As I say every year, I’ve adapted this from The Perpetual Page Turner’s End of Year Survey!
2024 READING STATS
Number of Books You Read: 116
Definitely over my goal of 100 books this year. Helps that I’m mostly reading MG these days, and some of these are graphic novels and verse novels, which are quicker reads.
Number of Re-Reads: 1
Rereads? Who has time for rereads? Actually, I guess I did reread The One and Only Ivan – but that’s because I honestly didn’t remember that I’d already read it?
Genre You Read The Most From: Fantasy/Contemporary Fantasy
Books by Month:
I always find it interesting to see what months are good and bad for reading. Looks like May was a definite slump and then the end of the year gets tough with the holidays.
No surprises when it came to age range. I’m sticking mostly to MG, since that’s what I’m currently writing (the childrens number is way off because midway through the year I stopped paying attention to the picture books I read–these also aren’t included in my Goodreads numbers, but I was too lazy to take them out of the graph).
For a moment I thought I’d actually read more contemporary than anything else this year, but then I remembered that fantasy and contemporary fantasy are separate. Not a bad spread of genres, though!
Favorite Book You Read in 2024?
So, I tried to look through my Goodreads Year In Books and see if I would just be able to feel my favorite from a quick scan like I did last year. But, alas, it did not work this time. I just loved too many of them. Honestly, I think it’s last year that was the anomaly. The fact that I could scan my books and choose a favorite by gut reaction was nothing short of miraculous!
Instead, read on for the MG debuts I read and some favorites in specific categories…
Best 2024 Debut you Read?
I cannot possibly choose one because I read so many middle grade debuts this year, and they were all incredible! (And, as a side note, I’ve also gotten to know most of these authors, and they are just generally some of the best people I know).
So, instead of choosing favorites, I’m showing you all the middle grade debuts I read in 2024 in order of when I read them (technically, I read the first two at the very end of 2023, but I’m including them here anyway, since they’re 2024 debuts). A few of these were featured elsewhere in this post if they fit nicely in a category, but I couldn’t feature them all, so I mentioned what readers might love each of them!
The Curse of Eelgrass Bog by Mary Averling – Perfect for kids who love atmospheric, spooky fantasy!
Courtesy of Cupid by Nashae Jones – Perfect for MG readers who want romance!
Free Period by Ali Terese – Featured below
Just Like Click by Sandy Grubb – Featured below
Daughters of the Lamp by Needa Lewers – Perfect for kids interested in Arabian fairy tales and/or an Egyptian setting! Also a great positive representation of Islam.
The Hoop Con by Amar Shah – Perfect for kids interested in basketball!
The Last Rhee Witch by Jenna Lee-Yun – Perfect for kids who love spooky reads, summer camp stories, and/or Korean folklore!
Murray Out of Water by Taylor Tracey – Perfect for MG readers who love magical realism and/or stories exploring gender identity!
Cruzita and the Mariacheros by Ashley Granillo – Featured below
A Bite Above the Rest by Christine Virnig – Perfect for kids who like paranormal creatures like vampires and werewolves but prefer a fun mystery vibe to “horror”!
Crushing It by Erin Becker – Featured below
Olivetti by Allie Millington – Featured below
Accidental Demons by Clare Edge – Featured below
The Lumbering Giants of Windy Pines by Mo Netz – Perfect for kids who like adventure stories that are also a little bit creepy. Also a great positive representation of disability.
The Skeleton Flute by Damara Allen – Perfect for kids who like fairy tale reimaginings with a twist and/or alternate reality stories!
Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi – Featured below
The House at the End of the Sea by Victoria M. Adams – Perfect for kids who love fairies!
Favorite Cover of a Book You Read This Year?
Just look at the gloriousness of the cover of Anzu and the Realm of Darkness by Mai K. Nguyen! (It’s a graphic novel, so the whole thing is this good.)
Favorite Character?
How can I not choose Olivetti the typewriter from Olivetti by Allie Millington? I mean, he’s a typewriter. (And this book is a deeply moving exploration of dealing with a serious illness).
And I had to include an adult book here too because I would be remiss if I didn’t include Marcellus the octopus from Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt.
Most Surprising Book You Read?
I was expecting Crushing It by Erin Becker to be a cute MG sports romance. I was not expecting it to make me cry because of one of the family-related subplots.
Most Beautifully Written Book?
Joy McCullogh’s Enter the Body is utterly gorgeous and uses verse in ways you don’t see very often (one character’s voice is written in iambic pentameter!). Highly recommend this book, whether you’ve read Shakespeare or not.
Best Book in a Genre You Don’t Usually Read?
I don’t read many adult titles anymore, and literary fiction has always been out of my comfort zone, but I really loved The North Woods by Daniel Mason. This book almost reads like a series of short stories because it chronicles the history of a certain house from pre-revolutionary America to the present – but the stories all end up tying together and threads of history are continued in surprising ways.
Most Thought-Provoking Book?
Have to give this one to Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi. Not only is it from the perspective of a character who was directly affected by the Muslim ban, it’s so beautifully written that I couldn’t stop thinking about it after I read it. It even captured my interest when it came to the parts about football (and I know nothing about the sport). This book will help kids see their neighbors in new ways.
Best Romance?
I absolutely adored Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce! This has all the tropes I love (fake dating, anyone?) and a super cute romance that just made me want to smile all day–all with D&D as a background!
For MG, I loved As You Wish by Nashae Jones (which is actually coming out this month). Nashae’s books read just like YA romances (which MG readers will appreciate), except they don’t go past a quick kiss. I’m a total sucker for alternate timelines, so I think I loved As You Wish even more than Courtesy of Cupid.
Best Book You Read in 2023 That You Read Based SOLELY On a Recommendation from Somebody Else/Peer Pressure/Bookstagram, Etc.:
I’m gonna go with Iceberg by Jennifer A. Nielsen for this one, mostly because everyone raves about Nielsen’s historical fiction novels, and I’ve never read any of them (I had read one of her fantasy novels years ago and really loved it).
Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting in a Book You Read This Year?
Accidental Demons by Clare Edge has a surprising amount of worldbuilding for a middle grade novel. This book about a blood witch who keeps accidentally summoning demons when she tests her blood sugar will bring you deep into its witchy lore
Best Fantasy as an Alternative to Harry Potter (or for Fans of Harry Potter)?
Looking for an immersive fantasy that has cool magic, a heartfelt story, and a group of magical friends? I absolutely loved Greenwild by Pari Thomsen, and I recommend this one at work all the time!
Book that Put a Smile On Your Face/Was the Most FUN to Read?
Free Period by Ali Terese is so funny, while also handling the important topic of period equity. For an extra special treat, listen to the audiobook – the narrators are fantastic!! (Audiofile Magazine named it a Best Audiobook of 2024!)
Creepiest/Spookiest Read?
Don’t Let the Forest In by CG Drews has to be one of the creepiest, most disturbing (in a good way) YA books I’ve read!
For MG, Stage Fright by Wendy Parris is truly frightening and will delight MG horror fans!!
Favorite Historical Fiction?
I loved The Sky Over Rebecca by Matthew Fox, which combines contemporary fantasy and WWII historical fiction in a story in two timelines. And I had to include another unique WWII story here as well: Alias Anna by Susan Hood with Greg Dawson.
Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship of the Year?
The bond between Willodeen and her adorable little hummingbear and her not so adorable screecher friend too (in Willodeen by Katherine Applegate). I so loved this book, and feel like it wonderfully explored our relationship to the creatures and the earth around us!
Best Indie/Small Press/Self-Pubbed Read?
Once again, Fitzroy books gets this honor. Just Like Click by Sandy Grubb will inspire kids to do good in the world! I also loved Cruzita and the Mariacheros by Ashley Granillo, which was published by Carolrhoda Books. This one is perfect for kids who love music and it explore racial identity in a unique way!
Best Exploration of Mental Health?
Both The Gray by Chris Baron and How to Become a Planet by Nicole Melleby will help kids understand and navigate depression. Both books feature an MC who struggles with depression themselves (rather than just seeing someone else handling it), which we don’t see often in MG.
Best Exploration of Physical Illness?
Anne Ursu deftly delves into the topic of invisible illness in Not Quite a Ghost. The book will appeal to kids who love ghost stories, but as always with Ursu’s books, it goes a lot deeper than that with an MC who suffers from an unexplained illness and struggles to get the people around her to believe it’s not all in her head.
I also have to highlight No Matter the Distance by Cindy Baldwin. I was a judge for the Poetry category for the Cybils Awards this past year, and this book was chosen as the well-deserved winner! This story of a girl trying to figure out who she truly is–aside from just having cystic fibrosis–is wonderful and written in lyrical verse (which you know I love).
Best Picture Books?
I so adored Pie-Rats! by Lisa Frenkel Riddiough, illustrated by David Mottram. This book is delightfully funny and the rhyming makes it a perfect read-aloud (I definitely recommend this one for school reads).
I also love Brandon Sanderson’s The Most Boring Book Ever, which describes a truly nothing story–until you pair it with Kazu Kibuishi’s glorious illustrations, which explain what’s really going on. This one is just incredibly clever.
For non-fiction, I love Janet Nolan’s The Bats Beneath the Bridge, which is illustrated by Emily Cox. I knew nothing about the famous bridge in Austin, Texas where over a million bats nest, but now I definitely want to go visit it!!
SOME MORE GRAPHS:
I’m not exactly sure why ARCs are separated out on the release graph this way, but it gives you the general idea. Nearly half of my reading was done via audiobook this year, which I’m not surprised by at all.
As you know, I don’t post about books that would get less than 4 stars from me (this very occasionally includes books that would round up from 3.5 stars), but I do still rate them in my spreadsheet for my own informational purposes. Now you can get a glimpse of those ratings too!
Best Moment of Bookish/Blogging Life in 2024?
I mean, this whole year has basically felt like a lead-up to my debut novel coming in January. THE SONG OF ORPHAN’S GARDEN debuts on January 21st, which is now less than a month away!! I’ve been keeping track of bookish news and milestones in my Sunday Posts, and you can see a list of all of them here.
Favorite Bookish-Related Photo You Took?
I actually never even got around to posting this anywhere, but this is me showing off the ARC of my book on my bookshelf! (Hmmm… I’ll have to post this to Instagram while I’m at it!)
Most Challenging Thing About Blogging or Your Reading Life This Year?
Once again, balancing reading, writing, blogging and life. It was definitely difficult this year!
Book You Are Most Anticipating for 2025?
Every book from the Middle Grade Escapades, a group of MG authors all debuting in 2025! Check out our website (using the link I just gave you) for details about all these books, which run the gamut from fantastical to contemporary to historical to spooky to goofy—in prose, verse and graphic novel formats. There’s something for every MG reader!!
A 2025 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend to Everyone:
Speaking of Middle Grade Escapades, I’ve already read (and absolutely loved!!!) two of them! Story Spinners by Cassandra Federman is an adorable and often hilarious graphic novel featuring a story-within-a-story–told by two sisters who don’t often agree on anything!
Emily Deibert’s Bea Mullins Takes a Shot is an empowering MG sports romance about the benefits of taking chances and taking on challenges (even when you’d rather run and hide).
Check out my Goodreads Year in Books to see ALL the books I read this year!!
This is such a thoughtful wrap up! You really highlighted a lot of different types of stories. I love that you couldn’t pick a favorite because you read so many great books. What a wonderful problem to have. I am excited for your book release because I know everyone will love it.
I was really surprised last year when I was able to scan through my Goodreads and pick one that stood out to me as the best. I tried it this year, but it — didn’t work.
So many MG books I here need to check out! I’ll be picking up ACCIDENTAL DEMONS soon for Cybils reading. Love the picture of you with your bookshelf your ARC! 😁 Happy New Year~
Yay! Glad you’ll be reading Accidental Demons – I was excited when I saw it made it to the final round.
So many great middle grade books! I’ve read Nielsen and liked her books before. And I still need to fit in time to read Dungeons and Drama! It just sounds so good! I had like one or maybe 2 rereads this year? But like you, I never have time! Here’s to a good reading year in 2025, and I know an exciting year as an officially published author for you!
I know, it feels impossible to find time for rereads when there are so many good books to read!
What a great reading year, Nicole! Fantasy was my top genre this past year too, although mystery was close behind. I am intrigued by Olivetti. Such a pretty cover and a typewriter as a character! I will have to add that one to my wish list. I have been wanting to read Dungeons and Drama and am glad it was one of your favorites. I didn’t read too much in the way of middle grade novels this past year, unfortunately. I hope you have a Happy New Year and a great reading year!
Olivetti was such a great read, and the typewriter character made it super unique!
It looks like you had a good reading year! Marcellus the octopus was my favorite character too. 🙂
How can you not love an octopus MC?
Okay I LOVE that you reread a book because you did not recall reading it. I have very nearly done this, but thankfully Goodreads has stopped me bwhaha. There are a ton of books here that I want to read (including YOURS, especially yours really, but alas, Netgalley left me in purgatory. But I pre-ordered it, and actually am going to get a second copy for my class so it’s FINE. Maybe I will make us all read it together. I feel powerful heh.) You also have me very curious about North Woods, so I think I shall add that to my list, too. I also must read Murray ASAP. And Enter the Body. And I agree with you, the cover for Anzu is STUNNING, which means the inside art must be too! So excited that your book is ALMOST HEREEE!
So sorry you didn’t get an approval from NetGalley – if I would have known, I could’ve sent you a preapproved link! But I’m so thankful that you bought the book (and one for your class!!). If you want the preorder goodies, make sure to fill out my form so I have your mailing info. Also, if you want bookmarks for your class, let me know!
Wow what an amazing list of beautiful new to me books! We did a wrap up but it was so simple compared to this in-depth meaningful listings. Also, the graphs! I wish the graphs were part of GR. I am amazed you track the data enough to do them yourself. I just wish I had a list of genres and count.
I use a spreadsheet that creates the graphs for me, but I’ve heard Stroygraph creates graphs too!
Wow you read a lot! I don’t read much middle grade, but now that I’m looking at these pretty covers and descriptions I kinda want to 😂
Dungeons and Drama is on my TBR so I’m looking forward to it! Don’t Let The Forest In has been on many people’s lists, which means it must be good 😄
I’m wishing you all the luck with your book coming out! It must be so exciting! 🥰
I’m glad I’ve tempted you to read middle grade! 🙂