Books to Buddy Read with the Kids You Babysit

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow

by Jessica Townsend

The Nevermoor series is like dark academia for kids! You won’t be able to put these books down, so luckily for you, there are three of them! Make sure to catch up on the series before the fourth book, Silverborn, publishes! A breathtaking, enchanting new series by debut author Jessica Townsend, about a cursed girl who escapes death and finds herself in a magical world–but is then tested beyond her wildest imagination.

Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, she’s blamed for all local misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks–and, worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on her eleventh birthday.

But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears. Chased by black-smoke hounds and shadowy hunters on horseback, he whisks her away into the safety of a secret, magical city called Nevermoor.

It’s then that Morrigan discovers Jupiter has chosen her to contend for a place in the city’s most prestigious organization: the Wundrous Society. In order to join, she must compete in four difficult and dangerous trials against hundreds of other children, each with an extraordinary talent that sets them apart–an extraordinary talent that Morrigan insists she does not have. To stay in the safety of Nevermoor for good, Morrigan will need to find a way to pass the tests–or she’ll have to leave the city to confront her deadly fate.

Perfect for fans of the Harry Potter series and Neil Gaiman, this fast-paced plot and imaginative world has a fresh new take on magic that will appeal to a new generation of readers.

Spellbound Solstice

by Alexandria Rogers

If the kids you babysit love the movie Enchanted, having imaginary tea parties, and perhaps… making up spells and potions every now and then, this is the book for you! Alexandria Rogers writing is guaranteed to capture kids imaginations, as well as your own. A cozy read for all!Ella Enchanted meets The Parent Trap in this spellbinding wintery tale where two young enchanters team up to break a centuries-old family curse and accidentally put their entire town at risk along the way.

Every winter solstice, when people lock eyes in the Ambrose Ensorcelled Cottage, they fall in love.  

This year, Alice Ambrose has secretly invited her dad in hopes that her parents will realize they’re happier together than apart. With her parents together, Alice will finally feel whole. But when Alice’s parents lock eyes…nothing happens. 

Turns out, the women in her family are cursed to never fall in love.

Ronan Knight will do anything to get his enchantress mom to settle on a forever home. Luckily, he’s found her a perfect job at a perfect place: the Ensorcelled Cottage. The only snag? His mom would rather run from their mysterious past than settle down. 

When Ronan learns about Alice’s family curse, he figures he can kill two birds with one broken curse, since helping Alice will surely earn his mom points with the owner of Ensorcelled Cottage. But when their meddling causes the town to lose the ability to love all together, and ghosts whisper of the very past haunting Ronan’s family, Alice and Ronan discover that happily ever after doesn’t look the same for everyone. And sometimes, to get what you want, you’ll have to give your heart away. 

Stand Up! (A Graphic Novel)

by Tori Sharp

OK, so the kid you babysit is a bit OTT. They have a lot of energy. They sing the entire soundtrack of Wicked at the top of their lungs and force you to watch puppet shows that are based around the song “Baby Shark.” (No, I’m not speaking from personal experience, I swear…) If this sounds familiar, this ADORABLE graphic novel needs to be added to your next night of babysitting. Funny, bright, and full of energy, STAND UP! Is all about standing out!

Two hilarious best friends create their very own podcast in this feel-good middle grade graphic novel about making the spotlight your own, from the bestselling author of Just Pretend.

Lights, Curtains…Podcast! 

Best friends Clay and Kyle can’t help but inject fun into everything. Whether they’re goofing off backstage during a performance or making rib-tickling jokes at an open mic, these two are always ready to make people laugh! Now Clay’s hoping to shift her improv skills to the stage in her middle school’s production of Gals and Dolls, which means spending even more time with her crush, Dania. But Clay’s boisterous humor doesn’t sit well with the director, who has ZERO tolerance for fun.  

Clay, however, refuses to be boring! She and Kyle are eager to bring their comedic talents into the spotlight, but school musicals are too serious, open mics are too long… 

And that’s when it hits them—they should start a podcast! But with rehearsals to attend, new episodes to record, and time running out for Clay to ask a certain someone to the eighth-grade dance, will Clay and Kyle be able to do it all?

Boy 2.0

by Tracey Baptiste

OMG, this book had me absolutely hooked. I recommend for kids that love superheroes, anything that gives an adrenaline rush, and art! If you’ve watched Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse on repeat while babysitting… this book will do wonders!

An action-packed superhero story from New York Times bestselling author Tracey Baptiste.

Win “Coal” Keegan has just landed in his latest foster home, with a big, noisy, slightly nosy family named the McKays. They seem eager to welcome Coal, but he’s wary of trusting them. So, he doesn’t tell them that he went for a walk with chalk in his pocket to cover a nearby street with his art. He doesn’t tell them that a neighbor found Coal drawing, pulled a gun on him, and fired it. He doesn’t tell them the police chased him. And he definitely doesn’t tell them that when everything went down, Coal somehow turned invisible.

But he did.

Now he has to figure out how. Is he a superhero? Some kind of mutant? A science experiment? Is that why he has no family of his own? As Coal searches for answers and slowly learns to control his invisibility, he turns to the McKay kids and friends both new and old for help. But they soon discover they’re not the only ones looking for a Black boy with superpowers, and the situation is far stranger—and more dangerous—than they ever could have expected. 

Nura and the Immortal Palace

by M. T. Khan

This book caught my eye with its gorgeous cover and my heart with Nura’s bravery. This book has everything you could ask for in a middle grade novel- it’s funny, full of lessons, and the world of jinn is completely captivating. Get ready for your next new favorite!!

Aru Shah and the End of Time meets Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away in this mesmerizing portal fantasy that takes readers into the little-known world of Jinn.

Nura longs for the simple pleasure of many things—to wear a beautiful red dupatta or to bite into a sweet gulab. But with her mom hard at work in a run-down sweatshop and three younger siblings to feed, Nura must spend her days earning money by mica mining. But it’s not just the extra rupees in her pocket Nura is after. Local rumor says there’s buried treasure in the mine, and Nura knows that finding it could change the course of her family’s life forever.

Her plan backfires when the mines collapse and four kids, including her best friend, Faisal, are claimed dead. Nura refuses to believe it and shovels her way through the dirt hoping to find him. Instead, she finds herself at the entrance to a strange world of purple skies and pink seas—a portal to the opulent realm of jinn, inhabited by the trickster creatures from her mother’s cautionary tales. Yet they aren’t nearly as treacherous as her mother made them out to be, because Nura is invited to a luxury jinn hotel, where she’s given everything she could ever imagine and more. 

But there’s a dark truth lurking beneath all that glitter and gold, and when Nura crosses the owner’s son and is banished to the working quarters, she realizes she isn’t the only human who’s ended up in the hotel’s clutches. Faisal and the other missing children are there, too, and if Nura can’t find a way to help them all escape, they’ll be bound to work for the hotel forever. Set in a rural industrial town in Pakistan and full of hope, heart, and humor, Nura and the Immortal Palace is inspired by M.T. Khan’s own Pakistani Muslim heritage. 

Andy Warner’s Oddball Histories: Spices and Spuds

by Andy Warner

This book is TRULY enjoyable for curious minds of all ages. It’s SO. MUCH. FUN. You’ll learn a ton, laugh a ton. If you enjoyed the companion non-fiction books to the Magic Tree House series (did I just age myself?) when you were younger, PLEASE pick this up. You’ll be the coolest person these kids know (and their parents might be impressed as well!)

From New York Times bestselling author Andy Warner comes a highly entertaining, informative graphic novel that traces our ever-evolving relationship with plants through time.

Did you know that plants helped shape our modern world?

It may sound ridiculous, but empires have risen and fallen because of stuff you’d find in your grocery store’s vegetable aisle. Through wars, famine, prosperity, and more, every aspect of our lives and livelihoods has something to do with plants!

Whether or not you notice them, plants are as central to our day-to-day lives as a bowl of rice or a plate of pasta, and they have shaped our history the same way a gardener trims a topiary.

Did you know that a pepper blockade led to the Age of Exploration? How about that huge wheat barges once kept Rome running with free bread? Or that whole wars were fought over tea? Get ready to follow corn’s weird journey from the floating fields of the Aztec emperors to the glossy shine on this book’s cover. 
 
Andy Warner sifts through the roots and leaves of our long, complicated history with the earth’s original green resources in this hilarious, fact-filled follow-up to Andy Warner’s Oddball Histories: Pests and Pets. 

Tale of the Flying Forest

by R. M. Romero

This book would have been a REPEAT read when I was a kid- it has that kind of classic feel. Not to mention, our main character Anne is looking for a twin she’s never met. Who didn’t want to have a long-lost sibling when they were little!?! Pair that with monsters, knights, and magic?! Okay, perfect read for all!

A spellbinding and lyrical modern fairy tale about a girl who journeys to an enchanted world to find the twin she’s never met, filled with lavish illustrations that bring the magic to life, perfect for fans of the Chronicles of Narnia.

After her mother passes away and her father retreats into his grief, 11-year-old Anne Applebaum is afraid the only happy endings she’ll ever have are in The World to Come, a collection of fairy tales about the flying forest of Bei Ilai. In its pages, children outsmart demons, girls train as knights, and songs come to life. But even these stories can’t stop Anne from feeling alone. So when a raven tells her that she has a long-lost twin brother named Rainer, she sets out to find him. Anne soon learns that Bei Ilai is a real place—and she must step through the door into this magical realm to seek her brother.

But the dangers in the flying forest are just as real as its beauty. To overcome the challenges and monsters she faces, Anne must lean into the magic contained within her and her Jewish faith—especially when she discovers Rainer is locked away by a being more frightening than any dragon.

Because the most terrifying villain of all is one who used to be a hero.

Which Way to Anywhere

by Cressida Cowell

Calling all How to Train Your Dragon fans! Nobody knows middle grade like Miss Cressida, and we have the perfect whacky, zany adventure to keep everyone reading. You can even print out the Atlas Gift Test from the LBYR website for you and the kids to fill out- we love a drawing time!

From the #1 internationally bestselling author of How to Train Your Dragon and Wizards of Once comes an out-of-this-world adventure where magic and reality collide!

K2 O’Hero is a seemingly ordinary boy—after all, he and his twin sister, Izzabird, have been sworn to keep their family’s Magical history a secret. Not even their infuriating stepsiblings, Theo and Mabel, know that Magic exists. They believe K2 to be the most hopeless person they have ever known.
 
But K2 has a secret gift: He draws maps of worlds that are beyond the wildest imaginations. Worlds with six hundred moons, burning rivers, and dark, twisty jungles alive with plants that hunt by the smell of fear. But what K2 doesn’t know is that the maps he draws are real.
 
When their baby sister, Annipeck, is kidnapped, the warring stepsiblings will have to use K2’s gift to find a crossing point into one of those worlds and embark on a daring rescue mission.

Perfect for reluctant readers, the Which Way to Anywhere features an easy-to-read, dyslexic-friendly font!