Reading Middle Grade | Afoma Umesi | Substack

Reading Middle Grade

Get weekly, tailored book recommendations for kids aes 8-14, from middle grade literature expert, Afoma Umesi.

RMG Junior Reviews

Introducing the RMG Junior Reviews Digest

Kids books, reviewed by Kids (Issue #1: Meet the kids)

Jun 12 • Afoma Umesi

Calling All Extraordinary Kid Readers. Does Your Child Love Books?

We're building a small team of kid reviewers and we want your reader on it

May 26 • Afoma Umesi

Summer Reading

We Read Almost 100 Middle Grade Books for the Summer Reading Guide. Here's What We Noticed

20 trends in middle grade publishing and what they mean for your reader.

May 29 • Afoma Umesi

Ask Afoma: The tweens looking for their next great summer read

Book Matchmaking: 2026 Summer Reading Guide Edition

May 25 • Afoma Umesi

A Summer Reading Guide Giveaway!

Win your top 3 books from this year's Summer Reading Starter Guide.

May 15 • Afoma Umesi

New releases

9 New Tween and Teen Books Releasing in June 2026

Soccer, time travel, theater geeks, and stories tinged with magic.

Jun 2 • Afoma Umesi, Evelyn, and Katie Wickliff

10 New Middle Grade Books to Read in May

Great books not on this year's Summer Reading Guide

May 4 • Afoma Umesi and Evelyn

8 New Middle Grade Books to Read in April 2026

Spring reads with heart, humor, and a fish boy.

Apr 1 • Afoma Umesi

Essays

Kids Know What They Hate

What surveying 100+ kids taught me about how they actually read.

Jun 5 • Afoma Umesi

Mac Barnett Is Right. Mac Barnett Is Also a Snob.

On Make Believe, the 94.7 percent quote, and what rigorous criticism of children's literature actually looks like.

May 6 • Afoma Umesi

The Children's Books You Loved as a Kid Are Not the Only Good Ones

In defense of contemporary children's literature.

Apr 30 • Afoma Umesi

8 year olds

Ask Afoma: The family looking for their next great readaloud

They loved The Penderwicks, the Ramona books, and The Wild Robot but have hit a bit of a wall recently.

Jun 8 • Afoma Umesi

Ask Afoma: The 8-year-old boy looking for more illustrated chapter books

He's a graphic novel fan who needs pictures on every page.

Apr 13 • Afoma Umesi

Ask Afoma: The 8.5-year-old graphic novel fan who can't stop reading

Her mom is "constantly running out of books for her."

Nov 24, 2025 • Afoma Umesi

9 year olds

Ask Afoma: The 9 year old who loves baseball, soccer, and video games (even if he isn't really allowed to play)

He loves funny books, but disliked the Wimpy Kid books.

May 18 • Afoma Umesi

Ask Afoma: The 4th-grader with ADHD who will only read books about kids with special needs

She loved Wonder by R.J. Palacio.

Apr 20 • Afoma Umesi

Ask Afoma: The 9-year-old Wimpy Kid fan with Inattentive ADHD

He also loves Dog Man and The Last Kids on Earth.

Mar 30 • Afoma Umesi

10 year olds

Ask Afoma: The 10-year-old girl who loves fairy tale retellings

She loves the Whatever After series.

Apr 6 • Afoma Umesi

Ask Afoma: The 10-year-old realistic fiction fan who doesn't like scary stories

She "lost a lot of sleep" over the I Survived books.

Mar 23 • Afoma Umesi

Ask Afoma: The 10-year-old girl who loves The Vanderbeekers and the BabySitters Club

She did not like the City Spies series (gasp!)

Feb 23 • Afoma Umesi

11 year olds

Ask Afoma: The 11-year-old cat lover struggling to finish longer books

She's a huge Harry Potter fan and also enjoyed the Wings of Fire graphic novels

Apr 27 • Afoma Umesi

Ask Afoma: The kids who can't seem to finish a book (even when they "like" it)

According to their parents, these kids "lose interest quickly."

Feb 16 • Afoma Umesi

Ask Afoma: The young pre-teen sisters who like mysteries, history, and animals.

Their mom wants books that teach them about the world's history and "more complex issues, just without nightmares."

Jan 26 • Afoma Umesi

12 year olds

Ask Afoma: The rising 8th grader looking for "quirky, irreverent books to make him laugh"

He loves skateboarding, chess, and manga.

Jun 15 • Afoma Umesi

Ask Afoma: The young pre-teen sisters who like mysteries, history, and animals.

Their mom wants books that teach them about the world's history and "more complex issues, just without nightmares."

Jan 26 • Afoma Umesi

Ask Afoma: The 12-year-old girl looking for coming-of-age stories

No swearing, or sexual content beyond handholding or a brief kiss.

Jul 28, 2025 • Afoma Umesi

Teen books

Ask Afoma: The rising 8th grader looking for "quirky, irreverent books to make him laugh"

He loves skateboarding, chess, and manga.

Jun 15 • Afoma Umesi

Ask Afoma: The mom looking for "elevated" young adult fiction that isn't about "death and romance"

She thinks "YA seems to be the lowest quality section of the library" 🫣

Mar 16 • Afoma Umesi

Ask Afoma: The young pre-teen sisters who like mysteries, history, and animals.

Their mom wants books that teach them about the world's history and "more complex issues, just without nightmares."

Jan 26 • Afoma Umesi

Reading Middle Grade

Reading Middle Grade

Get weekly tailored book recommendations for tweens ages 8-14, from Afoma Umesi, the founder of Reading Middle Grade.

Recommendations

Friday Night Readers

Julianne Buonocore

Sarah Miller

Afoma Umesi

Marina Cooley

The Magic Book House

Katie Wickliff

Reading Middle Grade

Get weekly tailored book recommendations for tweens ages 8-14, from Afoma Umesi, the founder of Reading Middle Grade.

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Reading Middle Grade