Top 5 Fantasy Middle-Grade Series That You Can Read At Any Age

When You Lose Touch With Your Inner Child.

Sometimes we forget the joy that children’s books were able to give us when we were children and neglect the fact that these books can still provide us with so much joy! Middle-grade represents a fantastic opportunity, no matter what your age, to reconnect with your inner child and lose yourself in an enjoyable read. Something that doesn’t require hours upon hours of concentration and dedication but lets you fall into the world and enjoy it for what it is.

This is why I decided to create my top five fantasy middle-grade books which you can read at any age at all! When picking these books, I based my choices on both old and recent releases, which I have read myself in the past six months and loved! Being able to fall into a world so quickly is part of the reason why I love fantasy in middle-grade novels and the societies which have been created by these authors.

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow By Jessica Townsend

Released in 2017, Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow is the first in the series by Jessica Townsend and follows a young girl called Morrigan Crow. Unsurprisingly, there is something special about Morrigan Crow that certainly makes her different to all those around her, and that is because she is a cursed child, who on her 11th birthday shall die. As Morrigan is cursed, it means all within her town blame her for anything that goes wrong in their lives and as a result she spends most of her time writing letters of apology to them all – which is as unfair as it sounds.

However, on the eve before her 11th birthday as Morrigan awaits her fate, she is seemingly rescued by the eccentric Jupiter North who takes her into his custody and brings her into the world of Nevermoor to be a candidate for the Wonderous society. A society whose members all have a knack from being great dragon riders to being completely forgotten and even those who can tell what your thinking from your mood. Nevermoor is not like any other world, with amass of inhabitants from talking cats to an angel like beings, Jupiter brings Morrigan into a world she can call home. Only there is one problem, to remain she must get into the Wondrous Society and to get into the society, she must have a knack.

The world that Jessica Townsend has created can only be described as wondrous, it feels like something that should belong in the Studio Ghibli movies and a place of excitement and wonder. From reading Nevermoor I was completely entrapped in the world and when I finished was devastated to find I had to wait almost a year until it’s sequel.

The Polar Bear Explorers Club By Alex Bell

Another middle-grade series which I found around the same time as Nevermoor and that is The Polar Bear Explorer’s Club By Alex Bell. This one is set in a world of adventures, where mythical creatures readily exist, little dinosaurs roam and can be kept as pets and even were adventurous societies rank the highest of all social settings. Oh, and you can also have a Polar Bear as a pet too!

However, there are rules to being an explorer; you must have three names for instant, which Stella Starflake Pearl certainly has. Through, there is another rule, and that is explorers cannot be girls! Something I wasn’t too keen on but Stella proves her worth and proves she belongs in the explorers club! Traveling to Iceland on an epic expedition with her adoptive father, Stella makes friends with three trepid junior explorers like herself. Meaning when they are separated from the adults they must make their way to reunite with them and as they do, secrets of Stella’s past are found deep in the ice and snow!

Lockwood & Co. By Jonathan Stroud

A series which is very different to the rest on this list, Lockwood & Co is set in a world in which ghosts exist and must be captured. The only problem with this, it appears that only children have the sight to capture and destroy them when necessary. It is why institutes to deal with the epidemic have been created, organizations were children are hired and trained to deal with such entities. However, unlike the rest Lockwood and Co is something different, owned, and run by three children; Lockwood, George, and Lucy.

This is series is fantastic and even a little scary at times. It doesn’t read like a middle-grade, and it’s especially easy to get lost in this world and the characters while questioning the aspects and attempting to figure out the mysteries which surround them all. This world is quite terrifying because although the ghosts are present, the ghosts also can kill all those they come into contact with.

The Spiderwick Chronicles By Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

This one is an old series from the past, one which I actually read first when I was a child but yet again during my final year of university. Although the series is based firmly within our world, there is a specific fantastical element that is there. As Arthur Spiderwick notes all of these fantastical discoveries within his journal, he is unwitting places himself, his family and future descendants and even the whole faerie realm at risk.

Following Jared and his twin brother Simon and older sister Mallory following their discovery of the book, it is now up to them to ensure it’s safety and with that the whole security of the faerie realm. Throughout the series of five books, the kids go on their adventures alongside the main narrative of ensuring the safety of the book and through this discovery and encounter many of the creatures which Spiderwick included in his book.

The Spiderwick Chronicles are lovely books to read, although unlike the rest of the series mentioned there have numerous illustrations, and they are quite short, which means if your commuting, they are the perfect size to consume during a commute.

The Apprentice Witch By James Nicol

Now a series that has just concluded, The Apprentice Witch trilogy by James Nicol appears at first to be a delightful mix of the Worst Witch books and Studio Ghibli. Following a young apprentice witch called Arianwyn who is assigned to the town of Lull to be their witch.

After failing her witches exam, Arianwyn appears to be doomed to be an apprentice witch for all time and left to the boring normality of Lull, until something begins to change. A hex creeps closer to the town, and strange things are being spotted in the woods which results in much unease. Which means it’s up to Arianwyn to solve the puzzle and figure out what these mysterious symbols which keep appearing really mean.

I love this series, the story is lovely, and the writing style is enchanting. Also the characters and the way that Lull appears, it makes you feel like your at home.

About the Author

An avid reader and writer, Hannah always has a cup of tea at hand along with a book.