2026 has been a stop-and-start year for much of my reading. I have a hunch it has less to do with the quality of the writing I’m reading and more to do with topics and approaches. For example, a friend recommended a book to me this month, and I reached about page 60 before stopping — not because it wasn’t well-written but because I found that I couldn’t engage with the high-quality realism of the violence.

Still, many books have resonated with me, which I share as a rolling-list on my reading page. Three as of late are all aimed for the middle-grade audience, though they would make great reads for adults too.

Manatee Summer by Evan Griffith features Peter and Tommy, friends who soon face a myriad of challenges, with the story centered on the pair finding an injured manatee. The story deftly weaves the difficulties of emotional response with a desire to be helpful in the world.

Save Me a Seat by Gita Varadarajan & Sarah Weeks introduces Joe and Ravi, two elementary school students who may or may not become friends in the end. The text features extremely evocative scenes of bullying and embarrassment.

The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly embraces a visitor-from-the-future narrative to compare and contrast late-90s Michael’s fears about the future with time-traveler Ridge’s desire to experience the past.