The best middle grade books with an air of whimsy

Over the Moon is a book that is lush with description and fantastical ideas. While reading, I could see, smell, taste, and hear every tiny detail of Lloyd’s beautifully drawn world through her poetic language as if I were standing right inside it. What is even more impressive is that through all her worldbuilding, at no point does Lloyd’s character or thematic development become lost. This book is a story of hope and of bravery with a character whose resilience and determination shine like the moon.

I have always been intrigued by fairytales. They help me connect with my own culture, as well as learn about others’. This book makes me feel as if I am reading a very traditional folktale, straight from the mouth of a wise, old storyteller. Told from the perspectives of multiple characters (mainly a wolf, a young girl, and the traditional witch, Baba Yaga), this story allows the reader to watch a fairytale unfold from multiple different viewpoints. Sutton intricately weaves Russian folklore with her own unique imagination to form a tapestry-like story.

Kat is a marvelously whimsical character. She embodies the wit and charm of her 1800s time period, while simultaneously allowing her modern spunk to shine through with her bravery, sass, and quirkiness. She is not afraid to be herself and to fight for those around her to be true to themselves as well.

As a chronic daydreamer myself, I am drawn to books that make me feel as though I am being allowed to see into an author’s mind and imagination. Reynolds is a master of lyrical, whimsical storytelling. Each sentence she writes is simply poetry, as if drawn straight from her inner world of dreams. She delicately tackles issues of trauma through magic and imagination, making her story and its themes accessible and extremely important to young readers.

Haydu’s voice in Rules for Stealing Stars feels incredibly authentic to the middle-grade age group. The main character, Silly, walks a fine line between being childish enough to believe in magic, and old enough to begin to question her deeply dysfunctional family situation. Silly’s honest, first-person narrative beautifully expresses both the wonder of the escapist worlds to which she travels, as well as the trauma of living in a dysfunctional household. Haydu expertly weaves together this child-like voice and fantastical story with underlying themes of trauma and dysfunction to create a whimsical, yet meaningful story.