When adulting gets a little too much and concentration is in short supply, I turn to middle grade fantasy. In the last two years alone, I have set sail on The Jolly Bonnet, caught a train beneath the sea, seen a Svart and had my first taste of Flurschen. The removal of reality in these books can create space to explore our slightly tender human spots in a safe way. The magic is tempered by themes of learning to be true to yourself, understanding how to be a better friend and coping with grief and loss. I suspect it’s no accident that a lot of middle grade fiction have characters who are orphans, although this trope also allows a certain freedom conducive to adventures! Here are a few of my recent middle grade reads. It’s by no means an exhaustive list as I’m still in the foothills of this particular territory, reading middle grade as an adult, but each of them gifted me something whether that was cause to pause and think or a good giggle.

The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor #1) by Jessica Townsend

The one that’ll make you remember what it was like to feel the pure wunder of being a child again. Morrigan is cursed. Born on the unluckiest day of the year, she is hidden away by her family and blamed for any misfortune that befalls their community. She’s also doomed to die on her 11th birthday, but just in time a man called Jupiter spirits her away on the Brolly Line to a place called Nevermoor. Touted to join the Wunderous Society, she has to pass four magical trials before she can earn her place at the society and be allowed to stay in Nevermoor. If you’re hooked by book one, you already have another two books in the series to read and I was desperate to get back to spend some more time with Fenestra the Magnificat and Frank the Vampire Dwarf (who loves a party) at the magical Hotel Deucalion.

Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston

The one I wish I could read it for the first time again. Thirteen year old Amari Peters is growing up in the Rosewood housing projects and desperately misses her talented older brother Quinton. Quinton has gone missing and Amari feels like the only one left who cares. When she finds a ticking briefcase in his wardrobe and that she’s been nominated by Quinton for a try-out at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she jumps at the chance to find out what has happened to him. Pulled into a world of magical investigations where Yeti roam the corridors and illuminous trains zip along the sea-bed, Amari needs to compete to be in to win a spot as a junior agent in training. Some of the racial prejudices Amari faced in the real world, she continues to face in her new existence, but she never backs down and she never gives up. I loved being in the magical world of the Bureau, but also appreciated how the author explored stereotyping, discrimination and equity in an approachable way.

Winterhouse by Ben Guterson

The one that will make you long to stay in a hotel with a huge library and dedicated candy kitchen. Elizabeth Somers was orphaned at the age of four and now lives with her mean Aunt and Uncle. One day she returns home from school to find some of her things in a carrier bag hung on the front door. Her Aunt and Uncle have gone away for Christmas, sending Elizabeth to Winterhouse, a hotel that has been in the Falls family for generations. However, the hotel’s future hinges on a bookish legend. Elizabeth finds herself racing against time to solve the mystery of the book and defeat the forces gathering to ensure that Winterhouse is no longer a place of happiness and community. A perfect winter read, particularly around Christmas, this book will make you want to go tobogganing down a snowy hill, drink hot chocolate and eat steamed puddings until they’re coming out of your ears.

Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian

The one that will make you cry. First published in 1981, Goodnight Mister Tom is the story of Willie Beech who is evacuated from Blitz-torn London to a country village and the care of Mister Tom, an elderly bachelor. When I first read this as a child, I knew that Willie came from an unhappy home where he was beaten, but I don’t remember picking up on the level of abuse he was subjected to. Over the months with Mister Tom, Willie starts to blossom. His confidence grows, he makes friends and, for the first time in his life, he has fun. Your heart will be broken and be mended more than once reading this and, although I tend to try and avoid spoilers, I need to tell you that there is a happy ending made even more poignant by the hint that in years to come Mister Tom will need Willie just as much as Wille has needed him.

The Stormkeeper’s Island by Catherine Doyle

The one that approaches memory loss and dementia. Fionn and Tara are sent to Arranmore Island to stay with their grandfather Malachy Boyle. Their mother’s depression is getting worse and she has to go away for a little while. As soon as Fionn steps onto the island, he can feel it responding to him. Arranmore is layered with magic and each generation of islanders have a Stormkeeper, someone chosen by the island to hold and wield its magic. Malachy is the current keeper, but he’s starting to forget and slipping between layers of time and magic is making his hold on reality more and more difficult. The role of Stormkeeper is hotly contested and Fionn finds himself in the running for a prize he’s not entirely sure he’s brave enough to handle. I loved the relationship between Fionn and Malachy and, a little like Mister Tom, the portrayal of the particular joys and challenges of an intergenerational friendship.

Evernight by Ross Mackenzie

The one that teaches you it’s ok to be make mistakes and be fallible. Thirteen year old Larabelle Fox is a Tosher, someone that hunts the sewers for treasures and then sells them on. Lara lost both of her parents and then ran away from the city orphanage. Toshing is the only way she’s found to make a living. Dirty and smelly as it may be, she’s good at it. One day she finds a small wooden box containing a clockwork bird. Little does she know that she’s just found The Doomsday Spell, the very thing that Mrs. Hester and her army of white witches need to release the Evernight. Lara is not perfect, she’s hot-headed and impulsive and comes a little too close to an abuse of power, but she’s also loyal, brave and an exceptional friend. She also chooses to learn from her mistakes which is all any of us can ask really.

If you have a favourite middle grade book or series that I really must read, please let me know in the comments and I’ll add it to the TBR pile!