This year I read more children’s and middle grade books than I have been reading, mostly because I felt like revisiting my favorites. I’m not going to count these down in order because I can’t really rank them, but I’ll just share which ones I rated 5 stars.
- Percy Jackson and the Olympians, books 1-5 by Rick Riordan I had so much fun rereading these. It’s been like 12 years since I’ve picked them up but I still loved them so much. I’m planning to work the next series, The Heroes of Olympus, into my 2023 reading.
- Arc of a Scythe, books 1-4 by Neal Shusterman This was a reread partly for book club and partly because book 4, Gleanings, came out this fall. I couldn’t wait to get into that world again. Some killer (pun intended!) suspense and great plot twists in here.
- The Amulet of Samarkand, Bartimaeus Trilogy book 1 by Jonathan Stroud. I was hoping to get to all of these this year, but that didn’t happen. Instead I plan to read books 2 & 3 next year. Great complex characters in here and some prime worldbuilding.
- Love Is by Diane Adams A brief picture book about a girl who is adopted by a baby duck. For some reason, this really captured my heart. Genuine emotion, charming illustrations, and a sweet but not saccharine storyline. Available from Kindle Unlimited.
- The Bad Seed by Jory John I read all of his books I could get my hands on, but the first book is my favorite. Clever wordplay and illustration and goofy humor, what’s not to like? Also free on KU.
- The Great Troll War by Jasper Fforde, The Last Dragonslayer book 4 by Jasper Fforde. Every time he gets his characters into the most desperate situations and I think there’s no possible way out of it this time and every time he comes up with the craziest solutions. I love Jennifer and these books are seriously underrated.
- Nona the Ninth, The Locked Tomb series book 3 by Tamsyn Muir. I was so lost when I started this one but it was so good. I was just devastated by the story. Don’t start here. If for some reason you haven’t read this series, be sure you start with Gideon the Ninth.
And that’s my list of the best children’s/YA/MG I have read this year. It was a good year! Tell me what you’ve been reading in the comments. Have a great weekend and happy reading!
Speedy Reader 