Middle Grade Kindle Unlimited Books to Read This Summer 📚

This week's newsletter is sponsored by A Weekend at Gramps ‘97

Step into the vibrant summer of 1997! Perfect for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, this nostalgic middle-grade novel follows ten-year-old Dave and his rule-breaking brother on a wild New England weekend with their sports-obsessed Gramps.

Hello friends,

How's it going? This week was super busy! I re-launched our Kid Reviewer program and had to close the form after less than 48 hours because we received over 100 applications. I've chosen our top 15 readers and writers with an additional ad-hoc 8-10 who will chime in on extra projects or specific genres when we need more voices.

I only planned to take on 12 kids, so we have stretched plenty. If you applied and haven't heard back, you will! I'm writing all 100+ kids back and I know it will take time, but it feels important to do. I appreciate everyone who applied and hope we can open up more spots in the near future.

Last week, I shared about my soccer books post and apparently had the wrong link inserted. Thanks to the two people who wrote back to tell me, lol. Here's the correct link if you were quietly wondering.

May has been such a busy and rewarding month, but I'm looking forward to a slower month with more reading and resting in June.

Galley of the Week

This week's galley is...

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From the acclaimed author of Roll with It comes a luminous, sharply funny novel about three kids with big diagnoses, bigger personalities, and one outrageous plan to team up and scam a wish-granting foundation.

Violet Marino doesn’t want sympathy. And she definitely doesn’t want friends. She just wants to play soccer and deal with the whole slowly-going-blind thing on her own terms.

Then she witnesses a boy choke on a hot dog at a hospital picnic. Enter Wyatt: dangerously charming and full of terrible ideas, especially for a kid with a newly transplanted heart. Add sharp-as-a-blade Noor, who is always armed with excellent snacks she can’t eat, thanks to chemo. Other than their illnesses, the three don’t have much in common—except for the fact that a wish-granting foundation keeps calling.

Ever the optimist, Wyatt has a plan: team up to game the foundation, even if it means faking friendship. One wish is fine, but three sick kids on three epic adventures? That’s history-making. The scheme starts off as a distraction. But soon the stakes feel real. Because when you finally let someone in, there’s more to lose.

Hot in the Shop

Over 10 middle grade authors have signed up to join us on Saturday, June 6 and I can't wait to talk about all things marketing. I made my slides this week and I'll be going over them throughout next week. I'm sharing a behind-the-scenes look at how marketing middle grade books works both on and off social media. I'd love to have you join us if this sounds like something you need.

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Newsletter Book Giveaway

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This week, author Meg Eden Kuyatt is giving away a copy of Perfect Enough. To enter, reply to this email indicating interest. The giveaway is open internationally and closes next Thursday, June 4, 2026, at midnight EST.

Last week's winner: Melanie D.

This Week on the Blog

Here's what you may have missed this week on the blog:

My review of SRG Pick This Could All Go Bad by Spencer Hall
Favorite middle grade and YA books available on Kindle Unlimited
REPLAY: Middle grade books set during the summer!

This Week on Substack

This week, I answered all the book matchmaking requests related to our Summer Reading Guide. If you're wondering which books on the guide would be a good fit for your kid, this is the post to read. READ IT HERE.

🤩 If you're a parent looking for some guidance with choosing enjoyable books for your tweens and young teens, my Substack is the place to be! With weekly book recommendation posts and monthly new release and reading recap round-ups, you have an affordable, reliable, and nonstop book recommendation engine.

SUBSCRIBE TO MY SUBSTACK (it's free!)

This Week on Patreon

I announced our Slow Summer Read. You can read the post here (free for all). Next week, my team's and my favorite June new releases not on this year's Summer Reading Guide.

🤩 If you're an upper elementary/middle school teacher or librarian lost with too many books to vet and too little time, our Patreon community is for you. On Patreon, I share a steady stream of recommendations, from monthly new release dispatches to my monthly reading recaps and teaching resources like discussion guides. Patreon members also get 10% off all author visits and free access to shop items!

CHECK OUT PATREON 🥳