Continuing Middle Grade Fantasy Series
Check out these magical middle grade sequels going on sale in fall 2024!
Witchwood: A Ravenfall Novel By Kalyn Josephson
The third book in the “spellbinding” (Kirkus Reviews) Ravenfall series follows Anna and Colin, two kids with supernatural powers, into the magical town of Witchwood, where local witches have gone missing—and Anna might be next.
Everything is changing at Ravenfall, the magical inn that best friends Anna Ballinkay and Colin Pierce call home. The leaves are turning golden, the air is as crisp as a harvest apple, and Anna’s older twin sisters are leaving for college… but at least Anna and Colin have finally reunited after a summer apart, just in time for a new magical mission.
When their mission is interrupted by a mysterious attack that forces them to seek shelter, Anna and Colin head to Witchwood, a spooky lakeside town where magic doesn’t have to be hidden. Anna is excited to reunite with her aunt and cousin, who she hopes might teach her more about Jewish magic—except her cousin seems to hate her. Especially once Anna realizes that she’s a witch, just like them.
But rude cousins are the least of their problems, because they soon discover that witches are going missing in Witchwood. And if Anna and Colin can’t stop whatever sinister force is making them disappear, Anna could be the next target…
Alex Wise vs. the Cosmic Shift By Terry J. Benton-Walker
No one ever said saving the world would be easy. In the second installment of this thrilling fantasy series all about finding your inner hero, a 12-year-old boy leads the charge against the Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Alex Wise is no superhero. Or at least, he doesn't feel like one. Sure, he vanquished Death and saved his sister Mags—with the help of some new magic powers, his best friend Loren and demi-god Liam. But the apocalypse shows no signs of slowing down. Now, Alex and his friends will have to find new allies and face new dangers—from battling a giant snake in a literal ghost town and infiltrating the Horsemen’s new home base on the Vegas Strip…on the back of a dragon.
With everyone looking to him for answers, Alex isn't sure he's cut out for this world saving thing. And the closer he gets to Liam, the farther away he feels from Loren and from Mags, who hasn't been the same since she was possessed by Death. How can Alex lead a team if he doesn't even feel like he deserves to be a part of it?
“Never has the apocalypse been so fun!"
—Mark Oshiro, author of THE INSIDERS and co-author with Rick Riordan of THE SUN AND THE STAR: A NICO DI ANGELO ADVENTURE.
Never Thirteen By Stacy McAnulty
What if you were twelve for all of eternity? From the award-winning author of The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl comes a magical mystery about a group of kids called the Evers who have been alive for hundreds of years.
Ivy Stewart thought West Archer Academy was the first step to everything she’d always wanted. The key to her entire future. But now…she might not even have a future.
It’s the start of a new semester, and Ivy’s very old friends and her very new immortality are at odds. The Evers, kids who are hundreds of years old and never age, are determined to save Ivy from suffering that same miserable fate…even if it means she won’t remember them. But what’s worse? Forgetting her family, her friends, her life or never turning thirteen?
Ronan is done running from his psychic powers. He knows he can help Ivy—once he figures out how—but he can’t shake the bad feeling he has around the rest of the Evers. Can he trust them? Can the Evers trust Ronan? Or are they all doomed to fight this centuries-old battle forever… and ever?
Sir Callie and the Witch's War By Esme Symes-Smith
In the third book of this thrilling fantasy series a twelve-year-old nonbinary knight-in-training, a reluctant crown prince, a fierce young witch, and her troubled twin brother fight for the heart of their kingdom in a medieval world of dragons and magic.
Being a hero is nothing like the ballads promised it would be. Scattered across the realm, Callie, Willow, Elowen, and Edwyn have learned that when the fate of their world is at stake, choices are hard and the consequences are harder, even when striving for good.
Hunted by both Helston and Dumoor, Callie and Willow flee to the walled city of Fairkeep in a last-ditch effort to find allies. Meanwhile, at Alis’s side, Elowen grapples with a battle between her heart and her ambition as the Witch Queen’s new protégé. Edwyn, desperate to prove himself as brave as his friends, accepts a mission that takes him back to the source of his nightmares: home. Helston.
Faced with the reality of a devastating war, all four champions are forced to confront the very parts of themselves they fear most, and each must do it alone. But how can they find the truth within a kingdom founded on lies?
Like a Curse By Elle McNicoll
The fight to save the human and magical worlds is ON...but witch (in-training) Ramya isn't much help unless she can learn her new powers--and fast. It's a race to the finish in the stunning conclusion to the Like a Charm duology from the award-winning author of A Kind of Spark.
Ramya thought discovering she was a witch would make life easier. But mastering her powers isn't going as smoothly as she thought. And while she is stuck in Loch Ness stumbling through spells, the wicked siren Portia is gaining control over the human and hidden worlds in the city.
Time is running out, but the more Ramya presses, the more her family insists she isn't ready for the fight. Then an old friend is kidnapped, and Ramya can't wait any longer. Armed with a lot of bravery, a little magic, and a few new friends, Ramya hopes it is enough to take down Portia and the sirens forever--before everything she loves is lost forever.
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
Impossible Creatures By Katherine Rundell; illustrated by Ashley Mackenzie
Two kids race to save the world’s last magical place in the first book of a landmark new fantasy series, from “a writer with an utterly distinctive voice and a wild imagination.” (Philip Pullman, author of The Golden Compass)
“An instant classic from one of the most gifted storytellers of our time, Impossible Creatures is an astonishing miracle of a book.” —Katherine Applegate, Newbery Medal Winner for The One and Only Ivan
The day that Christopher saved a drowning baby griffin from a hidden lake would change his life forever.
It’s the day he learned about the Archipelago—a cluster of unmapped islands where magical creatures of every kind have thrived for thousands of years, until now. And it’s the day he met Mal—a girl on the run, in desperate need of his help.
Mal and Christopher embark on a wild adventure, racing from island to island, searching for someone who can explain why the magic is fading and why magical creatures are suddenly dying. They consult sphinxes, battle kraken, and negotiate with dragons. But the closer they get to the dark truth of what’s happening, the clearer it becomes: no one else can fix this. If the Archipelago is to be saved, Mal and Christopher will have to do it themselves.
Katherine Rundell’s story crackles and roars with energy and delight. It is brought vividly to life with more than 60 illustrations, including a map and a bestiary of magical creatures.
Author Katherine Rundell reads the first chapter of her captivating, action-packed fantasy adventure, Impossible Creatures.
Praise for Impossible Creatures
★ “An epic fantasy with timeless themes and unforgettable characters.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
★ “Employing plotting reminiscent of works by Ursula Le Guin and Philip Pullman, Rundell deploys fresh language, epic stakes, bonds both tender and devastating, and fierce kid characters. It’s a thoughtfully lore-informed narrative about the kinship of living things and the marvels of being alive—a story that, above all, takes children seriously.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
★ “A quintessential fantasy that will delight readers of all ages.” — School Library Journal, starred review
★ “Rundell has delivered a welcome reminder of what makes the genre great. By taking risks, honoring her ancestors, and weaving a magic of her own, she adds her voice to the ancient, ongoing chorus of storytellers.” — Booklist, starred review
★ “Impossible Creatures is an ode to children’s ability to hope and to make hard decisions … for readers who devour adventure fantasy stories like The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill as well as classics like Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass, Impossible Creatures is a must-read.” —BookPage, starred review
“A powerful drama filled with self-sacrifice and great-heartedness . . . entrancing and refreshing.” —The Horn Book
“Rundell is well nigh irresistible.” –The New York Times Book Review
“With an utterly charming combination of wit and peril, Impossible Creatures is a magical book you race to finish and then immediately want to read aloud to someone little.” —The Washington Post
“An instant classic from one of the most gifted storytellers of our time, Impossible Creatures is an astonishing miracle of a book.” —Katherine Applegate, Newbery Medal Winner for The One and Only Ivan
“An absolute WOW of a book. Utterly enchanting and full of wonder, readers are in for a treat!” — B. B. Alston, author of Amari and the Night Brothers
“I love Katherine Rundell’s writing. . . . Readers who already know her books will seize this with delight, and new readers will love it and demand all her others at once.” —Philip Pullman, author of The Golden Compass
Download the Educators’ Guide
Our free digital educators’ guide explores themes of friendship, courage, folklore, and more, through thoughtful activities and engaging discussion questions.
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The Archipelago is a hidden world where magical creatures of every kind thrive. What research did you do to help create your collection of mythological animals?
I spent many wonderful hours in libraries researching the magical creatures that we were once absolutely convinced were real. I read mythical encyclopedias, old manuscripts (in my other work, I research Renaissance literature at Oxford, so I have access to fantastic, dusty archives), and ancient histories, all to create a file with hundreds of pages of notes about my creatures. We used to believe there were unicorns in the wild, which makes perfect sense, really, given that narwhals exist. The line between possible and impossible in the natural world is so very thin: there are many things that seem like they should be glorious myths—giraffes, hedgehogs, swifts—that are true.
Impossible Creatures is already being called an “instant classic.” Which books and authors, both classic and contemporary, were your biggest influences when writing Impossible Creatures?
I’ve always loved fantasy, and grew up reading the masters Narnia, especially, gave me endless happiness. And I adored Tolkien, Ursula K. Le Guin, E. Nesbit’s Five Children and It, Diana Wynne Jones, Philip Pullman—and the older work too: Malory’s Morte d’Arthur, The Odyssey, the old Norse sagas, and Greek myths. I love the scope that modern fantasy gives authors to write about urgent truths—about power, and loss, and endurance—in a way that also offers a thrilling journey and a feast of pleasure.
Impossible Creatures is full of action and adventure. How do bring such gripping action to life?
Thank you so much! I’m thrilled you think so—I wanted to create a story that would grab children by the wrist and not let them go until the last page. I think children deserve huge, wild adventures, so at every step, I asked myself: Would I find this exciting, if I was reading it for the first time? Can I make it bolder, sharper, brighter, swifter?
What message do you hope readers take away from Impossible Creatures?
I wanted to write a book that would be, first and foremost, a great sweep of adventure and action and delight: I don’t think it’s fair to offer children a story and then bludgeon them with a moral. But the book is, in part, about the threat of endangerment: about the idea of fighting with everything you have to protect that which is vulnerable, because what is lost is lost forever. And I wanted to suggest to children that our own world is one of such magnificence that if we were not familiar with it—if we were to discover it anew—it would knock us sideways with astonishment.
Download the full Q&A with Katherine Rundell, author of Impossible Creatures.
Katherine Rundell
KATHERINE RUNDELL is the internationally bestselling author of Impossible Creatures. Her other books for children include Rooftoppers, Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms, The Wolf Wilder, The Explorer, and The Good Thieves. She grew up in Zimbabwe, Brussels, and London, and is currently a Fellow of St. Catherine’s College, Oxford. For adult readers, Rundell has written Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures and Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne, which won the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. She was the recipient of the British Book Award for Book of the Year and Author of the Year.
