Alice Nuttall

We’re halfway through the year, and it’s already been a brilliant one for middle-grade books. With dozens of great new stories out every month, it’s hard to narrow it down to the best of the year so far—but there are some really standout stories that readers of all ages shouldn’t miss out on. Some stories continue an ongoing series, with the latest releases drawing us deeper into fantasy worlds or the work of junior detectives. Authors like B. B.

As we head towards summer, bookworms old and young are starting to think about their summer reads. Young readers may be doing summer reading programmes, taking part in book clubs over the vacation, or heading off on a relaxing break. The good news is that there are plenty of great new children’s releases out there for young readers of all ages to take them through the summer months.

While school library censorship is, so far, less widespread in the United Kingdom than in the United States, censors are gaining ground. In March 2026, news broke that a school in Manchester had ‘purged’ its library’s bookshelves and accused the school librarian of being a ‘safeguarding risk’ because she had included books on the shelves of which the school’s headteacher disapproved. As is often the case in school library censorship, many of these books were about LGBTQ+ people or characters.