Nic Blake and the Remarkables
A solid, fast-paced middle-grade adventure that balances humor with genuine stakes; less literary than Thomas's YA work but perfectly calibrated for its age band.
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Caddie Woodlawn
by Carol Ryrie Brink
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · 750L · 1970
A genuine historical novel with teeth — Caddie's wildness is funny and real, but the book doesn't shy from the moral weight of 1860s racism and frontier violence; parents should be ready to discuss.
Savvy
by Ingrid Law
Middle grade · ages 9–12 · 780L · 2009
A genuinely imaginative family-magic novel where the magic is actually a metaphor for discovering who you are at thirteen — tender, funny, and worth the rereads.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
by J. K. Rowling
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · 750L · 2017
A grown-up protagonist (Newt) and darker stakes than early Potter make this a thematic step up from the first three books, but the emotional center—kindness toward the outcast—is genuinely moving and worth the stretch.