Who doesn’t love a creature feature? There’s always something to love about an animal story for middle grade readers, whether it’s starring a loyal pet, fascinating wildlife, or beasts of fantasy and myth.

These are some of our favorite middle grade animal tales from the last few months; what are some of yours?

Glory Be by Jamie Sumner

The Big Bad Wolf Murder by P. G. Bell

Ape Escape by Stuart Gibbs

The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan by Jasmine Warga

Bravepaw and the Heartstone of Alluria by L. M. Wilkinson, illus. by Lavanya Naidu

Thank you to Atheneum BFYR, SimonKIDS, Feiwel and Friends, Balzer + Bray, and MacKids Books for copies of these!