Middle Year Book Recommendations
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Anonymous
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Looking for new books for my rising 7th grade girl. She loves reading, especially "realistic fiction" about girls and their space in the world. She's not a huge fan of girl vs. girl drama, but dramatic events or changing the world or strong teammates or journeys.
Note from her mom: a little romantic interest is OK but I've held back books with teenage hookups. |
Anonymous
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Tuck Everlasting
Daddy Long Legs The Giver The Book Thief Where the Red Fern Grows The Maze Runner Animal Farm To Kill a Mockingbird Number the Stars The Call of the Wild |
Anonymous
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Splendors & Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz. I read it before giving it to my kids and enjoyed it more than a lot of adult books I've read.
Here's the para describing it on Wiki: The main character, rich girl Clara Wintermute, lives with her parents in a wealthy section of London. Her greatest wish for her birthday is for the puppet troupe she saw in a park one day to perform for her and her party guests. So the puppet master, Grisini, and his assistants, 14-year-old Lizzie Rose Fawr and 12-year-old Parsefall Hooke, visit the Wintermute home and put on their show. Then, not long after they visit, young Clara goes missing. Alleged kidnappers demand ransom from her parents, and Clara's father, Dr. Wintermute, brings the ransom to the appointed place, but the kidnapper never shows up. Meanwhile, an old witch is using her magic to summon Grisini to her estate near Lake Windermere. All of the children's lives soon become entangled with Grisini; the witch, Cassandra; and the Wintermutes. And all the while, Clara is being hidden in plain sight. The book was awarded the 2013 Newbery Honor for excellence in children's literature. |
Anonymous
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Maybe take a look at Nicole Melleby’s books? I just read a very positive review of her new one, “Winnie Nash is not Your Sunshine,” and some of previous books look good, too.
I also highly recommend, “Maybe He Just Likes You,” by Barbara Dee. Contemporary realistic fiction, extraordinarily well done and with empathy for everyone involved. Multifaceted, too - not just about Middle School #MeToo (peers, not adults!!), touches on other aspects of middle school, both interesting and routine. It’s one of the few middle school books I read before suggesting it to DD. Good stuff. Looking forward to having DS read it when he’s in middle school, too. |
Anonymous
| Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead is a really thoughtful book that inverts the typical girl-drama story, even as some of the girl characters grow and change in different ways and at different paces. There’s a bit of wrestling with middle school relationships and some very real challenges (sexy selfies, for example), but it’s deftly done, neither shaming nor “normalizing” ….and with ample room for those who aren’t at that place yet. She’s an unusually thoughtful and generous writer, able to hold multiple truths concurrently. (If you read it too, you’d have lots to talk about with DC in a way that wouldn’t feel like moralizing.) |
Anonymous
Spoiler comment….. …… ….. Do not read So Maybe He Just Likes You if would upset you to have the resolution being that a 7th grade girl has to be the one to educate the entire male school population and school educators (male and female) about what should not be happening to the girl. It can be a tough read if would hit too close to home. |
Anonymous
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GDS publishes their suggested reading list on their website. I’m friends with one of their librarians, and she always has had excellent ideas for my daughter.
https://www.gds.org/academics/libraries/summer-reading |
Anonymous
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Ally Carter
Island of the Blue Dolphins Julie of the Wolves Blue Willow - Doris Gates The Summer of the Swans - Betsy Byars Misty of Chincoteague Trixie Belden mystery series The Westing Game |
Anonymous
For sure! I'm the one who suggested the book, and I was truly appalled and offended by the school educators/adults, too!! It made for good conversation with DD, though. We talked about how adults don't always know everything and sometimes have quite a bit more learning to do themselves (ourselves) - including those in positions of authority who "should" know better and do better. So it's important for each of us to think independently (critically) - to take in what other people say and do, but ultimately stay connected with what we as individuals think is right, and act accordingly (including finding adult allies who DO get it.) Sadly, I did find that part (the moronic adults) to be realistic. But I liked how the main character persisted - good role modeling there. |
Anonymous
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Love this!
My daughter and I love the Jenny Han books -- To All the Boys I've Loved Before and The Summer I Turned Pretty. *maybe* you'd want to wait a year or two. But you could read it first and decide! |
Anonymous
| Not the OP but thank you for all these suggestions, esp the GDS lists. What a treasure trove! |