Summer middle grade fiction
Need some great new fiction to inspire your middle grade readers? Check out this pair! The first one came out in early May, 2026 and it's by one of my favorite authors-Gary D. Schmidt. Schmidt has such a gift for characters-he writes about some of the most interesting people I've ever read about and this one is no exception. It's about Simon, a 12 year boy, who when he is sent to Hades, chooses not to drink from the River Styx and forget his former life. For the next 2,451 years, he tries to escape, unsuccessfully, until one day, he figures out a way past Cerebus and across the River Styx and ends up in a middle school, where thankfully, a kind boy named Zeke helps out. He gets Simon some clothes and invites Simon to stay with him. At the same time Persephone misses Simon, he was one of her favorites, and when she finds out that he's gone, she tells Hades, who is determined to get Simon back. In the meantime, Simon is trying to find his be...