Great Middle Grade Reads discussion

The year is more than half gone, and I've been reassessing my reading pile, shuffling some new releases closer to the top & eyeing a couple of series that I nabbed during summer sales. But this monthly post isn't for looking ahead. Let's look back!

I was able to wrap up my first read-through of the alphabet (in order) during July. What Came from the Stars by Gary D. Schmidt was my W pick because Schmidt is one of my favorite authors. This story kicks off when a boy from a small New England town finds an alien artifact in his lunchbox. For X, I grabbed another book by a trusted author. The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict by Trenton Lee Stewart. It's a prequel to the Mysterious Benedict Society series, and it's a mystery & a treasure hunt presented in true gothic style. I'm also recommending my Z book. Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor is sci-fantasy, set on the planet from which the first people supposedly came to Earth. The world-building is exquisite, set on a jungle world where people grow their technology from plants. At its heart is one girl's high-stakes quest to find a cure before time runs out.



So how about you? What were your favorite middle grade reads from July?