10 Epic Middle Grade Book Series

I read a ton of great middle grade series in 2020 and I’m excited to share just a few of them with you. If you love fantasy, action and adventure, mysteries, and amazing characters, you will love this list! Want more? Follow me on Instagram at @gracie.dix.author for lots of middle grade book suggestions, reviews, and pictures of my adorable pups!

1. Artemis Fowl

By Eoin Colfer

I saw this movie when it came out on Disney+ and it inspired me to read the first book. Then I was hooked! This series is legendary! It’s action packed, full of twists and turns that even I couldn’t expect and yet Artemis seems to be able to get through each and every one of them. I strive to be as genius as Artemis Fowl one day!

Description:

Twelve-year-old criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl has discovered a world below ground of armed and dangerous — and extremely high-tech — fairies. 

He kidnaps one of them, Holly Short, and holds her for ransom in an effort to restore his family’s fortune.

 But he may have underestimated the fairies’ powers. Is he about to trigger a cross-species war?

2. The Spy School Series

By Stuart Gibbs

I reread this series before reading the latest book, Spy School Revolution. I still love the entire series and the last book was AWESOME!

Description:

Can an undercover nerd become a superstar agent? Ben Ripley sure hopes so—and his life may depend on it!
When Ben Ripley is recruited to the CIA’s Academy of Espionage, it’s a dream come true. But as soon as he gets on campus, Ben finds out that Spy School is way more deadly than debonair. And given his total lack of coordination and failure to grasp even the most basic spying skills, Ben begins to wonder what he’s doing here in the first place.
Luckily, through a series of hilarious misadventures, Ben realizes he could actually become a halfway decent spy…if he can survive all the attempts being made on his life!

3. The Magisterium Series

By Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

This 5-book series did not disappoint! I highly recommend this series full of magic, good versus evil, and characters that I miss reading about!

Description:

Most kids would do anything to pass the Iron Trial.
Not Callum Hunt. He wants to fail.
All his life, Call has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. If he succeeds at the Iron Trial and is admitted into the Magisterium, he is sure it can only mean bad things for him.
So he tries his best to do his worst – and fails at failing.
Now the Magisterium awaits him. It’s a place that’s both sensational and sinister, with dark ties to his past and a twisty path to his future.
The Iron Trial is just the beginning, for the biggest test is still to come . . .

4. The Nevermoor Trilogy

By Jessica Townsend

I love this trilogy! Jack is a great character and it was fun to watch his relationship with Morrigan develop. Morrigan is cursed, she escapes death and ends up in a magical world and that is when the real adventures start – need I say more?

Description:

Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, she’s blamed for all local misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks–and, worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on her eleventh birthday.
But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears. Chased by black-smoke hounds and shadowy hunters on horseback, he whisks her away into the safety of a secret, magical city called Nevermoor.
It’s then that Morrigan discovers Jupiter has chosen her to contend for a place in the city’s most prestigious organization: the Wundrous Society. In order to join, she must compete in four difficult and dangerous trials against hundreds of other children, each with an extraordinary talent that sets them apart–an extraordinary talent that Morrigan insists she does not have. To stay in the safety of Nevermoor for good, Morrigan will need to find a way to pass the tests–or she’ll have to leave the city to confront her deadly fate.

5. Keeper of the Lost Cities

By Shannon Messenger

If you are looking for a LONG series, I highly recommend this one! I finished the first 8 books in the series last year – over 5600 pages! Each book is better than the last, and the descriptions and action are vivid and exciting! It would make a great movie or TV series. I can’t wait for Book 9 to be released!

Description:

Twelve-year-old Sophie has never quite fit into her life. She’s skipped multiple grades and doesn’t really connect with the older kids at school, but she’s not comfortable with her family, either. The reason? Sophie’s a Telepath, someone who can read minds. No one knows her secret—at least, that’s what she thinks…
But the day Sophie meets Fitz, a mysterious (and adorable) boy, she learns she’s not alone. He’s a Telepath too, and it turns out the reason she has never felt at home is that, well…she isn’t. Fitz opens Sophie’s eyes to a shocking truth, and she is forced to leave behind her family for a new life in a place that is vastly different from what she has ever known.
But Sophie still has secrets, and they’re buried deep in her memory for good reason: The answers are dangerous and in high-demand. What is her true identity, and why was she hidden among humans? The truth could mean life or death—and time is running out.

6. The Royal Academy Rebels Series

By Jen Calonita

Do you love twists on classic fairy tales? For me, the answer is yes! So I love Jen Calonita’s books! Great adventure, strong female characters, and re-imagined fairy tales – sign me up please!

Description:

In Enchantasia, becoming a legendary prince or princess doesn’t happen overnight. Enter Royal Academy, the training ground for the fairy tale leaders of tomorrow!

But Devin has major reservations about her new school and her royal future. How can she be a princess and the best creature caretaker Enchantasia has ever seen? It doesn’t help that there’s something seriously weird about RA’s headmistress. Olivina seems obsessed with preparing students for possible attacks from villains (“A royal can’t rule when they’re stuck in a tower!”) Devin gets that being Snow White and Rapunzel’s fairy godmother has probably made Olivina pretty paranoid, but anytime someone steps a toe out of line, Olivina becomes more of a fairy nightmare than a fairy godmother.

Something isn’t right with this lady, and Devin is determind to find out what. But what Devin discovers could change the fairy tale world forever…

7. The Bowser and Birdie Novels

By Spencer Quinn

If you’ve visited my Instagram, you know how much I love dogs! One thing my dogs Sandy and Snowball have in common with Bowser, the dog in these series, is they will protect their house! I recommend this series if you love mystery, adventure and dogs – like me!

Description:

There is trouble brewing in the Louisiana swamp — Bowser can smell it. Bowser is a very handsome and only slightly slobbery dog, and he can smell lots of things. Like bacon. And rawhide chews! And the sweat on humans when they’re lying.
Birdie Gaux, the girl Bowser lives with, also knows something is wrong. It’s not just that her grammy’s stuffed prize marlin has been stolen. It’s the weird rumor that the marlin is linked to a missing treasure. It’s the truck that seems to be following Birdie and the bad feeling on the back of her neck.
When Birdie and Bowser start digging into the mystery, not even Bowser’s powerful sniffer can smell just how menacing the threat is. And when the danger comes straight for Birdie, Bowser knows it up to him to sic ’em.

8. The Spiderwick Chronicles

By Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

I love the relationship between the twin brothers in this series, and the illustrations by Tony DiTerlizzi are fantastic too! With 5 books, and a fun movie to watch after you finish the series, this set is a sure hit for middle grade and fantasy-loving readers!

Description:

After finding a mysterious, handmade field guide in the attic of the ramshackle old mansion they’ve just moved into, Jared; his twin brother, Simon; and their older sister, Mallory, discover that there’s a magical and maybe dangerous world existing parallel to our own—the world of faerie.
The Grace children want to share their story, but the faeries will do everything possible to stop them…

9. The Nightmares! Trilogy

By Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller

Do you stay up late reading? I do! But that’s okay, because in this series if you snooze, you lose! I love spooky goodness and these books are scary in the best possible way!

Description:

Sleeping has never been so scary. And now waking up is even worse!
Charlie Laird has several problems:
1. His dad married a woman he is sure moonlights as a witch.
2. He had to move into her purple mansion, which is NOT a place you want to find yourself after dark.
3. He can’t remember the last time sleeping wasn’t a nightmarish prospect. Like even a nap.
What Charlie doesn’t know is that his problems are about to get a whole lot more real. Nightmares can ruin a good night’s sleep, but when they start slipping out of your dreams and into the waking world—that’s a line that should never be crossed.
And when your worst nightmares start to come true . . . well, that’s something only Charlie can face. And he’s going to need all the help he can get, or it might just be lights-out for Charlie Laird. For good.

10. Welcome to Superhero School (Book 1 of The Vork Chronicles)

By Gracie Dix

Welcome to Superhero School is my first novel and it is filled with characters I love, epic adventures, and of course superpowers! If you love it, check out the prequel, Journey to Superhero School that tell you how twins Jess and Oliver got their powers and ended up at Superhero School, and be on the lookout for the sequel. I’m writing it now!

Description:
Join Oliver, Jess, and all their friends on a mission to destroy the power-hungry, evil villains of Vork. From subterranean sewers to lush jungle, from dinosaurs to dragons, our heroes will be pushed to their limits in ways they’d never imagined.
Will their collective Powers—Flight, Morphing, Invisibility, Mind Reading, and more—be enough for them to overcome the malevolence of Vork? Or will they stumble over their own doubts and painful histories?
This action-packed journey of friendship, hardship, and humor will take our heroes to thrilling new heights and a deeper understanding of their own place in the world. But will that be enough—or will Vork always be one step ahead?

Gracie Dix is a high school student and author, who has been writing since she could hold a pencil. When Gracie isn’t writing, she can be found singing, creating art, in the theatre, or volunteering. She loves travel and is a loyal friend. Gracie lives in Dallas, Texas with her parents, brother, and her beloved dogs, Snowball and Sandcastle “Sandy.”