2022 was not my BEST reading year, but I did read many phenomenal stories (and even got back to reading adult fiction again). This past year, I read 74 books, most of which were middle grade fiction. I loved so many of these stories and have rounded up my best middle grade books of 2022 if you’re looking for more recommendations. All except one of these books were published in 2022 and I have to mention that I read several amazing 2023 books in 2022 (like What Happened to Rachel Riley?, Squished, and Mirror to Mirror). You can see all my anticipated 2023 reads in this post.
As with all “best of” lists, this list is 100% subjective and you’ll probably love the books on it if we share similar tastes. If you like contemporary stories with memorable protagonists, you’ll love these 2022 best middle grade book picks.
10 Best Middle Grade Books of 2022
Here are my top 10 middle grade books of 2022:
Flip Turns
- Publication year: 2022
- Recommended for ages: 9 and up
- What to know about this book: Thirteen-year-old Maddie is on her community’s swim team and loves hanging out with her friends at the community pool her parents run. She also has clinical anxiety and uses medications to manage it. Her one big issue is that a boy in her class, Lucas, wants to date her and won’t take no for an answer even though Maddie isn’t interested. When she rejects his gift of a snow globe, odd vandalism incidents start happening at the pool, threatening her parents’ source of income and causing them to consider selling to a bigger sports company (which, coincidentally, Lucas’s brother is part of).
Flip Turns is an enjoyable, insightful, and summer-infused debut about navigating unwanted advances, managing anxiety, and maintaining good friendships. This one will appeal to sports lovers who love swimming, as well as to kids dealing with anxiety or trying to manage unwanted romantic attention. It also does a wonderful job of highlighting a lesser-known chronic condition like alopecia and building empathy for the circumstances of others.
The Tryout
- Publication year: 2022
- Recommended for ages: 8 and up
- What to know about this book: This graphic memoir follows young Christina as she tries out for her middle school’s cheerleading team. As one of the few Asians in her small Texas town, Christina and her Iranian-American best friend are nervous about trying out, but determined to give their best. Unfortunately, tryouts quickly lead to heartbreak when Megan decides to partner up with another girl, leaving Christina to fend for herself. Can the girls make it work?
The Tryout is a fantastic graphic memoir that will appeal to fans of sports stories and books about life as a minority and child of immigrants. The author does an excellent job of balancing hard moments with funny moments of levity throughout the story. Filled with beautiful full-color illustrations and centering a biracial Asian-American protagonist, I’m sure lots of kids will see themselves in Christina’s story.
Swim Team
- Publication year: 2022
- Recommended for ages: 8 and up
- What to know about this book: After she and her dad move from Brooklyn to Florida, Bree is excited for her first day in middle school. But also, she’s super anxious about whether she’ll make friends and fit in. Thankfully, she makes a new friend in the housing complex where they live. Unfortunately, when Bree goes to choose her math club elective, it’s fully booked. As a math lover who can’t swim, she’s crushed to hear that the only elective left is swim 101.
Swim Team is a highly engaging graphic novel about swimming, Black history (and why many Blacks don’t swim), and friendship. The illustrations are well done, including detailed swim coaching scenes. This will also appeal to fans of historical fiction as the book includes a sweet connection to the past in Ms. Etta. Sweet, immersive, and compulsively-readable — fans of Jerry Craft’s New Kid and Varian Johnson’s Twins will love this one.
Play Like a Girl
- Publication year: 2022
- Recommended for ages: 9 and up
- What to know about this book: Misty Wilson chronicles her year on the boy’s football team in her town. When she gets mocked for wanting to play football with the boys, Misty determines she’ll sign up for the team with her best friend (who’s convinced because she wants time with boys). But the training process is rigorous, and playing football is physically challenging — especially with boys. It gets harder when her bestie gives up on Misty and their friendship. Can Misty make it work? And will she rebuild her social life?
Play Like a Girl is a compelling, heartfelt middle grade graphic memoir about challenging the status quo, playing football, and finding your tribe. Featuring an easy-to-root-for protagonist and well-loved sport, this graphic memoir will be a big hit for older middle schoolers discovering who they are and learning to stick to what they love regardless of public opinion.
Bright
- Publication year: 2022
- Recommended for ages: 9 and up
- What to know about this book: Marianne Blume has convinced herself that she’s not smart. She’s gotten through school so far by charming teachers out of questioning her. But her eighth-grade teacher, Mr. Garcia, isn’t easily fooled. To pull up her grades for high school, Marianne tries to win his favor by joining the school’s trivia team (which he coaches). But as the term progresses, Marianne bonds with the trivia kids and learns that there’s more to being smart than book smart — but also, she’s more intelligent than she gives herself credit for.
Bright is a deeply insightful book about labels, persistence, and self-belief, featuring themes like sisterhood, female friendships, and family. This one will be extra meaningful to the kids (like me) who are so afraid of failure that they stop trying. It also teaches a valuable lesson that learning isn’t effortless — for anyone. More importantly, it’s a poignant reminder that book smarts aren’t the only valuable skill. People skills are incredibly powerful, especially for leading others. Overall, a stellar novel worth reading.
Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone
- Publication year: 2022
- Recommended for ages: 9 and up
- What to know about this book: New girl Jennifer Chan is missing. As whispers begin, her next-door neighbor Mallory Moss worries that Jennifer may have been abducted by aliens (which Jennifer believed existed). Mallory reunites with two former friends begging them to help her find Jennifer following clues from her time with Jennifer and the diary Jennifer left behind. The story alternates between past and present as readers discover that Mallory’s search is also motivated by an ulterior motive: the need to prove that she and her popular friends didn’t run Jennifer Chan out of town with their bullying.
Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone is a razor-sharp, realistic portrayal of kids mismanaging their insecurities and coping by bullying others. Keller does a brilliant job of highlighting how uncomfortable it can feel to be unsure of yourself when someone else seems so comfortable and even proud of their quirks. Besides bullying and toxic friendships, this book also delves into race and microaggressions concerning how Asians are often lumped together. This is another stellar work by Tae Keller that will resonate with kids and adults trying to be themselves and find their people.
Bikinis, Best Friends, and Other Catastrophes
- Publication year: 2022
- Recommended for ages: 9 and up
- What to know about this book: Alex is looking forward to spending the summer (as she’s always done) with her best friend, Will. Will’s mother runs the concession stand at their community pool, and both kids have spent several summers playing games at the pool. This summer, though, a schoolmate named Rebekah has eyes for Will — and him for her! As Rebekah and Will begin a tentative crush-friendship, Alex feels threatened and ropes Will into a big summer project (building their treehouse), for which they’ll need several summer jobs to afford building supplies. Surprisingly to Alex, Rebekah also wants to be her friend too. Can Alex get over her jealousy and other issues in her life to figure out this summer friendship drama?
Best Friends, Bikinis, and Other Summer Catastrophes is a terrific summery middle grade book about evolving friendships, growing up, and adjusting to changes. This is one of my favorite books this year and one of the rare ones I wish I could experience for the first time again since I’m not so big on re-reading. It features everything from tween crushes, grandparent bonding, summer jobs, and fun sibling relationships. Highly, highly recommend!
A Song Called Home
- Publication year: 2022
- Recommended for ages: 8 and up
- What to know about this book: Lou and her sister Casey have to move from the city to the suburbs to live with their new step-dad Steve, leaving behind their old schools and Lou’s best friend Beth Tsai. Forming this new family is hard on Lou and Casey for different reasons. Lou feels like she’s leaving their alcoholic father behind and Casey worries that Steve is being too nice and the “real Steve” will show up soon. On the day before their move (which is also Lou’s birthday), Lou finds a guitar right outside their old apartment addressed to her. Convinced it’s from her dad, she starts learning to play the guitar to maintain that bond with him. As they all navigate the blending of their families, Lou learns about herself and what family truly means.
A Song Called Home is a realistic, heartrending depiction of the process of blending a family while dealing with the trauma of having an alcoholic parent. This book centers a girl who’s coming of age even as her family seems to be evolving before her eyes. Excellently written with well-drawn characters who feel familiar and relatable, this one is going to be loved by readers young and old alike. If you like books about sisters, family, community, and music, pick this up ASAP.
The Fort
- Publication year: 2022
- Recommended for ages: 10 and up
- What to know about this book: Four eighth-grade buddies and a new tag-along (whom they’re reluctant to include) discover a posh underground bunker in the wake of a hurricane in their small town. CJ, Evan, Jason, Mitchell, and Ricky quickly begin to hang out at the fort for different reasons. One of the boys is escaping an abusive step-parent, another is dodging his big brother and his bully of a friend, yet another loves to study there, while one just wants to stop hiding the hideout from his new girlfriend. When things get intense for the boys, their safe space becomes at risk of exposure — but maybe that’s the only way they can stay safe.
The Fort is a realistic, suspense-filled, and heartwarming middle grade book about male friendships, history, and domestic violence. This title falls firmly in the realm of upper middle grade books and tackles difficult topics with grace, heart, and humor. It’s a great example of using multiple narrators effectively. If you like Gordon Korman’s books (because they’re a whole category on their own), don’t miss this one!
Stepping Stones
- Publication year: 2020
- Recommended for ages: 9 and up
- What to know about this book: Stepping Stones is the first in the PeaPod Farm graphic novel series by Lucy Knisley. It features young Jen, whose mother moves her from the city to a farm to live with her mother’s new boyfriend, Walter and help him care for his farm. At the farm, Jen is saddled with chores like caring for chickens and selling at the farmer’s market. Her mother’s boyfriend, Walter is infuriating and dismissive of Jen’s feelings. Things get worse when Walter’s daughters Andy and Reese come to the farm on weekends. The girls are alright, but Andy seems to be a know-it-all while Reese won’t stop whining. Can Jen make a life at Peapod Farm?
Stepping Stones is an engaging, wholesome, true-to-life middle grade graphic novel about dealing with life changes. Set on a farm with a protagonist who’s navigating her parents’ divorce, a move from city to country, and a newly blending family, this story is rich with relatable circumstances. I loved the budding sisterhood and appeal of rural living. Kids who love graphic novels and stories about overcoming tough circumstances will enjoy this one.
There they are: the Reading Midd’e Grade’s best middle grade books of 2022. I’ve linked to my review of each book. Which of these have you read and loved? What were your favorite 2022 releases and reads?
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Love MG lit! My two fav reads this year are A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga and A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus.
THE FORT is one I’ll have to get around to sometime! Loved Korman’s book when I was a kid. Happy New Year 🙂