middle grade book Series

 This is a list of my favorite chapter book and MG series for children reading on grades 2-6 levels. I’ve included the title, the author and a brief description to help you find a series that will be a great choice for your child. Most of these books can be found in your public library, but if you’d rather purchase one of these chapter book series, I’ve included Good Reads links. I’ve also divided the list by genres including realistic fiction, graphic novels and fantasy.

realistic fiction

Encyclopedia Brown by Donald Sobel. Each book contains ten stories and always begins the same, with an explanation about who Encyclopedia is. Therefore, the books can be read in any order, which makes it very easy when checking them out from the library or buying the book. Encyclopedia is a fifth grade super detective who always solves the mystery by the end of the chapter. Readers can check their own solutions with Encyclopedia’s, which are found at the back of each book.

Great Illustrated Classics; various authors. These are abridged versions of the classics that include an illustration on every other page, which always holds the kids’ attention and makes them want to read another one in the series.

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall. This is a fun chapter book series about four sisters, a very interesting boy and two rabbits. The books are heart warming stories, which are full of adventure.

Friday Barnes, Girl Detective by R.S. Spratt. This is a perfect choice for those voracious readers who enjoy a good mystery. It got starred reviews in Booklist and Publisher’s Weekly, which is always a good sign.

Swindle Series by Gordon Korman. This series follows Griffin Bing, the “man with a plan” and his friends’ adventures in middle school, which usually involve a mystery and rescuing someone (boy or animal) who is in trouble.

Clementine Series by Sara Pennypacker and Marla Frazee. A very funny series about Clementine, who has ideas “constantly springing up in her brain” which very often lead to a trip to the principal’s office.

The Borrowers by Mary Norton.  The Borrowers, who are the Clock family, are tiny people who live beneath the kitchen floor of a English country manor. All is well until one of them is discovered upstairs by a human! Will they be allowed to stay?

A to Z Mysteries by Ron Roy. Third Graders, Dink and his pals Josh and Ruth work their way through the alphabet mystery series for young detectives.

Ivy and Bean by Anne Barrows.  The series follows the adventures of best friends, Ivy and Bean, as they solve one mystery after another.

Nanny Piggins by R.A. Spratt. Nanny Piggins is an actual pig and the nanny to three children. Hilarious and great read alouds, too!

Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey. These are funny, action packed chapter books filled with lots of illustrations on each page, as well as a bonus comic section, which help to draw in a reluctant reader. 

Ballpark Mysteries by David A. Kelly and Mark Meyers.  These are fun, puzzling mysteries, with two nine year old detectives as the main characters. Every story is set at a different ballpark and includes historical details about the park.

Sports Illustrated for Kids series by various authors.  These are a variety of sports books written for kids.

Sideways Stories by Louis Sachar. Wayside School was supposed to have 30 classrooms all on one floor, but the builder made a mistake and put them one on top of each other, so the school is 30 stories high. And all sorts of strange and funny things happen in those rooms, especially on the 13th floor!

Judy Moody by Megan McDonald.  Judy is a third grader with lots of dilemmas, but she always seem to devise an intriguing solution to every problem. These are fun to read easy chapter books to entice early readers.

Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz. Alex Rider is the 14-year-old hero of British author Horowitz’s spy thrillers. After his uncle is killed, Alex learns that his uncle and guardian was actually a British spy, rather than the banker he always believed him to be. Now the government wants Alex to continue his uncle’s work.

Middle School series by James Patterson.  Rafe is starting middle school and has to try to find a way to cope with all the changes. To accomplish this, he decides he will try to break every rule of conduct that the school has. This of course leads to lots of consequences both at home and school!

The Year of… series by Andrea Cheng (realistic fiction). This charming series is narrated by 11 year old Anna who exhibits thoughtfulness and understanding of others in each book.

The Mother Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick .Realistic fiction; Each book in the series focuses on the book being read and discussed by the mothers and the sixth grade daughters in the group, such as Little Women or Pride and Prejudice. The stories explore the relationships between the mothers and daughters, the daughters relationships to one another and their growing up experiences.

I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis. Each book describes an 11 year old boy’s experiences in the midst of a disaster such as Hurricane Katrina, Pearl Harbor and the Hindenberg.

The Rescue Princesses by Paula Harrison. Princess Emily and her three princess friends want more in life than wearing fancy dresses and performing endless curtsies so they join together and save animals who are in trouble.

Stick Dog by Tom Watson. Stories of stray dogs with cartoonish illustrations are very fun for kids.

Origami Yoda series by Tom Angleberger. Dwight, normally thought of as a loser in the sixth grade at McQuarrie Middle School, leads the class to solve their problems with a wise and all knowing finger puppet, Yoda.

Cupcake Diaries by Coco Simon. When Katie finds herself a bit lost when she starts middle school, she finds three new friends who join her to form a cupcake club that will spread joy and earn money.

Nancy Clancy series by Jane O’Connor. Fans of Fancy Nancy will be thrilled to discover this series about Nancy and her adventures.

graphic novels

Smile series by Raina Telemeier (realistic fiction, graphic novel) Stories about growing up told with humor and art.

Hazzardous Tales Series by Nathan Hales. Meticulously researched historic events in history including all the details.

Hilo Series by Judd Winick and Guy Major. Goodreads summary: “BOOM! CLANG! CRASH! D.J. and Gina are totally ordinary kids. But Hilo isn’t! Hilo just fell out of the sky and doesn’t know where he came from, or what he’s doing on Earth.”

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney. This is a graphic novel and enjoyed by all ages and also a great choice for emerging readers! This series, which is full of harmless fun, follows Greg Heffley as he records his daily middle school life.

Big Nate series by Lincoln Peirce. Big Nate is a mischievous, fun middle school character who encounters a lot of stress because of his teachers, his parents and his annoying older sister.

SIMON AND CHESTER: SUPER DETECTIVES  by Cale Atkinson (Ages 6-9). For budding readers who like their early graphic novels on the darker comedic side

Fantasy

Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osborne. This series describes Annie and Jack’s adventures as they fly through time in a magic treehouse.

Half Upon a Time series by James Riley. Jack, son of Jack and the Beanstalk is working to save his family’s reputation along with the help of May who is actually from this world who is very confused that she is in the middle of a fairy tale adventure.  

Story Thieves series by James Riley. Owen is bored with his life and is in the library when he sees his classmate, Bethany climb out of a storybook. It turns out she is half storybook character and is searching every book in the library looking for her fictional father. Owen is sworn to secrecy and joins her in her search.

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. This series describes the magical adventures of Harry and his friends at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Fablehaven Series by Brian Mull. Kendra and Seth are sent to spend the summer with their grandfather, who they barely know. He warns them to stay out of the woods surrounding his house, but of course, Kendra and Seth can’t help but venture into the forest. Their explorations lead them into many adventures after discovering the mythical and magical creatures that live there.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. This is an extremely popular series with lots of action and adventure involving Greek Gods and monsters.

Heros of Olympus by Rick Riordan. This is the follow-up series to Percy Jackson which includes the same main characters and brings their adventures to a satisfying conclusion.

Tuesdays at the Castle series by Jessica Day George. This series describes growing up in magical Castle Glower that grows new rooms and secret passageways to help the princess and her siblings in their daily adventures.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O’Brien. Mrs. Frisby is a widowed mouse with four small children and a huge problem. She must move her family to their summer home immediately, or face almost certain death. But her youngest son, Timothy, lies ill with pneumonia and must not be moved. They are saved by the highly intelligent rats of Nimh who come up with a solution. Mrs. Frisby in turn is able to help them when they are in need. This is the first of three books in the series. If your child enjoys these, you can suggest The Redwall series by Brian Jacques next.

The Never Girls by Kiki Thorpe (ages 6-9). This story is about four real girls in a fairy world.

Storybound series by Marissa Burt. In the land of Story, kids go to school to learn to be a storybook character. They could be a hero, or even a villain.The plots have lots of twists and turns and include a lot of fun and puzzling details, which really make the reader think.

Galaxy Zack by Ray O’Ryan.  This series describes Zack’s adventures after he moves to a new planet.

Daisy Dawson by Steve Voake. Daisy has an amazing gift. She can talk to and understand animals! That is a big help as she continues to encounter animals that always seem to need her help.