The best middle grade fantasy books can be hard to find because of the massive amount of books out there on the market. Because of the number of books out there, we thought we would put a list together of our favorite fantasy books for middle schoolers so you wouldn’t have to search far and wide for the best middle grade fantasy books.
Whether you are looking for the best middle grade fantasy books for yourself or your child, the best middle grade books can be hard to find. For this article, we are defining middle grade books strictly by readability and not necessarily by the appropriateness of the content within the books.
1. The Harry Potter Series
It wouldn’t be a list of the best middle grade fantasy books without Harry Potter. Harry Potter inspired a whole generation of people to love reading. The series has many messages and meaning can be pulled from these books each time they are read. They are still a fan favorite and as of today, Amazon has a lot of these books on their most-read fiction list.
2. Fablehaven Series
Fablehaven follows a young female protagonist named Kendra and her bother Seth as they learn what’s really going on at their grandparent’s house. They find a magical world with many new creatures that they have to navigate and save. The series by Brandon Mull is very well-written and will have you turning page after page or running to the store for the next one until the series is complete.
3. The Hunger Games Series
The Hunger Games Series is wildly popular for several reasons. It’s a great dystopian story that is easy to follow. The series follows Katniss Everdeen as she navigates an unfair world where she must fight or be killed in while the whole world watches.
It’s an emotional story with many ups and downs and the series of four books has been made into five movies. There is even a prequel book and movie that are both excellent.
Keep in mind, middle grade books are judged by their readability and not the content within. This series reads like a middle grade book series but the content is a little more adult. Please keep that in mind if you are choosing books for your children.
4. Dragon Watch Series
This series picks up where Fablehaven leaves off. It’s another well-written page-turner by Brandon Mull. Originally Brandon hadn’t planned on continuing his Fablehaven stories but a few years after he wrapped it up he was inspired with a continuation story. Dragonwatch is focused a lot more on Seth and his progression as the protagonist.
5. Percy Jackson Series
Percy Jackson follows twelve-year-old Percy who has to come to grips with who he really is, a demigod. When his mother tells him who he is, she sends him to summer-camp to train and become a hero.
Percy Jackson is a very popular series and has even been adapted to the big screen with two movies. The book series has over fifty thousand reviews on Amazon and averages 4.7 stars. If you don’t already, you surely will love this book if you pick it up.
6. The Land of Stories Series
The Land of Stories follows two young twins who are forced to navigate their grandmother’s fairytale world. This series is incredible as it incorporates many classic fairytale characters that we all know and love. It’s an extremely easy read that you won’t want to put down.
7. Artemis Fowl Series
Artemis Fowl is a young boy genius who runs his family’s criminal empire when his father goes missing. His penchant for trouble delves into another world when he contrives a plan to kidnap a fairy to hold for ransom. The series is incredible due to its plotline and character development.
8. Beyonders Series
The Beyonders series follows young Jason Walker and Rachel who mysteriously find themself in the world of Lyrian. They find that their only way back to our world is to save Lyrian from the Tyrant Emporer.
The Beyonders series is fairly popular and boasts 4.8 stars on Amazon and was featured on the New York Times bestseller list proving its status as a great middle grade fantasy series.
9. The Books of Bayern Series
The first of The Books of Bayern titled The Goose Girl follows Princess Anidori-Kiladra Talianna who doesn’t become queen. Instead, she is sent away to marry a prince in the land of Bayern. She becomes The Goose Girl and fights for her right to rule her kingdom.
Adapted from the fairytales of the Grimm brothers, Shannon Hale has created something that any young reader will love.
10. A Series of Unfortunate Events Series
Though A Series of Unfortunate Events doesn’t fit tightly into the box of Fantasy, it is nonetheless a great fictional story with small amounts of whimsy, fantasy, and magic and is therefore included in this article.
A Series of Unfortunate Events centers around three orphans who are passed from guardian to guardian till they land with Count Olaf. Count Olaf tries to kill the children to exact revenge.
With thirteen books, this series will keep anyone reading for a long time.
11. Ella Enchanted
Ella Enchanted is a popular fantasy written by Gail Carson Levine in 1997 and has been a fan favorite ever since. Ella Is born with a “gift” of obedience. She must obey every command whether she wants to or not. Instead of accepting this curse, she decides to go on a quest to free herself.
Gail Carson Levine has also written other middle grade books that are also popular but Ella Enchanted is by far her most popular and has even been adapted to the big screen in 2004.
12. The Ascendance Series
The first book in the series titled The False Prince is about an orphan who is competing with others to be chosen to impersonate the king’s long-lost son thereby becoming a puppet prince of the kingdom.
This series is extremely popular with the first book having over ninety thousand reviews on Goodreads and a 4.2 star average. The Second book in the series titled The Runaway King has over forty thousand reviews and also has a 4.2 star average.
Many people love this series and with five books, it will certainly keep you reading for a while.
13. The Shadow Children Sequence
Among the Hidden is an interesting story of a third child named Luke, born into a world where only two children are allowed. Luke never attends school, never has a birthday party, and lives in fear that he will one day be discovered.
Book one, Among the Hidden, has over 125,000 reviews making it an extremely popular book. The series of seven books as a whole has a Goodreads score of 4.37 stars.
14. The Giver Quartet
The Giver features twelve-year-old Jonas who lives in a utopian community where jobs and partners are chosen for the citizens. Jonas is different from everyone in the community where everyone, for the most part, is the same. When Jonas is made a receiver in the community he uncovers secrets of the community.
The Giver Quartet is a fantastic series. these books are not only great fantasy books for middle schoolers, but they are loved by both younger and older readers alike.
15. The Chronicles of Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia written by C.S. Lewis is a classic. Aslan the Lion is the main character in each book in the series while the supporting characters for each book often change. The Chronicles of Narnia were written for C.S. Lewis to pass knowledge to his children in a way they would understand.
It’s a well-written series that has stood the test of time selling over 120 million copies proving its extreme popularity in the middle grade fantasy category.
16. The Spiderwick Chronicles
The Spiderwick Chronicles feature siblings Simon, Jared, and Mallory who discover a magic world parallel to ours after moving into an old mansion.
The first book in the Chronicles has over 85,000 reviews on Goodreads and boasts a 3.9 star rating. These books are incredibly entertaining and are an easy read that you will love.
17. The Wings of Fire Series
According to the dragon prophecy, young dragonets will end the bloodshed from the war that has been raging. The first book of the series titled The Dragon Prophecy follows five young dragonets who discover the truth about upbringing. It’s up to them to decide what to do next.
Honorable Mentions
Eragon Series
Eragon is on the borderline of middle grade fantasy and young adult fantasy. A lot of sites have it listed as 13+ while others have it listed as a reading level of 3-8th grade. Therefore, we have decided to put it in as an honorable mention.
Eragon is a fantastic fantasy series about fifteen-year-old Eragon who finds a shinney polished stone in the woods. When this stone hatches to reveal a dragon Eragon finds himself embroiled in a story that is older than the empire itself.
The Eragon series has sold over 40 million copies worldwide and is extremely popular and well-liked. If you haven’t read this series, you will love it.
The Swifts Series
We’ve included the Swifts Series in the honorable mentions because it’s not technically a middle grade fantasy, but a mystery and we wanted to mention it because they are great middle grade books.
Shenanigan Swift wants to solve the murder of her Arch-Aunt-Schadenfreude at the family reunion. Because of her name, given to her by the sacred family dictionary, nobody thinks her able to solve the mystery. However, Shenanigan knows that she can become whoever she wants to despite her name.
The Swifts is a relatively new series but despite that, the first book boasts a 4.07 star rating with over 3,000 reviews.
Thank You For Reading our List of the Best Middle Grade Fantasy Books
This list is in no way comprehensive as there is so much middle grade fantasy out there. We hope that this list made it easier for you or your young reader to pick out the next middle grade books for some great reading.
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