Your young readers will find the heroes in these great middle grade reads both relatable and captivating!  They keep their chins up even in the face of their mistakes and — with the help of great friends (and sometimes a touch of magic!) — find their way forward.

Join Books of Wonder to welcome these five talented authors as they discuss their new and wonderful coming-of-age stories:

Be Real, Macy Weaver by LAKITA WILSON. Fashion, friendship, and fibs take center stage in this humorous novel about the unintended consequences of small lies that becomes bigger than life.

The Language of the Sea Birds by WILL TAYLOR. Jeremy, reeling from his parents' divorce, spends a summer vacation on the Oregon coast where he meets — and falls head over heels for — a boy who will change his life.

In MELISSA DASSORI's J.R. Silver Writes Her World, Josephine Rose Silver is an intrepid young writer whose diary entries magically become reality. But when she loses her best friend due to a thoughtlessly worded sentence, Josephine Rose soon learns writing happy endings isn't so easy...

Breda's Island by JESSIE ANN FOLEY. When Breda gets caught stealing one too many times, she is sent abroad to stay with her grumpy grandfather — who might just be the only person who knows the truth behind her absent father. And to learn that, Breda is willing to do just about anything.

Etta Invincible by REESE ESCHMANN. Etta Johnson is a twelve-year-old girl with hearing loss just trying to keep low and write her comic book. But when a neighbor's dog mysteriously disappears, can she find her inner super hero and save the day?

Great July Middle Grade Reads