2020 Debut Middle Grade Authors

Yesterday’s post about 2020 debut picture book authors and illustrators was so fun and very popular, so I thought it might be a good idea to share 2020 debut middle grade authors as well! As I mentioned yesterday, I love having a platform for sharing books and creators with the wider world! Take a look at all of these amazing titles being published this year.

I tried to find as much (current) information as I could for these books. If there’s a cover that I could find, you’ll see it in the image. If I could find information on the publisher’s page, you’ll see the title includes a link. The publishing world is one of flux, so even as I publish this information, I’m hoping most of it’s correct!

2020 Debut Middle Grade Authors

• Martin McLean, Middle School Queen by Alyssa Zaczek (Release Date: January 7)
• From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks (Release Date: January 14)
• Mindy Kim and the Yummy Seaweed Business by Lyla Lee (Release Date: January 14)
• The Good Hawk by Joseph Elliot (Release Date: January 21)
• Swallowed by a Secret by Risa Nyman (Release Date: January 21)
• That’s What Friends Do by Cathleen Barnhart (Release Date: January 28)
• Rating Your Bunkmates and Other Camp Crimes by Jennifer Orr (Release Date: February 1)
• Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen by Sarah Kapit (Release Date: February 25)
• A Boy Called Preacher by Cheryl Schuermann (Release Date: February 29)
• Coo by Kael Noel (Release Date: March 3)
• The Lonely Heart of Maybelle Lane by Kate O’Shaughnessy (Release Date: March 3)
• To Fly Among the Stars: The Hidden Story of the Fight for Women Astronauts by Rebecca Siegel (Release Date: March 3)
• Stand Up, Yumi Chung! by Jessica Kim (Release Date: March 17)
• The Derby Daredevils: Kenzie Kickstarts a Team by Kit Rosewater (Release Date: March 24)
• In the Red by Christopher Swiedler (Release Date: March 24)
• My Life as a Potato by Arianne Costner (Release Date: March 24)
• When You Know What I Know by Sonja K. Solter (Release Date: March 24)
• Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros (Release Date: March 31)
• How to Make Friends with the Sea by Tanya Guerrero (Release Date: March 31)
• What Stars Are Made Of by Sarah Allen (Release Date: March 31)
• Forever Glimmer Creek by Stacy Hackney (Release Date: April 7)
• Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega (Release Date: April 7)
• Into the Tall, Tall Grass by Loriel Ryon (Release Date: April 7)
• Mary Underwater by Shannon Doleski (Release Date: April 7)
• The Wolf of Cape Fen by Juliana Brandt (Release Date: April 7)
• Finally, Something Mysterious by Doug Cornett (Release Date: April 14)
• The Elephant’s Girl by Celesta Rimington (Release Date: May 19)
• The Witches of Willow Cove by Josh Roberts (Release Date: May 26)
• The Brave by James Bird (Release Date: June 30)
• Nestor’s Guide to Unpacking by Adrianna Cuevas (Release Date: Spring)
• Dan, Unmasked by Chris Negron (Release Date: July 28)
• Cattywampus by Ash Van Otterloo (Release Date: August 4)
• Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch by Julie Abe (Release Date: August 4)
• Kiki Macadoo and the Graveyard Ballerinas by Colette Sewall (Release Date: Summer)
• Tying the Devil’s Shoestrings by Eden Royce (Release Date: Summer 2020)
• The Nightmare Thief by Nicole Lesperance (Release Date: September)
• Ana on the Edge by A. J. Sass (Release Date: Fall)
• Candlelight by G. Z. Schmidt (Release Date: Fall)
• Escape to Reverie by Lorelei Savaryn (Release Date: Fall)
• Friend Me by Sheila M. Averbuch (Release Date: Fall)
• Pepper’s Rules for Secret Sleuthing by Briana McDonald (Release Date: Fall)
• South Haven Mysteries: Book 1 by Lorien Lawrence (Release Date: Fall)

To learn more about 2020 middle grade debut authors, check out the Roaring 20s filled with author bios, information for educators and much more!