Several new middle-grade STEAM series blur the traditional age parameters of the category and target a slightly younger readership, delivering the formats and features kids are looking for.

Humor—always a draw for middle grade readers—and plenty of puns fuel Jana Curll’s young middle grade graphic novel series Little Habitats, which welcomes volume 2, Fiddlehead Forest, in April. “It’s full of jokes and information about small ecosystems,” says Lara LeMoal, associate publisher at Greystone Kids. “We are definitely trying to do books that are less conventionally nonfiction, less dry, titles that incorporate nonfiction, but also have a storyline and a lot of fun, exciting visuals.”

Still on the silly track, Project WOOFF by Matthew McElligott (Bloomsbury, Oct.) begins an illustrated STEAM sci-fi adventure series for ages 7 to 10, following a young video game maker drawn into a mystery by a talking cat that is the product of a top-secret AI project. McElligott says a driving inspiration for the books is “the kind of questions that every kid asks, like, ‘What if my pet could talk? What if there was a whole hidden world beneath my house with a secret entrance in my basement? Or what if the things I was interested in, like making games on my computer, could actually be my superpower?’ ” His own love of science plays a role, too. “The scientific principles the characters explore are real,” McElligott says, “even if the science they’re doing is ridiculous.”

With graphic novel The Spark Experiment by Matthew K. Manning, illustrated by Matthew Loux (Apr.), Andrews McMeel kicks off a partnership with High Touch High Tech—Science Made Fun!, a global company providing educational hands-on science enrichment programming for kids. In the book, science enthusiasts David, a fifth-grader, and his second-grader neighbor Marta find themselves navigating the strange dimension of a microscopic universe, where they meet a creature named Spark who helps them use science to find their way home. The story includes 18 DIY experiments through which readers can ignite their creativity and sharpen their problem-solving skills.

A friendship tale wrapped in a mystery centers Sloomoo: Making Friends by Melissa de la Cruz and Mike Johnston, illustrated by Caballo Loco Studio (Encantos/Sloomoo Ink, Mar. 24), first in a graphic novel series starring 11-year-old budding scientist and slime content creator Daisy and sentient slime character Sloomoo. The book is inspired by the Sloomoo Institute, an IRL experience venue with seven locations nationwide where families can play and create with slime. The project also marks the launch of media imprint Sloomoo Ink.

Though they remain wildly popular, graphic novels are not the only format that publishers in the STEAM space are using to entice middle grade readers. “We have several series that feature high-interest topics with lots of illustrations and short paragraphs of information so they’re very easy to dip into,” says Jennifer Greene, executive editor at Nosy Crow. “That’s something that is appealing to middle graders and is a great gateway to STEM,” she adds. Among those, the Think Big series, published in collaboration with the University of Cambridge and the Cambridge Botanic Garden, launches in June with the title Secrets of Bees by Ben Hoare, illustrated by Nina Chakrabarti. Future volumes include AI and volcanoes. And Nosy Crow’s This Book Will Make You a Scientist by Sheila Kanani, illustrated by Ellen Surrey, arriving in September, serves up profiles of 25 scientists, including evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin, astronaut Mae Jemison, and botanist Ynés Mexía, each accompanied by a step-by-step experiment to try. “It really expands a kid’s idea of what a scientist is and can be,” Greene says.

Greystone’s LeMoal says she’s always looking for series focused on science or nature, from an expert in the field, and written in a way that is engaging and fun for kids to read. She points to The Chronicles of the Yellowstone Wolves by Rick McIntyre and David Poulsen as a good example. “We’d love to see nonfiction manuscripts that have a story and some world building as well,” she says, noting that author Rachel Poliquin achieved that with books like The Gland Factory.

Going forward, LeMoal says her mission is to continue publishing STEAM-forward works. “Science, curiosity, an openness to study, and celebrating ‘why’ feel more important than ever,” she says. “Making books that underscore how these disciplines affect our lives in an everyday way feels like a priority. That’s why we aim to do books that explore and celebrate curiosity. It’s critical.”