Standout Books for Tweens

Standout Books of 2025

Mary's review of Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics (Mr. Lemoncello's Library Graphic Novels #2)5/5: After the wild success of Mr. Lemoncello’s inaugural library lock-in, youth around the country begin complaining about the fact that the winners of the game all hail from the same town. To address these sentiments, Mr. Lemoncello decides to host the first ever Library Olympics, featuring middle school students from around the United States. The games are increasingly complex, and everyone must use their skills—and avoid temptation—in order to win. This graphic novel version of the novel of the same name makes the longer chapter book more accessible to readers who prefer visual storytelling....

Mary's review of Busted5/5: Oscar Aberdeen is not like most twelve-year-olds. Living in a retirement community with his grandfather means that Oscar has many adopted grandparents and is a treasured part of his found family. One resident, however, does not fit the mold of the Sunny Days retirement community, and he has no qualms about breaking the rules to achieve his goals. When financial constraints threaten Oscar and his grandfather’s living situation, Oscar finds himself in unexpected company and questioning his own moral compass on a day that will change his life forever. This thoughtful and entertaining middle gr...

Mary's review of Super Business! (Simon and Chester Book, #6)5/5: Simon the ghost and Chester the human are unlikely friends, but their connection has helped them navigate a variety of challenging situations. In this newest adventure, Simon is offered a promotion that is a step above his current assignment. Instead of just haunting Chester’s house, Simon is now responsible for placing ghosts in homes, whether they like it or not. But when things change too much and the tension between humans and ghosts climbs ever higher, Simon and Chester find themselves in the unique position to make things better for everyone by doing what they do best. This sixth in t...

Mary's review of Maggie and the Story Shadows5/5: Five months ago, Maggie's mother mysteriously disappeared. But while everyone believes her to be dead, Maggie is convinced her mother is alive, especially because she visits Maggie regularly in her dreams. When one of the dreams leads Maggie to the local science museum where an employee died under mysterious circumstances, Maggie and two unlikely companions discover a magical bag filled with stories. As the trio works to uncover the clues Maggie’s mother left behind, they discover a dangerous and wonderful world that defines Maggie’s life in more ways than one. This imaginative middle grade...

Mary's review of The Scott Fenwick Diaries5/5: For seventh grade Millie, there is more to think about than just classwork. Though she is often hanging out with friends, supporting her aging relatives, or surviving school, her thoughts are more commonly centered around a certain Scott Fenwick who sits near her in social studies class. Having a real-life crush is very different from the emotions Millie has harbored for celebrity Rory Calhoun, however, and Millie is frequently overwhelmed by the experience. Luckily, Millie's best friend Shauna is there to support her every step of the way, and through the tumult and unpredictability, Milli...

Mary's review of The Case of the Scarlet Snakebite5/5: Twelve year old Amber and her mother are the proud owners of the Cozy Koi Bed-and-Breakfast in remote Crook’s Bend. While Amber’s mother has a focus on the family business, however, Amber is more interested in solving mysteries like those found in books written by her favorite novelist Agatha Christie. Determined to prove to her distant father that there is enough mystery in her town to reunite their disparate family, Amber will do whatever it takes to identify culprits, even when they do not exist. However, when the wealthy and mysterious Willoughby family comes to stay at the Cozy Koi, th...

Mary's review of Lu and Ren’s Guide to Geozoology5/5: Lu’s ah-ma is a famous geozoologist, a woman who has studied the rich wildlife across the land of Lirrin for much of her life. This year, the sunfish eclipse is supposed to be taking place for the first time in over a decade, and Ah-ma promised that Lu could join her to watch the rare event. Unfortunately, Ah-ma has not written in months, and nobody seems to know where she is. When a letter comes from a neighboring community asking for help with the ailing ambystufas, Lu sees it as her opportunity to try to rendezvous with her missing ah-ma. So, Lu and her childhood friend Ren decide to set...

Mary's review of Gloam5/5: Thirteen year old Gwen and her three younger siblings have moved with their stepfather Henry into their late grandmother’s house on Gloam island. Though the home is spooky, especially at night, Henry works hard to convince them all that monsters do not exist. To help out, Henry hires a mysterious caretaker named Esme to manage the children while he is unavailable, much to Gwen’s chagrin. She cannot explain exactly why, but there is something unsettling about Esme, and Gwen must determine the root of her feelings before tragedy strikes. This frightening middle grade story leans deeply into a...

Mary's review of Ghoul Summer5/5: Twelve-year-old Barnaby has big plans of spending his summer playing Warricane with his best friends. Instead, however, he finds himself headed to the small town of Sunnyside for three weeks to help his Grandpa pack up his belongings to move in with Barnaby’s family. After Barnaby begrudgingly claims the attic bedroom of their rental house, a ghostly resident named Maxwell makes an unexpected appearance, threatening any possibility Barnaby has for a stress-free stay. Luckily, Barnaby’s brother Leo can also communicate with Maxwell, and together, the three boys must combine their skills to r...

Mary's review of The Many Misfortunes of Eugenia Wang5/5: Eugenia’s thirteenth birthday is nearly at hand, but because she was born on April fourth–and the number four is unlucky in Chinese culture–Eugenia has never been allowed to celebrate on her actual birthday. So, Eugenia's best friend Keisha has planned an April fourth birthday celebration at her house, instead. But when Eugenia suffers a light concussion, she experiences a recurring nightmare that is inexplicably depicted on paper, and Eugenia has no memory of drawing it. Days steadily pass, bringing Eugenia closer to her birthday and the tragedy foreseen in her dreams. The only way out is ...

Mary's review of Armando and the Amazing Animal Race5/5: The last time twelve-year-old Armando saw his grandmother in person was when he was four years old. Now, Armando's father is managing an oil spill in northern Canada and Armando is on a plane across the Atlantic to spend time with his distant grandmother, Granny D. Instead of the quiet London experience Armando expects, however, he and Granny D find themselves participating in the same global competition from which Armando's mother never returned. And as the two race to take pictures of seven endangered creatures around the globe, Armando walks in his mother’s footsteps in his mission to bo...

Mary's review of Loon Cove Summer5/5: Summer vacation is just beginning for 13-year-old Sarah Richardson–the first summer since her mother passed away from cancer. Sarah is unsure what to expect in this turbulent time, especially since her best friend will be traveling for several weeks and her father is away for days at a time to work in the city. When a researcher arrives who intends to support Sarah’s mission to preserve the loons living on the lake, Sarah begins to see hope emerging around her. But with change comes difficult emotions, and Sarah must learn to lean into the things she can control amidst all that she cannot, ...

Mary's review of A Hero's Guide to Summer Vacation5/5: Gonzalo Alberto Sánchez García is spending the summer after seventh grade with his hermit-like grandfather in Mendocino. After the death of his father in recent months, Gonzalo has begun channeling his grief into art that features monsters, and he has lost the spark he once had. Despite the fact that his grandfather does not enjoy being around people, he is the author of a famous children’s book series and is going on a promotional tour, and Gonzalo must begrudgingly accompany him. Along the way, Gonzalo and his grandfather bond in unexpected ways, and Gonzalo discovers that sometimes it ta...

Mary's review of Into the Rapids5/5: In one week, twelve-year-old Addy gets to attend Survival Camp, the same place where her parents met when they themselves were twelve. She has been diligently practicing all the skills she will need to pass the class, but when a tropical storm causes the power to go out and destroys the roads leading to camp, Addy’s dreams begin to evaporate. However, as the child of wilderness survivors—one of whom died tragically when she was a baby—Addy is more tenacious than most when it comes to achieving her goals. And with each new obstacle she faces, Addy finds herself learning to survive in ways sh...

Mary's review of Candle Island5/5: In the aftermath of her father’s unexpected passing, Lucretia Sanderson and her mother have moved their lives to the small community of Candle Island in order to find some comfort and clarity. Unbeknownst to them, the house into which they have moved has a deep and complicated history, and Lucretia and her mother are unwittingly trampling on the feelings of some long-time island residents. With time, patience, and empathy, however, Lucretia discovers ways to fit in with the other youth on the island, and their shared interactions and adventures help to heal the wounds that only time can men...

Mary's review of Frankie & Chair5/5: It is time for nine-year-old Danny to start at a new school, and for a boy who dislikes change, there has been entirely too much lately. A new house, a new school, a new babysitter, and a new life without his father all amplify the discomfort Danny feels. Luckily, Danny is able to lose himself in the comic book series he is creating with his best friend Chair, imagining adventures that take them both far away from their everyday existence. But when Danny encounters a girl named Frankie at school, Danny begins to realize that hiding away is not the only way to live a life that brings him joy...

Mary's review of Tear This Down5/5: Freya has always been a person to say whatever is on her mind, to ask the hard questions that other people are often uncomfortable answering. In school, she is unafraid to ask why all the books read in class are about boys and none are about girls. And outside of that, Freya is generally quite comfortable being herself, as well. But when Freya loses the election for class president, she begins to turn inward and stop speaking so many of her thoughts aloud. Until, that is, a class assignment illuminates some uncomfortable truths about her hometown and inspires Freya to make real, lasting cha...

Mary's review of Max in the Land of Lies (Operation Kinderspion #2)5/5: Twelve year old Max Bretzfeld is back in Nazi Germany with an important task to complete for the Allied Forces. And while his spy mission for the Allies is a priority, Max has a secret second intent as well: to locate his missing Jewish parents. With Hitler in power and Jewish people disappearing around the country, Max must fully commit to his false identity and tread carefully among the Nazi sympathizers in his midst. Luckily, Max’s invisible companions Stein and Berg are along for the ride, and the unlikely trio must work together to ensure the success of Max’s mission and help turn the ...

Mary's review of Away5/5: Without any warning at all, the world has suddenly turned on its head, and mandatory evacuations have taken countless families from their homes in Colorado to camps across the rural plains. In the absence of phones or television, it is impossible to fully comprehend the scope of the evacuation or why it has happened, so everyone must wait and hope for a positive resolution. As the weeks and months drag on, the evacuees band together to create a new kind of community, complete with religious gatherings and even school, much to the dismay of the children residing there. There appears to be no...

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