My Middle Grade March TBR!

I am very excited for March and to participate in Middle Grade March again this year! It's one of my favorite reading challenges of the year. The Middle Grade age category has so many fun books included in it and there are a lot of great ones I'm looking forward to reading this year.

To participate in Middle Grade March, all you need to do is read at least one middle grade book. That's it! If you want to do more, they also have a group read, some different categories to pick books from, and fun merchandise on their Etsy.

Here are the books I have on my Middle Grade March TBR:

Group Read:

Max in the house of Spies by Adam Gidwitz

The group read for Middle Grade March this year is Max in the House of Spies. It is a middle grade historical fiction during World War II, following a Jewish boy who, in his attempt to get home, becomes a British spy. This sounds so interesting, I can't wait to read it!

Prompt 1:

Name in the Title

Olivetti by Allie Millington

For this prompt, I picked Olivetti, as the main character of this book is a typewriter named Olivetti. The idea of the typewriter being the POV is really intriguing to me and the story itself--of a family looking for their missing mother and having to deal with their family drama along the way--also sounds very interesting.

Prompt 2:

Books on the Cover

Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery

I actually had the hardest time finding a middle grade book with books on the cover. I finally found Anne of Green Gables, with this cover of Anne holding a book. I was wanting to reread Anne anyway this year, so I am going with it!

Prompt 3:

Historical Fiction

The Star that Always Stays by Anna Rose Johnson

The Star that Always Stays is a middle grade historical fiction inspired by the author's family history. It's set in 1914 and follows a girl who moves from the country to the city, but needs to hide who she is and where her Native American origins are from. I love including some historical fiction each year. This is a historical fiction I've been wanting to read this year, so it is perfect for this prompt!

Prompt 4:

Siblings Featured

Okay for Now by Gary D. Smchidt

Okay for Now is a coming of age middle grade following a boy named Doug and his friend Lil. It sounds like there are quite a few heavier themes, including his relationship with his brother (there's the sibling relationship!) Vietnam veteran older brother, his abusive father, and his peers. I am expecting to feel all the feels with this one.

Prompt 5:

BIPOC Author

Blood in the Water by Tiffany D. Jackson

BIPOC stands for Black, Indigineous, or Person of Color. This is a book I've heard a lot of good things about and am really excited to try. Blood in the Water is a middle grade thriller, a genre I'm not sure I've ever read before. The main character Kaylani is from Boston, but is spending her summer on Martha's Vineyard when a body shows up at the beach. Kaylani is determined to solve the mystery and change her life in the process. I love thrillers and murder mysteries and I love middle grade, so I'm really excited for this one.

Other Middle Grade Books I want to read in March:

The Candymakers by Wendy Mass

The Candymakers is an audiobook I bought on sale recently that my oldest daughter listened to and loved. She really wants me to read it and I thought March was the perfect time to do so. It is a fantasy mystery that sounds light hearted and charming.

Allies by Alan Grantz

I read another Alan Grantz book last year in March and loved it (he writes middle grade historical fiction). Allies follows a cast of characters on different sides of the conflict on D-Day, in the heat of the battle. I've heard it's a book you can't put down and that the audiobook is particularly well done.

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

This is my read aloud with the kids for March, as my third book in our year of reading all the the Little House books together. We are having fun with it!

Bedknob and Broomstick by Mary Norton

Bedknob and Broomstick is a children's classic I've never read (though I've seen the movie many times) and I'm excited to try it! It's not my top priority for March, so I don't know if I'll get to it, but I think it would be a fun addition for Middle Grade March if I do.

The Steps by Wendelin Van Draanen

Wendelin Van Draanen released this middle grade thriller at the end of last year and as I love Wendelin Van Draanen, I'm really excited to read it. I think March will be the perfect time to pick it up! The Steps follows a chess whiz named Ruby who is from a wealthy family. Following the death of her mother and aunt, her father remarries (the "steps"), her cousin/BFF is no longer allowed around, and strange and dangerous things start happening. Ruby has to put up a fight and break some rules to both get her cousin back and beat her new step family at their own game.

That is my TBR for Middle Grade March! I love this readathon every year and I'm really excited for the books I have planned! Are you participating in Middle Grade March? What are you reading? Let me know in the comments below!