Some days you just can’t catch a break. This week, the Butler Bookshelf is full of misfortune, misadventure, and plain old mistakes. From body swaps to mixed-up stories to crash landing houses, these middle grade novels are all about the times where everything seems to be going wrong. Our feature pick is The Magician Next Door by Rachel Chivers Khoo, illustrated by Alice McKinley. 10-year-old Callie isn’t happy about moving to Northern Ireland. All of her friends, and all of her memories of her late mom, are back in London, the only home she’s ever known. But when a house crashes upside down in her yard, she’s forced to ally with her new next door neighbor Sam to save the Wanderdust which powers the magical house and keeps its eccentric inhabitant alive. Along the way, she discovers that home is more than a place, it’s people, too. Perfect for adventurous fantasy lovers, The Magician Next Door is sure to excite young readers while allowing them to explore what “home” really means.

Check out more goes-wrong fiction below!

Montgomery Bonbon: Murder at the Museum
Alasdair Beckett-King
Illustrated by Claire Powell
Candlewick Press
Available now!

The Magician Next Door
Rachel Chivers Khoo
Illustrated by Alice McKinley
Candlewick Press
Available April 22nd, 2025

Skylar and the K-Pop Principal
Luan Goldie
Candlewick Press/Walker Books US
Available now!

Snow White and the Dragon (or, Sleeping Beauty and the Seven Dwarfs)
Kim Bussing
Random House Children’s Books
Available now!

The Unfortunate Wishes of Nelly Young
Beth Garrod
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Available now!