Today I’ll be sharing six middle grade book reviews. If you haven’t been following on Youtube, then you wouldn’t know about my 2024 debut panels. Recently we finished the middle grade debuts of 2024! Big moment for us! I just wanted to group the remainder of the middle grade debuts together in one mega post! Keep reading this book review mashup for book reviews of The Last Rhee Witch, The Skeleton Flute, The Grimsbane Witch Hunters, A Bite Above the Rest, Just Like Click, and Pied.
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The Last Rhee Witch by Jenna Lee-Yun
Since her mother died when she was five years old, it’s always just been Ronnie Miller and her dad. Two Korean Americans who, thanks to Ronnie’s dad’s adoption by white parents, have never felt all that Korean. But Ronnie is okay with that—as long as she has her dad and her best friend Jack, Ronnie is 99% certain she can get through anything.
But as much as she wants everything to stay the same, the world—and her dad—has other plans. Now, Ronnie and Jack are headed away to sleepaway camp for the first time ever. Camp Foster promises all of the outdoorsy activities that Ronnie has so far managed to avoid: ropes courses, scavenger hunts, kayaking on the lake. Ugh. But she can do this. As long as she has Jack.
As it turns out, an old manor in the woods is the kind of place that’s crawling with secrets. Secrets like a mysterious gwishin haunting the grounds, a blood-red scarf wrapped too tightly around her ghostly neck. And a witch-hunting dokkaebi intent on finding and silencing the last Rhee witch. And the strange habit all the counselors have of rhyming when they speak . . . just like Ronnie has begun to do lately.
For a girl who wants everything to stay the same, nothing is scarier than all the changes Camp Foster brings. New friends. New foes. Souls with unfinished business. And, possibly worst of all, revelations that disprove everything Ronnie knew to be true.
Review
The Last Rhee Witch balances a spooky story full of family secrets with a tender story about friendship. One of my favorite elements had to be the ways in which Lee-Yun examines Ronnie’s Korean identity. The ways she feels this imposter syndrome and oscillates between having to be the ‘example’ and also perform the expectations of others. Throughout The Last Rhee Witch Ronnie explores her own feelings on her identity. We witness metaphors of feeling like the Outsider, and monsters, as ways to explore our own identities. With an immediate haunted atmosphere, The Last Rhee Witch is also a story about friendship.
Like so many amazing middle grade novels, it’s about new and old friends. About the dance of making a new friend, the insecurities, and way we build trust. Additionally it’s about old friends who splinter off, who begin to have new experiences and interests which float them away from us. The Last Rhee Witch navigates friendship and identity all with a spooky summer camp atmosphere which hides family secrets. While some of those reveals were a tad confusing, I liked the ways it further explores the themes of monstrosity. Of who we think are the enemies and what narrative we continue to perpetuate.
Find The Last Rhee Witch on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.
The Skeleton Flute by Damara Allen
Sam Windsor’s parents and younger siblings, Grayson and Addie, are his whole world, so when his parents announce they’re separating, Sam is devastated. He’d do anything to make his parents change their minds and keep the family together. When a stranger offers a flute made of bone that supposedly grants the player’s wish, Sam doesn’t really believe it will work but figures he has nothing to lose.
Surprisingly, the wish on the skeleton flute comes true. The next day, his parents are happily in love, with no plans for his dad to leave. But there’s a major problem: his parents’ relationship isn’t the only thing in his life that has changed, and some of the changes are definitely for the worse.
Caught in a world full of unintended consequences and familiar strangers, Sam has limited options for returning to his old life—worries, challenges, and all. Can he track down the mysterious man who gave him the flute and undo his wish?
Review
The Pied Piper meets Coraline, The Skeleton Flute is a story about wishes. About the things we think we want so badly, but then what happens if we get them? But then we lose something else instead? The Skeleton Flute takes this premise and adds a supernatural – and spooky – twist. Sam figures out that while his parents might be back together, it’s the furthest from what he wants. Not only are his siblings gone, but his parents aren’t the same. However, what if this has happened to someone else before him? Could he find more answers to reverse this wish?
Some things I immediately loved was the love Sam has for his siblings. He knows immediately he has to fix this wish. The Skeleton Flute is a book with heart. It’s about knowing that who we are, who our loved ones are, is something that can’t be changed with a snap. It’s a story that examines history and sacrifice. What will we do for what we want? And can we ever fix our mistakes? Find The Skeleton Flute on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.
The Grimsbane Family Witch Hunters by Joan Reardon
The Grimsbane women have been hunting witches and monsters for generations—ever since the Watcher, the most powerful witch in the Midwest, cursed the Grimsbane men to die untimely and unusual deaths. Part-time skater, full-time troublemaker Anna Grimsbane may be only twelve, but she’s been learning about hunting her whole life and is tired of waiting to do the real thing. She and her twin brother Billy are about to turn thirteen, the age the curse takes hold, and Anna wants to be on the front lines fighting to break it.
Only hours before he’ll become an accident-prone walking disaster, Billy runs away to find the Watcher himself. The Grimsbane women are all out on patrol, leaving it up to Anna and her friends Suvi and Rosario to find Billy before his recklessness hastens his demise. But the woods are crawling with cryptids, most of whom hate humans, and all of whom hate the Grimsbanes, and the deeper Anna gets into the forest, the clearer it is that reading about witch hunting is no replacement for practical experience.
Anna feels in over her head, especially as she starts to suspect she knows much less about her family history than she’d thought. As she races against the clock to find Billy before midnight, it becomes all too evident that he isn’t the only Grimsbane at risk for a grisly death tonight.
Review
The Grimsbane Family Witch Hunters is perfect for adults who want to give their kids a story about the subjectivity of history. Of the idea that history is always from someone’s perspective and it’s important to question what that lens is. What those motivations might be. It’s a theme that grows in the way it develops, but one that I absolutely adored in The Grimsbane Family Witch Hunters. With the curse, The Grimsbane Family Witch Hunters asks us if all monsters are ‘bad’. If we might be stuck in a cycle of perceived monstrosity.
Aside from that theme, The Grimsbane Family Witch Hunters is an action packed adventure story. With curses and secrets, it is sure to captivate middle grade readers. It’s also about friendship schisms. What happens when someone decides they want to try something new? How does our friendship group stay the same, or change forever? This one is perfect for spooky season and absolutely worth a read. Find The Grimsbane Family Witch Hunters on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.
A Bite Above the Rest by Christine Virnig
When Caleb’s mom decides they are moving to her childhood home in Wisconsin, Caleb is not thrilled. Moving schools, states, and time zones would be bad enough, but Mom’s hometown is Samhain, a small and ridiculously kitschy place where every day is Halloween.
Caleb is not a fan of Halloween when it only happens once a year, so Halloween-obsessed Samhain is really not the place for him. How is he supposed to cope with kids wearing costumes to school every single day ? And how about the fact that the mayor is so committed to the bit that City Hall is only open from sundown to sunup to accommodate his so-called vampirism? Sure enough, Caleb becomes an outcast at school for refusing to play along with the spooky tradition like the other sixth graders. Luckily, he manages to find a friend in fellow misfit Tai, and just in time, because things are getting weird in Samhain…or make that weird er .
But there’s no way the mayor is an actual vampire, and their teacher absolutely cannot really be a werewolf—right? Caleb discovers Samhain is so much stranger than he ever could have imagined. As one of the only people who realizes what’s happening, can he save a town that doesn’t want saving?
Review
Taking place in a Halloween like town, A Bite Above the Rest is a supernatural story about friendship and belief. One of my favorite themes in the book was how even we don’t know if it’s real. If the supernatural signs, the coincidences, are real or not. Reeling from the loss of his father, Caleb is struggling to fit into this new school. He’s not a fan of the move, dressing up in elaborate costumes, or this new town. So when he starts noticing things amiss, is it all just a sign?
For middle grade reads who love Halloween, the sppoky, and the idea they might be real, A Bite Above the Rest is for you. At the same time it’s a story about friendship. About opening ourselves up to new experiences and friends. What would happen if we let ourselves believe for a moment? That this new town could be better than we thought, that we might find a new friend? Find A Bite Above the Rest on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.
Pied by Avione Lee
Min Wickford has never ridden in a flying ferry boat, had a tornado clean his room, or gotten in mounds of trouble by a mischievous weasel, because Rim is the kind of kid who always does what he is told and never gets into trouble. Until one day when he plays a musical pipe and his entire school falls to the ground, like their souls were snatched from their bodies.
With one note, the secret his uncle kept from him for years is out, and Min is quickly swept into the quirky and colorful hidden world of Pipers, persons who can turn melody into magic.
But Min soon learns he is different, even among Pipers, because he is a Pied Piper, the kind of Piper that’s vilified and targeted in the Piper world. His best chance of blending in is acceptance into an exclusive Piper Association where all members are protected from harm.
Forced to hide his Pied identity while mastering his new powers, Min must pass a series of magical, musical trials. But what he is hiding just might be the very thing he needs to succeed.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Pied is a multi-faceted vibrant world. I was consistently shocked and in awe of the world Lee has created. There’s this sense of life as we are shown the magic of the Pipers. The magical world building from the word creation, to the magical colors, to the musical trials is amazing. For middle grade readers who love fantastical worlds, this is a must read! There’s a distinct fairy tale vibe to it. It has all the elements of your child’s next favorite book!
Magic is hiding in plain sight all around us. The magic is whimsical as Min has to figure out how to conceal his identity. When is he going to be able to be open about who he is? And who can really share his experiences? Be able to empathize or understand what he’s going through? Find Pied on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.
Just Like Click by Sandy Grubb
Nick Townley has lived his entire life— all eleven years— at Black Butte Ranch, nestled in the foothills of the snow-capped Cascade Mountains. While his parents push him to study, practice sports, and make friends, Nick prefers to retreat into his superhero universe and create exciting Adventures of Click comics. When a string of robberies threatens Dad’ s job, forcing them to move across the country, Nick’ s world implodes. He loves his home, and what will he do about the $237,000 in cash under his bed that Great Gramp gave him before he died?
Desperate to stop the move, Nick steps off his comic book pages and ventures into the night as Click, an undercover superhero. Catching thieves would be a lot easier if he had actual superpowers. When three new kids discover his identity and want to join him, Nick vows to stay undercover… until he realizes even a superhero needs friends. But can he ask them to put their lives in danger to save his home? What would Click do?
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the author. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Just Like Click is a story about finding our inner hero. Faced with an upcoming move, Nick is convinced finding the thieves would stop his family from having to move. I loved seeing Nick make friends. It’s a story about unlikely friendships and about having to realize that we don’t have to do everything alone. Just Like Click also navigates the difficulties when our parents want one future or one path for us and we don’t. How will Nick figure out how to be who he, while also listening to what his Dad wishes for him?
Just Like Click felt relatable. Featuring comic panels, it’s a story that is full of friendship and mystery. Find Just Like Click on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.