New middle grade realistic fiction 2024

 Need some great new middle grade books with relatable characters?  Wait till you hear about these!

The first one is called Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston.  I've loved Sherri Winston's writing since I first discovered her when she wrote a column for the Sun Sentinel.  She has such a terrific voice in her writing and her latest story is no exception.  Shark Teeth is about a 12 year old named Sharkita.  She is the primary caregiver for her 5 year old sister, Lily and her 8 year old brother Lamar, who has fetal alcohol syndrome.  She's the primary caregiver because her mom is unreliable as a parent.  Kita loves Lily and Lamar and would do anything to protect them.  But awhile back, things were pretty terrible.  Their mom disappeared for 9 days and Lamar had a giant melt down and knocked Kita out.  Kita called 911 to get some help and all three kids ended up in different foster homes and their mom wound up in jail.  Kita is determined not to let that happen again, but she wonders if she can trust her mom to make good choices.  At school, Kita gets involved with the dance team and is making new friends.  Her mom gets a job and it seems like things are going well, until they aren't.  This story has big themes of loyalty and commitment, parenting and found families, taking care of each other and allowing people to take care of you, of persistence and fighting for yourself and ultimately of hope.  I'd like to hope that this is fantasy story, that no parent could ever do the kinds of things that Sharkita's mom does, but it rings way too true.  This would be a great book for a book club or for a class read aloud, although I suspect it's going to be hard to find on the shelves.  At least at my school library, this is going to be one of those books that kids check out and then it goes out again the minute it comes back to the library, so be sure to get a few extra copies!  

Here's a short video of an interview with Sherri Winston. 

Here's the cover.

The second one is a mystery and it's called The Liars Society.  It's written by Alyson Gerber.  It's told from two different perspectives- Jack and Weatherby, two kids who both like sailing.  Jack comes from an old money family and attends an elite school.  His dad is expects him to always be a winner and even if it means cheating, as long as you don't get caught.  And if you do get caught, Dad will find a way to cover it up.  Weatherby, on the other hand, lives with her single mom and learned to sail from their neighbor, Skip.  She trusts both of them but wishes they would tell her more about her dad, who apparently moved to Switzerland right after her mom got pregnant.  When she and Skip beat Jack and his brother at the Regatta, she's invited to attend the Boston school, where her dad attended school.  She believes this will be a way to learn more about her dad.  But there is a mystery afoot.  First, the money for a school trip is stolen and the trip cancelled.  Jack's disgraced uncle, Yates, is blamed, but no one can figure out a motive. Then Jack and his friends are invited to join a secret society, but in order to join, they have to complete some tasks in complete secrecy.  As they start to solve the mystery, even more mysteries unfold.  There are some terrific plot twists and fun surprises along the way.  I thought this was great.  There could be some excellent conversations about privilege and family honor and about protecting the people we love and  about the greater good. Above all, the characters in this are so interesting and so much fun to read, kids are going to love this one.  

Here's a little video from Alyson about her book! 

and here's the cover.