Roseanne A. Brown
Serwa Boateng's Guide to Vampire Hunting
A sharp, funny middle-grade fantasy that handles cultural identity with nuance and gives a Black girl protagonist the kind of agency usually reserved for white boys in this genre.
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Theft of the Ruby Lotus
by Sayantani DasGupta
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · 750L · 2026
A richly woven fantasy adventure that threads South Asian folklore and mythology into genuinely inventive magic-system worldbuilding; Kiranmala's agency and the ensemble cast of friends make it stand out from generic quest narratives.
River of Spirits
by Shana Targosz
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · 720L · 2025
A spirited, culturally grounded fantasy that centers Taiwanese mythology without exoticizing it—the magic system is rooted in actual practice, and the protagonist's identity conflict feels earned rather than plotted.
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz
by L. Frank Baum
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · 720L · 2018
The fourth Oz book is looser and more digressive than The Wonderful Wizard, with a genuine earthquake as inciting incident and stranger magical lands; kids who love worldbuilding over tight plotting will devour it.