Best Books for Middle School
Seven words fill me with dread, “Mom, I have nothing good to read.” Ironic that our house bulges with books for kids. Everyone’s room has a bookcase or a pile of books but like the Cobbler’s kids, mine have nothing good to read.
I can usually always find something for my younger two, but my oldest has a good point. We have much less inventory for her. Young Adult is new to me and our shelves lack pre-screened YA books for her.
It’s a new year and that will change. But first, to find good YA books for her. I turned to her amazing English teacher (post parent/teacher conference) and am now consulting StorySnoops, a blog she recommends. I’m collecting book lists from the middle school librarian like the one below. I found Your Next Read on Pinterest. It makes book recommendations similar to the one you type in. I’ve also asked my daughter for book recommendations from her friends.
What do you do to find good books for your middle school kid? Please share!!! Mine likes realistic fiction and action-adventure fantasy. Paranormal is great but it has to be set in modern times. The books I am selecting for her to check out are starred.
p.s. Do you judge books by the cover? There are no descriptions of the books here but if you click on image, you can read the blurb at Amazon. My daughter will likely pick first by cover and then by blurb. And if any book blogger leaves me a link to your book review, I’d be delighted to link to it. Thanks!
Adventure/Mystery
My 7th grader hasn’t read mysteries since American Girl Doll mystery books in 3rd and 4th grade. I like the combination of Tokyo and mystery and will see if I can get her to give it a try.
Poison Most Vial by Benedict Carey
Don’t Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon
Safekeeping by Karen Hesse
Tokyo Heist by Diana Renn
Secret Letters by Leah Scheier
Double by Jenny Valentine
Realistic Fiction
This is a genre she likes. Laugh with the Moon also teaches about what we can do to help developing countries so I’d love for her to read that. I think See You At Harry’s might win a Newbery and I loved it. Books about boy/girl relationships are relevant to her now. The Love at First Sight book is perfect for her. I know she likes Sonnenblick so even though it looks like a baseball book, it’s worth a try. (She plays soccer not softball).
Laugh with the Moon by Shana Burg
See You at Harry’s by Jo Knowles *
My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith *
Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick *
Humorous
You can’t go wrong with humor! I would recommend anything by Carl Hiaasen in general. This is a great category of books for kids who don’t love to read.
The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde
Chomp by Carl Hiaasen
Ungifted by Gordon Korman
Cat Girl’s Day Off by Kimberly Pauley
Historical Fiction
Historical Fiction should be renamed Historical Adventure because typically it is a riveting story and not a dusty retelling of something boring from a long time ago. Crow keeps popping up again and again on lists. That’s the first one I want to read on this list.
The Wicked and the Just by Jillian Anderson Coats
The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine
For What It’s Worth by Janet Tashjian
Tracks by Diane Lee Wilson
The Last Song by Eva Wiseman
Crow by Barbara Wright
Graphic Novels
We loved Drama and are looking for more graphic novels with girl appeal.
Friends with Boys by Faith Erin Hicks
Ichiro by Ryan Inzana
The Girl Who Owned a City by Dan Jolley
Drama by Raina Telgemeier
Cardboard by Doug TenNapel
Pandemonium by Chris Wooding
Fantasy
My daughter doesn’t tend to like Fantasy because she likes books set in modern times. Still, Serafina might tempt her.
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Arthur Quinn and the World Serpent by Alan Early
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Winterling by Sarah Prineas
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Horror/ Supernatural
I am too squeamish for Horror but my daughter and I like Supernatural like Twilight and Born at Midnight. The key for her is the setting MUST be modern-day.
Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough
The Demon Catchers of Milan by Kat Beyer
Fracture by Megan Miranda
Transcendence by C.J. Omololu
Ripper by Stefan Petrucha
The Dead of Winter by Chris Priestley
Science Fiction
We like science fiction that turns on characters and relationships like A Wrinkle in Time. I’ve heard great things about A Year without Autumn and my daughter is a fan of her Emily Windsnap series.
The Obsidian Blade by Pete Hautman
A Year Without Autumn by Liz Kessler
Insignia by S.J. Kincaid
The Vindico by Wesley King
A Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Biographies & Nonfiction
My daughter doesn’t read biographies or nonfiction. I’m hoping the origami and art book will appeal to her as she is artsy. The cookbook looks great too!
His Name Was Raoul Wallenberg: Courage, Rescue, and Mystery during World War II by Louise Borden
Teen Cuisine: New Vegetarian by Matthew Locricchio
The Fairy Ring, or, Elsie and Frances Fool the World by Mary Losure
Zombigami: Paper Folding for the Living Dead by Duy Nguyen
The Mighty Mars Rovers: The Incredible Adventures of Spirit and Opportunity by Elizabeth Rusch
Art Lab for Kids by Susan Schwake
Poetry
I want to get my kids reading more poetry because we really don’t read any at all. These book covers are VERY appealing!
Eva of the Farm by Dia Calhoun
The Arrow Finds Its Mark: A Book of Found Poems by Georgia Heard
Sisters of Glass by Stephanie Hemphill
Running with Trains by Michael J. Rosen
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- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
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I believe I read Crow in less than 2 days..great story! My 6th grader finished Lions of Little Rock and The Best Bad Luck (by author); she really liked.both! I usually let them find their own books, but believe it or mot, they find most of their books by looking at the library displays! If we ever find ourselves struggling to find a good one, I simply tell the librarian what they’ve read then they enter title into ‘If you read this, then you would like this’. Gotta love librarians!!!!
Hi Monise,
You are such a great role model to bring great books into your kids lives! And you are so right about librarians. They are wonderful! And their displays are deliberate — they are trying to get kids to read the good stuff! Good point about using them to find great books! I just ordered Lions of Little Rock and now I am going to buy Crow on your recommendation. Thank you!
Has she read anything by Madeleine L’Engle or Susan Cooper? She might like their books.
Hi MaryAnne,
She liked A Wrinkle in Time so I bought her the whole series but she only liked the first book. She didn’t like The Dark is Rising series but I like it a lot. Thanks for those recommendations though! She doesn’t tend to like the classics I read as a child. There’s something about a slower build to the climax that kids these days have no patience for. Sad!
Wow–what a wide variety of books! I love historical fiction–I learn so much from it.
Hi Asian Mommy,
I’m glad the list is helpful to you! I love historical fiction too!
My 6th grade daughter LOVES “realistic drama.” She is currently reading “13 Reasons Why” and I had my reservations due to the content but we are using it as a platform for discussion. Her favorite a couple years ago was Dr. Mr. Henshaw. I think she’d like something like Jodi Picoult/Nicholas Sparks genre of books as she likes the summaries she reads in the back of my books.
Hi Nadine,
Thanks for the book recommendation! I’ll pass that to my 7th grade daughter! I had given her some YA books last year that she said were too “slutty” like Things We Did But Shouldn’t Have and 20 Boy Summer. Ah well. You can’t tell unless you read ahead. I think using it as a platform for discussion is such a good idea. I need to read it too!
Thanks so much! I am in a Goodreads YA lit group and sometimes we can recommend titles for the monthly reads (3 a month–one fiction, one nonfiction, and one teacher professional book). I pinned this for when I need a new title. The only one on this list I knew was the art book, which is excellent. I have purchased a few of these and they are unread as yet, it will motivate me to read them now. Thanks!
Hi Carolyn,
Thanks for the tip on the art book. My oldest is arty so I might check that out for her! I’ll try to update the list with blurbs as we read the books too.
Great list. Thanks! Will be sharing this list.
Thanks so much Darshana! I can’t take credit but I am grateful to my librarians!
My son just finished Carl Hiaasen’s SCAT. We may try CHOMP. Thanks for the list. Do you have a list for 5th grader?
Hi iGame Mom,
I do have lists from before. Here’s some 5th grade list for you:
Best Chapter Books Because They are So Awesome from My 5th Grade Daughter http://www.pragmaticmom.com/2011/08/top-5-adventure-series-5th-grade-daughter/
Josh in 6th Grade Shares His Favorite Books: http://www.pragmaticmom.com/2012/04/6th-grade-boy-shares-10-favorite-books/
Books for 5th and 6th Grade: http://www.pragmaticmom.com/2011/09/great-reading-list-5th-6th-grade/
What a fab list – have pinned to our board.
I’d also recommend books that we have reviewed;
The Hobbit
The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan (novel told in verse)
Louis Beside Himself by Anna Fienberg
The Best Day of my Life by Deborah Ellis
In Darkness by Nick Lake (recently won the Printz award)
Flip by Martyn Bedford
Hi Emma,
Thanks so much for sharing your book recommendations! I will send my daughter by to check out your reviews! She is always looking for more good books, mostly realistic fiction but also action adventure/fantasy and dystopian.
Such a really comprehensive list. We’re reading Seraphina now. If you love Dragons this is the story to read. Captures the readers attention immediately.
Hi Valarie,
I’ll let my 7th grader know. She might like Seraphina. I personally love dragons and fantasy dragon-y books.
What a great list! I wonder if she would like any of the books by Margarita Engle or Julia Alvarez? She might want to browse them and see if they interest her. I’d second the recommendation for In Darkness–I haven’t read it yet, but it’s sitting on my table ready as soon as I get a little free time. I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. I always appreciate the excellent resources you offer on your blog!
Thanks so much Katrina and I really appreciate your book suggestions for my daughter. I’ll have her check them out! Thank you again!
You have so many great suggestions on this list! I am so looking forward to reading the rest of The Raven Boys series and the next installment of The False Prince. Thanks for sharing at The Children’s Bookshelf!
Thanks Mom and Kiddo,
We hope to work our way through part of this list too, especially my 7th grader!