Science fiction for middle graders Spring 2026
And in case you thought there was only realistic fiction being published this spring, fear not! There is also so much speculative fiction! Here are two of my newest favorites! The first one is by Erin Entrada Kelly. It's called "The Second Life of Snap". It's about Zuzu Santos, middle schooler living in a dystopian world where big companies control virtually everything. Her dad has been working security at the big corporation and they live in a small trailer that's subsidized by the local community, keeping the workers separated. She runs with a group of kids that call themselves the Valleycats. When her dad gets fired, part of his severance package includes a guardian robot that he thinks will be perfect for Zuzu to help keep her safe. Except Zuzu doesn't trust a guardian robot so her bestie reimages the robot and makes it more like a friend than a guardian. As she grows to trust the robot, Snap, more, she realizes she would d...