With so many verse novels for middle graders, you might be stuck choosing a grade-appropriate title. Many of these verse novels also feature in our larger list of middle grade verse novels but there are a few unique ones here not mentioned on that list. The stories on this list tackle a variety of themes Read More > The post Verse Novels I Recommend for 6th Graders appeared first on Reading Middle Grade ..read more

Brothers Seth and Isaiah (aka Ice Pick) love each other and live on a farm. Ice loves photography and animals and wants to be a vet. His brother runs track and has won a scholarship to college, so Ice feels pressure to make their last year at home together memorable. This is also the year that Ice wants to kick his shyness to the curb, especially now that he's a member of the Yearbook team and has been befriended by Zurie, an expressive girl he's kind of crushing on. But when an accident renders his brother brain damaged, Ice turns all his focus to helping Seth be himself again despite a bleak ..read more

Who doesn't love graphic novels? I know 5th graders love them. I have so many graphic novel lists, but these grade-specific lists make for an easy reference for teachers and librarians serving the grade. When choosing grade-level books, I look out for content appropriateness, plot complexity levels, and page length (because reading stamina develops with time and/or practice). On this list of 5th-grade graphic novels, you'll find some of my top recommendations for upper elementary kids! If your 5th graders love realistic graphic novels, definitely check out this list of realistic graphic novels ..read more

I'm so glad to see more and more people understand neurodivergence, and with the increased publication of middle grade books starring neurodivergent characters. In this updated list, I've scrapped the OwnVoices/Non-OwnVoice headings and included that information in the book's description instead. I've also tweaked the list to only include the books I've read and enjoyed, instead of making it a database. If you're looking for more of a database, I've linked an invaluable resource at the end of this post. This list attempts to cover the full (official) scope of neurodivergence, including autism ..read more

Freya's doting father was really into Chinese superstitions until he died suddenly several months ago. Now a 7th grader, Freya lives by the same superstitions her dad did as a way to keep him close. But when they start to impact her ability to live a full life, she has to reconsider how much control she's giving them. Also, she and her dad shared a love of the viola, but lately, she's been feeling less enthusiastic about it, developing more interest in her Cooking & Careers class, where she's forced to partner with the (to her) ever-annoying Gus Choi, whom she soon starts to see in a diffe ..read more

Welcome to a brand new month! April is FULL of new middle grade book releases I LOVED, and I predict that a couple of April releases might make it to the summer reading guide this year. On this list, you'll find 15 fantastic April releases I've read cover to cover, including a couple of graphic memoirs, one debut I adored, one new middle-grade romance, several new verse novels for middle schoolers, and a couple of graphic novels I think young readers will love. The post April 2024 New Middle Grade Books appeared first on Reading Middle Grade ..read more

After a series of unfortunate incidents with potatoes, Ben Hardy is sure he's cursed. So you can imagine his terror when his family moves to Idaho and his school's mascot is a potato! When Ben accidently causes the mascot to sprain his ankle, the coach insists that he replace the injured mascot. As the new kid, Ben is scared to tank his social status and lose his new friends and potential friendships with the cool kids, so he decides to hide his identity as the mascot. But soon, one lie leads to another and Ben's lies threaten to topple all the good things in his new life in Idaho. The post Re ..read more

When I first started seeing short story collections for middle schoolers, I was skeptical: Would tweens appreciate reading short stories? Would they love being pulled out of a story and into a new one every few pages? It turns out some kids enjoy these! Many teachers say that, particularly when short stories are by authors whom the kids recognize or already enjoy reading, it's easier to hand sell them. Other educators have mentioned that short story collections can be great teaching devices for comprehension strategies or understanding how the collection's theme runs through the stories. You c ..read more

Many teachers tell me that one of the most popular shelves in their school libraries is the graphics section -- especially the realistic fiction graphic novels (if you "genre-fy" for your shelves). For this list, I'm focusing on graphic novels that appeal best to kids in grades 6-8. Some of these will also work for 5th graders although I'm working on another list for that grade specifically (stay tuned). I've chosen some classic fan favorites and many newer ones I think have star potential and will be adored by middle school readers. The post Realistic Graphic Novels for Middle Schoolers appea ..read more

Sharkita's (aka Kita) alcoholic mom is on her last chance to maintain custody of her kids, Kita, Lamar, and Lily. Kita is anxious about whether her mother's well-being streak will end and when they'll be shipped off again to foster homes, separated from each other. Throughout the book, that worry and her mom's unstable behavior worries Kita, leading sometimes to panic attacks which she hides from her mother. Kita has also been teased for ages about her hyperdontia (the presence of too many teeth resembling shark teeth), and her mom has refused to help her get braces. The arrival of a new assis ..read more