18 Fantasy Book Series for Middle Schoolers

Serafina

There are 4 books in the Serafina series, by Robert Beatty.

• Serafina and the Black Cloak
• Serafina and the Twisted Staff
• Serafina and the Splintered Heart
• Serafina and the Seven Stars

Serafina and the Black Cloak is the first in a series about a 12-year-old girl living on the Biltmore estate in 1899. She’s grown up hidden in the basement, not realizing how different she is from other kids until she learns about her unusual origin. Meanwhile, her curiosity and skills at sneaking around the house at night to catch rats make her uniquely suited to solve a mystery. When a man in a black cloak starts making children disappear, Sera steps out of her comfort zone to befriend a boy and stop the villain.

This is a unique blend of fantasy and historical fiction. I enjoyed the immersive setting and atmospheric descriptions that painted a picture of the Biltmore estate (which is a real place) at the turn of the century. It set a tone that was just the right amount of creepy for middle grade.

The fast-paced action balanced with Serafina’s introspective moments that kept the story moving, while still giving us plenty of time to delve into the thoughts of the main character. Ultimately this is a wonderful coming of age story about a girl who feels different—and I think that’s something that many kids in the 8-12 age range can relate to.

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Momo Arashima

There are 3 books in the Momo Arashima series, by Misa Sugiura.

• Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind
• Momo Arashima Breaks the Mirror of the Sun
• Momo Arashima Duels the Queen of Death

Momo is 12 when she discovers that her mother is a Shinto goddess, making Momo a half-goddess. She must embrace her powers and navigate the challenges of friendship, family, and her newfound discovery that the Shinto mythology stories her mother told are all real.

Along with a talking fox and her best friend Danny, Momo goes on a wild adventure that will keep kids turning pages. I love that Momo isn’t a flawless hero–she often gets upset, makes bad choices, and struggles to get out of her comfort zone. I think that probably makes her very relatable for the target audience.

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Witchlings

There are currently 4 books in the Wichlings series, by Claribel A. Ortega.

• Witchlings
• The Golden Frog Games
• House of Elephants
• Scepter of Memories
• The Sea Witch Prophecy (Oct. 2026)

Every year a ceremony puts new Witchlings into covens, but 12-year-old Seven is left out. Instead, she’s labeled a Spare and put in a side coven where she must make new friends, learn magic, and prove that Spares are just as special.

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Skandar

There are 5 books to date in the Skandar series, by AF Steadman.

• Skandar and the Unicorn Thief
• Skandar and the Phantom Rider
• Skandar and the Chaos Trials
• Skandar and the Skeleton Curse
• Skandar and the Spirit War

In a magical world of unicorn riders, 13-year-old Skandar has dreamed of the day he can take the exam to join them. When things go wrong, he’s caught up in a world of epic battles, mysterious prophesies, and new friends.

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Adia Kelbara

The Adia Kelbara series is by Isi Hendrix.

• Adia Kelbara and the Circle of Shamans
• Adia Kelbara and the High Queen’s Tomb
• Adia Kelbara and the High Queen’s Curse

Adia Kelbara is a 12-year-old orphan living with her aunt and uncle. When she suddenly has magic powers, they declare her a demon and she runs away to an apprenticeship at the Academy of Shamans. Searching for answers, Adia uncovers goddesses and demons, new friends and enemies, and a school packed with Afrofantasy magic and adventures.

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Sinister Summer

There are 5 books in the Sinister Summer series, by Kiersten White.

• Wretched Waterpark
• Vampiric Vacation
• Camp Creepy
• Menacing Manor
• Haunted Holiday

When the Sinister-Winterbottom twins (along with their phone-loving sister) are suddenly dropped off at their aunt’s house for the summer, everything is a bit strange. Aunt Saffronia is a gothic recluse, but when the kids accept the chance to spend all summer at a waterpark, the park turns out to be just as spooky. Through each book, the kids will solve mysteries and find out what happened to their parents.

This series is perfect for fans of Tim Burton and Gravity Falls. Each book has its own standalone problems to solve, while also adding to the ongoing family mystery like A Series of Unfortunate Events. The twins are both brilliant in their own ways.

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Camp Sylvania

There are most recently 2 books in the Camp Sylvania series by Julie Murphy.

• Camp Sylvania
• Moon Madness

Maggie wants to go to theater camp but her parents ship her off to fat camp with an influencer. Although some things are as awful as she expected (and the author takes care to call out body shaming), things turn spooky and she and her new friends must find out what’s happening when campers go missing. In the second book, the campers return to a new camp but it doesn’t take long for strange things to start happening.

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Nic Blake and the Remarkables

So far there are 2 books in the Nic Blake series by Angie Thomas.

• The Manifestor Prophecy
• The Book of Anansi

In the first book, 12-year-old Nic wants to learn how to become a manifestor, just like her magical dad. She passes the first challenge and gets a pet hellhound, but things quickly take a turn for the worse. Nic joins up with friends to discover her family’s secret past and save her father from trouble by finding a powerful magic tool.⁣

Angie Thomas gives readers a wild adventure to follow while also weaving in contemporary elements that challenge the protagonist and readers.

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Lulu Sinagtala and the Tagalog Gods

Lulu Sinagtala and the Tagalog Gods is a 2-book series, by Gail D. Villanueva.

• Lulu Sinagtala and the City of Noble Warriors
• Lulu Sinagtala and the Battle for the Realms

In the first book, Filipino girl Lulu discovers that the Tagalog myths are real when a creature kidnaps her mother. Lulu must discover her own powers and set off on a quest with her friends to stop an evil spirit and save her mom.

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Tristan Strong

Tristan Strong is a 3-book series by Kwame Mbalia.

• Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky (also available as a graphic novel)
• Tristan Strong Destroys the World
• Tristan Strong Keeps Punching

West African gods and African American legends combine in a Rick Riordan Presents series. Tristan is struggling with grief following the death of his friend and figuring out who he wants to be while he spends a summer on his grandparents’ farm. When he accidentally punches a hole in the sky to MidPass, Tristan goes on an epic quest to save the world.

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky was the perfect blend of the feeling I got reading as a child and the knowledge I have reading as an adult. This story really packs a punch—pun intended—the way it effortlessly fits together folk tales, history, and the contemporary world.

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Daughters of the Lamp

Daughters of the Lamp is a new series by Nedda Lewers.

• Daughters of the Lamp
• Children of the Wind

Sahara Rashad loves logic and science, but when she travels to Egypt with her family she gets caught up in Arabian fairy tales. Strange things happen at her uncle’s wedding that lead her to a secret chamber of Ali Baba’s treasures. Sahara will have to learn to believe in magic to save the day.

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The Forgotten Five

The Forgotten Five is a 5-book series, by Lisa McMann.

• Map of Flames
• The Invisible Spy
• Rebel Undercover
• Dangerous Allies
• Operation Chaos

A group of 5 supernatural kids who grew up in a secret hideout have to go out into the world for the first time. Their parents, supervillains, fled to this hideout years ago and disappeared or died over the years. The kids find a secret stash along with a map and a quest to find one of the kids’ moms.

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Paola Santiago

The Paola Santiago series is a 3-book series, by Tehlor Kay Mejia.

• Paola Santiago and the River of Tears
• Paola Santiago and the Forest of Nightmares
• Paola Santiago and the Sanctuary of Shadows

Paola and her friends have grown up knowing to stay away from the river because of La Llorona, the ghost who haunts it at night. When someone goes missing, Paola investigates. It leads her into a supernatural world of monsters and supernatural powers from Mexican folklore.

River of Tears is a clever twist on the story of La Llorona. The setting is vivid and paints a detailed picture of the supernatural world that is equal parts exciting and spooky.

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Adventures of Sik Aziz

There are 2 books so far in the Adventures of Sik Aziz series, by Sarwat Chadda.

• City of the Plague God
• Fury of the Dragon Goddess

This Rick Riordan Presents series is based on ancient Mesopotamian mythology. This contemporary retelling of the Epic of Gilgamesh follows teen Sik as he discovers he’s immortal. Along with his friends, he’ll have to go on a quest to save Manhattan.

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Gifted Clans Series

The Gifted Clans series is a 3-book series, by Graci Kim.

• The Last Fallen Star
• The Last Fallen Moon
• The Last Fallen Realm

This Korean American series, also produced by Rick Riordan Presents, follows Riley Oh as she discovers her family heritage. Riley is adopted and her family is a clan of witches. Always feeling left out because she doesn’t have magic, Riley attempts a spell to change that. When it backfires, she must go on a quest and save her sister and understand the meaning of family.

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Skyborn

There are 3 books to date in the Skyborn series, by Jessica Khouri.

• Sparrow Rising
• Call of the Crow
• Phoenix Flight

In a magical world, everyone is born with wings and sorted into bird-themed clans. Ellie has dreamed of joining a prestigious group of knights and goes on a quest to the city, meets other outcasts, and learns how to be a hero.

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Supernatural Investigations

The Supernatural Investigations series, by BB Alston, has 3 books so far, with one more planned.

• Amari and the Night Brothers
• Amari and the Great Game
• Amari and the Despicable Wonders
• Amari and the Metalwork Menace

When Amari Peters’s older brother goes missing, she finds a briefcase he left for her with information on the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. Soon she spends the summer competing for a place in the supernatural school, trying to catch up to her peers, and dodging threats from an evil magician.

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Greenwild

There are 3 books in the new Greenwild series, by Pari Thomson.

• Greenwild: The World Behind the Door
• Greenwild: The City Beyond the Sea
• Greenwild: The Forest in the Sky

Daisy Thistledown is searching for her mother and fleeing someone hunting her when she stumbles through a doorway into Greenwild. It’s a magical world of nature, new friends, and a secret power she doesn’t know she has to change the world.

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