The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko/And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps. Okay, I lied, there are six books on this list, but I can’t choose between these two! Both are stories of boys dealing with the loss of a grandmother and an unreliable mother, forcing them to shoulder adult responsibilities and a young age. Both authors have won a Newbery Honor (Starfish for Fipps and Al Capone Does My Shirts for Choldenko), and I’d be happy to see a repeat for either or both of them.

Max in the House of Spies: A Tale of World War II by Adam Gidwitz. I read a few books with a World War II setting this year, but this one really stood out with the unique elements and twists that made me love The Inquisitor’s Tale, Gidwitz’s 2017 Newbery Honor book. Max’s story explores antisemitism in Britain, blurring the lines between good and evil that usually characterize World War II fiction. The ending was a huge cliff-hanger, so I’m happy to report that book 2 will be out in February.

Olivetti by Allie Millington. I’ve read a lot of middle grade fiction books, but this is the first one that was narrated (or half narrated) by a typewriter. Olivetti breaks the typewriter code of silence to help 12-year-old Ernest figure out what has happened to his mother in a debut novel that moves between past and present with perfect pacing to tell the story of a family facing hard times.

Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi. It’s rare that a National Book Award winner also gets a Newbery, but we can hope it happens for this novel in verse about Syrian-American Kareem whose middle school problems feel petty when he and his family are directly affected by the 2017 Muslim ban. This is a story that may unfortunately feel more timely at the beginning of 2025.

The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin. Another World War II story by two award-winning young adult writers, this impeccably researched historical fiction novel tells the story of Lizzie and Jakob, a sister and brother drawn into the top-secret events unfolding at Bletchley Park in 1940.