Take Five: New Middle Grade Books in November

Somehow we’ve now turned the calendar to November. Do you still have a paper calendar to physically turn? I do. My brain needs it, just like it needs a paper planner, handwritten to-do lists, and to mail paper cards (versus a text or virtual card). I’m old. Whatever.

My point is, my calendar now shows November. Anne Shirley is right to be happy we have Octobers, but November through February sort of becomes The Great Blah around here. At least there are always new books to look forward to!

These Take Five lists can help you with collection development, displays, reading lists, and more. I have a pretty giant list of potential Take Five themes, but if there’s something you’re desperate for a list for, let me know!

All descriptions come from the publishers.

The Ribbon Skirt: A Graphic Novel by Cameron Mukwa (ISBN-13: 9781338843262
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc. Publication date: 11/12/2024, Ages 8-12)

A joyful coming-of-age middle-grade graphic novel by debut Indigenous creator Cameron Mukwa about the journey of a two-spirit kid who wants to create a ribbon skirt for the upcoming powwow.Ten-year-old Anang wants to make a ribbon skirt, a piece of clothing typically worn by girls in the Anishinaabe tradition, for an upcoming powwow. Anang is two-spirit and nonbinary and doesn’t know what others will think of them wearing a ribbon skirt, but they’re determined to follow their heart’s desire. Anang sets off to gather the materials needed to make the skirt and turns to those around them — their family, their human and turtle friends, the crows, and even the lake itself — for help. And maybe they’ll even find a new confidence within themself along the way.

The Squad: A Graphic Novel (The Tryout #2) by Christina Soontornvat, Joanna Cacao (Illustrator) (ISBN-13: 9781338741322 Publisher: Scholastic, Inc. Publication date: 11/12/2024, Ages 8-12)

Break out your pom poms! The highly anticipated, stand-alone companion to the instant #1 bestseller The Tryout promises even more cheer, higher stakes, and relatable middle-school drama. Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier.

“Raw, candid, moving, and full of heart.” – Betty C. Tang, creator of the award-winning bestseller Parachute Kids

“Gorgeous, heartfelt, and hilarious.” – Sarah Mlynowski, New York Times bestselling author of the Whatever After series

STEP UP. COMMIT. FOLLOW THROUGH.

It’s eighth grade and Christina and her besties, Megan and Leanne, are once again going through the brutal trials of cheerleading tryouts. This year, Christina feels more confident: She dresses in her own style and has amazing friends, even her first crush. But what if the girls don’t all make the squad? Worse than that, Christina learns her parents’ marriage is collapsing. Suddenly, her family, her future, and her identity seem in total freefall. Can she keep it together and still make her cheerleading dreams come true?

The Empty Place by Olivia A Cole (ISBN-13: 9780316449427 Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Publication date: 11/12/2024, Ages 8-12)

A powerful and imaginative story about a girl fighting to find her way back home from a mind-bending land of the lost.

When Henry’s father goes missing in the forest on her tenth birthday, her entire world shatters. The last thing she expects is for him to emerge from the trees exactly one year later, unharmed and bearing a gift for her—a strange necklace. 

Everyone says her father’s reappearance is a miracle, but Henry wants real answers to her questions. Where did her father go? How did he get back? And what’s the truth behind his gift? 

Wearing the necklace and carrying only a simple map, Henry enters the same forest that swallowed her father. But beyond the trees, she finds a world more incredible and dangerous than she ever imagined. It’s a place for all who are lost, and there’s no clear method of escape. As Henry follows in her father’s footsteps and searches for a way home, she discovers that the truth she’s seeking isn’t as simple as she hoped, and if she wants to leave this world, she’ll have to be braver than she’s ever been.

Black Girl Power: 15 Stories Celebrating Black Girlhood edited by Leah Johnson (ISBN-13: 9781368098960 Publisher: Disney Publishing Group Publication date: 11/12/2024, Ages 8-12)

A vibrant, heartwarming collection of 15 middle grade stories and poems that celebrates the joy, strength, and experience of Black girlhood, including stories from Ibi Zoboi, Sharon M. Draper, and Leah Johnson, as well as cover art from Caldecott winner Vashti Harrison.

Black girl power is…

Bringing your favorite stuffed animal to your first real sleepover. . .
Escaping an eerie dollhouse that’s got you trapped inside. . .
Making new friends one magical baked good at a time. . .
Finding the courage to dance to the beat of your own drum. . .

And more! From 15 legendary Black women authors comes a dazzling collection of stories and poems about the power we find in the everyday and the beauty of Black girlhood.

Contributors include: Amerie, Kalynn Bayron, Roseanne A. Brown, Elise Bryant, Dhonielle Clayton, Natasha Diaz, Sharon M. Draper, Sharon Flake, Leah Johnson, Kekla Magoon, Janae Marks, Tolá Okogwu, Karen Strong, Renée Watson, and Ibi Zoboi

Mallory in Full Color by Elisa Stone Leahy (ISBN-13: 9780063255531 Publisher: HarperCollins Publication date: 11/19/2024, Ages 8-12)

A funny, poignant middle grade novel about a tween who navigates questions of identity and friendship when her anonymous web comic goes viral, from the acclaimed author of Tethered to Other Stars.

Mallory Marsh is an expert at molding into whatever other people want her to be. Her true thoughts and feelings only come out in her sci-fi web comic, which she publishes anonymously as Dr. BotGirl.

But juggling all the versions of herself gets tricky, especially when Mal’s mom signs her up for swim team. Instead of being honest about hating competitive swim, Mal skips out on practice and secretly joins the library’s comic club. There Mal meets Noa, a cute enby kid who is very sure of who they are. As Mal helps Noa plan a drag queen story time, she tries to be the person she thinks Noa wants her to be—by lying about her stage fright.

Then Mal’s web comic goes viral, and kids at school start recognizing the unflattering characters based on Mal’s real-life friends. With negative pushback threatening the drag queen story time and Dr.BotGirl’s identity getting harder to hide, Mallory must reckon with the lies she has told.

If she reveals her full self, will her friends, her parents, and her new crush accept the real Mallory Marsh?

Filed under: Take 5