20 Short Middle Grade Books Under 250 Pages
by Melissa Taylor
Most kids aren’t reading as much as they should be. We know this. Especially after the pandemic. But could reading less also coincide with so many long books (300+ pages) that seem ubiquitous in publishing and intimidating to our growing readers? This is why I want to highlight shorter-length middle grade books for kids who prefer books with fewer pages.
Admittedly, I’m also a fan of shorter middle grade books, which I elaborated on in a recent Publisher’s Weekly article. My reasons weren’t due to a lack of time spent reading, but my preference for zippy pacing and tight prose that moves the plot forward, something that shorter books around 200 pages lend themselves to more often.
Like me, kids often like books where every word matters. That’s why I recommend sharing these exceptional short middle grade books and seeing if that makes a difference in their reading lives. Here are 10 of my favorites that feel accessible to readers and won’t take months to finish.
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Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All
Available from:In this charming, illustrated tour of New York City, Magnolia's goal for the summer is to reunite the lost socks found in her family’s laundromat with their owners. She and a girl visiting from California piece together clues to track down the lost sock customers. As they do, they meet warm-hearted people, develop a friendship, and grow in unexpected ways.
(160 pages)Also available from: -
What Lane?
Available from:Stephen, a mixed-race boy, struggles with his white friends who are treated differently than him and make risky decisions he doesn’t want to make. As he confronts racism and inequality, Stephen grapples with who he wants to be without bending to the peer pressure of friends.
(144 pages)Also available from: -
Snow and Rose
Available from:In this beautifully written Grimm fairy tale, Snow and Rose live with their mother in a small cottage in the woods, where they meet and befriend a gigantic bear. But a Huntsman stalks their bear friend, and a Little Man seeks to enchant the sisters. Can they find a way to save their bear and themselves?
(244 pages)Also available from: -
AJ Torres and the Treasure of Captain Grayshark
Available from:When they find a gold coin on Miami Beach, AJ and Jaden hope it belongs to legendary pirate Captain Grayshark’s lost treasure. Finding the loot would help both their families. Joined by a ghost expert named Andrea, they search for the entire treasure on a cursed island haunted by ghost pirates.
(208 pages)Also available from: -
Thirst
Available from:When Minni’s mother gets sick, 12-year-old Minni works her mother’s maid job for a wealthy Mumbai family that has water all day, unlike Minni’s community, which only has water for a few hours from a communal tap. When Minni sees the water mafia stealing water from her community, she recognizes her employer. She must decide if she should speak up or stay silent.
(192 pages)Also available from: -
Garvey’s Choice
Available from:Garvey prefers chess and reading but clashes with his dad, who wants him to like sports. But a new friend at school helps Garvey accept his larger size and find something he likes — music. Garvey realizes he loves singing but worries about telling his dad. Written in tanka verse, this is a relatable story about a boy finding himself.
(120 pages)Also available from: -
Because of Winn-Dixie
Available from:Award-winning, heartwarming, and unputdownable, this classic DiCamillo book is a must-read. Opal lives with her hard-working preacher dad, but she’s lonely and often wonders why her mom left. Then, Opal adopts a stray dog and names him Winn-Dixie after the grocery store where she found him. Winn-Dixie changes everything — he brings friendship, bravery, and hope into 10-year-old Opal’s life.
(192 pages)Also available from: -
Kiki’s Delivery Service
Available from:Thirteen-year-old half-witch Kiki leaves home for a year-long apprenticeship and settles above a bakery in a charming seaside town. She works as a delivery girl, using magic to endear herself to the townspeople. Readers will fall in love with this enchanting story about friendship, independence, and kindness.
(208 pages)Also available from: -
The Friendship Code #1 (Girls Who Code)
Available from:Sixth-grader Lucy joins a coding club to make a medication reminder app for her uncle. Then, she receives an anonymous letter in code teaching her about basic coding concepts faster than the club. Lucy relies on new and old friends to help her follow the mysterious clues and figure out who is behind the letters.
(144 pages)Also available from: -
Dragons vs. Unicorns (Kate the Chemist)
Available from:Kate’s a busy, science-loving girl who excels in problem-solving. As the assistant director for the school musical, she must use all her skills to find out who is sabotaging the show. Science and drama and experiments — oh, my!
(144 pages)Also available from: -
Finding Langston
Available from:After his mother dies in the 1940s, Langston leaves the countryside to live with his father in Chicago. He misses home, he’s bullied at school, and his father is always working. One day, Langston discovers the library and the poetry of Langston Hughes, which changes everything. Readers will love this emotional story about the power of words, healing, and redemption.
(112 pages)Also available from: -
Three Tasks for a Dragon
Available from:This short novel is filled with gorgeous illustrations and an epic fantasy vibe. Kind Prince Lir is tricked by his dark sorcerer stepbrother into forfeiting his crown and embarking on a fake quest to save a kidnapped maiden from a dragon. Lir solves the dragon's problems so he doesn’t get eaten and befriends the maiden, who never was in danger. Before the evil sorcerer dies, he curses the girl and Lir to be forever separated. But forever in a fairy tale might not really be forever.
(112 pages)Also available from: -
The Losers Club
Available from:Forced to join a school club, Alec claims his bookworm/loser status and starts an after-school reading club called The Loser’s Club. Weirdly enough, other kids join Alec’s new club, and it becomes a success. That’s when Alec notices life outside the safety of a book, including other people’s feelings and needs.
(240 pages)Also available from: -
Escape from Grimstone Manor (Monsterious, Book 1)
Available from:Imagine getting trapped inside a haunted house at an amusement park…at NIGHT! That’s what happens to Zari and her friends. And it seems like they’re not alone. Even if you love spooky stories, you might want to read this scary story with the lights on!
(192 pages)Also available from: -
When Sally O'Malley Discovered the Sea
Available from:It’s Oregon 1894, and plucky orphan Sally O’Malley heads west to the ocean after getting booted from her latest job. Sally is determined to be fearless and independent, but she reluctantly joins an old lady, her donkey, a dog, and a bratty boy to make the journey. Along the way, Sally learns to trust the others, and their rag-tag group becomes a family of sorts.
(240 pages)Also available from: -
The Queen of Ocean Parkway
Available from:This book is a fun read for mystery fans. Roya podcasts about her diverse apartment building, where her mom works as the superintendent. But when one of her favorite apartment residents, Katya Petrov, disappears, Roya and a new friend launch an investigation. Meanwhile, they attempt to break the Petrov family curse, which is linked to an antique fortune-telling machine at Coney Island.
(240 pages)Also available from: -
The Eyes and the Impossible
Available from:This New York Times bestselling and Newbery Award-winning story is about Johannes, a wild dog acting as an informant for the three elderly Bison who run the park where they live. When humans arrive in the park and construct a strange building, Johannes hatches a plan that could change everything for the park animals.
(256 pages)Also available from: -
Small Spaces
Available from:On a school trip, Ollie discovers the graves of the people in a ghost story she’s recently read. When the bus breaks down and night descends, Ollie’s watch starts a countdown and warns her to “RUN.” The bus driver advises them to stay in small places, but will that work to keep away the murderous scarecrows and the sinister Smiling Man? This is a deliciously spooky read for fans of scary stories.
(256 pages)Also available from: -
The Graveyard Gift
Available from:Do you love magical school stories? At Rosemary’s magical school for part-magic, part-human kids, one of her classmates goes missing. Fern, who can foresee people’s deaths, enlists her classmates to help find the missing student. To succeed, they must work together and use their unique magical powers, like the banshee’s power to kill with a scream and the djinn’s power to grant wishes.
(256 pages)Also available from: -
The Magic Paintbrush
Available from:If your readers love beautifully illustrated Chinese-mythology-inspired fantasy adventures, they’ll want to read about Amy, who finds a magical jade paintbrush that brings paintings to life. A villain named Chen also wants the paintbrush, so Amy and her painted-into-existence friend Luna must do everything they can to keep the paintbrush out of Chen’s clutches.
(256 pages)Also available from:
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- Graphic Novels Tween Girls Can’t Get Enough Of
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in 2024 and updated in 2025.