Best Middle Grade Books I Read in 2021

I had a lot of favorite middle-grade reads this year.  Let me tell you briefly about them in this post. If I have a more detailed blog post, I will link it as well on the image. These books are in no particular order because I just couldn't rank them any further!  However, I will start with my favorite and number one middle-grade read for 2021!

I loved imagining this colony of adults and kids on Mars as they pioneer a new life together.  This science-fiction book

is very accessible for the middle-grade reader and is more realistic than fantasy.  I hope there is a sequel! 

This book moved me! I cried, laughed, and identified with Genesis as she struggles with her identity and her appearance.

Karina's grandfather is attacked by a racist and she uses social media to bring the community together. 

The publisher asked this author to write a follow-up book and he nailed it! The penguins are well taken care of when two kids find penguin eggs and make sure they hatch! Mom intervenes to help them find a good home for the penguins. This book is funny and heartwarming.

This book is so beautifully written and tells the difficult story of two girls who were sexually abused by their mother's boyfriend. Every adult who reads this book loves it and it is really a great book for many middle-school kids. Watch the video linked to the image to learn what the author has to say about the reason she wrote this book. 

Stamped (For Kids) is a great introduction to the history of racism for upper elementary students and everyone else too. 

This is such a fun way to learn about Minnesota and Canadian voyageur history. The main character is a red squirrel who goes along on the voyageur's journey. 

The dream team of James Patterson, Kwame Alexander have created a wonderful biography/memoir about Muhammad Ali's youth. 

Efren's mother is deported back to Mexico and it leaves him and his father to take care of the younger kids as well as figure out how to get her back to the family. 

Find out what life is like for a figure skater who is hoping to be in the Olympics someday. 

Ahmed's family moves to Minnesota for their father's medical care. He is trying to fit into a new middle school and deal with family issues too. 

April and her father are living on an arctic island called Bear Island while her father does climate research. April becomes friends with a polar bear that lives on the island. 

The Peach family is going on the road with a food truck one summer in order to heal and come back together as a family unit after the death of their mother. 

Sila makes friends with an elderly man and a classmate and together they work to save and take care of a circus elephant. 

Ellie is bullied for her weight by kids and school and even her mother and brother at home. Ellie's father connects her with a therapist to help her cope with these difficult relationships.