Middle School Reading List

Don’t know what books to put on your middle school reading list? Everything from classics to historical fiction and fantasy to poetry--we have it right here.

There are many reasons that kids don’t want to read. Books have to compete with electronic media, television and all of the other things that middle schoolers want to fit into their busy schedule. However, there are some tried and true tricks for getting your middle schooler to not only read, but actually want to do it.

Not surprisingly, you communicate the importance of reading in life by your own actions. If you want your child to enjoy cuddling up with a good book, it’s important to do it yourself every once in awhile. Also, children should be read to all the way through 8th grade. Reading out loud to your child builds vocabulary, stimulates imagination, and helps develop the love of reading.

There is a place for letting your child choose their own reading material. However, much of what is popular is really not inspiring or well written for that matter. If you choose inspiring books for your child to read, you may have to nudge, but eventually they will take off on their own. A great place to start is to consider books that have won awards, like the Newbery Medal.

Dr. Ben Carson is the head of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Medical School. He is considered to be a pioneer in his field and has pioneered several techniques. When asked about what he attributes to his success, he says that when he was in middle school, his mother turned off the television and began requiring that he and his siblings read two books and do book reports on them each week. You too can turn off the television, Wii, and all the other electronics if need be and insist on some reading time.

Here they are: the inspiring, the humorous, the thought provoking, and the best books to put on your child’s middle school reading list.

• The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi

• The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander

• Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

• Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett

• The Lost Years of Merlin by Betsy Byars

• Dear Mr. Henshaw by Andrew Clements

• The Tale of Despereaux by Kate Dicamillo

• The Frindle by Andrew Clements

• Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer

• Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

• The Golden Dream of Carlo Cuchio by Lloyd Alexander

• Wing Nut by M. J. Auch

• The Secret of Castle Cant by K. P. Bath

• Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

• Chance Fortune and the Outlaws by Shane Berryhill

• The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

• Framed by Frank Cottrell Boyce

• Detectives in Togas by Henry Winterfeld

• Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes

• The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

• When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt

• The Giver by Lois Lowry

• Wing Nut by M. J. Auch

• The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

• Holes by Louis Sachar

• Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

• Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

• Redwall by Brian Jacques

• Inkheart

• Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

• I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This by Jacqueline Woodson

• The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

• Zel by Donna Jo Napoli

• The Hobbitt by J. R. R. Tolkein

• On the Devil’s Court by Carl Deuker

• First Test by Tamora Pierce

• Zlata’s Diary by Zlata Filipovic

• My Life in Dog Years by Gary Paulsen

• Like Sisters on the Homefront by Rita Williams-Garcia

• Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

In addition to the excellent books recommended above, you can also choose books for a your child’s reading list based on awards that it receives.

While making it on to the American Library Association’s Notable Children’s Booklist isn’t exactly an award in the typical sense, choosing a title from their list is a surefire way to get a good book. You can find the current list, as well as past lists, at the ALA Notable Lists page.

The John Newbery Award was named after an 18th century British book seller. The medal goes to an individual book that is deemed “the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature.” In addition to Newbery medal books, there is also a selection of honor books each year. Choosing either a Newbery book or an honor book will guarantee a scintillating story. You can find a list of Newbery Medal and Newbery honor books here.

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