There’s nothing like a good middle-grade fantasy series to hook young readers! Watch out, Harry Potter. These fantasy books for tweens are coming for you! Check out our favorites below.
Middle-grade fantasy series hook young readers!
If there’s one pattern I notice as a children’s librarian, it’s this: the jump from easy chapter books to graphic novels. Then the leap to middle-grade fantasy series. Then the even bigger leap to realistic fiction.
It actually feels like a very natural progression.
I love the way middle-grade fantasy books help bridge the transition from graphic novels to realistic fiction. The evolution actually makes a lot of sense.
Middle-grade fantasy series ease kids into novels
Once kids feel determined to tackle novels after devouring shelves of comics, they often aren’t quite ready for some of the meatier plots and deeper, more nuanced situations in realistic fiction.
Middle-grade fantasy books don’t necessarily shy away from these complex plots and topics. Like realistic fiction, these stories may also handle issues such as racism, death, confidence, or bullying. Yet because they are couched in magic, new worlds, and wonder, these topics become much more palatable.
Tough topics in fantasy books are handled in a more subtle manner. They offer children different, fantastical lenses through which they can view and understand the world. Because fantasy is not “real life,” these stories in turn become less threatening for tweens.
There’s no debating it. Middle-grade fantasy series are magic in their own right, and these are the books that will keep your kids reading until dawn. Check out the stories below and grab some of these terrific middle-grade fantasy series to delight and excite your readers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Middle-grade fantasy is captivating for young readers. Kids fall madly in love with fantastical worlds, unique characters, and the magic in these brilliant stories! Perhaps more importantly, fantasy eases kids into the world of realistic fiction. Because stories set in fantastical worlds with non-human characters can’t happen in real life, authors are able to tackle complex issues in a manner that is easier for kids to digest. When tough topics are couched in magic, new worlds, and wonder, kids can begin to grapple with real-world problems in very safe spaces. Simply put, reading fantasy is so beneficial for young readers!
This is the age-old question, and the simple answer is that you know your child best. My eldest was not ready for Harry Potter in second grade, even if we read it together. He frightened easily, and I knew it wasn’t for him. That being said, some of his friends began reading it with their grownups even younger! Pay attention to your child’s particular sensitivities when making the decision as to when to begin this series. Remember that when the series begins, Harry is only eleven years old. As the books progress and Harry and his friends get older, the books become more complex and darker as well.
YES! Many young, avid readers have difficulty finding other bookworms with whom they can connect and share their love of reading. Book clubs are phenomenal for fostering a child’s love of reading, encouraging socialization with other readers, introducing kids to new authors and genres, and expanding the way they think about and analyze stories. Did you know we run a virtual book club that connects young readers in grades 3 through 7 around the country? Check out The Dawn Society here!
Middle-grade fantasy series kids love as much as Harry Potter!
This is the middle-grade fantasy series that flies off the shelves in our school library as fast as the books come in. This captivating series stars Sophie, a telepathic girl who has never felt she fit into her life. She’s skipped grades but doesn’t connect with her older classmates, and she’s not even comfortable with her family. But then one day she meets a boy named Fitz, and Sophie discovers Fitz is a telepath too. It’s through Fitz that Sophie learns a shocking and important truth – a truth that forces her to leave her family behind for a new world that’s unlike anything she has ever known. Don’t miss this one, friends. Your readers will be hooked from the very first page and won’t stop reading these novels until they have finished the entire series!
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This is a middle-grade fantasy series I learned about through members of The Dawn Society, our virtual kids’ book club. The tweens can’t get enough of these books about dragons! A war has been plaguing Pyrrihia’s dragon tribes for years. But according to a prophecy, five dragonets will bring peace to Pyrrhia and select a new queen. Yet, not every dragonet is keen on the path laid out for them, and when the five young dragons learn about their mysterious and unusual pasts, they may decide to choose freedom over what they believed was to be their destiny. My 10-year old students love this series!
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When two “friends” from the same town end up at The School for Good and Evil, where girls and boys are trained to become heroes and villains of the most celebrated fairy tales, a terrible mishap occurs. Sophie, with her blond locks and glass slippers and self-proclaimed goodness, and Agatha, with her black dresses and wicked cat, find their fortunes reversed. Sophie ends up in the School for Evil, and Agatha finds herself among beautiful princes and maidens in the School for Good. Will the schools lead the girls to discover who they really are? From mysterious quests to unexpected alliances, this middle-grade fantasy series is unputdownable.
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After listening to my school book club rave about this series every session for an entire school year, I went ahead and purchased it for the library. And let me tell you — boys and girls alike rave about this series and find it absolutely mesmerizing! It’s also a super fun series to read aloud as a family. Twins Alex and Conner leave their modern world and find themselves in a land of stories, wonder, and mystery, where they come face to face with the very classic fairy tale characters they grew up reading about. How to get home again? Let’s just say it will be much more challenging than the twins ever anticipated.
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Amari is a tween from the housing projects who believes her big brother, Quinton, is still alive — even if no one else agrees. When Amari one day discovers a ticking briefcase in Quinton’s closet containing a nomination for her tryout to the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she suddenly knows there is a lot to discover behind her brother’s sudden disappearance. Was there more to Quinton than meets the eye? Is there more to Amari herself? Most importantly, is magic actually real? Amari is a strong Black girl who is witty, persistent, and smarter than she realizes. Her story brilliantly tackles issues of racism, classism, poverty, and profiling, all wrapped up in a fast-paced fantasy that leaves you turning pages with a ferocity you never knew. If your tween is in fourth or fifth grade, this one is an absolute winner!
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If you have a child that loves middle-grade fantasy books with strong female protagonists, look no further than the captivating Aru Shah books! Twelve-year-old Aru Shah often finds herself stretching the truth. After all, while her pals vacation in some of the fanciest places around the globe, she’ll be home, spending the autumn break at the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture. But when she tries to prove to her classmates that the Lamp of Bharata in the museum is cursed, Aru goes a little bit too far. Because when she lights the lamp, even for just a quick second, she frees the Sleeper — an ancient demon whose goal is to awaken the God of Destruction. And her mom and classmates? Let’s just say they become frozen in time, and it’s up to Aru to save them.
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Touted as a modern Harry Potter, the Nevermoor series is bound to captivate your kids. Morrigan Crow knows she is cursed. After all, she was born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born. What does that mean? It means she’s blamed for everything from the biggest misfortunes to the smallest, and it means she’s going to die young – specifically at midnight on her eleventh birthday. But as she waits for doomsday, a man named Jupiter North appears and whisks Morrigan away to the safety of Nevermoor, a safe place where she has the ability to contend for a spot in the city’s most prestigious organization called The Wundrous Society. Will she discover an extraordinary talent and be able to pass the dangerous tests? Or will she succumb to her deadly fate?
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Looking for a middle grade fantasy series rooted in African American lore? Look no further than Tristan Strong, which blends fantasy, mythology, and, of course, lots and lots of action. After he is unable to save his best friend Eddie’s life in a bus accident, Tristan Strong feels the exact opposite of strong. All he has to remember Eddie is Eddie’s journal. But when Tristan spends the summer on his grandparents’ farm in Alabama, a strange creature shows up and steals Eddie’s journal. In a desperate attempt to save his best friend’s words, Tristan punches a tree. This one action rips open a chasm into the volatile MidPass. And then? Tristan finds himself surrounded by burning seas and iron monsters, in the middle of a battle that has left black American folk heroes exhausted. Will Tristan be able to save the world — and the things he loves — from the trickster god Anansi? Or will bartering with Anansi come with too high a price? For more fabulous tween books with Black characters, check out this list!
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Winner of the Pura Belpre award, this awesome sci-fi fantasy complete with Cuban flair simply rocks! If you had the power to reach through time and space to retrieve anything you wanted, including your mother, would you do it? Sal and Gabi meet in the principal’s office one day. He’s a troublemaker with a penchant for magic, and Gabi is the student council president and editor of the school paper. But when Gabi learns Sal is capable of conjuring things — including people no longer living — the two team up on one compelling adventure, manipulating time and space. The only problem? They may just put the entire universe at risk along the way.
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Three young sisters live on the gloomy island of Crowstone. All Betty wants is to go on an adventure, but instead of a daring journey, Betty and her sisters Fliss and Charlie are given a set of magical objects. Sounds cool, right? Until they learn the objects come with a terrible secret – a secret that just may involve a generations-long curse that prevents them from ever leaving the island. Can they discover a way to break the curse and free their family forever? Can they unravel a centuries-long mystery involving shipwrecks, smugglers and sorcery? Or are they destined for danger and disaster?
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If you have a reader who loves all things books, they will be mesmerized by this first book in the delightful Pages and Co. series. Ever since her mother disappears, Tilly has found comfort and solace in the stories of her grandparents’ bookshop. But when Anne of Green Gables and Alice from Wonderland keep popping in for a visit, Tilly discovers that she can “bookwander” into any story in the shop. Tilly’s new adventures are exciting– and at times, they are also dangerous. Will Tilly’s new escapades lead her to unravel the mystery of her mother’s disappearance so many years ago? There is nothing better than a book-loving hero, and we adore this wonderful series!
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Percy Jackson is a good kid — but he sometimes has trouble controlling his temper, and his time at boarding school seems to be going from bad to worse. When he thinks his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster who wants to kill him, Percy’s mom decides it’s time he learns the truth about who he really is… and that’s when his true journey begins. Mythical, magical, and masterful, this is one series you won’t forget! After all, Percy is a demigod. And with a father like Poseidon, there’s no debating that mystery, mythology and magic will enthrall tween readers!
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The Greenglass House is a creaky, smuggler’s inn, and 12-year-old Milo is the adopted son of it’s innkeepers. Milo is excited for the winter holidays and can’t wait to relax. Yet, on the first night of vacation, the Greenglass House’s guest bell rings over and over again. Soon, mysterious guests arrive one after another, each of whom has a story somehow relating to the crumbling house. And when things go missing and guests get heated, Milo, together with the cook’s daughter, must begin to untangle the deepening mystery surrounding Greenglass House. Only then will they learn the truth – both about the house and themselves.
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Barclay Thorne was not seeking adventure. Yet, when he breaks his town’s most sacred rule and ventures into the woods, adventure is definitely what he finds. What happens when Barclay doesn’t run from the Beast he discovers but bonds with it, instead? Life as he knows it disappears, and he must find the mysterious town of Lore Keepers so he can break this dangerous bond and head back to his home. Will he be able to do so, even after making new friends and entering a risky apprenticeship exam? Or will he jump headfirst into the adventure that calls to him? Wholesome, whimsical, and oh so much fun, young readers will adore this fantasy series!
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Ella Durand is excited to attend magic school – in the clouds. At just eleven years old, she is the first Conjuror to attend the Arcanum Training Institute for Marvelous and Uncanny Endeavors, where Marvellers from around the world practice their cultural arts. Yet, being the first Conjuror isn’t easy, especially as she learns that others don’t trust her or her kind of magic. When a criminal escapes prison, supposedly with a Conjuror’s help, Ella is looked upon with suspicion. With the help of her new friends and her own magical powers, will she be able to clear her family’s name and discover her missing mentor? With unique magic, spellbinding worldbuilding, and twists at every turn, tween readers will be captivated by this middle-grade fantasy series!
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Touted as an elevated Percy Jackson, this is the story of Zachary Ying, a boy who never knew much about his Chinese heritage. When Zachary learns he was born to host the spirit of the First Emperor of China for a vital mission, he knows he is awfully unprepared for his mission. This gamer-turned-hero will make you laugh out loud as he tries to seal the leaking portal to the Chinese Underworld, but he will also leave you on the edge of your seat as he adventures through China. Can he outwit and defeat figures from history and myth? Can he finish his fated mission or will his mom become a victim if he isn’t successful in time? With Chinese history, hijinks, and lots of humor, this new fantasy rocks!
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Not all unicorns belong in fairy tales; some are more suited to nightmares. Skandar Smith has always wanted to leave the Mainland for the secretive Island, where unicorns roam wild and free. Yet when he is finally ready to take his hatchery exam (the test people must take to become unicorn riders to tame the most vicious unicorns), things go disastrously wrong, and Skandar’s hopes are in tatters. When a mysterious figure arrives and tells Skandar that the Island is in danger, Skandar is determined to answer the call. Yet he quickly learns that unicorn riding is a lot more than just winning challenges. Skandar must learn to fight, survive, and keep his secret, too – because his life is in mortal danger.
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Seven Salazar can’t wait for the Black Moon Ceremony in Ravenstown. She just knows she will be placed in a coven with her best friend, and the two will come into their powers as full witches together. But things go disastrously wrong when Seven learns she isn’t in a coven – she’s a Spare! That means she is less powerful and looked down upon by everyone. Determined not to remain a witchling forever, Seven invokes her only option – the Impossible Task. If she and the other two Spares are successful, they’ll gain their full powers. And if not? Well, the last time a group didn’t complete the task, they were turned into toads. Forever. This is such a fun fantasy for readers who love girl power, quirky characters, and friendship stories.
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