2016 Middle Grade Favorites 12.22.16

This week I am sharing my favorite books that I read in 2016.

They don't have to be published in 2016.

They don't have to have an author or illustrator that lives in the United States.

I just had to love the book.

Or know that kids are going to love the book.

Books That Kids LOVE

These are books that I was very excited to share with students because I knew they would absolutely fall in love with them.

       

Fenway and Hattie series

by Victoria Coe

Pilfer Academy: A School So Bad It's Criminal

by Lauren Magaziner

Masterminds: Criminal Destiny

by Gordon Korman

Rookie of the Year

by Phil Bildner

Lou Lou and Pea and the Mural Mystery

by Jill Diamond

Characters That Touched My Heart

These books touched my heart because of the characters - they stuck with me.  I wanted to leap into the book and give them hugs and help them out and root them on!

Finding Perfect

by Elly Swartz

Short

by Holly Goldberg Sloan
(publishes January 31, 2017)

Gertie's Leap to Greatness

by Kate Beasley

The Distance to Home 

by Jenn Bishop

Sticks and Stones

by Abby Cooper

The Meaning of Maggie

by Megan Jean Sovern

Full of Beans

by Jennifer Holm

Books I Had No Idea How Much I Was Going to Like Until I Read Them

These books took me by surprise.  I didn't have any expectations when I started them and I ended up absolutely loving them.

Full Cicada Moon

by Marilyn Hilton

Summerlost

by Ally Condie

Once Was a Time

by Leila Sales

Moo

by Sharon Creech

Apparently I Had a Magical Thing Going This Year

I know readers who don't like fantasy.  Or magic.  I guess it's something I enjoy after looking at this list!

The Key to Extraordinary

by Natalie Lloyd

Like Magic

by Elaine Vickers

Hour of the Bees

by Lindsay Eager

The Girl Who Drank the Moon

by Kelly Barnhill

The Inquisitor's Tale

by Adam Gidwitz

Red: The True Story of Red Riding Hood

by Liesl Shurtliff

Villains We Love To - Wait - No, Just Really Mean Villains

Only one book here, but wow, she was quite the villain.

Wolf Hollow

by Lauren Wolk

Settings That Surprised Me

I wasn't sure about these books - very different settings: Russian wild, wild west, war.... I guess never judge a book based on its setting???

The Wolf Wilder 

by Katherine Rundell

Some Kind of Courage 

by Dan Gemeinhart

Pax

by Sara Pennypacker

Fun Characters

I loved these characters!  They are different from the category above.  I enjoyed meeting them, they are FUN!

Roz in The Wild Robot

by Peter Brown

Gladys in All Four Stars

by Tara Dairman

the Naomis in Two Naomis

by Audrey Vernick and Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

Timminy, Maxi and Abby in Maxi's Secrets

by Lynn Plourde

Charlie in Wish

by Barbara O'Connor

Castle in Ghost

by Jason Reynolds

2017 Books to Look Forward To

I was so fortunate to receive copies of these amazing amazing 2017 releases.  Be sure they are on your preorder list.  Too good to miss.

Moon Shadow 

by Erin Downing

publishes May 16, 2017

Lucky Broken Girl

by Ruth Behar

publishes April 11, 2017

This list is by no means exhaustive or accurate.  Even as I made the list I realized I forgot books.  There are so many books that touched me in some way or another, something inevitably gets left off.  Please know I probably forgot a book or two or ten.

What books were on your 2016 favorites list?  Check out my other 2016 favorite lists

2016 Nonfiction Picture Books favorites

2016 Picture Book favorites

Be sure to return next week when I share books to look forward to in 2017!