Every summer, my inbox fills with the same happy request: parents and students asking me for book recommendations. Because I know these readers well, I can usually fire off five or ten titles I know their middle schooler will love. In hindsight, though, I should be handing out my list of the best books for middle school BEFORE every school break, not scrambling once summer hits!
This list includes books for all reading levels, with a few picks that are best suited for mature readers. Not every book on this list is for every middle school reader. You definitely know your students and can recommend the best books for them!
I put this middle school reading list together from years of engagement feedback, student recommendations, and read-aloud classroom experiences. My hope is that it helps other teachers and parents build their own lists too. You might be surprised how many of your less-enthusiastic readers quietly pick up a title or two over break.
For any teacher or parent looking for a list to inspire middle school readers, here are my favorite books. Every one of these has been read or recommended by my students or me during our time together, so this is an actual student-and-teacher-verified list straight from my own classroom:
** = These books likely need parent/admin approval or use censored excerpts for read-alouds
Memoirs:
- The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony and Graham Spence
- Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina by Misty Copeland
- Hidden Girl: The True Story of a Modern Day Child Slave by Shyima Hall and Lisa Wysocky
- The Red Bandana (Young Readers Adaptation) by Tom Rinaldi
- Chasing Space by Leland Melvin
- Free Lunch by Rex Ogle
- Ghosts of War: The True Story of a 19-Year-Old GI by Ryan Smithson
- **Educated by Tara Westover
- I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb
Fiction:
- Internment by Samira Ahmed
- Rebound by Kwame Alexander
- Booked by Kwame Alexander
- The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
- Posted by John David Anderson
- Wishtree by Katherine Applegate
- Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
- The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
- The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
- The Truth About Horses by Christy Cashman
- Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
- Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings
- Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
- The Maze Runner Series by James Dashner
- Focused by Alyson Gerber
- Space Case by Stuart Gibbs
- Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz
- Refugee by Alan Gratz
- The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
- The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm
- House Arrest by K.A. Holt
- Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly
- Restart by Gordon Korman
- We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
- A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
- Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
- Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick
- Ghost by Jason Reynolds
- **Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
- **I am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez
- **Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt
- Jupiter Rising by Gary D. Schmidt
- **The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater
- Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
- When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
- **Dear Martin by Nic Stone
- Smile by Raina Telgemeier
- **The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
- **On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
- The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen
- Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks
This list came straight from my observations and conference notes, built on what my students actually read during our year together. My kids are thoughtful “recommenders,” so I leaned on their enthusiasm to grow this list into something I can post on Schoology, Smore Emails, or email to any parent who reaches out.
Free Book List PDF Download
How to use this book list
For parents, treat it like a summer reading menu and let your reader choose two or three that sound good to them, rather than assigning one. For teachers, it doubles as a classroom library wish list and a ready set of independent reading options for the kids who swear they “can't find anything to read.” Choice is the secret. When a middle schooler picks the book themselves, they are far more likely to finish it, and then come back asking for another.
Novel study units for teachers
There are several books on this list I don't just recommend, I teach them. If you're planning a whole-class read of Tuck Everlasting, Bud Not Buddy, Freak the Mighty, Hatchet, or Maniac Magee, I have print-and-go novel study units for each in my TPT store so you're not building lessons from scratch.
I hope you find some titles you haven't read yet. Here is my Amazon affiliate link if you are looking to purchase any of the titles listed above. I would love to hear about any books your middle school students LOVED this year so I can add to my classroom library and begin working on my list for next summer.
More Best Book Lists:
My All-Time Favorite Books for 6th Graders
Diverse Books for Middle School
