The Week Junior Book Club

Read Across America Day, which is sponsored by the National Education Association, takes place on March 2 and kicks off National Reading Month. To celebrate the event, The Week Junior created our 2025 map featuring one middle-grade book set in each state, and the District of Columbia. Now kids really can read across the US!

By Padma Venkatraman (Nancy Paulsen Books)

This novel in verse begins when Geetha and her mom move from India to Rhode Island after her parents get divorced. Geetha misses her family and friends in India, and her classmates make fun of her clothes, the lunch she packs, and how she mispronounces words in English. Every day before she leaves for school, Geetha plays her flute as a way to relax. After a neighbor in her apartment complex complains that the music is too loud, Geetha runs to the nearby beach and begins playing. She notices a seal pup on the shore with a fishing line around its neck. She tries to help, but is unsure of what to do. Miguel, a boy who attends a different school, calls a marine network to help. Geetha continues to play her flute, and the seal seems to like the music. Later, Miguel and Geetha visit the seal at the animal hospital. They become friends and take part in beach cleanups. As the seal recovers, Geetha finds herself warming up to her new life in America. Readers who play an instrument may especially appreciate the conclusion of this short and endearing book.

By Vaunda Micheaux Nelson (Dutton Books for Young Readers)

In this novel written in verse, set in 1963, Cooper is the only Black student in her fifth-grade class. She often tells her siblings that she wishes she were white so her life would be easier. For example, Cooper’s classmate, Wade, has bullied her since they were in second grade. This year, his desk is next to hers. He’s mean and even makes racist remarks to her. Their teacher, who has a reputation for being strict, never catches Wade in the act. But she punishes Cooper for coloring in a library book and gives her a failing grade on a spelling test because of her penmanship. When asked about her parents’ jobs, Cooper lies and says her mother is a home decorator. She thinks Wade would make more fun of her if he knew her mom was a housekeeper. But Wade finds out the truth when his mother gets sick and his family hires Cooper’s mom to help. As Wade’s mother grows increasingly ill, Cooper struggles with whether to be kind to Wade. The conclusion is dramatic. A subplot about Cooper and her sister bonding over music by the Beatles lightens the book’s heavier themes.

There were so many great books released for kids this year.

Out of all the ones that The Week Junior covered, these selections, at left, stood out for their spectacular characters, exciting plots, and fantastic writing.

They’re page-turners you won’t want to put down!

By Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris (HarperAlley)

Long ago, on another planet, CheckMate, a computer program designed to correct grammar, was upset by the spelling errors people made. To stop mistakes forever, CheckMate invented a giant laser that would turn all life-forms into paperclips. But before the laser could be used, the planet exploded. One day, scientists discover the remains of CheckMate and send them to a lab for analysis. CheckMate comes back to life and infiltrates every computer on Earth, sending an army of AI robots to destroy the planet. The authorities call on the superhero First Cat to stop the invasion, but CheckMate steals the spacesuit that gives First Cat his powers. CheckMate is now on a mission to find the laser he created millions of years ago. With First Cat out of commission, who will stop CheckMate? Thanks to nonstop action, exciting art, and clever puns about grammar, the third book in this graphic novel series is out of this world. 

By Sharon M. Draper (Atheneum Books for Young Readers)

Melody has a dream one night that she’s giving a speech. But she wakes up to the reality that she has cerebral palsy, uses a wheelchair, and can only communicate by typing on a computer. From her bedroom window, Melody sees her neighbor, Miss Gertie, fall on the sidewalk. Melody isn’t able to get her family’s attention, so she calls 911 on the computer. The operator sends help and Miss Gertie, who turns out to be a famous actress, is treated at the hospital. A TV station hears about Melody’s quick thinking and invites her on the show. During her appearance, the station surprises Melody with an all-expenses-paid trip to London to attend a conference for exceptional young people. Miss Gertie and her grand-niece Sky travel there with Melody, and they go sightseeing together. Something happens that may unexpectedly make Melody’s dream about giving a speech come true. While this is the third book in the Out of My Mind series, you don’t need to have read the previous two books to enjoy it.

By Rick Riordan (Disney Hyperion)

In this seventh adventure in the Percy Jackson series, Percy, the demigod son of the Greek ruler of the sea, Poseidon, is applying to college, and he needs two more letters of recommendation. To obtain a letter from Hecate, the triple goddess, Percy agrees to care for her pets at her New York City mansion while she is away. Even with help from friends Annabeth and Grover, Percy has his hands full. The pets were once human, and each one has magical abilities. When Grover gives in to his temptation to taste a potion, he turns into a giant, destroying the house and setting the creatures free. The friends have until the end of the week to rebuild the mansion and find the animals to prevent Hecate from releasing her fury on them. Suddenly, getting into college is the least of Percy’s problems. With a combination of humor and thrills, this fast-paced story includes fascinating twists, the return of old characters, and a big battle with an army of ghosts./p>

By James Ponti (Aladdin)

Siblings Alex and Zoe set up their own detective agency to earn money during summer break. But their mom, a lawyer in Miami, Florida, shuts them down because they don’t have a license. Their spunky grandpa, a retired investigative journalist, points out that while the kids need a license to run a detective agency, they don’t need one to solve mysteries. He shares his old files with Alex and Zoe, along with their friends, and lets them choose a case to work on. They decide to search for a treasure hidden by gangster Al Capone, a real person who lived from 1899 to 1947. They find a map showing where he hid the treasure, and the clues lead them to the Everglades, which is filled with wildlife and wetlands. When the sleuths reach the spot where they think the treasure is, they find that someone has illegally dumped waste there, killing wildlife and contaminating the water. They decide to focus on figuring out who caused the ecological disaster. Filled with twists, this mystery is the first book in a new series.

By Gordon Korman (Scholastic Press)

Trey and his younger sister are caught up in their father’s schemes to invest in fake businesses. Ever since 12-year-old Trey was in kindergarten, his dad has been swindling his wealthy classmates’ parents. When people start asking questions, the family flees to another country for a vacation. They return with new identities, and Trey and his sister start new schools. After the last scheme, they end up in Tennessee, and Trey’s dad makes him a “full partner” in his deceptive business dealings. This time, his dad creates a flashy fake prototype of an electric car and wants people to invest in his start-up company. Trey and his younger sister introduce him to friends whose parents have a lot of money. But after taking an ethics class, Trey starts to question his involvement. He becomes more uneasy when his dad, who promised to only accept money from rich families, takes a check from a parent who doesn’t have funds to spare. Will Trey keep going along with his dad’s business? This story is full of twists and gives you a lot to ponder about loyalty, responsibility, and values.

By Chanel Miller (Philomel Books)

When an angry customer storms into the laundromat owned by Magnolia’s parents, a bulletin board falls to the ground. Upset that the customer yelled at her Chinese American parents and told them they need to “understand English,” 10-year-old Magnolia discards the board, which had socks hanging from it that were missing their mates. The next day, she sees her new friend Iris. Iris cheers up Magnolia by telling her they should retrieve the socks and become “sock detectives” to figure out who the owners are. Day after day, they make matches and have fun doing it. Magnolia runs into a classmate and asks if she wants to help. Iris is jealous that Magnolia asked the classmate, and they have a fight. Later, a racist message is left at Iris’ family business, and she needs a friend more than ever. Will Magnolia and Iris be able to patch things up? At less than 150 pages, this friendship story is both short and heartfelt.

By Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick Press)

The summer before fifth grade is turning out to be unforgettable for Ferris, who finds herself helping many of her family members out. Ferris’s 6-year-old sister, Pinky, ends up in police headquarters after trying to rob a bank! Her Uncle Ted moves into the basement to paint what he thinks will be a masterpiece about the history of the world. And Ferris’s beloved grandmother, who was recently diagnosed with a serious heart condition, sees a ghost who wants to be reunited with her husband. Ferris and Billy, her best friend since kindergarten, try to help the ghost. Together they gather the necessary equipment to illuminate an old chandelier in the dining room of Ferris’ house so the ghost’s husband has enough light to find his way back to her. The family hosts a fancy dinner for the occasion. Although the evening doesn’t go as planned—a raccoon turns up in the kitchen, and Pinky goes missing—love still prevails. The last chapter jumps nine months into the future and has a bittersweet ending. This lyrical story is fast to read and contains a mix of tender and funny moments. There’s not another book quite like it.

By Erin Entrada Kelly (HarperCollins)

Ridge travels 200 years back in time to his favorite year in history—1999. To time travel, Ridge uses a device that hasn’t been tested, so he isn’t sure where he’ll land. He ends up in Delaware, where he meets Michael and Gibby, who live in the same apartment building. Ridge tells them that he is from the year 2199, but they don’t believe him. When a major world event that Ridge said is going to happen takes place, they change their mind. Michael wants Ridge to tell him about Y2K, a widespread computer glitch that is expected to cause problems on January 1, 2000. Michael is anxious about Y2K and has been stockpiling food and supplies so he and his mom can survive it. Ridge won’t answer Michael’s question because he doesn’t want to alter the future. He advises Michael to live in the First State of Being (the present). When Ridge is ready to return home to the future, his equipment doesn’t work. Will he be stuck in 1999? Thought-provoking and funny, this novel has mind-blowing twists.

By Zora Neale Hurston, adapted by Ibram X. Kendi, illustrated by Jazzmen Lee-Johnson (Amistad Books for Young Readers)

This new version of a best-selling nonfiction book tells the story of Cudjo Lewis (born in about 1841 and died in 1935). Cudjo was the last known survivor of the transatlantic slave trade. He was illegally taken from his village in Africa, held in a barracoon (enclosure), and transported by ship to Alabama, where he was enslaved. After slavery was abolished in 1865, Cudjo remained in Alabama. When he was in his 80s, Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960), a famous writer, spent three months interviewing him. They picked peaches together as Cudjo shared his experiences of growing up in Africa and being an enslaved person in the US. Hurston turned the interviews into a book manuscript. She submitted it for publication many times, but it was rejected. In 2018, decades after her death, it was published. While this version is shorter and uses simpler words, the powerful voices of Cudjo and Hurston shine through.

By Lisa Yee, illustrated by Dan Santat (Random House Children’s Books)

Olive has a bad feeling about the boarding school her parents decide she will attend until they return from a long business trip. The school, located on an island off the coast of San Francisco, California, was once a prison. Olive takes a strange test, called a “conundrum,” to see what classes she’ll take. After passing the test, she is one of five students selected for spy training, but she is shocked to learn that the school is hiding a secret spy operation. Olive and her new friends, including tech-wizard Philomena and language expert Theo, spend months practicing martial arts and other skills. On the night of the school’s fundraiser, they’re called into action after a famous woman’s gemstone necklace is stolen. Using cool gadgets, like a spray that can immediately make someone fall asleep, they set out to crack the case. This illustrated novel, the first of a new series, is filled with red herrings (misleading clues) and has a thrilling, twisty ending.

By Cressida Cowell (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

Twins K2 and Izzabird are trying to keep their magical powers a secret from their two stepsiblings, Theo and Mabel, whom they bicker with. K2 and Izzabird’s mother insists they not tell anyone that they come from a line of magical explorers. K2 doesn’t even realize his own powers. The maps of imaginary worlds he draws are actually real and part of an “Alternative Atlas” that shows how to travel between worlds. A pirate, who learns that one of them can create the maps, kidnaps Annipeck, the baby sister all four kids share. Setting aside their squabbles, the four kids vow to rescue Annipeck. They travel from Earth to the planet Excelsiar, a terrifying place where man-eating plants can smell fear and toothbrushes come alive. Will they be able to bring their sister home? This thrilling novel is the first of a new series from the author who wrote the best-selling How to Train Your Dragon series. At more than 500 pages, this fast-paced novel is packed with illustrations and ends on a cliff-hanger.

By Elly Swartz (Delacorte Press)

After years of hearing “you’re good for a girl, but not good enough to make the squad,” Dani lands a spot on her school’s baseball team. The sixth-grader is on cloud nine after her first team meeting. Then everything changes when a fire breaks out while on a camping trip with her best friend and neighbor, Eric. He pulls Dani to safety, but her leg and shoulder are badly hurt. At the hospital, Dani learns that she won’t be able to play baseball and will need to use a wheelchair until her body heals. At first, everyone thinks Eric is a hero for saving Dani’s life. Later on, Eric, who has a disorder that interferes with his ability to concentrate, confesses that he may have caused the fire by forgetting to turn off the stove. Dani lashes out at Eric and becomes friends with Meadow, a girl whose sister is in the hospital recovering from an accident. Meadow posts a video suggesting Eric caused the accident. But the whole truth hasn’t come out yet. In this nail-biting story that’s full of surprises, chapters alternate between the perspectives of Dani and Eric.

By Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz (Amulet Books)

After Nat played a lead role in the musical Wicked at camp, she thought she’d have to wait until next summer to be onstage again. But now her new middle school is putting on the musical Footloose. She decides she wants to audition for the role of Ariel, the main female character. The school is also planning to enter the show in a new theater competition, and the finalists will get to perform on Broadway! Trouble is, Footloose includes many dance numbers. Nat uses a wheelchair, and she’s worried that the complicated choreography may prevent her from landing the role. She knows she has to wow the director at the audition and plans to sing a duet with her friend Malik. Their friend Hudson helps them work on dance moves. Even though Malik barely makes it to the theater in time for the audition, he and Nat nail their performance. They make the cast, and Nat gets Ariel! But the rehearsals are full of drama (not the good kind), and Nat is tested in ways she never would have imagined. Packed with Broadway references, this uplifting book is the sequel to The Chance to Fly.

By Carl Hiaasen (Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers)

On his way home from fishing, Wrecker spots a group of men on a speedboat that is stuck in a sandbar off the coast of Key West. The leader, who calls himself Silver Mustache, asks Wrecker if he will use his boat to tow theirs. But the speedboat is too heavy. Silver Mustache refuses Wrecker’s offer to call the Coast Guard for help. Believing they’re smugglers, Wrecker hopes to never see Silver Mustache again, but then Silver Mustache turns up in a graveyard where Wrecker works. Days later, Wrecker and his friend go fishing and discover that Silver Mustache’s boat has sunk. They dive in to examine the boat and discover the loot—it’s not what they imagined. Will Wrecker be able to free himself from Silver Mustache? With subplots about the pandemic, racism, and the environment, this book is more complex than the author’s Newbery Honor–winning Hoot. Ages 12 and up 

By Christopher Healy (Walden Pond Press)

When a baron’s priceless emerald heirloom goes missing, his butler hires the Lilac to track it down. The butler thinks the Lilac is a famous bounty hunter, but she’s really the 14-year-old sister of Prince Charming. The Lilac locates a wizard who may have something to do with the crime. The heirloom is mysteriously returned, and everyone is invited to stay at the baron’s mansion for dinner. Not long after, the heirloom disappears again and one of the dinner party guests turns up dead. The Lilac must figure out which of the 12 suspects stole the heirloom and killed the guest. This mystery is chock full of hidden agendas, twists, and red herrings that will keep kids guessing until the last chapter.

By Malia Maunakea (Penguin Workshop)

Every summer, Anna travels from her home in Colorado to spend a few weeks with her grandmother, who lives in a remote village in Hawaii. Her grandmother believes in Hawaiian curses, but 12-year-old Anna doesn’t. On a walk in the forest with her friend Kaipo, Anna picks a special type of flower that her grandmother has warned her will upset Pele, the fire goddess. To Anna’s surprise, removing the flower triggers an earthquake and sets off a volcanic eruption. Then a giant hawk kidnaps Kaipo. Could her grandmother have been right all along, or is what happened a coincidence? Anna goes on the adventure of a lifetime as she tries to rescue Kaipo and save her grandmother’s house from a path of lava. Talking animals, shape-shifting, and a big family secret are all part of the action. Plus, there are a couple of huge twists involving the main characters. If you like reading about mythology, you won’t be able to put this book down. You’ll get a glimpse into Hawaiian culture, myths, legends, and food through the book’s many characters.

By Katherine Applegate, illustrated by Patricia Castelao (Harper)

Ruby, a young elephant, has a secret: She hates her tusks. For the other elephants who live at a wildlife sanctuary, tusks are a big deal. They even hold a Tuskday ceremony when a little elephant’s tusks come in. But Ruby hides when it’s time to practice for the ceremony. Tusks are the reason her mom is no longer alive. Ruby was born in the African savanna, and poachers killed her mom so they could get her tusks and sell them. (Elephant tusks are made of ivory, a valuable material.) For the first time, Ruby tells her animal friends, Ivan and Bob, exactly what happened during her first few weeks of life. Talking about her past helps Ruby embrace her future. Will she be able to go through with the ceremony? While this story is the third title in the One and Only Ivan series, you don’t need to have read the previous books to enjoy it. You may feel sad reading about Ruby’s past, but there are plenty of jokes to lighten the mood. The illustrations that depict the body language of the elephants are fascinating.