Middle-Grade Fantasy Book Series Recommendations
They're the best kind of books
My favourite book genre is fantasy, and I specifically love books written for the middle-grade age range. Here I have listed all of my favourite series of this kind, although I have excluded books based on mythology, books set in the past, and ones with animal main characters since I plan on making recommendation lists for these at some later date. Unfinished series in which only one book has been published are also not included. Many of these series have prequel or sequel series but I treat all the books set in the same fictional universe as one series. They are arranged by how much I like them in ascending order. All of the books listed are ones that I love and think that more people should read.
Descendants by Melissa de la Cruz
These books are based on the musical movie series of the same name, though they can certainly be read without having watched the movies. I only watched them after having read the books. It begins on “The Isle of the Lost,” an island where Disney villains have been banished to and follows four teenage protagonists. Mal is the daughter of Maleficent, Jay is the son of Jafar, Evie is the daughter of the Evil Queen, and Carlos is the son of Cruella de Vil. They all end up going on a quest to find a magical dragon egg that can allow them to escape the island and get to the magical land of Auradon. If you like antihero stories, fresh takes on fairy tales, enemies becoming friends, and unlikely romance, this series is definitely one to check out.
House of Secrets by Chris Columbus & Ned Vizzini
Cordelia, Brandon, and Eleanor are three siblings whose family ends up moving into a creepy old house after their dad loses his job. They find out that this house has many secrets and it acts as a portal, taking them to all sorts of interesting places. The books are full of action, suspense, and cliffhangers with a mysterious antagonist known as the Wind Witch. I do not remember much about this series, but I know that I had a lot of fun reading it.
Inkworld by Cornelia Funke
This trilogy was originally written in German, so it is a great choice if you are looking to get into more translated literature. The books are about a girl named Meggie and everything starts getting strange when her father reads a book out loud, causing characters to come out of the book and cause trouble. One thing that I love about these books is the way they emphasize the power of reading and just how influential stories can be. They are also quite a bit longer than most books for children and appeal to all ages.
Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
The Chronicles of Narnia is a series that I am sure everyone reading this has heard of. It may be a surprise to hear that I did not grow up reading these books and only read the entire series when I was in grade 12. Despite that, I wish I had read when I was younger. I prefer reading them in chronological order but I know that most hardcore Narnia fans like the publication order better, so either way works fine. My favourite book in the series is The Voyage of the Dawn Treader because I quite enjoy the exploration aspect of it. Overall, this is one series that I think everyone should read, as it has a nearly universal appeal.
Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins
This series was the first middle-grade fantasy one I ever read back in grade 6 for a school book club. As such, it has had a huge influence on my reading. The book begins when a boy named Gregor follows his baby sister down a portal in their laundry room. It leads to an underground world where people ride on giant flying bats and have prophecies that they believe are about Gregor. He ends up going on a quest to find his father who mysteriously disappeared previously, befriends the princess, and gets his own bat. These books are such a fun adventure about family and friendship.
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
Fablehaven is a fun series about siblings Kendra and Seth who go to stay at their grandparents’ house one summer. As it turns out, their grandparents live in a place filled with all kinds of magical creatures. The characters and world are well-written, making this a series you do not want to miss out on. Each book is longer than the previous one and there is even a sequel series, Dragonwatch.
The Ever Afters by Shelby Bach
The Ever Afters series is one that has received very little attention but is truly such a great story. The main character, Rory, goes to an after-school club where kids and teens become characters in fairy tales. She becomes friends with two kids there, Lena and Chase. Lena then gets her tale, meaning that events in her life mirror those from a fairy tale. She takes Rory and Chase with her for the quest and lots of cool stuff happens. These books are truly so heartwarming and incorporate many fresh ideas.
Septimus Heap by Angie Sage
If you like magic, wizards, time travel, and dragons, you need to read this series. Centred on the story of a boy who becomes a wizard apprentice, each of the characters has very distinctive traits. Everything about it feels like a cozy bedtime story read beside the fireplace. There are so many funny moments and I absolutely love the whimsical nature of the world and magic system. This one also has a sequel series known as TodHunter Moon that follows a new character.
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
This was my favourite series when I read it back in grade seven, and I still have a lot of love for the books. It follows a young genius by the name of Artemis Fowl who discovers the existence of high-tech fairies and is a combination of fantasy and science fiction with an antihero protagonist. I had so much fun reading this and I absolutely love the 2018 covers (shown above). The story continues with a trilogy called The Fowl Twins which focuses on Artemis’s younger brothers.
The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
This series focuses on identical twins Alex and Aaron living on the dystopian island of Quill. Upon reaching age 13, everyone is sorted into the categories of Wanted, Necessary, and Unwanted. Those in the latter group are taken to be executed because they were discovered doing something creative. Alex is assigned Unwanted but it turns out that there is a magical mansion that takes in the Unwanteds and teaches them magic. Meanwhile, Aaron is labelled as a Wanted and becomes a sort of villain character. Each book explores a different island in this fascinating world. I cried in two of the books in this series as well as one in the sequel series, The Unwanteds Quests which is the most I have ever done in books by the same author.
Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling
Of course, I am a huge Potterhead, though it was not until grade ten that I read the books. They follow the character of Harry Potter, a boy who goes to the magical school Hogwarts upon discovering that he is a wizard. When he was a baby, the evil wizard Voldemort tried to kill him with a death spell, but it mysteriously backfired, making Harry instantly famous in the wizarding world. Each book focuses on one school year with Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione and my favourite one is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. There are so many magical creatures, fun characters, and laugh-out-loud moments that make this series worth all the hype. You should also read the Hogwarts Library companion books for extra fun.
The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer
Alex and Connor are twin siblings who are given a book of fairy tales by their grandma and find that it is a portal to a magical land where these stories are real. To get back home, they need to collect important items from all over as a part of the wishing spell. The books incorporate many characters from well-known fairy tales into the story in addition to historical figures. They are truly so funny and enjoyable. It has a prequel series, A Tale of Magic that I also loved, though that one should be read after the original series.
Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger
Keeper of the Lost Cities is my all-time favourite book series. I began reading the first book exactly five years ago as I write this and three books have been published since then. The series is still not complete as there will be at least one more book set to release sometime next year. The story is about a girl named Sophie who lives as a human for 12 years but can the thoughts of those around her until she is told that she is actually an elf and taken to live in the lost cities. There, she goes to the elf school Foxfire where she is trained in her magical abilities. All of the characters are so interesting and I love the magic system and worldbuilding of these books. If you only want to read one series on this list, this should be the one (but please read all of them!).
That was the list of thirteen of my favourite book series and I hope this helps give you ideas for what to read. Leave a comment letting me know if you have read any of these and feel free to share book recommendations there as well.