Tweens Read 2021
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Tweens Read 2021 will be a VIRTUAL EVENT!
To purchase books, scroll through this page and add them to your cart, or select them from the panel registration page!
To register for a panel:
- Click on the name of the panel you want to attend.
- Click the link that says please click here to register.
- Type in First and Last name as well as school campus and school district. NOTE: If you are not affiliated with a school/school district, you may list your employer or n/a
- Click the blue "Register" button.
The panels will be uploaded to the Tweens Read YouTube page and will remain there for 2 weeks. PLEASE NOTE: Individuals are not allowed to record panels for future viewing.
This year's panels are:
Monday, October 18th
10am CDT - That's the Truth with Maisie Chan, Sharon Draper, and Elizabeth Eulberg!
1pm CDT - Joyful Dreams with Kwame Mbalia and Kelly Yang!
Tuesday, October 19th
10am CDT - Who's Looking for Adventure? with Rena Barron, Elizabeth C Bunce, and Sheela Chari!
1pm CDT - Getting Graphic with Hope Larson, Misako Rocks!, and Emma Steinkellner!
Wednesday, October 20th
10am CDT - Amazing Stories with B.B. Alston, Christian McKay Heidicker, and Karla Arenas Valenti!
1pm CDT - No Easy Answers with Josephine Cameron, Veera Hiranandani, and Gordon Korman!
Thursday, October 21st
10am CDT - Not Just Pictures with Terri Libenson and Nadia Shammas!
1pm CDT - Story Capers with Julie Berry, Nizrana Farook, and Lisa McMann!
Friday, October 22nd
10am CDT - Between Worlds with Samira Ahmed, Alex London, and Maleeha Siddiqui!
1pm CDT - Time for Change with Ellen Hagan, G. Neri, and Jewell Parker Rhodes!
Saturday, October 23rd
11am CDT - Keynote with Soman Chainani!
Blue Willow Bookshop expects all participants to maintain an atmosphere of respect and fairness. Any attendees, as well as comments or questions that violate this standard of behavior including any form of harassment, may, at the discretion of the organizers, be immediately removed.
Tweens Read have a list of Frequently Asked Questions on their website that may answer some of your questions about these virtual events.
A touching and funny middle-grade story about a boy whose life is turned upside down when his Chinese grandmother moves in
Eleven-year-old Danny’s life is turned upside down when his Chinese grandmother comes to live with his family in England. Things get worse when Danny finds out he’ll have to share his room with her, and she took the top bunk!
Melody faces her fears to follow her passion in this stunning sequel to the acclaimed, New York Times bestselling middle grade novel Out of My Mind.
Melody, the huge-hearted heroine of Out of My Mind, is a year older, and a year braver. And now with her Medi-talker, she feels nothing’s out of her reach, not even summer camp.
From the acclaimed author of The Great Shelby Holmes comes a new middle grade story about two summers-three decades apart-and the box of secrets linking them together.

THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • FIVE STARRED REVIEWS
Celebrate the joys of Black boyhood with stories from seventeen bestselling, critically acclaimed Black authors—including Jason Reynolds, Jerry Craft, and Kwame Mbalia.
New York Times bestselling author Kelly Yang is back with another heartwarming and inspiring story of Mia and friends!
Mia Tang is going for her dreams!
After years of hard work, Mia Tang finally gets to go on vacation with her family -- to China! A total dream come true! Mia can't wait to see all her cousins and grandparents again, especially her cousin Shen.
In this highly anticipated sequel, Maya and the godlings must return to the sinister world of The Dark to retrieve the one thing keeping the veil between the worlds from crumbling: her father’s soul. Perfect for fans of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky and Willa of the Wood.
An Edgar® Award Winning Series
Myrtle Hardcastle—twelve-year-old Young Lady of Quality and Victorian amateur detective—is back on the case, solving a string of bizarre murders in her hometown of Swinburne and picking up right where she left off in Premeditated Myrtle and How to Get Away with Myrtle.
Mars is on Mars! But as techie colonists and scrappy rebels clash, can Mars and his friends survive long enough to discover the planet’s dark secrets? Based on Season 2 of the Peabody Award–winning podcast.
All Together Now is New York Times bestselling author and illustrator Hope Larson's pitch-perfect graphic novel follow-up for fans of All Summer Long, music lovers, and anyone navigating the ups and downs of friendship.
Lilico, with the help of her cat, must learn to adjust to a new country, a new school, and new pressures in Bounce Back, a middle grade graphic novel from author/illustrator Misako Rocks! about finding your team and finding yourself.
Lilico’s life in Japan is going well. She has great friends and is the captain of the school's basketball team. She’s happy!
“A satisfying, brilliant sequel, solidifying Steinkellner’s reputation as a graphic novelist to watch.” —School Library Journal (starred review)
In this hilarious and heartwarming sequel to the bestselling and critically acclaimed graphic novel, The Okay Witch, half-witch Moth Hush uses magic to boost her confidence with disastrous results
New York Times bestseller!
Artemis Fowl meets Men in Black in this exhilarating debut middle grade fantasy, the first in a series filled with #blackgirlmagic. Perfect for fans of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, the Percy Jackson series, and Nevermoor.
From Christian McKay Heidicker, author of the Thieves of Weirdwood trilogy, comes the heart-stopping companion to the 2020 Newbery Honor recipient Scary Stories for Young Foxes, chronicling the adventures of three fox kits desperate to survive the terrors of a frightening new world.
The turn of a card could change your destiny in this captivating middle grade adventure based on the Lotería card game and perfect for fans of Coco. While searching for her missing cousin, a young girl is transported to a mythical kingdom, becoming entangled in a perilous game of chance.
Even though her family moved across the country for a “fresh start” after her little brother’s death, eleven-year-old Zinnia Helinski still feels like she’s stuck waiting for her new life to begin. Then she spots her new neighbor, Kris, climbing down the fire escape of their apartment building. He’s wearing a black eye mask! And Spandex leggings. . . . And a blue body suit?
New historical fiction from a Newbery Honor–winning author about how middle schooler Ariel Goldberg's life changes when her big sister elopes following the 1967 Loving v. Virginia decision, and she's forced to grapple with both her family's prejudice and the antisemitism she experiences, as she defines her own beliefs.
Cover may vary.
An unforgettable novel from the New York Times bestselling Gordon Korman.
Link, Michael, and Dana live in a quiet town. But it's woken up very quickly when someone sneaks into school and vandalizes it with a swastika.
Nobody can believe it. How could such a symbol of hate end up in the middle of their school?
A story about being your truest self—and trusting your truest friends—from bestselling author Terri Libenson. Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Shannon Hale.
Cliques. Crushes. Comics. Middle school!
From award-winning author Julie Berry comes the second installment in the fantastically adventurous Wishes and Wellingtons series, in which our heroine, Maeve Merritt, embarks on a magic-powered and most dangerous quest to help her friends.
Inspired by the lush terrain of Sri Lanka, this fun tale of friendship, risk, and reward is just right for middle grade fans of fantasy and page-turning adventure.
Chaya, a nobleman's rebellious, outspoken, no-nonsense daughter, just can't resist the shiny temptations the king's palace has to offer.
The New York Times bestselling author of The Unwanteds brings us an epic animal adventure story perfect for fans of Pax and A Wolf Called Wander.
A Kirkus Best Middle Grade Book of 2021
From bestselling author Samira Ahmed comes a thrilling and magical adventure intertwining Islamic legend and history, perfect for fans of Aru Shah and the Land of Stories.
On the day of a rare super blue blood moon eclipse, twelve-year-old Amira and her little brother, Hamza, can’t stop
"This book about friendship and faith absolutely sings." -- Buzzfeed
Perfect for fans of The First Rule of Punk or Save Me a Seat, this is a sweet, powerful, and joyous novel about a girl who finds her voice on her own terms.
Twelve-year-old Nimra Sharif has spent her whole life in Islamic school, but now it's time to go to "real school."
Nim

In a modern mega-city built around dragons, one boy gets caught up in the world of underground dragon battles and a high-stakes gang war that could tear his family apart.
Once, dragons nearly drove themselves to extinction. But in the city of Drakopolis, humans domesticated them centuries ago.
The co-author of Watch Us Rise pens a novel in verse about all the good and bad that comes with middle school, growing up girl, and the strength of family that gets you through it.
How does a Black kid from North Philly wind up playing polo? The much-anticipated sequel to Ghetto Cowboy, now a major motion picture starring Idris Elba and Stranger Things’s Caleb McLaughlin.
From award-winning and bestselling author Jewell Parker Rhodes comes a powerful coming-of-age survival tale exploring issues of race, class, and climate change.
Addy is haunted by the tragic fire that killed her parents, leaving her to be raised by her grandmother. Years later, Addy’s grandmother has enrolled her in a summer wilderness program.
You think you know these stories, don’t you?
You are wrong.
You don’t know them at all.