstores, none of which were able to track them down either. I don’t know if they went out of print at one point, but their scarcity mythologized them in my mind. They were as elusive as the magical land of the unicorns called Luster, and my inability to find them only fuelled my obsession and convinced me of their inherent magic. I never did read the rest of them. If I enjoy this reread, maybe I finally will.
12. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Like Bruce Coville, Lois Lowry is better known for other books, namely The Giver and its sequels, but Number the Stars is the one that looms large in my mind. It was one of the first books about WWII that I ever read, and while it’s a highly sanitized version of events, from what I can remember, the tension and danger was nearly tangible to my young self. I’m very interested to see how this reads now that I’m an adult with a much deeper understanding of the events depicted in the story.
Searching for Magic in Middle Grade Books
You may have noticed that seven of these middle grade books are solidly in the sci-fi/fantasy category and at least two more are sci-fi/fantasy-adjacent.* I am nothing if not consistent. Fantasy is my first and truest love in literature and it hasn’t waned as I’ve gotten older. In fact, rereading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe has sent me on a mission to track down more portal fantasies. I was always and forever will be seeking magic that is just beyond a door.
Can you see a trend in the books you read as a child? Tell us your favourites in the comments below.
*I’m including Bridge to Terabithia in the adjacent category because even though the magic isn’t technically real, it’s real to Leslie and Jess, and I’m including Holes simply because it’s weird enough to start veering into sci-fi as far as I’m concerned.
