2026 GMGR A to Z Challenge > Likes and Comments

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message 1: by C.J. (new)

C.J. Milbrandt The goal of this challenge is to read 26 middle-grade books during 2026, one for each letter of the alphabet. Some letters are trickier than others! If you need inspiration, scroll through this thread (participants will be updating their lists throughout the year), scan past years' lists, or scroll through some of the middle-grade alphabet lists on this site.

Steps:

1. Create a comment on this thread.
2. Copy, paste, and edit the alphabet set in the first post below.
3. Update your comment throughout the year, adding the books you finish during 2026.

Guidelines:

1. Titles need to match a letter of the alphabet. Use the "add book/author" button to create links to the books here on Goodreads.
2. Drop "A," "An," and "The" from titles. For example, The Clockwork Crow (by Catherine Fisher) would be listed for C, and A Song Called Home (by Sara Zarr) would be listed for S.
3. Exception! Q, X, and Z are especially challenging letters to work with. You may choose a book that has a word in the title that starts with Q or Z. For example, Daring Darleen: Queen of the Screen (by Anne Nesbet) can count for Q, and Not Starring Zadie Louise (by Joy McCollough) will work for Z. And we'll accept a word beginning with EX for your X book, like The Exact Location of Home (by Kate Messner) or The Expeditioners and the Treasure of Drowned Man's Canyon (by S.S. Taylor).
4. If your title begins with a number, convert it to a letter by spelling it out. For example, The 14 Fibs of Gregory K. (by Greg Pincus) would be listed for F, and 100 Cupboards (by N.D. Wilson) would be listed for O.
5. It's okay to add multiple titles under each letter, but there's no extra credit.
6. Only list middle-grade titles. No picture books, YA, or adult books about kids.
7. You can add a rating and review link. For example ***** My review is here.
8. For an added challenge, see if you can read your books in alphabetical order.
9. Have fun!


message 2: by C.J. (new)

C.J. Milbrandt Copy, paste, and edit this for your own list. You will then be able to search the thread for your name to find your list quickly.

[Your name here] 2026 A to Z List:
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message 3: by C.J. (last edited Feb 17, 2026 11:08AM) (new)

C.J. Milbrandt Middlegrade is where I do most of my reading, with definite fantasy/mystery/adventure leanings. Once again this year, my goal is to get through the alphabet twice!

CJ's 2026 A to Z List:
A: Astrotwins : Project Blastoff Mark Edward Kelly
B: Beetle Boy M.G. Leonard
C: Changeling William Ritter
D: Dead City James Ponti
The Dark Times Tim Probert
E: The Ethan I Was Before Ali Standish
F: Fox Snare Yoon Ha Lee
G: The Girl & the Galdurian Tim Probert
H:
I: Ikenga Nnedi Okorafor
J:
K: King Cheer Molly Horton Booth
L:
M: Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring Angela Cervantes
N:
O: Ottilie Colter and the Narroway Hunt (1) Rhiannon Williams
P: A Place at the Table Saadia Faruqi & Laura Shovan
Q: Revenge of the Beetle Queen M.G. Leonard
R:
S: Shadow of the Bird Tim Probert
The Secret Garden: A Graphic Novel Mariah Marsden
T: Thunderous M.L. Smoker
U:
V:
W: Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow Jessica Townsend
X:
Y:
Z:

In Chronological Order:

Dead City (Dead City, #1) by James Ponti Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring by Angela Cervantes Thunderous by M.L. Smoker King Cheer (Arden High, #2) by Molly Horton Booth Fox Snare (Thousand Worlds, #3) by Yoon Ha Lee The Girl & the Galdurian (Lightfall, #1) by Tim Probert Shadow of the Bird (Lightfall #2) by Tim Probert The Dark Times (Lightfall, #3) by Tim Probert The Secret Garden A Graphic Novel by Mariah Marsden Wundersmith The Calling of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor, #2) by Jessica Townsend Changeling (The Oddmire, #1) by William Ritter Ottilie Colter and the Narroway Hunt (1) (The Narroway Trilogy) by Rhiannon Williams A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqi Ikenga by Nnedi Okorafor The Ethan I Was Before by Ali Standish Astrotwins Project Blastoff by Mark Edward Kelly Beetle Boy (The Battle of the Beetles #1) by M.G. Leonard Revenge of the Beetle Queen (The Battle of the Beetles #2) by M.G. Leonard


message 4: by C.J. (new)

C.J. Milbrandt ...since I sometimes run out of room (there's a character limit), I'm reserving an adjacent comment!


message 5: by Becky (last edited Mar 18, 2026 12:25PM) (new)


message 6: by Gia (last edited Jan 22, 2026 07:02PM) (new)

Gia Gia's 2026 A to Z List:

A:
B:
C:
D: Dogtown by Katherine Applegate
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Dogtown (Dogtown, #1) by Katherine Applegate


message 7: by Harley (last edited Mar 18, 2026 08:16PM) (new)

Harley Bennett [Harley's] 2026 A to Z List:

A: The Ark Plan***** by Laura Martin
B:
C: The Case of the Missing Marquess***** by Nancy Springer
The Case of the Left-Handed Lady***** by Nancy Springer
The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets***** by Nancy Springer
The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan***** by Nany Springer
The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline***** by Nancy Springer
The Case of the Disappearing Duchess***** by Nancy Springer
Code Name Flood***** by Laura Martin
D: Double Identity***** by Margaret Peterson Haddix
E: Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche***** by Nancy Springer
Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade***** by Nancy Springer
Enola Holmes and the Mark of the Mongoose***** by Nancy Springer
F:
G: Guest: A Changeling Tale***** by Mary Downing Hahn
H:
I: The Incredible Journey***** by Sheila Burnford
The Island of Monsters**** by Ellen Oh
J:
K:
L:
M: The Magic Half***** by Annie Barrows
Magic in the Mix***** by Annie Barrows
N:
O:
P: The Princess Tales, Volume I**** by Gail Carson Devine
Q:
R:
S: Spirit Hunters***** by Ellen Oh
T:
U:
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reply | flag


message 8: by Trace (last edited Jan 02, 2026 05:09PM) (new)

Trace Trace's 2026 A to Z List:

A:
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In Chronological Order:


message 9: by Jade (last edited Mar 16, 2026 05:30PM) (new)

Jade Sutton Jade Sutton 2026 A to Z List:

A:
B:Bridge of Souls by Victoria Schwab
C:Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett
D:Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter
E: The Experiment by Rebecca Stead
F:
G:
H:
I: The Initiation by Ridley Pearson
J:
K:
L: The Last Musketeer by Stuart Gibbs
M:The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
N:
O: Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter
P: A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqi & Laura Shovan
Q:
R:The Rembrandt Conspiracy by Deron Hicks
S:Solimar: The Sword of the Monarchs by Pam Munoz Ryan
T: Tunnel of Bones Victoria Schwab
U:The Unforgettable Logan Foster and the Shadow of Doubt by Shawn Peters
V:
W:When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
X:The Extra Yard by Mike Lupica
Y:
Z:


message 10: by Ann (last edited Mar 06, 2026 12:40PM) (new)

Ann Ann's 2026 A to Z List:



A:
B: Bye Forever, I Guess // IL: MG - BL: 4.1 - AR Pts: 8.0 // 1.12 (super-cute MG first love/first crush story)
C:
D:
E:
F: Find Her // IL: MG, BL: 4.9, AR Pts: 8 // 1.15
G:
H:
I: It Came from the Trees // IL: MG - BL: 5.9 - AR Pts: 8.0 // 1.29
J:
K:
L:
M:
N: The Night War // IL: MG - BL: 4.1 - AR Pts: 9.0 // 2.8
O:
P:
Q: Not Quite a Ghost // IL: MG, BL: 5.1, AR Pts: 9 // 2.11
R:
S: The Second Chance of Darius Logan // IL: MG+ - BL: 6.5 - AR Pts: 15.0 // 1.8
T: The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman // IL: MG, BL: 3.6, AR Pts: 8.0 // 2.21
U: Under the Light of Fireflies // 3.6
V:
W: The Whale Rider // IL: MG - BL: 5.7 - AR Pts: 5.0 // 1.14
X: Extra Life (Young Readers Adaptation): The Astonishing Story of How We Doubled Our Lifespan // 1.27
Y:
Z:

covers gallery
The Second Chance of Darius Logan by David F. Walker Bye Forever, I Guess by Jodi Meadows The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera Find Her by Ginger Reno Extra Life (Young Readers Adaptation) The Astonishing Story of How We Doubled Our Lifespan by Steven Johnson It Came from the Trees by Ally Russell The Night War by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley Not Quite a Ghost by Anne Ursu The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko Under the Light of Fireflies by Lee Sanders


message 11: by Brianna (last edited Mar 14, 2026 07:55PM) (new)

Brianna Steinman 📚Brianna's 2026 A to Z List📚

A:
B:
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G:
H:
I: Into the Dark Forest (Wildsmith #1) - Liz Flanagan
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Covers:
Into the Dark Forest (Wildsmith, #1) by Liz Flanagan


message 12: by Ms. (new)

Ms. Yingling Ms. Yingling 2026 A to Z List:
A: Adventure in the City of Stories
B: Beserkers
C: Camp Big Top
D: Deep Secrets
E: Ellen Poe
F: Found Sound
G: Ghost of the Harvest
H: The Haunting of Walker Pond
I: In the Blood
J: Just One Gift
K: The Kindness Club
L: Last Day Pool Party
M: My Roman Summer
N: Nell O’Dell Hates Quests
O: Opting Out
P: Phoenix (Ride On)
Q:
R: Rayana Johnson’s Giant Leap
S: The Shark Prince
T: Theft of the Ruby Lotus
U: The Unchosen One
V:
W: Wild Mountain Ivy
X:
Y:
Z: Zicky: The Rat King


message 13: by Blue (last edited Feb 19, 2026 02:58PM) (new)

Blue Blue's 2026 A to Z List:

A:
B: Because of Anya
C:
D: Double Identity
E:
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L: The Light on Hogback Hill
M: My Side of the Mountain
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W: Walk Two Moons
X:
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Current favorite in this list: Double Identity


message 14: by N. (new)

N. Milanne Seems many people are missing one for letter J..so I thought I'd introduce mine! 2026 A to Z List:
A:
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J: Jeannie's Bottle, Incantations
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reply | flag


message 15: by C.J. (new)

C.J. Milbrandt N. wrote: "Seems many people are missing one for letter J..so I thought I'd introduce mine!

Careful, my dear. This is not the place for authors to promote themselves. Our guidelines are in the Author's Corner section of the community.


message 16: by C.J. (new)

C.J. Milbrandt Blue wrote: "Blue's 2026 A to Z List ... Current favorite in this list: Double Identity Oh! What a good idea! I love that you're keeping track of your current favorite as you go. I'm not even sure how I'd choose!


message 17: by Jade (new)

Jade Sutton C.J. wrote: "Blue wrote: "Blue's 2026 A to Z List ... Current favorite in this list: Double Identity Oh! What a good idea! I love that you're keeping track of your current favorite as you go. I'm not even sure ..."

Me neither


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