Sweet Romances for Middle Grade Readers

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Margaret Kingsbury grew up in a house so crammed with books she couldn’t open a closet door without a book stack tumbling, and she’s brought that same decorative energy to her adult life. Margaret has an MA in English with a concentration in writing and has worked as a bookseller and adjunct English professor. She’s currently a freelance writer and editor, and in addition to Book Riot, her pieces have appeared in School Library Journal, BuzzFeed News, The Lily, Parents, StarTrek.com, and more. She particularly loves children’s books, fantasy, science fiction, horror, graphic novels, and any books with disabled characters. You can read more about her bookish and parenting shenanigans in Book Riot’s twice-weekly The Kids Are All Right newsletter. You can also follow her kidlit bookstagram account @BabyLibrarians, or on Twitter @AReaderlyMom.

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One thing I love about reading children’s books is that they encompass all genres. On Sunday, I mentioned fantasy was my favorite genre, and while that’s true, I’ve always enjoyed reading books from every genre, including romance. Romance Awareness Day is tomorrow, so I thought I’d round up some excellent middle grade romance novels! But first, here are two great picture book new releases.

New Releases

Over and Under the Wetland by Kate Messner, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal

In this beautiful new addition to the Over and Under nature picture book series, a grandma and granddaughter explore swamp wildlife on a boardwalk trail in the Everglades. Over the wetlands, they see two spy red-bellied woodpeckers, vines wrapping around tree trunks, egrets, and more. Under the wetlands, they see a banded water snake, freshwater shrimp, alligators, and more. Each book in this series is so magical. Back matter includes more information about wetlands and the animals found in the book.

Adela’s Mariachi Band by Denise Vega, illustrated by Erika Rodriguez Medina

This is an adorable picture book about a young girl who longs to join her family’s mariachi band. She tries to play her papa’s trumpet, but she can’t get the hang of it. When she plays Tío Mateo’s vihuela, she sounds like a mouse. And she trips and falls while twirling in her mamá and sisters’ skirts. Right before the band goes on, Adela has a brilliant idea that her family readily agrees to. Back matter includes an author’s note about women in mariachi bands.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

When I was a kid, I loved the Sunfire romance series — anyone else? Every time we went to a used bookstore, I’d scour the shelves for books in the series I hadn’t read yet. Honestly, I’d love to reread those as an adult, though I bet I’d find a bunch of problematic stuff in them, ha! Here are four super sweet middle grade romances that I also love, even though I didn’t get a chance to read them in middle school.

Sweet and Sour by Debbi Michiko Florence

This is such a fun summer romance. Every summer, Mai and her family spend six weeks in Mystic, Connecticut, where her mother’s best friend lives with her family, which includes a son, Zach, who is Mai’s age. Mai and Zach had been best summer friends until Zach failed to defend Mai from racist comments. Zach has been in Japan for the last two years, and now he’s back. Mai is intent on revenge, but Zach makes that hard. He’s brought her back small gifts, and he’s grown much more handsome than she remembered and even modeled while in Japan. Can she keep her eyes on revenge with Zach acting so sweet?

How It All Ends by Emma Hunsinger

This middle grade LGBTQ+ graphic novel centers on a first crush. Tara Gimmel should still be in middle school, but her school advised that she skip a grade and start high school instead. She’s nervous about high school and has trouble fitting in. She doesn’t feel ready for high school at all. Then she’s paired with Libby in English, and she can’t stop thinking about her. Tara’s best friend recently started dating and suggests that Tara might feel the same way about Libby that she does about her boyfriend. Could that be true? This is both sweet and funny.

Courtesy of Cupid by Nashae Jones

13-year-old Erin Johnson has big plans for herself: a career in STEM, excellent grades, and to become the next Multicultural Club president. However, her rival Trevor also wants to be the club’s president. Then Erin discovers that her father, whom she’s never met, is actually the god Cupid and that she’s inherited some of his powers. She hatches a plan to trick Trevor into dropping out of the presidential race, but in the process, notices that Trevor isn’t as bad as she thought he was. In fact, she might be developing deeper feelings for him. This is such a cute enemies-to-lovers middle grade romance.

Pizza My Heart by Rhiannon Richardson

Maya’s parents own a pizza shop, Soul Slice, in Brooklyn. Then they decide to open a new shop in a small Pennsylvania town and move the family there. Maya does not want to move. She works at Soul Slice delivering pizza, and on her first delivery, she trips and falls and spills pizza all over a boy her age. And then she finds out the boy is at her new school. Horrifying! When she joins an art contest, Maya has to choose between attending an art event or Soul Slice’s opening night. Meanwhile, she can’t stop thinking about that boy. This is a really delightful middle grade rom-com.