Magical middle grade fiction Summer 2026
Summers SHOULD be full of magic! Here are two of my new favorite magical middle grade books. The first one is called "Song of the Yellow Dragon" by Ying Ping Low. It's about two kids, Kai and Mengyao. Kai is the 12 year old emperor but he's controlled by his uncle and one of uncle's friends. It turns out the two have orchestrated the deaths of Kai's dad and his siblings and Kai is next on the list. Kai decides his best bet is run away and he ends up in a small village that has no name because it's so isolated. A girl named Mengyao finds him and he swears her to secrecy, which totally doesn't work because it's such a small village and everyone knows everything. Once he's healed up, the two decide to go on a quest for the Dragon Pulse, which should give him the power to be the Emperor he wants to be. Mengyao is also hoping to get some magic, she wants to be a healer. Their quest is filled with danger and surprises and eventually a sati...