Category: Middle Grade (Ages 8-12)

Title: The Golden Cup of Kardak

Author: Annette Lyon

Publisher:

Release Date: August 2011

ISBN:

Size: 55,000 words, approx 191 pages, ebook

Genre: Middle-grade Fantasy

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Ever since their father went to fight in Midian’s War two years earlier, fourteen-year old Torin and twelve-year-old Merinne have been forced to fend for themselves, hoping one day their family will be reunited. But when a short woman with odd clothing finds Torin in the wood and tells him their father is a prisoner scheduled to be executed in fourteen days, his hopes for ever being a family again are dashed.

Then a tiny green dragon shows up at their cottage, wounded and near death but lugging a legendary golden goblet behind him. He brings word of a prophecy that the siblings are to not only rescue their father but save the kingdom.

With the help of Markanus, a wounded solider, they set out on a quest to free their father. In their search for the secret prison, the small group faces near-capture by the ruthless enemy army, a maze of terrifying underground caverns, kidnapping by giant hairy creatures that will kill them to keep the goblet, capture by outlaws, and attacks by snake-tongued flying beasts with razor-sharp talons.

To succeed they must find help to deliver the goblet to their father and somehow muster the courage it will take to stay alive.

Available for purchase from:

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Title: Elliot and the Pixie Plot (The Underworld Chronicles, book 2)

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen

Illustrator: Gideon Kendall

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Release Date: August 1, 2011

ISBN: 978-1402240201

Size: 208 pages, 6×7″, hardcover

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Series: Elliott and the Goblin War (bk 1)

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Elliot, King of the Brownies, isn’t usually a stubborn kid, but he didn’t see a lot of room to bargain on the issue of Goblins eating his subjects. Which is how he wound up alone in the Underworld, with no map either home or ahead to Demon Territory. Between trying to steal a hair for the Pixie Princess and a sock for the Fairies from a demon, being King of the Brownies is no easy job!

Available for purchase from:

Print: | Amazon | B& N | Deseret Book | IndieBound | Seagull Book | Publisher | Author | Other

eBook: | iStore | Kindle | Nook | Smashwords | Sony | Publisher | Author | Other

Title: Janitors

Author: Tyler Whitesides

Illustrator: Brandon Dorman

Publisher: Shadow Mountain

Release Date: July 20, 2011

ISBN: 978-1609080563

Size: 288 pages, 5.5×8″, hardcover

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Have you ever fallen asleep during math class?

Are you easily distracted while listening to your English teacher?

Do you find yourself completely uninterested in geography?

Well, it may not be your fault. The janitors at Welcher Elementary know a secret, and it’s draining all the smarts out of the kids. Twelve-year-old Spencer Zumbro, with the help of his classmate Daisy Gullible Gates, must fight with and against a secret, janitorial society that wields wizard-like powers. Who can Spencer and Daisy trust and how will they protect their school and possibly the world?

You ll never look at a mop the same way again.

Title: The Trouble with Squids (Splurch Academy for Disruptive Boys, #4)

Author: Julie Gardner Berry

Illustrator: Sally Faye Gardner

Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap

Release Date: July 21, 2011

ISBN: 978-0448453620

Size: 208 pages, 5×7, softcover

Genre: Middle Grade Graphic Novel

Series: The Splurch Academy — The Rat Brain Fiasco (bk1), Curse of the Bizarro Beetle (bk2), The Colossal Fossil Freakout (bk3)

It’s a squid invasion! The boys uncover an old forgotten swimming pool hidden away below the floor of the school’s gymnasium — and below the surface they discover a whole undersea world that might just provide them with a way to finally escape from Splurch Academy. However, they soon realize that the pool is overflowing with evil monstrous squids.

Title: The Misadventures of Phillip Isaac Penn

Author: Donna Peterson

Publisher: Bonneville/CFI

Release Date: June 14, 2011

ISBN: 978-1599558936

Size: 96 pages, 5.5×8, Hardback

Genre: Middle Grade

Pip is always finding himself in the middle of some kind of trouble, and no wonder! Every day of the week, there are dirt clods to dodge, liars to expose, and dirty cheats to foil. Plagued by problems, Pip somehow manages to figure out a few things that maybe–just maybe–will keep him out of hot water. Hey, it’s not easy being a kid!

Title: Beyonders: A World Without Heroes

Author: Brandon Mull

Publisher: Aladdin

Release Date: March 15, 2011

ISBN: 978-1416997924

Size: 464 pages, hardcover

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

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Jason Walker has often wished his life could be less predictable—until a routine day at the zoo ends with Jason suddenly transporting from the hippo tank into a strange, imperiled world. Lyrian holds dangers and challenges unlike anyplace Jason has ever known. The people all live in fear of their malicious wizard emperor, Maldor. The brave resistors who once opposed the emperor have been bought off or broken, leaving a realm where fear and suspicion prevail.

In his search for a way home, Jason meets Rachel, who was also mysteriously drawn to Lyrian from our world. With the help of a few scattered rebels, Jason and Rachel become entangled in a quest to piece together the word of power that can destroy the emperor and learn that their best hope to find a way home will be to save this world without heroes.

Title: The Guardians of the Hidden Scepter

Author: Frank L. Cole

Publisher: Bonneville (CFI)

Release Date: March 8, 2011

ISBN: 978-1599554488

Size: 288 pages, hardcover

Genre: Middle Grade

Amber never dreamed her archaeology class would turn into a top secret mission that would take her across the globe, but when her teacher goes missing, Amber realizes it’s up to her to protect the Hidden Scepter or risk unleashing an ancient power too terrifying to imagine.

This guaranteed page-turner from the bestselling author of the Hashbrown Winters series is perfect for the adventurer in your family.

Title: Hazzardous Universe

Author: Julie Wright

Illustrator: Kevin Wasden

Publisher: Deseret Book

Release Date: March 4, 2011

ISBN:

Size: 240 pages, 6×9, softcover

Genre: Middle Grade

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A guy who works in his grandfather’s magic shop expects weird things to happen. But Hap Hazzard has never had a day like this. First, a freaky old man in a cape who calls himself “Torval” visits the shop and somehow makes a trash can explode. Then Torval delivers an ominous message to Hap’s grandfather, upsetting the old man so badly that he yells at Hap for the first time ever. Next, this girl Tara shows up to apply for a job, and for reasons Hap can’t understand, his cool magic tricks send her away in tears. But that’s nothing compared to what happens next. Under orders to apologize to Tara, Hap searches for the girl. But he can barely say he’s sorry before three spaceships appear, the biggest of the three looking like a burnt slice of pizza.

The weirdness only ramps up as Hap and Tara soon find themselves aboard the pizza-shaped ship piloted by a pair of aliens. Even though they were accidentally abducted, the two humans are now forced to join an out-of-this-world mission that includes razor-toothed multilingual beetles, a psychic queen bee, manic ape frogs, a coveted crystal, and a hundred other bizarre things that just might make sense—if Hap could only remember and understand Torval’s cryptic message. Join Hap and Tara as they begin a fantastic journey into the far reaches of the universe.

Title: The Colossal Fossil Freakout (Splurch Academy for Disruptive Boys, #3)

Author: Julie Gardner Berry

Illustrator: Sally Faye Gardner

Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap

Release Date: February 17, 2011

ISBN: 978-0448453613

Size: 208 pages, 5×7, softcover

Genre: Middle Grade Graphic Novel

Series: The Splurch Academy — The Rat Brain Fiasco (bk1), Curse of the Bizarro Beetle (bk2)

This book is not eligible for a Whitney Award.

Headmaster Farley’s back and he’s ready for revenge, but an unexpected visit from his estranged sister brings monstrous results as she takes over Splurch Academy. Forced to retreat to his laboratory, he hatches a plan to reclaim the school. Meanwhile, Cody Mack and the other boys are pitted against their new classmatesÑthe girls of Priscilla Prim Academy for Precious and Proper Young Ladies.

Title: Black Dragon

Author: Rebecca Shelley

Publisher: Wonder Realms Books

Release Date: January 30, 2011

ISBN:

Size: ebook

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Twelve-year-old Weldon is a gifted artist, but when his drawing of fairies and dragons come to life, he finds himself caught between some deadly criminals and the jewels they want. Only his dedication and imagination can save him and his friends.

Title: Alcatraz versus The Shattered Lens (Book #4)

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Release Date: December 1, 2010

ISBN: 978-0439925570

Size: 304 pages, 6×8″, hardcover

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Series: Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians (bk 1), Alcatraz vs The Scrivener’s Bones (bk 2), Alcatraz vs The Knights of Crystallia (bk 3)

The fourth and final book in the fabulously funny Alcatraz Smedry series!

Alcatraz Smedry is on a mission to save the day! In his final adventure in the series by bestselling adult fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson, Alcatraz has a lot to prove and, as always, little time in which to do it!

Title: The Clockwork Three

Author: Matthew J. Kirby

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Release Date: October 1, 2010

ISBN: 978-0545203371

Size: 400 pages, 6×8″, hardcover

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Download a chapter here.

View book trailer here.

Three ordinary children are brought together by extraordinary events. . .

Giuseppe is an orphaned street musician from Italy, who was sold by his uncle to work as a slave for an evil padrone in the U.S. But when a mysterious green violin enters his life he begins to imagine a life of freedom.

Hannah is a soft-hearted, strong-willed girl from the tenements, who supports her family as a hotel maid when tragedy strikes and her father can no longer work. She learns about a hidden treasure, which she knows will save her family — if she can find it.

And Frederick, the talented and intense clockmaker’s apprentice, seeks to learn the truth about his mother while trying to forget the nightmares of the orphanage where she left him. He is determined to build an automaton and enter the clockmakers’ guild — if only he can create a working head.

Together, the three discover they have phenomenal power when they team up as friends, and that they can overcome even the darkest of fears.

Title: Elliot and the Goblin War

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen

Illustrator: Gideon Kendall

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Release Date: October 1, 2010

ISBN: 978-1402240195

Size: 208 pages, 6×7″, hardcover

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Read excerpt here.

WARNING!

As of today, there are only 7 CHILDREN who have ever read this book and lived to tell about it. 95 CHILDREN successfully read the first chapter, but upon beginning chapter 2, they started BLABBERING in some language known only as “flibberish.” 38 CHILDREN made it halfway through this wretched book before they began SUCKING THEIR THUMBS THROUGH THEIR NOSES.

If you’re VERY BRAVE, perhaps you are willing to TAKE YOUR CHANCES. Be sure that you have told your family who gets your favorite toys if you DO NOT SURVIVE this book. Read it now, IF YOU DARE. But don’t say you haven’t been warned, for this is the story that unfolds the MYSTERIES OF THE UNDERWORLD.

Title: The Limit

Author: Kristen Landon

Publisher: Aladdin

Release Date: September 7, 2010

ISBN: 978-1442402713

Size: 304 pages, hardcover

Genre: Middle Grade Speculative

An eighth grade girl was taken today . . .

With this first sentence, readers are immediately thrust into a fast-paced thriller that doesn’t let up for a moment. In a world not too far removed from our own, kids are being taken away to special workhouses if their families exceed the monthly debt limit imposed by the government. Thirteen-year-old Matt briefly wonders if he might be next, but quickly dismisses the thought. After all, his parents are financially responsible, unlike the parents of those other kids. As long as his parents remain within their limit, the government will be satisfied and leave them alone. But all it takes is one fatal visit to the store to push Matt’s family over their limit—and to change his reality forever.

Title: Dizzy Fantastic and Her Flying Bicycle

Author: Andrew Hueller

Publisher: Bonneville (CFI)

Release Date: August 12, 2010

ISBN: 978-1599553955

Size: 160 pages, 5.5×7, paperback

Genre: Middle Grade

Not eligible for a Whitney Award.

Read an excerpt here.

The kids at school make fun of her, her brother thinks she’s annoying, and her parents are always busy at their ice cream shop. It isn’t until she discovers she can fly atop her white Thunderstrike bicycle that Debbie Fine knows deep down she’s “Dizzy Fantastic-Fourth-Grade Superhero!” After all, who else but a superhero would be brave enough to befriend Mean Mr. Wilson and his rabid black Labrador, T-Rex? But when a terrible tragedy strikes that even Dizzy Fantastic is powerless to stop, Debbie must learn how to trust herself and her own abilities before she can save the day once more.

This delightful debut from Andy Hueller is perfect for anyone who’s ever felt alone or misunderstood–or has ever dreamed of unlocking the superhero within.

Title: The Bent Sword

Author: Stephen Gashler

Publisher: Cedar Fort

Release Date: July 7, 2010

ISBN: 978-1599554013

Size: 240 pages, 6×9, Paperback

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Steffin is just an average peasant who has big dreams of becoming a knight and saving the world from the dangerous Lord Bore and his Box of Boredom. Too bad Lord Bore is just a made-up nemesis from Steffin’s childhood–or is he?

When a crazy old storyteller insists that Lord Bore is real, Steffin must take things in his own hands and begins a quest that will forever change his destiny. With the help of a few friends, Steffin is soon running away from bad guys, escaping prison, and infiltrating castles to woo princesses, all in the pursuit of adventure. But when his friends grow weary of the journey, Steffin is left to pull them back together in order to defeat Lord Bore before it’s too late.