Fran Manushkin
Katie Woo and Pedro on the Case
A charming, low-stakes mystery series that validates a child's desire to solve problems while keeping the stakes safely within the realm of schoolyard drama.
Read this next
All picks after this →
Spy School
by Stuart Gibbs
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · 720L · 2012
A genuinely fun spy-academy romp that keeps the plot moving fast enough that middle-grade boys forget to resist reading; the humor lands without being smug.
Elf Dog and Owl Head
by M.T. Anderson
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · 720L · 2023
Anderson's trademark wordplay and absurdist humor makes this a delightful middle-grade romp that doesn't talk down to readers—kids and parents both find something to laugh at.
All I Want Is Everything
by Cecily von Ziegesar
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · 720L · 2003
Peak tween social comedy—sharp observations about clique behavior and status anxiety, but the moral education is thin; kids eat it up, parents might cringe at the materialism.