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Get Real with Middle Grade Graphic Novels - Arapahoe Libraries

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Get Real with Middle Grade Graphic Novels by ArapahoeSusan - a staff-created list : Graphic novels about kids having true-to-life experiences in middle school are so popular. They express hope and uncertainty with words and images. See some of the best examples below.

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Teachers often select books for their preteen and teen students that provide windows and mirrors, ways for students to learn about others or see themselves. In this unprecedented time when students wrestle with the abrupt changes in routine caused by the coronavirus pandemic, literature is an even more important tool for contextualizing current events and allowing students to better understand their experiences.

As a former school librarian and past president of the American Association of School Librarians, I have read thousands of books, including more than 600 young adult books in the last three years alone. These are my best suggestions for middle and high school readers in four categories: developing resilience and adaptability, responding to crisis, finding laughter and fun, and exploring dystopias.

Developing Resilience and Adaptability

This strange and difficult time requires adjusting to living in extraordinary ways that demand resilience and adaptability. Students are being asked to adjust to new ways of life, and reading about young people who have shown flexibility in adversity can help them see their own situation in new ways.

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
The protagonist of Dusty Bowling's novel, Aven, is a 13-year-old who was born with no arms. When her adoptive father accepts a position as manager of a run-down theme park, Aven struggles with the transition but makes a friend in Conner, a boy with Tourette's. The two explore the mystery of the missing theme park owner and discover a shocking secret. With her parents' support, Aven becomes a confident young woman-showing readers that persistence in the face of adversity is possible. (Suggested for grades 5-8; 262 pages)

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise
In Dan Gemeinhart's novel, Coyote and her father meander around the country on a school bus after the tragic automobile wreck that killed her mom and two sisters. When Coyote's grandmother tells her that her old community park is being demolished, Coyote knows she needs to return to recover a memory box that she and her sisters had buried there. She devises a plan to overcome her father's objections to returning. (Suggested for grades 5-8; 344 pages)

Countdown
In the first book of Deborah Wiles' Sixties Trilogy, Franny is an 11-year-old girl growing up in Arlington, Virginia, in 1962. With the country under threat of a nuclear attack from Russia, children are taught to duck and cover and people build bomb shelters in their backyards. Confused and scared, Franny has to find the courage to get through this terrifying time. (Suggested for grades 5-8; 377 pages)

The Night Diary
Set in 1947 India, Veera Hiranandani's book traces the journey of 12-year-old twins Nisha and Amil, who live with their father, their grandmother, and a housekeeper named Kazi. The family is Hindu, Kazi a Muslim. At the end of British rule, the family lives in what will become Pakistan and must get to India, but Kazi can't go with them. They make a grueling walk to safety, almost losing their lives. Winner of the 2019 Newbery Award, the story of perseverance is based on true events of which many students may have no knowledge. (Suggested for grades 5-8; 267 pages)

With the Fire on High
Emoni is a 17-year-old mother in Philadelphia who lives with her grandmother and her 2-year-old daughter in this book by Elizabeth Acevedo. Her mother is dead, and her dad lives in Puerto Rico. She struggles with work, raising a child, and schoolwork. When she registers for the culinary arts class at school, she and the head chef bump heads at first, but he becomes her advocate. The book includes recipes-a perfect supplement for this at-home period. (Suggested for grades 9-12; 389 pages)

Responding to a Crisis

Young adult literature is replete with characters responding to crises. Many teens relate to protagonists' emotional response to difficult situations. As students face uncertainty in their school and home life, books can help them find strength they never knew they had. The following books have teens who encounter and conquer exceptional events.

Terror at Bottle Creek
Cort lives on a houseboat with his dad on the Gulf Coast in this novel by Key Watt. In preparation for a hurricane, his dad secures the boat and leaves to check on his mom, who lives on land. Cort stays behind with the two daughters of the marina owner. When the hurricane hits, Cort's dog falls into the water. As the kids struggle to save him, the boat breaks away. The next chapters are truly terrifying. Can Cort save the girls and himself? (Suggested for grades 5-8; 213 pages)

The Breadwinner
In this book by Deborah Ellis, Parvana is an 11-year-old girl growing up under Taliban rule in Afghanistan. After her father's arrest, her mother and sisters depend on her to keep the family going. It is against the law for girls to go out in public without a male companion, but Parvana, who is small and can disguise herself as a boy, goes out alone, putting herself in danger to save her family. (Suggested for grades 5-8; 171 pages)

Not If I Save You First
Maddie's dad is the head of the president's security team, and her best friend is Logan, the president's son. Her dad is shot in a kidnapping attempt, and they relocate to Alaska. Six years later, when Logan visits Alaska, the bad guys return and kidnap him, and Maddie has to save him. There are lots of funny lines, a little romance, and great action in this book by Ally Carter. (Suggested for grades 9-12; 304 pages)

I Am Still Alive
When her mother is killed in a car crash, Jess has to go live with her father, whom she hasn't seen in years. He lives in a cabin with no modern conveniences in the Canadian wilderness. When he is murdered and the cabin is burned down, Jess has to figure out how to survive-and how to avenge her father's death. In this fast-paced narrative by Kate Alice Marshall, Jess overcomes many obstacles, including isolation and despair. (Suggested for grades 9-12; 336 pages)

When We Were Lost
A group of high school students survives a plane crash in a jungle, but they don't know where they are. One student, a loner named Tom, doesn't see himself as a leader, though it is clear to a reader that he has leadership qualities long before he recognizes it. Kevin Wignall's novel depicts dangers of the jungle that include snakes, jaguars, caimans, and cocaine dealers. Tom puts himself at risk again and again to save people who become his friends. An excellent book for reluctant readers who like action. (Suggested for grades 9-12; 306 pages)

Finding Laughter and Fun

Even in the midst of a global pandemic, students need light-hearted reading to escape reality for a while. Laughter relieves stress and reminds preteens and teens they are not alone.

Dear Sweet Pea
Patricia-known as Sweet Pea-is finishing seventh grade in a bit of a turmoil in this novel by Julie Murphy. Her parents are getting a divorce, and her father rents the house two doors down. When Miss Flora Mae, the local advice columnist, asks Sweet Pea to check her mail when she has to go out of town, Sweet Pea decides to answer a few of the letters. One is from Sweet Pea's former best friend and another is from her current best friend-what will happen to their friendships if Sweet Pea gives them advice? (Suggested for grades 5-8; 273 pages)

Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World
In this book by Shannon and Dean Hale, Doreen and her family have moved to New Jersey from California, and she is having a hard time in her new school. Eighth-grader Doreen is no ordinary girl: She has a tail and the abilities of a squirrel. When her tail slips out and she defeats some bullies, the legend of Squirrel Girl is born. Superhero fans will recognize Squirrel Girl from Marvel Comics. The inside jokes and the comments made by Doreen in the footnotes make this a delightful read. (Suggested for grades 5-8; 323 pages)

The Size of the Truth
Alternating chapters of this book by Andrew Smith are narrated by 4-year-old Sam and 11-year-old Sam. Young Sam falls in a well and spends three days there with a talking armadillo. Preteen Sam skips a grade and finds middle school overwhelming. James, who was responsible for Sam's fall into the well, is middle school Sam's locker neighbor. Sam is pretty sure James is going to kill him, but little by little, he realizes that things are not as they seem. The boys bond in a humorous story of friendship and understanding. (Suggested for grades 5-8; 266 pages)

Kill All Happies
Vic is hosting a secret graduation party, but readers quickly realize things are going to be crazy. If things can go wrong, they do-in humorous ways. A love story weaves throughout. Fans of Rachel Cohn's other books- Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, Eli, and Naomi's No Kiss List -will not be shocked at the graphic language, underage drinking, or sexual situations. (Suggested for grades 9-12; 279 pages)

Where I End and You Begin
In 2017, the city where the solar eclipse lasted longest was Carbondale, Illinois. During the eclipse, two high school students, Ezra and Wynonna, switch bodies. This hilarious book by Preston Norton has hard-shelled Wynonna finding out what it's like to be kind like Ezra, who finds out what it's like to be a lonely girl with no parents. (Suggested for grades 9-12; 419 pages)

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager
Ben Philippe's protagonist, Norris, is a Haitian-Canadian who moves with his mom from Montreal to Texas. Norris keeps a journal, patterning his entries after field guides, categorizing the kids at Anderson High by type. Norris falls for a girl named Aarti, but embarrassment strikes when his field guide is shared and his peers read his witty comments. (Suggested for grades 9-12; 372 pages)

Exploring Dystopian Tales

Dystopian novels have been popular for years, but their fame soared after the hit Hunger Games series. While this topic may not appeal to all students, some will enjoy reading about situations that make our current one feel a little less desperate.

Maximillian Fly
When a catastrophe threatens the human race, scientists realize that cockroaches can survive anything, so they develop a way to add roach DNA to humans. The experiment backfires, and some humans have roach babies-Max is one of them. One night, he saves two wingless roaches-regular humans-who are running from the authorities. There is much action as Max works to save the two, but the underlying theme of this book by Angie Sage is deeper: fighting discrimination and not judging people-or cockroaches-by their appearance. (Suggested for grades 5-8; 370 pages)

Life as We Knew It
When a meteor hits the moon and knocks it off its axis, catastrophic natural events begin to happen in this book by Susan Pfeffer. Miranda and her mom and brothers have to figure out how to survive. Staples of everyday life, like stores filled with supplies, vanish. Miranda's mother is a courageous taskmaster-characteristics that help her family survive. If young readers enjoy this book, there are several sequels. (Suggested for grades 9-12; 337 pages)

Dread Nation
This book by Justina Ireland rewrites history: The Civil War ended because North and South had to band together to fight another enemy-zombies. Jane and Katherine are two biracial girls at school. Jane wants to go back to Kentucky to see her mother, while Katherine wants to be in the world of the rich. Their plans change when they stumble onto an evil plot and travel to a town that is billed as a utopia but is actually a slave camp. Using Katherine's ability to pass as white, the girls manage to escape. This entertaining book weaves in historical facts. (Suggested for grades 9-12; 464 pages)

Scythe
A disturbing, wonderful book by Neal Shusterman, Scythe traces the lives of Citra and Rowan, who are being trained to glean-kill-people because otherwise resources will run out in a world where death by natural causes has been eliminated. Their instructor recognizes their humanity-a contrast to less ethical scythes, who are serial killers. Citra and Rowan navigate an impossible situation, and their terrifying story continues in two more books. (Suggested for grades 9-12; 433 pages)

Dry
This terrifying book by father and son authors Neal and Jarrod Schusterman takes place in Southern California, where the severe drought has reached its peak. Alyssa, her brother, and their neighbor embark on a journey to find her parents, who left to search for water. Things go horribly wrong, and their trip is fraught with one disastrous incident after another. (Suggested for grades 9-12; 400 pages)

How We Became Wicked
When the world is struck by an insect-borne plague, only three types of survivors remain: The true are uninfected, the vexed are immune, and the wicked, who are infected, are killers. An experiment gone wrong leaves only two teenagers, Hank and Astrid, in a domed city. Hank is true, and Astrid is vexed. Another vexed teen, Natalie, lives on an island with her mother and baby sister and her wicked grandfather. The two stories, told in alternating chapters in this book by Alex Yates, reveal a shocking relationship between the two girls. (Suggested for grades 9-12; 361 pages)

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22 YA Novels to Help Students Process the Pandemic (or Forget It for a Bit)

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Teachers often select books for their preteen and teen students that provide windows and mirrors, ways for students to learn about others or see themselves. In this unprecedented time when students wrestle with the abrupt changes in routine caused by the coronavirus pandemic, literature is an even more important tool for contextualizing current events and allowing students to better understand their experiences.

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We all want our students to love reading, right? Like anything else, our passion for authors and books has a way of spreading to the students. And let's face it, nothing feels quite as awesome as leading a student to just the right book!

So whether you already have an extensive classroom library or are a teacher new to young adult literature, I hope you will find some inspiration from my infographic. Honestly, there wasn't enough space for the multitude of excellent authors out there writing for middle school readers! I've also provided 40 titles from these incredible authors that are some of the most popular books for middle school students out there.

The Car - An awesome coming-of-age story! Fourteen-year-old Terry takes an unexpected road trip with an older hitchhiker and his biker friend.

Woods Runner - For kids who like history, thirteen-year-old Samuel's parents are taken prisoner during an attack on their home (Revolutionary War era info included). He must go into survival mode to find and rescue them.

Sniper - A suspenseful tale of Ben, who must deal with a killer on a wildlife preserve while his parents are away. Don't let this novel go overlooked!

Touching Spirit Bear - The book's opener draws in reluctant readers. A young teen's life is changed after he is sent to a remote Alaskan island in exchange for a prison sentence.

Warriors, Seekers, Survivors - These are the names of three novel series kids love written by Erin Hunter, who is actually six different writers! They write together to put out these AMAZING animal fantasies in prolific fashion. Cat lovers will obsess following the stories of four clans of wild cats in the Warriors novels, which begin with Into the Wild and then Fire and Ice.

Bat Boy, Summer Ball, True Legend, Travel Team - Any book from Lupica hits the mark with sports lovers, but these four are class faves. The first two are baseball stories and the second two are basketball-related. Struggling readers do great with Lupica's Comeback Kids and Game Changers Series, with lots of titles to grab them, such as Two Minute Drill.

The Crossover Series - This trio of novels-in-verse is an instant pick for middle school readers with a passion for basketball and soccer. Beyond sports, issues around growing up, family problems, and tough choices will resonate with students. Alexander's language is vivid, gripping, fast-paced, and fun to read. Students can't get enough!

7. Sarah Dessen

Keeping the Moon, Just Listen - Dessen's writing captures so much about our students' emotional concerns-dealing with friendships, rumors, negative body image, dysfunctional family situations, ETC. But she also can inject lightheartedness as needed. Girls easily get hooked on this author.

Tears of a Tiger - A very intense, riveting novel that draws in reluctant readers. Draper uses journals entries, letters and conversations to tell the story of Andy Jackson, whose drinking and driving resulted in the death of his close friend. The novel's climax, Andy's suicide, is a sad and thought-provoking ending.

Blueford High Series - There are tons of short novels in this series, set in an urban high school, that are high in drama and action, yet easy to read. is a great one to recommend as a starting point. Langan's novels have mostly male protagonists, so the boys like these titles. Anne Schraft is another Blueford High author, who writes title with mostly female protagonists. Lost and Found is a great first choice.

A Dog's Life - Your sensitive dog-lover types will fall for this story about a stray puppy going through the ups and downs of life.

Everything for a Dog - This book picks up the story of one character from A Dog's Life, adds two human characters with their own storylines, and brings it all together magnificently. An awesome read for animal lovers!

The Face on the Milk Carton, Wanted, Fatality - These mystery/suspense titles are some of the most popular books in our class library! For middle school readers, I can't recommend them highly enough! Cooney weaves teen angst, kidnappings, theft, romance, family issues, (you name it!) all into irresistible page-turning stunners.

The Séance, A Deadly Game of Magic, Spirit Seeker - Nixon writes suspense that draws in young readers. The chapters end in cliff hangers. More popular with the girls, probably due to her mostly female protagonists.

Killing Mr. Griffin - Kids are intrigued by this thriller in which high school students kidnap their English teacher because they don't like him. Though they only meant to hurt him, he ends up dying, and they become involved in a gruesome cover-up.

Girl, Stolen - This amazing author provides a page-turning read in this thriller, in demand by students! A kidnapping plot with a blind protagonist (victim) and a high school dropout abductor. Your more sophisticated readers will enjoy The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die, The Body in the Woods, and The Night She Disappeared.

Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life Series, I Funny Series - These are the books my "rebellious readers" will gravitate toward (mostly boys), and that's okay! Patterson's characters come in the form of middle school "misfits" and bullies, pictures keep readers interested, and some emotionally-charged plot twists help students feel connected as they read.

- This big-time dystopian novel tells of the protagonist Beatrice, who doesn't fit into any "factions" determined by the government. Though a lengthy read, it's a favorite (along with its sequel, ) among stronger readers.

The Maze Runner Series - Though many have seen the movies, students bring these titles to class to read! Even reluctant readers are willing to read the first book (a definite page-turner from the get-go), and are pleased with themselves for completing it!

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So there you have it, a sampling of our most highly acclaimed authors and books for middle school. If you want to connect students with books they'll love, check out a few for your own reading. Once you get started, you'll be hooked, and on your way to becoming an expert in guiding student choices. I'd love to know which authors and books your middle-schoolers are raving about, so feel free to share! Thanks for reading!

You may be interested in these resources for student response to choice reading:

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Fabulous Authors and 40 Book Recommendations for Middle School Readers

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We all want our students to love reading, right? Like anything else, our passion for authors and books has a way of spreading to the students. And let's face it, nothing feels quite as awesome as leading a student to just the right book!

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Just like with my YA list from earlier this week, this list could have easily been much longer. Why oh why do we ever have to do anything other than read? I could easily fill every single waking hour with reading.

Also just like my YA list, this list is heavy on the contemporary fiction. It's what I like best. I'm not saying there are no good fantasy or sci-fi or whatever books-this is just my personal list of anticipated reads.
Hop in the comments or catch me on Twitter @CiteSomething and tell me what you are excited to read in 2020!
All descriptions from the publishers or Goodreads summaries.

Leaving Lymon by Lesa Cline-Ransome (ISBN-13: 9780823444427 Publisher: Holiday House Publication date: 01/07/2020)
Behind every bad boy is a story worth hearing and at least one chance for redemption. It's 1946 and Lymon, uprooted from his life in the Deep South and moved up North, needs that chance.
Lymon's father is, for the time being, at Parchman Farm-the Mississippi State Penitentiary-and his mother, whom he doesn't remember all that much, has moved North. Fortunately, Lymon is being raised by his loving grandparents. Together, Lymon and his grandpops share a love of music, spending late summer nights playing the guitar.

But Lymon's world as he knows it is about to dissolve. He will be sent on a journey to two Northern cities far from the country life he loves-and the version of himself he knows. In this companion novel to the Coretta Scott King Honor wining Finding Langston, readers will see a new side of the bully Lymon in this story of an angry boy whose raw talent, resilience, and devotion to music help point him in a new direction.

From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks (ISBN-13: 9780062875853 Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Publication date: 01/14/2020)
From debut author Janae Marks comes a captivating mystery full of heart, as one courageous girl questions assumptions, searches for the truth, and does what she believes is right-even in the face of great opposition. A perfect book for fans of Front Desk and All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook!
Zoe Washington isn't sure what to write. What does a girl say to the father she's never met, hadn't heard from until his letter arrived on her twelfth birthday, and who's been in prison for a terrible crime?

A crime he says he never committed.

Could Marcus really be innocent? Zoe is determined to uncover the truth. Even if it means hiding his letters and her investigation from the rest of her family. Everyone else thinks Zoe's worrying about doing a good job at her bakery internship and proving to her parents that she's worthy of auditioning for Food Network's Kids Bake Challenge.

But with bakery confections on one part of her mind, and Marcus's conviction weighing heavily on the other, this is one recipe Zoe doesn't know how to balance. The only thing she knows to be true: Everyone lies.

King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender (ISBN-13: 9781338129335 Publisher: Scholastic, Inc. Publication date: 02/04/2020)
In a small but turbulent Louisiana town, one boy's grief takes him beyond the bayous of his backyard, to learn that there is no right way to be yourself.
Twelve-year-old Kingston James is sure his brother Khalid has turned into a dragonfly. When Khalid unexpectedly passed away, he shed what was his first skin for another to live down by the bayou in their small Louisiana town. Khalid still visits in dreams, and King must keep these secrets to himself as he watches grief transform his family.

It would be easier if King could talk with his best friend, Sandy Sanders. But just days before he died, Khalid told King to end their friendship, after overhearing a secret about Sandy-that he thinks he might be gay. "You don't want anyone to think you're gay too, do you?"

But when Sandy goes missing, sparking a town-wide search, and King finds his former best friend hiding in a tent in his backyard, he agrees to help Sandy escape from his abusive father, and the two begin an adventure as they build their own private paradise down by the bayou and among the dragonflies. As King's friendship with Sandy is reignited, he's forced to confront questions about himself and the reality of his brother's death.

The Thing About Jellyfish meets The Stars Beneath Our Feet in this story about loss, grief, and finding the courage to discover one's identity, from the author of Hurricane Child.

Snapdragon by Kat Leyh (ISBN-13: 9781250171115 Publisher: First Second Publication date: 02/04/2020)
Kat Leyh's Snapdragon is a magical realist graphic novel about a young girl who befriends her town's witch and discovers the strange magic within herself.
Snap's town had a witch.

At least, that's how the rumor goes. But in reality, Jacks is just a crocks-wearing, internet-savvy old lady who sells roadkill skeletons online-after doing a little ritual to put their spirits to rest. It's creepy, sure, but Snap thinks it's kind of cool, too.

They make a deal: Jacks will teach Snap how to take care of the baby opossums that Snap rescued, and Snap will help Jacks with her work. But as Snap starts to get to know Jacks, she realizes that Jacks may in fact have real magic-and a connection with Snap's family's past.

Parked by Danielle Svetcov (ISBN-13: 9780399539039 Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group Publication date: 02/04/2020)
Rebecca Stead meets The Westing Game in this scrappy, poignant, uplifting debut about family, friendship, and accepting help enough to help yourself.
Twelve-year-old Jeanne Ann has doubts when her mom spends their savings on an old orange van and bundles them off to San Francisco to chase Mom's dream of working as a chef. There, they camp on the street while her mother looks for a job she never gets. Before long, Jeanne Ann realizes that this van is the closest thing she has to a home.

Across the road, twelve-year-old Cal watches the homeless community parked just beyond his big house. Cal's mom is busy with the upscale restaurant she owns, but they've always been close-until Cal does something his mom just doesn't understand.

Then Cal and Jeanne Ann meet. Cal is too tall and too weird and too rich and wears all his feelings on the outside of his skin, and he just wants to help. Jeanne Ann is smart, she is funny, she is stubborn-hers is a royal-looking chin, in Cal's opinion-and she does not want his help. But a quirky, meaningful friendship develops. And as it does, the pair is buoyed by a remarkable cast of nuanced, oddball characters who let them down and lift them up.

Debut novelist Danielle Svetcov nails heartbreak and hope, and pulls it off with a kind of kid-speed levity and warmth that make the funny parts of this story cathartic and the difficult parts all the more affecting.

Gloom Town by Ronald L. Smith (ISBN-13: 9781328841612 Publisher: HMH Books Publication date: 02/11/2020)
A delightfully creepy novel from a Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award winner imbued with magic and seafaring mythology. Lemony Snicket and Jessica Townsend meet Greenglass House, with a hint of Edward Gorey thrown in.
When twelve-year-old Rory applies for a job at a spooky old mansion in his gloomy seaside town, he finds the owner, Lord Foxglove, odd and unpleasant. But he and his mom need the money, so he takes the job anyway. Rory soon finds out that his new boss is not just strange, he's not even human-and he's trying to steal the townspeople's shadows. Together, Rory and his friend Isabella set out to uncover exactly what Foxglove and his otherworldly accomplices are planning and devise a strategy to defeat them. But can two kids defeat a group of ancient evil beings who are determined to take over the world?

Another delightfully creepy tale from Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award-winning author, Ronald L. Smith.

Middle School's a Drag, You Better Werk! by Greg Howard (ISBN-13: 9780525517528 Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group Publication date: 02/11/2020)
In this heartfelt and hilarious new novel from Greg Howard, an enterprising boy starts his own junior talent agency and signs a thirteen-year-old aspiring drag queen as his first client.
Twelve-year-old Mikey Pruitt-president, founder, and CEO of Anything, Inc.-has always been an entrepreneur at heart. Inspired by his grandfather Pap Pruitt, who successfully ran all sorts of businesses from a car wash to a roadside peanut stand, Mikey is still looking for his million-dollar idea. Unfortunately, most of his ideas so far have failed. A baby tornado ran off with his general store, and the kids in his neighborhood never did come back for their second croquet lesson. But Mikey is determined to keep at it.

It isn't until kid drag queen Coco Caliente, Mistress of Madness and Mayhem (aka eighth grader Julian Vasquez) walks into his office (aka his family's storage/laundry room) looking for an agent that Mikey thinks he's finally found his million-dollar idea, and the Anything Talent and Pizzazz Agency is born!

Soon, Mikey has a whole roster of kid clients looking to hit it big or at least win the middle school talent show's hundred-dollar prize. As newly out Mikey prepares Julian for the gig of a lifetime, he realizes there's no rulebook for being gay-and if Julian can be openly gay at school, maybe Mikey can, too, and tell his crush, dreamy Colton Sanford, how he feels.

Full of laughs, sass, and hijinks, this hilarious, heartfelt story shows that with a little effort and a lot of love, anything is possible.

A High Five for Glenn Burke by Phil Bildner (ISBN-13: 9780374312732 Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Publication date: 02/25/2020)
A heartfelt and relatable novel from Phil Bildner, weaving the real history of Los Angeles Dodger and Oakland Athletic Glenn Burke-the first professional baseball player to come out as gay-into the story of a middle-school kid learning to be himself.
When sixth grader Silas Wade does a school presentation on former Major League Baseball player Glenn Burke, it's more than just a report on the inventor of the high five. Burke was a black gay baseball player in the 1970s-and for Silas, the presentation is his own first baby step toward coming out as gay.

Soon he tells his best friend Zoey, but the longer he keeps his secret from his baseball teammates, the more he suspects they know something's up. Kids get pulled from the team, fingers point at Silas, and he stages one big cover-up with terrible consequences. Was it a mistake to share his truth?

A High Five for Glenn Burke is Phil Bildner's most personal novel yet, and drives home the message that there's no one way to come out-and there's a place in the field for everyone.

Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte (ISBN-13: 9781338255812 Publisher: Scholastic, Inc. Publication date: 03/03/2020)
Deaf author and librarian Ann Clare LeZotte weaves a riveting Own Voices story inspired by the true history of a thriving deaf community on Martha's Vineyard in the early 19th century.
Mary Lambert has always felt safe and protected on her beloved island of Martha's Vineyard. Her great-great-grandfather was an early English settler and the first deaf islander. Now, over a hundred years later, many people there - including Mary - are deaf, and nearly everyone can communicate in sign language. Mary has never felt isolated. She is proud of her lineage.

But recent events have delivered winds of change. Mary's brother died, leaving her family shattered. Tensions over land disputes are mounting between English settlers and the Wampanoag people. And a cunning young scientist has arrived, hoping to discover the origin of the island's prevalent deafness. His maniacal drive to find answers soon renders Mary a "live specimen" in a cruel experiment. Her struggle to save herself is at the core of this penetrating and poignant novel that probes our perceptions of ability and disability. It will make you forever question your own ideas about what is normal.

Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes (ISBN-13: 9780316493802 Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Publication date: 03/03/2020)
From award-winning and bestselling author, Jewell Parker Rhodes comes a powerful coming-of-age story about two brothers, one who presents as white, the other as black, and the complex ways in which they are forced to navigate the world, all while training for a fencing competition.
Donte wishes he were invisible. As one of the few black boys at Middlefield Prep, he feels as if he is constantly swimming in whiteness. Most of the students don't look like him. They don't like him either. Dubbed the "Black Brother," Donte's teachers and classmates make it clear they wish he were more like his lighter skinned brother, Trey. Quiet, obedient.

When an incident with "King" Alan leads to Donte's arrest and suspension, he knows the only way to get even is to beat the king of the school at his own game: fencing. With the help of a former Olympic fencer, Donte embarks on a journey to carve out a spot on Middlefield Prep's fencing team and maybe learn something about himself along the way.

The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman (ISBN-13: 9781984837356 Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group Publication date: 03/10/2020)
Like Ruta Sepetys for middle grade, Anne Blankman pens a poignant and timeless story of friendship that twines together moments in underexplored history.
On a spring morning, neighbors Valentina Kaplan and Oksana Savchenko wake up to an angry red sky. A reactor at the nuclear power plant where their fathers work-Chernobyl-has exploded. Before they know it, the two girls, who've always been enemies, find themselves on a train bound for Leningrad to stay with Valentina's estranged grandmother, Rita Grigorievna. In their new lives in Leningrad, they begin to learn what it means to trust another person. Oksana must face the lies her parents told her all her life. Valentina must keep her grandmother's secret, one that could put all their lives in danger. And both of them discover something they've wished for: a best friend. But how far would you go to save your best friend's life? Would you risk your own?

Told in alternating perspectives among three girls-Valentina and Oksana in 1986 and Rifka in 1941-this story shows that hatred, intolerance, and oppression are no match for the power of true friendship.

Stand Up, Yumi Chung! by Jessica Kim (ISBN-13: 9780525554974 Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group Publication date: 03/17/2020)
One lie snowballs into a full-blown double life in this irresistible story about an aspiring stand-up comedian.
On the outside, Yumi Chung suffers from #shygirlproblems, a perm-gone-wrong, and kids calling her "Yu-MEAT" because she smells like her family's Korean barbecue restaurant. On the inside, Yumi is ready for her Netflix stand-up special. Her notebook is filled with mortifying memories that she's reworked into comedy gold. All she needs is a stage and courage.

Instead of spending the summer studying her favorite YouTube comedians, Yumi is enrolled in test-prep tutoring to qualify for a private school scholarship, which will help in a time of hardship at the restaurant. One day after class, Yumi stumbles on an opportunity that will change her life: a comedy camp for kids taught by one of her favorite YouTube stars. The only problem is that the instructor and all the students think she's a girl named Kay Nakamura-and Yumi doesn't correct them.

As this case of mistaken identity unravels, Yumi must decide to stand up and reveal the truth or risk losing her dreams and disappointing everyone she cares about.

The Boys in the Back Row by Mike Jung (INFO TK Publication date: Fall 2020)

Mike Jung's The Boys in the Back Row, is a story of comic nerds, band geeks, and one grand misadventure in the name of friendship. It will release in Spring 2020.

The Only Black Girls in Town by Brandy Colbert (ISBN-13: 9780316456388 Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Publication date: 03/24/2020)

Award-winning YA author Brandy Colbert's debut middle-grade novel about the only two black girls in town who discover a collection of hidden journals revealing shocking secrets of the past.

Beach-loving surfer Alberta has been the only black girl in town for years. Alberta's best friend, Laramie, is the closest thing she has to a sister, but there are some things even Laramie can't understand. When the bed and breakfast across the street finds new owners, Alberta is ecstatic to learn the family is black-and they have a 12-year-old daughter just like her.

Alberta is positive she and the new girl, Edie, will be fast friends. But while Alberta loves being a California girl, Edie misses her native Brooklyn and finds it hard to adapt to small-town living.

When the girls discover a box of old journals in Edie's attic, they team up to figure out exactly who's behind them and why they got left behind. Soon they discover shocking and painful secrets of the past and learn that nothing is quite what it seems.

Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros (ISBN-13: 9780062881687 Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Publication date: 03/31/2020)

Divided is a not-to-be-missed debut middle grade novel for readers who love Front Desk or Merci Suárez Changes Gears-or for anyone working toward a more loving world-about family, friendship, and tearing down the walls being built between us.

Efrén Nava's Amá is his Superwoman-or Soperwoman, named after the delicious Mexican sopes his mother often prepares. Both Amá and Apá work hard all day to provide for the family, making sure Efrén and his younger siblings Max and Mía feel safe and loved.

But Efrén worries about his parents; although he's American-born, his parents are undocumented. His worst nightmare comes true one day when Amá doesn't return from work and is deported across the border to Tijuana, México.

Now more than ever, Efrén must channel his inner Soperboy to help take care of and try to reunite his family.

Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega (ISBN-13: 9781338280128 Publisher: Scholastic, Inc. Publication date: 04/07/2020)
Coco meets Stranger Things with a hint of Ghostbusters in this action-packed supernatural fantasy.
For Lucely Luna, ghosts are more than just the family business.

Shortly before Halloween, Lucely and her best friend, Syd, cast a spell that accidentally awakens malicious spirits, wreaking havoc throughout St. Augustine. Together, they must join forces with Syd's witch grandmother, Babette, and her tubby tabby, Chunk, to fight the haunting head-on and reverse the curse to save the town and Lucely's firefly spirits before it's too late.

With the family dynamics of Coco and action-packed adventure of Ghostbusters, Claribel A. Ortega delivers both a thrillingly spooky and delightfully sweet debut novel.

A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Joy McCullough (ISBN-13: 9781534438491 Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers Publication date: 04/14/2020)
A girl with a passion for science and a boy who dreams of writing fantasy novels must figure out how to get along now that their parents are dating in this lively, endearing novel.
Sutton is having robot problems. Her mini-bot is supposed to be able to get through a maze in under a minute, but she must have gotten something wrong in the coding. Which is frustrating for a science-minded girl like Sutton-almost as frustrating as the fact that her mother probably won't be home in time for Sutton's tenth birthday.

Luis spends his days writing thrilling stories about brave kids, but there's only so much inspiration you can find when you're stuck inside all day. He's allergic to bees, afraid of dogs, and has an overprotective mom to boot. So Luis can only dream of daring adventures in the wild.

Sutton and Luis couldn't be more different from each other. Except now that their parents are dating, these two have to find some common ground. Will they be able to navigate their way down a path they never planned on exploring?

Rick by Alex Gino (ISBN-13: 9781338048100 Publisher: Scholastic, Inc. Publication date: 04/21/2020)
From the award-winning author of George, the story of a boy named Rick who needs to explore his own identity apart from his jerk of a best friend.
Rick's never questioned much. He's gone along with his best friend Jeff even when Jeff's acted like a bully and a jerk. He's let his father joke with him about which hot girls he might want to date even though that kind of talk always makes him uncomfortable. And he hasn't given his own identity much thought, because everyone else around him seemed to have figured it out.

But now Rick's gotten to middle school, and new doors are opening. One of them leads to the school's Rainbow Spectrum club, where kids of many genders and identities congregate, including Melissa, the girl who sits in front of Rick in class and seems to have her life together. Rick wants his own life to be that . . . understood. Even if it means breaking some old friendships and making some new ones.

As they did in their groundbreaking novel GEORGE, in RICK, award-winning author Alex Gino explores what it means to search for your own place in the world . . . and all the steps you and the people around you need to take in order to get where you need to be.

A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqi, Laura Shovan (ISBN-13: 9780358116684 Publisher: HMH Books Publication date: 05/12/2020)
A timely, accessible, and beautifully written story exploring themes of food, friendship, family and what it means to belong, featuring sixth-graders Sara, a Pakistani American, and Elizabeth, a white, Jewish girl taking a South Asian cooking class taught by Sara's mom.
Sixth graders Sara and Elizabeth could not be more different. Sara is at a new school that is completely unlike the small Islamic school she used to attend. Elizabeth has her own problems: her British mum has been struggling with depression. The girls meet in an after-school South Asian cooking class, which Elizabeth takes because her mom has stopped cooking, and which Sara, who hates to cook, is forced to attend because her mother is the teacher. The girls form a shaky alliance that gradually deepens, and they make plans to create the most amazing, mouth-watering cross-cultural dish together and win a spot on a local food show. They make good cooking partners . . . but can they learn to trust each other enough to become true friends?

Dress Coded by Carrie Firestone (ISBN-13: 9781984816436 Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group Publication date: 07/07/2020)
In this debut middle-grade girl-power friendship story, an eighth grader starts a podcast to protest the unfair dress code enforcement at her middle school and sparks a rebellion.
Molly Frost is FED UP...

Because Olivia was yelled at for wearing a tank top when she had to keep her sweatshirt wrapped around her waist.

Because Liza got dress coded and Molly didn't, even though they were wearing the exact same outfit.

Because when Jessica was pulled over by the principal and missed a math quiz, her teacher gave her an F.

Because it's impossible to find shorts that are longer than her fingertips.

Because girls' bodies are not a distraction.

Because middle school is hard enough.

And so Molly starts a podcast where girls can tell their stories, and soon her small rebellion swells into a revolution. Because now the girls are standing up for what's right, and they're not backing down.

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20 2020 Middle Grade Books To Have On Your Radar - Teen Librarian Toolbox

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Just like with my YA list from earlier this week, this list could have easily been much longer. Why oh why do we ever have to do anything other than read? I could easily fill every single waking hour with reading. Also just like my YA list, this list is heavy on the contemporary fiction.

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It can be hard to motivate middle-schoolers with reading issues to pick up a book. One way to engage them is to find books with themes they can relate to at a time when they're trying to figure out who they are.

Here are nine great titles to explore with your reluctant middle school reader.

The lavish, enthralling illustrations in The Invention of Hugo Cabret draw readers in right away. But they include many details that are easy to miss at first glance. The text of the story is similar. It engages readers quickly, but gives way to a complex plot as the book moves along. The art and words work together to immerse readers in Hugo's world, where he is a 12-year-old boy living a hidden life in a Paris train station in the 1930s. Part graphic novel, part flip-book, part movie: Hugo Cabret is a masterpiece of words and art.

There's nothing like rooting for the underdog to get a kid pulled into a story, and Hoot's main character gets hit from all sides. Roy is the new kid in school. He's dealing with bullies his own age, but he ends up taking on adults who could be called the same. Mother Paula's All-American Pancake House is determined to bulldoze an abandoned lot that just happens to be home to some miniature burrowing owls. This funny, engaging ecological mystery really ropes in middle school kids as they root for the hero.

Before Suzanne Collins wrote the Hunger Games trilogy, she wroteThe Underland Chronicles. This set of five books is slightly less violent than Hunger Games, but it's just as captivating for middle school readers. The series tracks the adventures of a boy who falls down a manhole and ends up on journeys through the city's underbelly. All of this happens while life up on the street keeps rolling on as usual. Anyone who imagines an alternate reality will be swept up in the Underland books.

Jon Scieszka is the author of several great books and series for boys. He's obsessed with getting more boys interested in reading. His new Frank Einstein graphic novel includes the engaging text and illustrations he's known for. It also manages to combine science, technology, text, and art in one book that kids won't be able to put down. The author also runs a fantastic website called guysread.com that's chock-full of outstanding resources to get boys reading. It's a must-visit.

Six different narrators tell the story of Auggie, a boy who was born with facial deformities. details his struggles to fit in - or at least not stick out. Auggie is homeschooled until fifth grade, when he heads to his public school and really faces life in the public eye. His journey is beautifully told from different perspectives and can give all children insight into how other kids view them.

Carley finds herself by losing her family in One for the Murphys, a story about a young teen in the foster care system. The struggles she faces on her path to discovering who she is and what really matters will pull readers in. After some tough experiences with her mother and stepfather, Carley winds up in the busy home of the Murphys. There, she finds stability and an identity that she had always lacked.

Set in Afghanistan, this story centers around an 11-year-old and her family. They lose everything they have to the Taliban. When her father is arrested, Parvana comes up with a plan to disguise herself as a boy so she can earn money to support her family. The Breadwinner is the first of a three-book series that will have kids wanting the entire trilogy.

When Elise enters middle school, many changes come with it. Her friendships are different, there's bullying, and her family dynamics seem off, too. Then she receives a mysterious key as a gift for her 12th birthday. When she realizes that it unlocks one of the eight doors in the barn behind the house, things get very interesting. Elise's journey dealing with many changes can be helpful to kids who are going through similar things. Also, the suspense and readability of make it a great pick for middle school kids.

A middle school troublemaker accidentally ends up in a gifted program, where he doesn't belong for more reasons than one. His adventures end up bringing humanity to a school where kids' IQ scores trump everything else. Gordon Korman is a gifted writer for the middle school set. is just one of his fast-paced, insightful, well-written books for this age group.

Find more great books for your middle-schooler. Search the Book Finder tool from our founding partner, Reading Rockets.

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9 Great Books for Reluctant Readers in Middle School

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It can be hard to motivate middle-schoolers with reading issues to pick up a book. One way to engage them is to find books with themes they can relate to at a time when they're trying to figure out who they are. Here are nine great titles to explore with your reluctant middle school reader.

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I'm several weeks late, but happy to be presenting this list of middle grade books to read in 2020. I've also sprinkled in some delightful chapter books to read in 2020. These are far from all the books expected in 2020 (more like the first half) and I've only included books that I'm looking forward to reading.

I don't read fantasy or books with magical realism, so you won't be finding those on this list. Instead, you can expect a generous helping of realistic middle-grade novels, mostly by women. I also make the effort to read middle-grade books by Black authors and by Asian authors, so you'll find those here as well.

Without further ado, these are the 52 middle-grade books (and chapter books) to read in 2020 - one for every week of the year ;).

January 01, 2020

Farah Rocks Fifth Grade

Farah and her best friend, Allie Liu, are getting excited to turn in their applications to the Magnet Academy, where they both hope to attend sixth grade. But when new girl Dana Denver shows up, Farah's world is turned upside down.

As Dana starts bullying Farah's little brother, Samir, Farah begins to second-guess her choice to leave him behind at Harbortown Elementary/Middle School. Determined to handle it on her own, Farah comes up with a plan-a plan that involves lying to those closest to her. Will her lies catch up with her, or can Farah find a way to defeat the bully and rock fifth grade?

The Amazing Life of Azaleah Lane

Azaleah can't wait for her class field trip to the National Zoo in Washington D.C., especially when her teacher announces the chance to earn extra credit. But when Azaleah gets home, she quickly realizes extra credit isn't as easy as she thought. Azaleah's younger sister Tiana can't find Greenie, her stuffed animal, and she's sure he's been stolen.

With Mama at the restaurant and Daddy at work on a big case, it seems Azaleah is the only one available to track down the stolen stuffie. Can Azaleah get to the bottom of the mystery in time to finish her extra credit?

January 14, 2020

Mindy Kim and the Yummy Seaweed Business

Fresh Off the Boat meets Junie B. Jones in this first novel in an adorable new chapter book series about Mindy Kim, a young Asian American girl who is starting a snack business!
Mindy Kim just wants three things:
1. A puppy!
2. To fit in at her new school
3. For her dad to be happy again

But, getting all three of the things on her list is a lot trickier than she thought it would be. On her first day of school, Mindy's school snack of dried seaweed isn't exactly popular at the lunch table. Luckily, her new friend, Sally, makes the snacks seem totally delicious to Mindy's new classmates, so they decide to start the Yummy Seaweed Business to try and raise money for that puppy!

When another student decides to try and sabotage their business, Mindy loses more than she bargained for-and wonders if she'll ever fit in. Will Mindy be able to overcome her uncertainty and find the courage to be herself?

Mindy Kim and the Lunar New Year Parade

Mindy is excited to celebrate the Lunar New Year! Even though it's the first one without her mom, Mindy is determined to enjoy the day. She decides to make traditional Korean New Year food, a rice cake soup that's her favorite. But things aren't going quite to plan, and the celebration doesn't feel the same as it did before.

With the help of her family and friends, can Mindy find a way to still enjoy her old holiday traditions, and create new ones along the way?

Jan 07, 2020

Clean Getaway

How to Go on an Unplanned Road Trip with Your Grandma:
- Grab a Suitcase: Prepacked from the big spring break trip that got CANCELLED.
- Fasten Your Seatbelt: G'ma's never conventional, so this trip won't be either.
- Use the Green Book: G'ma's most treasured possession. It holds history, memories, and most important, the way home.

What Not to Bring:
- A Cell Phone: Avoid contact with Dad at all costs. Even when G'ma starts acting stranger than usual.

Set against the backdrop of the segregation history of the American South, take a trip with New York Times bestselling Nic Stone and an eleven-year-old boy who is about to discover that the world hasn't always been a welcoming place for kids like him, and things aren't always what they seem-his G'ma included.

Jan 14, 2020

From the Desk of Zoe Washington

Zoe Washington isn't sure what to write. What does a girl say to the father she's never met, hadn't heard from until his letter arrived on her twelfth birthday, and who's been in prison for a terrible crime?

A crime he says he never committed.

Could Marcus really be innocent? Zoe is determined to uncover the truth. Even if it means hiding his letters and her investigation from the rest of her family. Everyone else thinks Zoe's worrying about doing a good job at her bakery internship and proving to her parents that she's worthy of auditioning for Food Network's Kids Bake Challenge.

But with bakery confections on one part of her mind, and Marcus's conviction weighing heavily on the other, this is one recipe Zoe doesn't know how to balance. The only thing she knows to be true: Everyone lies.

Pixie Pushes On

Pixie's defenses are up, and it's no wonder. She's been uprooted, the chickens seem to have it in for her, and now her beloved sister, Charlotte, has been stricken with polio and whisked away into quarantine. So it's not surprising Pixie lashes out. But her habit of making snap judgements-and giving her classmates nicknames like "Rotten Ricky" and "Big-Mouth Berta"-hasn't won her any friends.

At least life on the farm is getting better with the delivery of its newest resident-a runt baby lamb. Raising Buster takes patience and understanding-and this slowing down helps Pixie put things in better perspective. So too does paying attention to her neighbors, and finding that with the war on she's not the only one missing someone. As Pixie pushes past her own pain to become a bigger person, she's finally able to make friends; and to laugh about the fact that it is in places where she least expected it.

Stella Diaz Never Gives Up

Stella gets a big surprise when her mom plans a trip to visit their family in Mexico! Stella loves marine animals, and she can't wait to see the ocean for the first time . . . until she arrives and learns that the sea and its life forms are in danger due to pollution.

Stella wants to save the ocean, but she knows she can't do it alone. It's going to take a lot of work and help from old and new friends to make a difference, but Stella Díaz never gives up!

February 1, 2020

Rating Your Bunkmates and Other Camp Crimes

Twelve-year-old Abigail Hensley is a socially awkward aspiring anthropologist who has always had trouble connecting with her peers. Abigail is hopeful that a week at sleepaway camp is the answer to finally making a friend. After all, her extensive research shows that summer camp is the best place to make lifelong connections.

Using her tried-and-true research methods, Abigail begins to study her cabinmates for friendship potential. But just when it seems that she is off to a good start, her bunkmate's phone gets stolen, and Abigail is the main suspect. Can she clear her name, find the real culprit, and make a friend before the week is done?

February 4, 2020

Parked

Twelve-year-old Jeanne Ann has doubts when her mom spends their savings on an old orange van and bundles them off to San Francisco to chase Mom's dream of working as a chef. There, they camp on the street while her mother looks for a job she never gets. Before long, Jeanne Ann realizes that this van is the closest thing she has to a home.

Across the road, twelve-year-old Cal watches the homeless community parked just beyond his big house. Cal's mom is busy with the upscale restaurant she owns, but they've always been close-until Cal does something his mom just doesn't understand.

Then Cal and Jeanne Ann meet. Cal is too tall and too weird and too rich and wears all his emotions on the outside of his skin, and he just wants to help. Jeanne Ann is smart, she is funny, she is stubborn-hers is a royal-looking chin, in
Cal's opinion-and she does not want his help. But a quirky, meaningful friendship develops between them, and as it does, the pair is buoyed by a remarkable cast of nuanced, oddball characters, who let them down and lift them up. When Jeanne Annn's situation worsens, though, and Cal's desire to help gets the better of him, will their friendship survive? And without it, can either of them find their way through this mess?

Pippa Park Raises Her Game

Chirp

A Galaxy of Sea Stars

At a time when everything in her small town of Seaside, Rhode Island, seems like it's changing, eleven-year-old Izzy Vitale wants things to stay the same. She wants her dad to start acting like he did before he was deployed to Afghanistan, she wants her mom to move back to the marina where they live, but most of all, she wants best friends - Piper and Zelda (dubbed the Sea Star Posse by their kindergarten teacher) - to stay best friends as they begin sixth grade at the regional middle school.

Then, Izzy's father invites his former Army interpreter from Afghanistan and his whole family - including eleven-year-old Sitara - to move into the upstairs apartment at the marina. Izzy doesn't know what to make of Sitara with her hijab and refusal to eat cafeteria food. She does know that her constant presence has become like a rogue wave disrupting the normally easy flow of the Sea Star Posse. But as Izzy gets to know Sitara, she can't help but admire her self-confidence and pride in her Muslim faith. Little by little, Izzy begins to realize there exists a world much larger than her safe but insulated harbor in Seaside.

When hate messages start showing up at the girls school and at the marina, Izzy and Sitara team up to discover the source of the vandalism. But what Izzy ultimately learns, will force her to make a choice: remain silent and betray Sitara or speak up for what she knows is right - even if it means losing the Sea Star Posse forever.

February 25, 2020

Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen

Vivy Cohen wants to play baseball. Ever since her hero, Major League star pitcher VJ Capello, taught her how to throw a knuckleball at a family fun day for kids with autism, she's been perfecting her pitch. And now she knows she's ready to play on a real team.

When her social skills teacher makes her write a letter to someone she knows, she writes to VJ and tells him everything about how much she wants to pitch, and how her mom says she can't because she's a girl and because she has autism. And then two amazing things happen: Vivy meets a Little League coach who invites her to join his team, the Flying Squirrels. And VJ starts writing back.

March 01, 2020

A Many Feathered Thing

Eleven-year-old Clara is known as the girl who draws, but she's not tortured enough to become a real artist. Her only suffering, besides embarrassment over her real name Clarity Kartoffel, German for Clarity Potato is a crippling inability to speak in public. When Clara and her oldest friend, Orion break their neighbor's glass gazing ball, Clara decides that in order to suffer like a true artist, she will do every hard thing in her path . . . starting with knocking on scary old Mr. Vogelman's door. That's when she meets Birdman. That's when she sees his swirling painting. And that's when everything changes.

To pay for the broken glass ball, Clara begins working for Birdman in his atelier. He challenges her to throw away her eraser and draw what she sees, not what she wants to see. But as Clara discovers, seeing, really seeing is hard. Almost as difficult as befriending the new girl at school, or navigating awkward feelings for Orion or finding the courage to speak in front of the entire class. But little does Clara know, the biggest challenges are yet to come. To cope with tragedy, she will have to do more than be brave. As Birdman teaches her, she will have to bring the hope.

March 03, 2020

The Queen Bee and Me

Meg has been friends with confident, self-assured Beatrix since kindergarten. She's always found comfort in Beatrix's shadow-even their families call them Beatrix-and-Meg. But middle school has brought some changes in Beatrix, especially when Meg tries to step outside her role as sidekick. Upsetting Beatrix means risking The Freeze-or worse.

Meg gets into a special science elective and wants to take the class, no matter what Beatrix thinks. But when quirky new girl Hazel becomes Meg's science partner, Beatrix sets her sights on Hazel. At first, Meg is taken aback at how mean Beatrix can be-and how difficult it is to stand up to her friend. But as Meg gets to know Hazel while working on their backyard beehive project, she starts to wonder: What's it really like to be the Queen Bee? And more importantly: Is being Beatrix's friend worth turning down the possibility of finding her own voice?

That's What Friends Do

Samantha Goldstein and David Fisher have been friends ever since they met on their town's Little League baseball team. But when a new kid named Luke starts hanging out with them, what was a comfortable pair becomes an awkward trio.

Luke's comments make Sammie feel uncomfortable-but all David sees is how easily Luke flirts with Sammie, and so David decides to finally make a move on the friend he's always had a crush on.

Soon things go all wrong and too far, and Sammie and David are both left feeling hurt, confused, and unsure of themselves, without anyone to talk to about what happened.

As rumors start flying around the school, David must try to make things right (if he can) and Sammie must learn to speak up about what's been done to her.

Summer in the City

Where Mango goes, drama is sure to follow! It's summer break, and Mango is content to spend her time babysitting her brother, hanging with her friend Izzy, and binge-watching movies late into the night. Then she runs into her drama teacher, who has some big news: their middle school play Yo, Romeo! is headed to the stage in New York City . . . and he wants Mango for the lead role! After overcoming her mom's initial reluctance-and with some firm rules established-Mango goes off to Brooklyn to stay with her Aunt Zendaya in a teeny apartment and prepare for her theatrical debut.

It's the opportunity of a lifetime, but soon Mango must confront homesickness, insecurity, and the all-important question of what it means to be a good friend-especially when you're far away from the people you love.

Things You Can't Say

Nothing is going right this summer for Drew. And after losing his dad unexpectedly three years ago, Drew knows a lot about things not going right. First, it's the new girl Audrey taking over everything at the library, Drew's sacred space. Then it's his best friend, Filipe, pulling away from him. But most upsetting has to be the mysterious man who is suddenly staying with Drew's family. An old friend of Mom's? Drew isn't buying that.

With an unlikely ally in Audrey, he's determined to get to the bottom of who this man really is. The thing is, there are some fears-like what if the person you thought was your dad actually wasn't -that you can't speak out loud, not to anyone. At least that's what Drew thinks.

But then again, first impressions can be deceiving.

Coo

Ten years ago, an impossible thing happened: a flock of pigeons picked up a human baby who had been abandoned in an empty lot and carried her, bundled in blankets, to their roof. Coo has lived her entire life on the rooftop with the pigeons who saved her. It's the only home she's ever known.

But then a hawk nearly kills Burr, the pigeon she loves most, and leaves him gravely hurt. Coo must make a perilous trip to the ground for the first time to find Tully, a retired postal worker who occasionally feeds Coo's flock and can heal injured birds.

Tully mends Burr's broken wing and coaxes Coo from her isolated life. Living with Tully, Coo experiences warmth, safety, and human relationships for the first time. But just as Coo is beginning to blossom, she learns that the human world is infinitely more complex-and cruel-than she could have imagined

The Lonely Heart of Maybelle Lane

Eleven-year-old Maybelle Lane collects sounds. She records the Louisiana crickets chirping, Momma strumming her guitar, their broken trailer door squeaking. But the crown jewel of her collection is a sound she didn't collect herself: an old recording of her daddy's warm-sunshine laugh, saved on an old phone's voicemail. It's the only thing she has of his, and the only thing she knows about him.

Until the day she hears that laugh-his laugh-pouring out of the car radio. Going against Momma's wishes, Maybelle starts listening to her radio DJ daddy's new show, drinking in every word like a plant leaning toward the sun. When he announces he'll be the judge of a singing contest in Nashville, she signs up. What better way to meet than to stand before him and sing with all her heart?

But the road to Nashville is bumpy. Her starch-stiff neighbor Mrs. Boggs offers to drive her in her RV. And a bully of a boy from the trailer park hitches a ride too. These are not the people May would have chosen to help her, but it turns out they're searching for things too. And the journey will bond them into the best kind of family-the kind you choose for yourself.

March 10, 2020

The Only Black Girls in Town

The Newspaper Club

Shortly after Nellie Murrow, named for one of the fiercest journalists who ever lived and daughter of two (former) newspaper reporters, move to sleepy Bear Creek, Maine, rumors of vandalism and attacks at the only park in town are keeping Nellie saddled to the house.

Some townspeople say the attacks are gang recruitments. Others blame a vagrant spotted on the hiking trails around town. But when Nellie thinks like a reporter, none of those explanations make sense. Something is happening at the park, but what? All of the fake online news and rumors are clouding the real news.

Nellie wants to break the story-and break free from the front yard-but she can't do it alone. She needs a whole club if she's going to start the town's first independent newspaper- The Cub Report. Creating a newspaper from scratch is going to be tough; but for Nellie, making friends is even harder.

Worse Than Weird

SUMMER CODING CAMP

INCOMING 7th GRADERS ONLY

EIGHT-WEEK SESSION BEGINS JUNE 28

THIS IS IT, MY SUMMER PLAN.

Hoping to ditch two months of chicken coops, Kale, and her parents' anti-screen rules, Mac MacLeod sets out to win a citywide food cart scavenger hunt and the money she needs for the summer coding camp of her dreams.

But Mac discovers more than just clues during her cross-city sprint - like how her weird parents might not be the worst thing compared to the circumstances of those around her.

March 17, 2020

Stand Up, Yumi Chung!

March 24, 2020

Center of Gravity

Tessa is an anxious person, but it's become worse since her mother died a few months ago. To calm herself down she cuts out photos of missing kids-from milk cartons-and keeps them in a file. It helps her feel like she's not alone.

When her dad announces suddenly that he's getting married-and that they're moving, Tessa must navigate new friendships and a new stepmother. She knows she should let go of old habits, but that's easier said than done. Her struggle is one that many readers will understand.

When You Know What I Know

One day after school, on the couch in the basement, Tori's uncle did something bad. Afterward, Tori tells her mom. Even though telling was a brave thing to do, her mom still doesn't believe her at first. Her grandma still takes his side. And Tori doesn't want anyone else-even her best friend-to know what happened.

Now Tori finds herself battling mixed emotions-anger, shame, and sadness-as she deals with the trauma. But with the help of her mom, her little sister, her best friend, and others, can Tori find a way to have the last word

March 31, 2020

How to Make Friends with the Sea
Pablo is homesick.
He's only twelve years old, but he's lived in more countries than he can count. After his parents divorced, he and his mother have moved from place to place for years, never settling anywhere long enough to call it home. And along the way, Pablo has collected more and more fears: of dirt, of germs, and most of all, of the ocean.

Now they're living in the Philippines, and his mother, a zoologist who works at a local wildlife refuge, is too busy saving animals to notice that Pablo might need saving, too. Then his mother takes in Chiqui, an orphaned girl with a cleft lip―and Pablo finds that through being strong for Chiqui, his own fears don't seem so scary.

He might even find the courage to face his biggest fear of all...and learn how to make friends with the sea.

What Stars Are Made of

Twelve-year-old Libby Monroe is great at science, being optimistic, and talking to her famous, accomplished friends (okay, maybe that last one is only in her head). She's not great at playing piano, sitting still, or figuring out how to say the right thing at the right time in real life. Libby was born with Turner Syndrome, and that makes some things hard. But she has lots of people who love her, and that makes her pretty lucky.

When her big sister Nonny tells her she's pregnant, Libby is thrilled-but worried. Nonny and her husband are in a financial black hole, and Libby knows that babies aren't always born healthy. So she strikes a deal with the universe: She'll enter a contest with a project about Cecelia Payne, the first person to discover what stars are made of. If she wins the grand prize and gives all that money to Nonny's family, then the baby will be perfect. Does she have what it takes to care for the sister that has always cared for her? And what will it take for the universe to notice?

The Great Upending

April 07, 2020

Mary Underwater

Mary Murphy feels like she's drowning. Her violent father is home from prison, and the social worker is suspicious of her new bruises. An aunt she's never met keeps calling. And if she can't get a good grade on her science project, she'll fail her favorite class.

But Mary doesn't want to be a victim anymore. She has a plan: build a real submarine, like the model she's been making with Kip Dwyer, the secretly sweet class clown.

Gaining courage from her heroine, Joan of Arc, Mary vows to pilot a sub across the Chesapeake Bay, risking her life in a modern crusade to save herself.

Mary Underwater is an empowering tale of persistence, heroism, and hope from a luminous new voice in middle-grade fiction.

April 14, 2020

A Field Guide to Getting Lost

Camp Clique

In the blink of a summer, Bea goes from having a best friend and a place she belongs to being dropped and invisible, eating lunch alone and only talking to teachers. The end of sixth grade and the start of Camp Amelia can't come soon enough.

But then the worst part of school, ex-best friend Maisy, shows up in Bea's safe place and ruins it all. Maisy lands in the same bunk as Bea and summer suddenly seems dire. Never having camped a day in her life, Maisy agrees: it's hopeless.

She should be at home, spending time with her little sister and hanging out with her super popular crew of friends-not at this stupid adventure camp failing everything and being hated by everyone. In a desperate bid to belong, Maisy offers Bea a deal: if Bea helps her fit in at the camp, she will get Bea into the M & M's, their town's popular clique, when they enter seventh grade in the fall. The Popularity Pact is born.

The Prettiest

THE PRETTIEST: It's the last thing Eve Hoffmann expected to be, the only thing Sophie Kane wants to be, and something Nessa Flores-Brady knows she'll never be . . . until a list appears online, ranking the top fifty prettiest girls in the eighth grade.

Eve is disgusted by the way her body is suddenly being objectified by everyone around her.
Sophie is sick of the bullying she's endured after being relegated to number two.
And Nessa is tired of everyone else trying to tell her who she is.

It's time for a takedown. As the three girls band together, they begin to stand up not just for themselves, but for one another, too.

April 21, 2020

Wrong Way Summer

Claire used to love her dad's fantastical stories, especially tales about her absent mom-who could be off with the circus or stolen by the troll king, depending on the day. But now that she's 12, Claire thinks she's old enough to know the truth.

When her dad sells the house and moves her and her brother into a converted van, she's tired of the tall tales and refuses to pretend it's all some grand adventure, despite how enthusiastically her little brother embraces this newest fantasy. Claire is faced with a choice: Will she play along with the stories her dad is spinning for her little brother, or will she force her family to face reality once and for all?

May 05, 2020

Keep It Together, Keiko Carter

We Dream of Space

Cash loves basketball, Dr. J, and a girl named Penny; he's also in danger of failing seventh grade for a second time. Fitch spends every afternoon playing Major Havoc at the arcade and wrestles with an explosive temper that he doesn't understand. And Bird, his twelve-year-old twin, dreams of being NASA's first female shuttle commander, but feels like she's disappearing.

The Nelson Thomas siblings exist in their own orbits, circling a tense, crowded, and unpredictable household, dreaming of escape, dreaming of the future, dreaming of space. They have little in common except an enthusiastic science teacher named Ms. Salonga-a failed applicant to the Teacher in Space program-who encourages her students to live vicariously through the launch. Cash and Fitch take a passive interest, but Bird builds her dreams around it.

When the fated day arrives, it changes everything.

Any Day with You

Kaia and her family live near the beach in California, where the fun of moviemaking is all around them. Kaia loves playing with makeup and creating special effects, turning her friends into merfolk and other magical creatures.

This summer, Kaia and her friends are part of a creative arts camp, where they're working on a short movie to enter in a contest. The movie is inspired by the Filipino folktales that her beloved Tatang, her great-grandfather, tells. Tatang lives with her family and is like the sparkle of her special-effects makeup. When Tatang decides that it is time to return to his homeland in the Philippines, Kaia will do anything to convince him not to go.

When I Hit the Road

Samantha is not exactly excited to spend what was supposed to be an awesome summer vacation with her grandma all the way in Florida. Or to be testing out her mom's "Dear Me" Journals-writing to her future self just feels weird. But it turns out Gram has some not-so-boring plans up her sleeve...

Gram and her friend Mimi are going to audition for the Seniors Have Got Talent Karaoke Contest!

A road trip in Gram's new Mustang turns into a series of hilarious mishaps that flip Samantha's summer on its head. And to make things more awkward, Brandon, Mimi's totally handsome grandson, is also along for the ride.

It looks like those journals just might be worth keeping after all. Because this summer will be one Samantha will never want to forget.

May 12, 2020

A Place at the Table

A timely, accessible, and beautifully written story exploring themes of food, friendship, family and what it means to belong, featuring sixth-graders Sara, a Pakistani American, and Elizabeth, a white, Jewish girl taking a South Asian cooking class taught by Sara's mom.

Sixth-graders Sara and Elizabeth could not be more different. Sara is at a new school that is huge and completely unlike the small Islamic school she used to attend. Elizabeth has her own problems: her British mum has been struggling with depression. The girls meet in an after-school South Asian cooking class, which Elizabeth takes because her mom has stopped cooking, and which Sara, who hates to cook, is forced to attend because her mother is the teacher.

The girls form a shaky alliance that gradually deepens, and they make plans to create the most amazing, mouth-watering cross-cultural dish together and win a spot on a local food show. They make good cooking partners ... but can they learn to trust each other enough to become true friends?

Fly on the Wall (Graphic Novel)

Henry Khoo's family treats him like a baby. He's not allowed to go anywhere without his sister/chaperone/bodyguard. His (former) best friend knows to expect his family's mafia-style interrogation when Henry's actually allowed to hang out at her house. And he definitely CAN'T take a journey halfway around the world all by himself!

But that's exactly his plan. After his family's annual trip to visit his father in Singapore is cancelled, Henry decides he doesn't want to be cooped up at home with his overprotective family and BFF turned NRFF (Not Really Friend Forever). Plus, he's hiding a your-life-is-over-if-you're-caught secret: he's the creator of an anonymous gossip cartoon, and he's on the verge of getting caught. Determined to prove his independence and avoid punishment for his crimes, Henry embarks on the greatest adventure everrr. . . hoping it won't turn into the greatest disaster ever.

May 19, 2020

Every Missing Piece

Maddy Gaines can't help but see danger everywhere she looks. When a new kid shows up in her small town, Maddy suspects he isn't just any boy-he's Billy Holcomb, the missing person the police have been searching for the last six months. Except, who will believe her? Definitely not her mom or her stepdad. Or the chief of police.

But when Maddie convinces her best friend Cress to keep investigating Billy Holcomb, they find out more than they bargained for. As they try to put the pieces together, Maddie faces her own demons that she's been running away from all this time. Written in a seamless middle-grade voice by rising author Melanie Conklin, this coming-of-age novel proves that even the most flawed of characters contain multitudes.

What Happens Next

Astronomy-obsessed Abby McCourt should be thrilled about the solar eclipse her small town of Moose Junction is about to witness, but she's not. After her older sister Blair was sent away for an eating disorder, Abby has been in a funk.

Desperate to dull the pain her sister's absence has left, she teams up with a visiting astronomer to help track down his long-lost telescope. Though this is supposed to take Abby's mind off the distance between her and Blair, what she finds may bring her closer to her sister than she ever thought possible.

May 26, 2020

The Year the Maps Changed

Sorrento, Victoria - 1999
Fred's family is a mess. Fred's mother died when she was six and she's been raised by her Pop and adoptive father, Luca, ever since. But now Pop is at the Rye Rehabilitation Centre recovering from a fall; Luca's girlfriend, Anika, has moved in; and Fred's just found out that Anika and Luca are having a baby of their own. More and more it feels like a land-grab for family and Fred is the one being left off the map.

But even as the world feels like it's spinning out of control, a crisis from the other side of it comes crashing in. When 400 Kosovar-Albanian refugees arrive in the middle of the night to be housed at one of Australia's 'safe havens' on an isolated headland not far from Sorrento, their fate becomes intertwined with the lives of Fred and her family, as she navigates one extraordinary year that will change them all.

June 2, 2020

The Messy Life of Blue

Eleven-year-old Beulah "Blue" Warren spends every waking moment surrounded by boys: her three brothers, her father, her best friend, even the family dog, but that's never stopped her from being her usual rambunctious self. Grappling with the loss of her mother, Blue is determined to do what she wants without fear of consequences.

When she is sent to the principal's office, she gets out of it like a pro. When the witchy neighbor next door trashes her yard, Blue doesn't just get even, she gets ahead. No clean underwear because she hasn't done the laundry? No worries. That's what her little brother's Superman underwear is for, isn't it? But everything changes on the day she explores the attic and finds her mother's death certificate. Blue will need to muster all the strength she has to deal with the truth, find forgiveness, trust in her father, and grieve for her mother once and for all.

Brave Like That

Cyrus Olson's dad is a hero-Northfield's former football star and now one of their finest firefighters. Everyone expects Cyrus to follow in his dad's record-breaking footsteps, and he wishes they were right-except he's never been brave like that. But this year, with the help of a stray dog, a few new friends, a little bit of rhythm, and a lot of nerve, he may just discover that actually...he is.

Lauded as "remarkable" by the New York Times Book Review, Lindsey Stoddard's heartfelt stories continue to garner critical acclaim, and her latest novel will have fans new and old rooting for Cyrus and Parker's special bond and the courage it helps them both to find.

The Amelia Six

Eleven-year-old Amelia Ashford- Millie to her friends (if she had any, that is)-doesn't realize just how much adventure awaits her when she's given the opportunity of a lifetime: to spend the night in Amelia Earhart's childhood home with five other girls. Make that five strangers. But Millie's mom is a pilot like the famous Amelia, and Millie would love to have something to write to her about...if only she had her address.

Once at Amelia's house in Atchison, Kansas, Millie stumbles upon a display of Amelia's famous flight goggles. She can't believe her good luck, since they're about to be relocated to a fancy museum in Washington, DC. But her luck changes quickly when the goggles disappear, and Millie was the last to see them. Soon, fingers are pointing in all directions, and someone falls strangely ill. Suddenly, a fun night of scavenger hunts and sweets takes a nosedive and the girls aren't sure who to trust. With a blizzard raging outside and a house full of suspects, the girls have no choice but to band together. It's up to the Amelia Six to find the culprit and return the goggles to their rightful place. Or the next body to collapse could be one of theirs.

June 9, 2020

Five Things About Ava Andrews

Eleven-year-old Ava Andrews has a Technicolor interior with a gray shell. On the inside, she bubbles with ideas and plans. On the outside, everyone except her best friend, Zelia, thinks she doesn't talk or, worse, is stuck-up. What nobody knows is that Ava has invisible disabilities: anxiety and a heart condition.

Ava hopes middle school will be a fresh start, but when Zelia moves across the country and Ava's Nana Linda pushes her to speak up about social issues, she withdraws further. So Ava is shocked when her writing abilities impress her classmates and they invite her to join their improv group, making up stories onstage. Determined to prove she can control her anxiety, she joins-and discovers a whole new side of herself, and what it means to be on a team.

But as Ava's self-confidence blossoms, her relationship with Zelia strains, and she learns that it isn't enough just to raise your voice-it's how and why you use it that matters.

Seven Clues to Home

WHEN YOU'VE LOST WHAT MATTERS MOST,
HOW DO YOU FIND YOUR WAY BACK HOME?

Joy Fonseca is dreading her 13th birthday, dreading being reminded again about her best friend Lukas's senseless death on this day, one year ago - and dreading the fact he may have heard what she accidentally blurted to him the night before. Or maybe she's more worried he didn't hear.

Eitherway, she's decided: she's going to finally open the first clue to their annual birthday scavenger hunt Lukas left for her the morning he died, hoping the rest of the clues are still out there. If they are, they might lead Joy to whatever last words Lukas wrote, and toward understanding how to grab onto the future that is meant to be hers.

August 4, 2020

Forever This Summer

Georgie has no idea what to expect when she, Mama, and Peaches are plopped down in the middle of small town USA-AKA Bogalusa, Louisiana. G-baby wants to help out at the once famous family diner that once served celebrities like the Jackson 5 and the Supremes, but with restaurateur Great Aunt Elvie needing help remembering day-to-day things, everyone is too busy to show G-baby the ropes.G-baby makes friends with Markie, a foster kid under Aunt Elvie's care, who has a limb difference and a huge singing voice.

When G-baby's best friend, Nikki, comes to visit they realize that the kids in town don't have a place to hang out like their Boys & Girls club in Atlanta. G-baby, Nikki, and Markie embark on a mission to start a club of their own: the Bogalusa Summer Club. Since clubs aren't exactly free, they decide to put on a talent show to raise money. Along the way, G-baby will discover an unexpected talent of her own: fighting for what's fair and right even when everything is stacked against you.

September 15, 2020

Three Keys (Front Desk #2)

Mia Tang thinks she's going to have the best year ever.

She and her parents are the proud owners of the Calivista Motel, Mia gets to run the front desk with her best friend, Lupe, and she's finally getting somewhere with her writing! But as it turns out, sixth grade is no picnic...
1. Mia's new teacher doesn't think her writing is all that great.
2. The motel is struggling, and Mia has to answer to the Calivista's many, many worried investors.
3. A new immigration law is looming and if it passes, it will threaten everything-and everyone-in Mia's life.

It's a roller coaster of challenges, and Mia needs all of her determination to hang on tight. But if anyone can find the key to getting through turbulent times, it's Mia Tang!

October 6, 2020

Twins

Maureen and Francine Carter are twins and best friends. They participate in the same clubs, enjoy the same foods, and are partners on all their school projects. But just before the girls start sixth grade, Francine becomes Fran - a girl who wants to join the chorus, run for class president, and dress in fashionable outfits that set her apart from Maureen. A girl who seems happy to share only two classes with her sister!

Maureen and Francine are growing apart and there's nothing Maureen can do to stop it. Are sisters really forever? Or will middle school change things for good?

There they are: 52 of the best middle-grade books to read in 2020 + a few special chapter books to read in 2020! If you missed it, check out my favorite middle-grade books read in 2019.
Which of these books have you read (I've read a few already!) and which ones are on your 2020 TBR. What did I miss? Please share your 2020 TBR picks with me!

PIN THIS - MIDDLE-GRADE BOOKS TO READ IN 2020 📌

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52 Best Middle-Grade Books to Read in 2020 (Plus, 2020 Chapter Books)

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I'm several weeks late, but happy to be presenting this list of middle grade books to read in 2020. I've also sprinkled in some delightful chapter books to read in 2020. These are far from all the books expected in 2020 (more like the first half) and I've only included books that I'm looking forward to reading.

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Pernille Ripp

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Editor's Note: We know raising kids can be hard. That's why we're dedicated to making your life easier with the latest and greatest parenting advice and products. We wanted to let you know that if you chose to purchase one of the items featured in this post, we may receive a small commission for it.

Summertime is a beautiful time for kids to play and have fun, but it's also a wonderful time for reading. Middle schoolers are in the midst of a time in their lives that is filled with hormones, emotions, and a greater awareness of the world outside of their small part in it. Reading can help middle school students explore the world and challenging issues from the comfort of their homes. It can also help them to continue to think critically and creatively while school is out.
More: 20 Books For Teens to Read Before They Turn 18
If you're looking for suggestions for the top books for middle school students to read over the summer, check out our ultimate list:
Pin it now to save it for later:

Galactic Hot Dogs Series by Max Brallier

A great option for kids who love silliness and adventure.

These books are a great choice for kids who love graphic novels and science fiction. They contain videogame-type action, and the main character is a young gamer with an alien sidekick.

Grade level: 3 to 7

Themes: Action, aliens, humor.
More Info and Reviews
Recognition: The author, Max Brallier, Max Brallier is a New York Times, USA TODAY, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author.

Booked (The Crossover Series) by Kwame Alexander

A great option for the for the kid who is both artsy and into sports.

This book is the second in the Crossover series, and it is written entirely in verse. It is about a black 12-year-old boy obsessed with soccer who receives some guidance from a rapping librarian as he faces challenges.

Grade level: 5 to 7
More Info and Reviews
Themes: Sports, bullying, friendship, relationships.

Recognition: New York Times Bestseller ∙ National Book Award Longlist ∙ ILA-CBC Children's Choice List ∙ ALA Notable Children's Book ∙ Book Links' Lasting Connections ∙ Kirkus Best Book ∙ San Francisco Chronicle Best Book∙ Washington Post Best Book∙ BookPage Best Book

Clayton Bird Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia

A great option for the kid who loves music.

This book is about black middle schooler Clayton Bird, who loses his grandfather. Carrying this loss and his grandfather's love of music, Clayton goes to Washington Square Park in New York City to join his grandfather's old blues band.
More Info and Reviews
Grade level: 3 to 7

Themes: Race, death and loss, music, family.

Recognition: National Book Award Finalist ∙ Kirkus Best Books of 2017 ∙ Horn Book Best Books of 2017 ∙ Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2017 ∙ School Library Journal Best Books of 2017 ∙ NAACP Image Awards Youth/Teens Winner ∙ Chicago Public Library Best Books ∙ Boston Globe Best Books of 2017

I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai

A great option for the kid who is a budding feminist.
More Info and Reviews
Although your child may have read the young readers' version of this story, there is power in the full memoir. Malala's true story about standing up to the Taliban and refusing to be silenced is one that will never be forgotten.

Grade level: 5 and up

Themes: Girls' and women's rights and issues, education, human rights, bravery.

Recognition: The author received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 at age seventeen and was honored with the National Youth Peace Prize in Pakistan in 2011, the International Children's Peace Prize in 2013, and was short-listed for Time magazine's Person of the Year.

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella
More Info and Reviews
A great option for the kid who struggles with anxiety.

This book would be both helpful and enjoyable for kids who face mental health challenges, and for kids who need a better understanding of the challenges others may face. The main character is fourteen years old and deals with extreme anxiety due to bullying.

Grade level: 7 to 9

Themes: Mental health, gaming addiction, bullying, friendship, relationships.

Recognition: Sophie Kinsella is a #1 New York Times bestselling author.
More Info and Reviews
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

A great option for the kid who wants to explore America's current challenges with racism.

This is a powerful fictional story that should be a must-read for everyone ages 12 and up in the household. Though this book has also been made into a movie, the book speaks volumes through the experience of sixteen year old Starr who witnesses the shooting of her best friend by a police officer.

Grade level: 8 and up

Themes: Racism, identity, community, current events.
More Info and Reviews
Recognition: Goodreads Choice Awards Best of the Best ∙ William C. Morris Award Winner ∙ National Book Award Longlist ∙ Printz Honor Book ∙ Coretta Scott King Honor Book ∙ #1 New York Times Bestseller

Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert

A great option for the kid who wants to explore identity.

This story delves into identity through many lenses, and is a great introduction to intersectional identity. It is a book that can open up your middle schooler's world.

Grade level: 8 and up
More Info and Reviews
Themes: Race, sexual identity, mental health, relationships.

Recognition: Stonewall Book Award Winner, Kirkus Best Book of the Year, Buzzfeed Best Book of the Year, Bustle.com Best Book of the Year, Vulture Best Book of the Year, Seventeen Magazine Best Book of the Year

I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives by Martin Ganda and Caitlin Alifirenka

A great option for the kid who wants to change the world.

This is a true story of the friendship that evolves from a class assignment that involves letter writing between an American girl and a boy from Zimbabwe. That girl and boy are the dual authors of this memoir and share how their letter writing over many years changed their lives.
More Info and Reviews
Grade level: 5 and up

Themes: Global awareness, poverty, cultural differences, friendship.

Recognition: New York Times Bestseller

Explorer Academy Series by Trudi Trueit

A great option for the kid who loves science, technology, and exploration.

This series is packed with adventure and follows the lives of twelve-year-old students who attend an elite school program called Explorer Academy. They travel the world solving mysteries and use real cutting-edge technology. There are extension books that allow kids to learn about the real technologies behind the story and try their hand at skills like coding.

Grade level: 4 - 8

Themes: Science, adventure, friendship, exploration.

Recognition: A National Geographic series.

Looking for ways to keep the kids busy and learning this summer? Sign up for the Prepared Parent, a daily newsletter filled with everything to help mom and dad in their roles as teacher-parents.

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The Ultimate Summer Reading List for Middle Schoolers

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Editor's Note: We know raising kids can be hard. That's why we're dedicated to making your life easier with the latest and greatest parenting advice and products. We wanted to let you know that if you chose to purchase one of the items featured in this post, we may receive a small commission for it.

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Reading lists for Middle School children

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Great books for middle school children in grades 6-9 aged 11-14. Our reading lists are compiled by professional educators and librarians.

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" You said that you didn't even know why they had middle school, that there ought to be some government program where, as soon as kids graduated elementary school, they got scooped up and sent to a lab where scientists could put them in a deep freeze until they were old enough for high school. For their own sake." -Trent, from Lost in the Sun by Lisa Graff, quoting his mom two days before he starts sixth grade.

If this sentiment resonates with your middle schooler, here are 16 books - ranging from funny to sad to dramatic - that accurately portray the ups and downs of middle school life, and how to survive it.
Editor's Note: This article was originally published in 2016 and updated in 2020.

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16 Books for Middle Schoolers | Brightly

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" You said that you didn't even know why they had middle school, that there ought to be some government program where, as soon as kids graduated elementary school, they got scooped up and sent to a lab where scientists could put them in a deep freeze until they were old enough for high school.

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Middle grade is a rapidly growing and always evolving age category, and it continues to become broader. As the world changes rapidly for today's young readers, the best middle school books are keeping pace. Read on for 25 of the best middle school books for today's readers, ranging in topics from friendship and sisterhood to immigration, xenophobia, and racism, and as always, just figuring yourself, and the world, out.

The Best Middle School Books

Amal lives a quiet life in her Pakistani village, hoping to become a teacher one day, but after an encounter with her village's landlord, she's sent to work off her family's debt as a servant in his household. As Amal becomes more aware of the danger the family poses and crimes they've committed to maintain their station, she realizes she'll have to ally with others if she wants to escape not only her servitude but the tyrannical rule of the landlord and one day achieve her dreams.

Clean Getaway by Nic Stone (January 7, 2020)

In Dear Martin author Nic Stone's middle grade debut, Scoob Lamar (he's black) heads on a road trip with his grandmother (she's white), joining her in her attempt to finish the road trip she started with the grandfather Scoob never met. On their trip, Scoob begins to learn more about his grandparents' past, their interracial relationship, the ways the world has changed, and the ways it has not. But as they go, Scoob begins to think his grandmother, who's never been known for her "normalcy," is acting even stranger than usual.

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Blended by Sharon Draper

Isabella is biracial-her mother is white, her father is black-and she's spent her life answering questions about who she is. It's worse now that her parents are divorced and she's shuffling between their homes-and their lives-all the time. Now she has to not only navigate switching homes but also switching nicknames and identities, making it harder than ever to figure out who she is.

When her parents got divorced, Sweet Pea wasn't sure what to expect, but she didn't expect them to move onto the same street. Besides adjusting to switching houses, she also must adjust to the loss of her best friend, Keira, only made bearable by her new friend Oscar. When Sweet Pea's neighbor, famous local advice columnist Flora Mae, goes on a trip and asks Sweet Pea to forward her letters for her column, Sweet Pea recognizes the handwriting in one of the letters and finds herself in trouble as she decides what to do with it.

After immigrating to the United States, Mia Tang and her family struggled for years before finding work at the Calivista Motel, working for the exploitative Mr. Yao. Despite their cruel boss, the Tangs tackle the challenges of the motel with determination and kindness, aspiring writer Mia running the front desk while her parents service the rooms. And it's not only guests Mia and her family are taking care of but also other immigrants in a worse position than they are, who they hide in the empty rooms without Mr. Yao knowing.

In the spirit of The Hate U Give, 7th grader Shayla has always followed the rules. She prefers to keep her head down and not make waves, but after her first protest experience, alongside her older sister, Shayla realizes there are some rules worth breaking and starts wearing a black armband to show her support to Black Lives Matter.

A child born during a hurricane is said to be unlucky, and 12-year-old Caroline has had plenty of bad luck already. Everyone at her school hates her, she can see things no one else can, and her mother has abandoned her. Caroline's luck begins to turn when she meets new student Kalinda. She also seems to have visions no one else does, and she becomes Caroline's only friend-and her first crush. Now Caroline has to find a way to brave her feelings for Kalinda, a spirit haunting her island, and a hurricane, so she can find her mother and face the reason she left her.

Brie's big plans for 8th grade at her Catholic school are: convincing her parents to enroll her in a performing arts high school and landing the lead role in the school play. Her plans do not include her mom catching her looking at some probably inappropriate photos of her favorite actress. When Brie panics and announces that she's been chosen to crown Mary in the May Crowning ceremony, she successfully distracts her mother. But she hasn't actually been chosen, and she's got no chance of it either, so she turns to the classmate who everyone thinks will actually be chosen, the same classmate who Brie has a crush on.

After a tornado tears through their home, Ivy and her family are displaced. And more than coping with the storm's aftermath, Ivy's notebook of secret drawings (some of girls holding hands) has also gone missing. But then her drawings start to reappear, encouraging her to open up about her identity, and Ivy begins to hope that the person giving them back is a classmate she's developed a crush on.

Twelve-year-old Lalani lives on the island of Sangalita, bordered on one side by a mountain that could bury her island at any moment and by a fog that swallows up anyone who enters it. On her island, Lalani knows where her future lies: in mending, just like the other women, living in fear of contracting the deadly mender's disease, contracted from the needles used to mend fishing nets. When Lalani's mother falls ill, Lalani leaves her mother, her island, and her best friend to embark on a journey that not even grown men have returned home from.

When a great white shark is captured in the bay, Lucy's quiet summer begins to take a turn. Lucy's mother, a shark biologist, died of a brain aneurysm when Lucy was seven, and it's just been Lucy and her dad, a police diver, ever since. When a fisherman reels in a great white in the bay, Lucy's quiet summer working on a field guide with her best friend takes a turn, bringing up feelings of grief for Lucy again. When tragedy strikes again, Lucy has to find a way to cope again by delving into her mom's research.

In this new book from Jason Reynolds, kids walk back home from school. Each of the ten stories covers a different journey home, with the kids in each of them facing their own unique challenges. Like the kid who's afraid of dogs and plotting a way to avoid one on his route home, or the girl with sickle-cell disease who's been out of school for awhile.

Picking up with Raymie Nightingale 's Louisiana Elefante, this story finds Louisiana being spirited away on another of her granny's whims. Though Louisiana at first thinks this might just be like her granny's other spontaneous ideas, she soon realizes her granny doesn't mean for either of them to come back. Leaving behind her friends Raymie and Beverly, Louisiana ends up in a small town in Georgia, trying to find a way back home.

In this modern graphic novel adaptation of Little Women, the March family is a blended one struggling to make ends meet in Brooklyn. With their dad serving overseas, the sisters all have to work overtime to make ends meet, and their challenges-from boy troubles to school problems to just sorting out who they are-can only be solved if the sisters lean on each other.

If you want more Little Women, Hena Khan, author of Amina's Voice, has a new story inspired by Louisa May Alcott's original, about a family of four Muslim American girls growing up in Georgia. Jameela's excited to get a job writing for the school paper, but less excited when she realizes the editor-in-chief keeps shooting down all her ideas. When her dad has to take a job overseas, Jameela decides to write an article that will make him proud, but her little sister's illness throws Jameela off her axis.

New Kid by Jerry Craft

Though Jordan wants nothing more than to go to art school where he can perfect his cartoon drawings, his parents have other ideas. Instead, Jordan's sent to an upscale prep school where he's one of only a few kids of color. Struggling to fit in with his new classmates, and to maintain his friendships with his neighborhood friends, Jordan must find a way to remain true to himself as he straddles the line between two worlds.

In 1947, a newly-independent India has been separated into two countries: Pakistan and India, and tensions are rising between Hindus and Muslims. When 12-year-old Nisha's father decides they must leave their homeland, Nisha and her family begin a long and difficult journey. As Nisha struggles with leaving behind her home, she writes to the mother she lost as a baby in her diary.

When things in her home country of Syria become too dangerous, Jude and her mother come to the United States. As Jude adjusts to life in America, she also has to adjust to find herself again in a new place, especially when some of the people don't seem to like that she's there.

One summer, Candice finds a letter in the attic. It's addressed to her grandmother, who left their town of Lambert, South Carolina, in shame. Candice isn't sure she should read it. But when she does, the letter describes a mysterious young woman, a decades-old injustice, a mysterious letter-writer, and a fortune awaiting the person who can decipher the letter and solve its clues. With the help of Brandon, the quiet boy across the street, Candice gets to work, and their investigation leads them deep into Lambert's forgotten history.

Written in a hybrid style similar to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Pie in the Sky follows Jingwen, new to America and embarking on a secret baking enterprise with his younger brother. Though their mom says they can't turn the oven on when she isn't there, Jingwen is determined to bring to life all the cakes his dad put on the menu of his dream bakery, Pie in the Sky, before he unexpectedly died.

When the quirky and imaginative Moon moves next door, Christine doesn't expect the two of them to become friends, especially not best friends. But it happens, despite some bumps in the road, and Moon even confides in Christine a secret: that she sees celestial beings who tell her that Earth isn't really where she belongs.

Told through emails and letters, this modern epistolary story follows Bett and Avery, who live across the country from one another. They've got nothing in common except both are being raised by their single, gay dads. When their dads fall in love, Bett and Avery are sent to the same sleep-away camp in the hopes that they'll click and become friends (and one day, maybe sisters).

Margaret's been the only child on the island for as long as she can remember. When another child finally arrives, it's not long before they're sent away, and Margaret is alone again-until Eleanor arrives. And it's not long before Margaret realizes Eleanor isn't just anyone but Eleanor of Albion, whose sister has seized the throne and banished Eleanor to languish on the island. As Eleanor and Margaret become friends, Margaret begins to unravel the island's true purpose and her own history and must decide between helping her new friend or helping herself.

Since her mom and sisters died five years ago, Coyote and her dad have crisscrossed the country in a school bus. But when Coyote learns that the park where she, her mother, and sisters buried a beloved memory box is soon to be demolished, she hatches a plan to get her dad to return to their home state...without him realizing it.

After a raid leaves him separated from his family, wolf cub Swift has to find his own way alone, battling danger and starvation the whole way. Partially based on OR-7, a lone wolf in Oregon whose 100-mile journey was tracked by naturalists, it also includes thorough back matter on wolves.

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25 Best Middle School Books for Today's Readers | Book Riot

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Middle grade is a rapidly growing and always evolving age category, and it continues to become broader. As the world changes rapidly for today's young readers, the best middle school books are keeping pace.

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2,202 books based on 3782 votes: Harry Potter Series Box Set by J.K. Rowling, The Giver by Lois Lowry, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Lightning...

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30 Spectacular Middle Grade Books Kids Will Love

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Thirty of the best new and classic middle school and middle grade books with diversity and different genres to add to your or your child's reading list.

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Middle school students faced plenty of issues before the social, political, and economic upheavals of the past few years. At the same time, challenges to what students are allowed to read in school have made some of their experiences even more marginalized than they had been. With that in mind, we revised our recommendations to be even more inclusive, with an eye toward middle school books you may not already have in your library.

Today's classroom requires flexibility, especially with young readers. Not all middle school books have to be read silently or independently. Read some aloud to your students, give them audiobooks to listen to, or let them read one chapter at a time to each other. See what kind of conversations come up. Engaged students learn better, and you don't need a canned curriculum from some corporation to tell you that.

Remember, maturity levels vary widely, and you know your students best. Be sure to read the books first before you share them with your middle school students.

(Just a heads up, WeAreTeachers may collect a share of sales from the links on this page. We only recommend items our team loves!)

Best Middle School Books

1. Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

This remix of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi's National Book Award-winning Stamped From the Beginning is an urgent exploration of how the history of race affects us in the here and now, created for young people. There's even a teachers guide.

Buy it: Stamped on Amazon

2. Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri

Khosrou is not like the other kids in his Oklahoma middle school, but he knows how to tell a story. This true story of Khosrou's family and their escape from Iran in the middle of the night is an immediately gripping account of both middle school chaos and personal strife.

Buy it: Everything Sad Is Untrue on Amazon

3. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

This is the story of 16-year-old Starr Carter as she wrestles with her emotions after seeing her unarmed childhood friend killed by police, which has become a generational touchstone. Definitely for older kids-and definitely worth the conversations that follow.

Buy it: The Hate U Give on Amazon

4. All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue ... by Christina Soontornvat

This book is a thrilling and information-packed true story of survival about the 2018 cave rescue in Thailand. Full of interviews and firsthand accounts, the story will keep even the most active students on the edge of their seats.

Buy it: All Thirteen on Amazon

5. Hearts Unbroken by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Louise Wolfe is a Muscogee high schooler caught between family obligations and everything that being a teenager involves. Another one for older kids, this is an authentic coming-of-age story with a fresh voice.

Buy it: Hearts Unbroken on Amazon

6. Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman

When Amanda Gorman read The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison in eighth grade, she was inspired to become a writer. "It was the first time I had seen a dark-skinned girl on the cover of a book and that absolutely enthralled me. Reading Morrison taught me how to write unapologetically with a Black feminist voice that was my own," she said. Later in life, when she spoke at the presidential inauguration in 2021, Gorman raised the voice of her generation. Her book of poems is expansive and inventive, and it's one of the top must-read books for today's middle school kids.

Buy it: Call Us What We Carry on Amazon

7. The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan

Simply put, this is one of the most well-written books you'll ever find in YA lit. Protagonist Leigh Chen Sanders' voice is stunning in this expertly woven tale of love, friendship, tragedy, and imagination.

Buy it: The Astonishing Color of After on Amazon

8. Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto

Yes, we're going there. No middle school book catalog is complete without a few good Manga titles. It's time to shrug off any reluctance and dive into what the kids are already reading. These are teacher-approved, rich with storytelling and character exposition, and ripe for literary analysis. If these titles don't seem fit for your students, check with them-they know best! First up is the classic Naruto, a story about a young chaotic kid who is determined to become the world's greatest ninja.

Buy it: Naruto on Amazon

9. Bakuman by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata

This spin on traditional manga (with the usual high-flying warriors and action sequences) tells the story of two kids who want to become manga artists themselves. The characters are high school kids trying to live their dreams-very relatable to young readers.

Buy it: Bakuman on Amazon

10. A Silent Voice by Yoshitoki Oima

When Shoya meets Shoko six years after he knew her in school, he learns about the consequences of bullying. This is a great story for middle schoolers and is an accessible way into the manga genre.

Buy it: A Silent Voice on Amazon

11. The March Series by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell

The three-part graphic novel series details how John Lewis made his way from his family farm to the Edmund Pettus Bridge alongside Martin Luther King Jr. for the historic Selma-to-Montgomery March. Beautifully rendered and powerfully told, this trilogy lends itself to all kinds of classroom readings and activities.

Buy it: The March Series on Amazon

12. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Acevedo brings her slam poet sensibility to this emotionally vivid story about Xiomara Batista, a first-generation Dominican American teen in a religious family who "feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood."

Buy it: The Poet X on Amazon

13. The Best at It by Maulik Pancholy

The first of two books by Maulik Pancholy, this story follows Rahul Kapoor, a middle schooler who loves his grandpa and is crushing on a boy at school.

Buy it: The Best at It on Amazon

14. The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden

Explore the cultural divides around class and the gun debate through the eyes of seventh grader Zoey, who lives on the edges of society and tries to find her way forward.

Buy it: The Benefits of Being an Octopus on Amazon

15. Monster by Walter Dean Myers

The recipient of multiple awards, this novel follows Steve, an amateur filmmaker. As a way of coping with the horrific events that entangle him, he decides to transcribe his trial into a script, just like in the movies.

Buy it: Monster on Amazon

16. The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart

With connections to Common Core standards, this book follows Coyote, a young woman who travels the country with her dad in an old school bus. Over the course of thousands of miles, she will learn that going home can sometimes be the hardest journey of all.

Buy it: The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise on Amazon

17. Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Twelve-year-old Jerome is shot by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real one. Now a ghost, Jerome watches the devastation unleashed on his family and community in the wake of what they see as an unjust and brutal killing. Soon, Jerome meets another ghost: Emmett Till, a boy from a very different time but similar circumstances.

Buy it: Ghost Boys on Amazon

18. Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson

The recipient of multiple awards and one of our favorite middle school books, this novel is a powerful story about a girl striving for success in a world that too often seems like it's trying to break her.

Buy it: Piecing Me Together on Amazon

19. Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper

Another one of our fave middle school books! Follow 11-year-old Melody, who is not like most people. She can't walk, she can't talk, she can't write, all because she has cerebral palsy. But she also has a photographic memory-she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. She's the smartest kid in her whole school, but NO ONE knows it.

Buy it: Out of My Mind on Amazon

20. Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez

A timely story for middle schoolers. After Tyler's father is injured in a tractor accident, his family is forced to hire migrant Mexican workers to help save their Vermont farm from foreclosure. Tyler isn't sure what to make of them.

Buy it: Return to Sender on Amazon

21. Zenobia July by Lisa Bunker

Zenobia July is a trans girl in Arizona who is trying to adjust to a new school.

Buy it: Zenobia July on Amazon

22. In the Key of Us by Mariama J. Lockington

Another new addition to our list, this is a coming-of-age story about young love between Andi and Zora, two Black girls at a mostly white summer camp.

Buy it: In the Key of Us on Amazon

23. The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater

Taken from the national news headlines, this book follows two teenagers and a heinous hate crime that crosses gender and racial lines.

Buy it: The 57 Bus on Amazon

24. A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

A tale of two stories, told in alternating sections, about two 11-year-olds in Sudan-a girl in 2008 and a boy in 1985.

Buy it: A Long Walk to Water on Amazon

25. Wanting Mor by Rukhsana Khan

Jameela lives with her mother and father in Afghanistan. Despite the fact that there is no school in their poor, war-torn village, and Jameela lives with a birth defect that has left her with a cleft lip, she feels relatively secure, sustained by her faith and the strength of her beloved mother, Mor. And then Mor passes away. ...

Buy it: Wanting Mor on Amazon

26. When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

A graphic novel about growing up in a refugee camp, as told by a former Somali refugee.

Buy it: When Stars Are Scattered on Amazon

27. Clean Getaway by Nic Stone

Set against the backdrop of the segregation history of the American South, take a trip with an 11-year-old boy who is about to discover that the world hasn't always been a welcoming place for kids like him, and things aren't always what they seem-his G'ma included.

Buy it: Clean Getaway on Amazon

28. Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky

Grayson is caught between knowing she's a girl and everyone believing she's a boy. This is a beautifully written story about self-esteem and empowerment.

Buy it: Gracefully Grayson on Amazon

29. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier and will become busier still. Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist: books.

Buy it: The Book Thief on Amazon

30. George by Alex Gino

George knows she's a girl, but everyone else sees her as a boy. Gino does a masterful job of taking us into what social ignorance about gender assignment feels like.

Buy it: George on Amazon

31. Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Genius Willow Chance loses both parents in a car crash, but she is nonetheless able to both change her life and impact those around her.

Buy it: Counting by 7s on Amazon

32. Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Born with extraordinary physical deformities, Auggie finally braves going to an actual school. He is stared at and tormented, but he also finds friendship. Middle schoolers will cheer for him and also cry for him.

Buy it: Wonder on Amazon

33. Ghost by Jason Reynolds

Castle Crenshaw, known as Ghost, has been running ever since his father threatened him and his mother with a gun. It's not until he starts running for the middle school track team that he begins to see what running can do for him.

Buy it: Ghost on Amazon

34. Ellen Outside the Lines by A.J. Sass

Ellen is a neurodiverse kid with a best friend who helps her navigate through school and sometimes confusing social situations. But when new friends and opportunities come along, Ellen has a chance to learn even more about how she actually fits into the world.

Buy it: Ellen Outside the Lines on Amazon

35. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

Ponyboy and his brothers, Darry and Sodapop, have a tough life. They know they can count on their friends-true friends who will do anything for them. Unfortunately, the Socs, a vicious gang of rich kids, make them prove their loyalties after a night of fighting goes too far.

Buy it: The Outsiders on Amazon

36. Nikhil Out Loud by Maulik Pancholy

Nikhil is a 13-year-old gay Indian American boy who depends on his voice for his joy-he's a voice actor for a popular cartoon. Then he ends up in a small Ohio town trying to put on a school musical. This is a relevant and touching story kids will love.

Buy it: Nikhil Out Loud on Amazon

37. The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

Basketball-loving twins Josh and Jordan find their way through isolation and conflict in this novel in verse by master poet Kwame Alexander.

Buy it: The Crossover on Amazon

38. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Melinda Sordino can't tell anybody why she called the police to break up a party the summer before ninth grade. In fact, after the trauma she suffered, she can't speak at all.

Buy it: Speak on Amazon

39. The Breadwinner series by Deborah Ellis

Parvana is 11 when the Taliban comes to power in Afghanistan. Her father is arrested, and women are not allowed to leave the house without a male escort. Parvana must disguise herself and find work to save her family.

Buy it: The Breadwinner series on Amazon

40. Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party by Ying Chang Compestine

Ling Chang must find a way to survive after her father is taken away during China's Cultural Revolution.

Buy it: Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party on Amazon

41. Stella by Starlight by Sharon Draper

Stella and her brother aren't supposed to leave the house at night, but they run into much bigger problems when they stumble on a Ku Klux Klan rally. Stella fights racism within her community and learns about compassion in the process.

Buy it: Stella by Starlight on Amazon

42. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Woodson's verse memoir tells the story of coming of age during the Civil Rights Movement.

Buy it: Brown Girl Dreaming on Amazon

43. Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn

Molly has concerns when her family moves into a church with a graveyard next door, but when her already-odd stepsister makes a sinister new friend, things get downright dangerous.

Buy it: Wait Till Helen Comes on Amazon

44. Refugee by Alan Gratz

Gratz weaves together stories of child refugees in three different eras: Nazi Germany, 1990s Cuba, and present-day Syria.

Buy it: Refugee on Amazon

45. Orbiting Jupiter by Gary Schmidt

Jack Hurd gets a foster brother, Joseph, an eighth grader whose only dream is to be with his daughter.

Buy it: Orbiting Jupiter on Amazon

46. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

Nine-year-old Cassie Logan faces racial discrimination and financial hardship during the Great Depression.

Buy it: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry on Amazon

47. Uglies by Scott Westerfield

Tally Youngblood lives in a dystopia in which all 16-year-olds have cosmetic surgery to make them pretty.

Buy it: Uglies on Amazon

48. We Should Hang Out Sometime by Josh Sundquist

YouTuber Josh Sundquist tells the true story-with graphs!-of his failures in dating.

Buy it: We Should Hang Out Sometime on Amazon

49. Feed by M. T. Anderson

The Feed scrolls constantly through Titus' brain, providing him with entertainment, advertising, and social networking. On a spring break trip to the Moon, he meets a girl who sees life differently.

Buy it: Feed on Amazon

50. Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Spoiled princess Esperanza moves from her family's ranch in Mexico to a migrant camp during the Great Depression. She learns to rely on her inner strength and the support of her family.

Buy it: Esperanza Rising on Amazon

What are your favorite middle school books? Come share them in the WeAreTeachers Helpline group on Facebook.

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50 Great Books To Teach in Middle School

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Want to know the best middle school books to use in your class? We love these life-changing selections that will help your students grow.