Introduction
Chapter books are often considered to be "books for intermediate readers" and differ from picture and early reader books in that most of the story is told solely using words. The variety of chapter books being published in the last several decades has increased immensely and there are wonderful choices, whether you are looking for a mythical fantasy or a realistic coming of age story!
New and Notable Chapter Books
The Firefly Summer
New York Times bestselling author Morgan Matson's middle grade debut about a young girl who gets to know her mom's side of the family and hunts for hidden treasure over the course of one chaotic summer.
Hands
The author of What Lane? and Tight delivers a fast-paced read that packs a punch about a boy figuring out how to best use his hands-to build or to knock down.
Abeni's Song
Abeni's Song is the beginning of a timeless, enchanting fantasy adventure about a reluctant apprentice, a team of spirit kids, and the village they set out to save.
School Trip
Jerry Craft is back with the newest adventures of Jordan, Drew, Liam, and all the characters that fans first met in New Kid! In this full-color contemporary graphic novel, the gang from Riverdale Academy Day is heading to Paris, for an international education like you've never seen before...
The Pear Affair
Nell is determined to find her beloved missing au pair in this vibrant adventure set in, and underneath, Paris. Food, fashion, and intrigue abound in this delightful mystery from the author of The Secret Starling.
Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor
Percy Jackson meets Tristan Strong in this novel that follows a young boy as he journeys across China to seal the underworld shut and save the mortal realm. And if Zack can't finish the mission in time, the spirits of the underworld will flood into the mortal realm, and he could lose his mom forever.
Award Winning Chapter Books
The Eyes and the Impossible
2024 Newbery Medal Winner
Johannes, a free dog, lives in an urban park by the sea. His job is to be the Eyes--to see everything that happens within the park and report back to the park's elders, three ancient Bison. But changes are afoot, bringing more humans and Trouble Travelers, and goats to the park. Will Johannes and his crew of friends be able to keep up?
Frizzy
2023 Pura Belpre Medal Winner
Marlene is a young Dominican girl whose greatest enemy is the hair salon! Through her struggles and triumphs, this heartwarming and gorgeous middle-grade graphic novel shows the radical power of accepting yourself as you are, frizzy curls and all.
Freewater
2023 Coretta Scott King Author Winner
A lyrical, accessible historical middle-grade novel about two enslaved children's escape from a plantation and their trip to find a town called Freewater, deep in the swamp. In this society created by formerly enslaved people and some freeborn children, Homer finds new friends, and crafts a plan to find his mother and help his new home.
Wildoak
2023 Schneider Family Book Award Middle Grade Winner
Maggie Stephens's stutter makes school especially hard. When her parents send her away for a few weeks with her Grandfather in the fresh air of Wildoak Forest, she encounters an abandoned snow leopard cub. But once the cub's presence is discovered by others, danger follows, and Maggie soon realizes that time is running out, not only for the leopard, but for herself and the forest as well.
Too Bright to See
2022 Stonewall Children's Award
It's the summer before middle school and eleven-year-old Bug's best friend Moira has decided the two of them need to use the next few months to prepare. While Moira wants to figure out the right clothes to wear, Bug is more worried about a ghost that is haunting her house...and maybe haunting Bug in particular. As Bug begins to untangle the mystery of who this ghost is and what they're trying to say, she discovers a new truth within herself.
Chapter Book Awards
There are a number of different children's literature awards that can be given to chapter books. These include:
- John Newbery Medal: awarded by the Association of Library Service to Children to the "author of the most distinguished contribution to American Literature for children."
- Pura Belpre Award: presented to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.
- Coretta Scott King Award: is given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values.
- Schneider Family Book Award: honors an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.
- Stonewall Book Awards: a set of three literary awards that annually recognize "exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience" in English-language books published in the U.S.