10 Books to Buy Middle Graders for Christmas
For as long as I can remember, I've always gotten books for Christmas. It's one of my favorite times of year to be gifted books. Cold days, long nights, and curling up on the couch=lots of reading time! Sometimes it can be hard to know what books to purchase for loved ones--especially if it seems like they've read everything on the planet.
Let me recommend for you what I think are some of the 10 best books I've read this year to gift to middle graders. These books would be great for kids from about age 8 all the way up to 14!
The adventures of unsupervised kids have made their way into our culture as cult classics like The Goonies where a group of kids set out to find pirate treasure in order to save their home! They are constantly being chased by a band of criminals throughout the movie. The varying personalities of the kids and teenagers makes for a lot of laughs and fun!
More recently, the popular Stranger Things on Netflix has captured everyone's attention. Everyone quickly fell in love with the likes of Eleven, Mike, Will, and the rest of the gang as they go about mostly saving the town without much help from the adults in their lives.
More recently, the popular Stranger Things on Netflix has captured everyone's attention. Everyone quickly fell in love with the likes of Eleven, Mike, Will, and the rest of the gang as they go about mostly saving the town without much help from the adults in their lives.
If you're looking for more unsupervised adventures as kids try to save the world from something that adults couldn't even imagine, look no further! There is The Darkdeep by Brendan Reichs and Ally Condie.
In Caterpillar Summer by Gillian McDunn, Cat and her brother Henry (nicknamed "Chicken") live with their mom in San Francisco. Since their mom is always working, Cat is responsible for taking care of Chicken who has autism. The two have their summer plans derailed when their mother has to work and they can't spend the three weeks with their friends. Cat and Chicken must stay with their mom's parents whom they have never met. Their grandmother, Lily, and their grandfather, Macon, introduce them to life on their small island off the Atlantic Coast. At first Cat isn't sure about Macon and his stand-offish personality. She can see why her mother never talks about her parents. But when Cat enters a fishing contest, she bonds with Macon as he teaches her how to fish. She realizes how much she was missing these grandparents in her life and hopes that she can heal the hurt between her mom and her parents.
Front Desk is about a young girl named Mia Tang. She and her parents have immigrated from China to the United States. But unfortunately, living in the US hasn't been the ideal dream that they pictured. They struggle to make ends meet despite Mia's willingness to help out with jobs after school. The Tang family feels like a million bucks when they see an ad for a motel offering free rent for someone to manage the motel. But when they accept the job and start working, they realize this isn't going to be a walk in the park. Especially when they discover just how mean the owner of the motel, Mr. Yao, really is. Her parents spend all day cleaning the motel rooms with harsh chemicals and Mia has to man the front desk--but she realizes that even that won't be easy. Figuring out how to make the customers happy, charging them the right amount of money, and keeping the motel safe are all problems Mia must tackle.
Eventown by Corey Ann Haydu is the story of twins Elodie and Naomi. Things haven't been the same for them in their town of Juniper for a while. So when their mom gets offered a job in the amazing place of Eventown, they are all excited for a fresh start. However, the Eventown that they remember from their family vacation is completely different from the one that they find when they move there. Everything is just a little too perfect--a little too good to be true. Elodie finds that she stands out from everyone else while all Naomi wants to do is fit in. Being like everyone else may mean letting go of some of their most painful memories, something Elodie isn't ready to do. Facing loss and dealing with change is what the twins must learn to do.
Twelve-year-old Astrid has always done everything with her best friend Nicole. So when Astrid signs up for roller derby camp, she assumes Nicole will too. But Nicole signs up for dance camp with a new friend instead, and so begins the toughest summer of Astrid's life. There are bumps and bruises as Astrid learns who she is without Nicole...and what it takes to be a strong, tough roller girl."
Check out my full review here!
And once they've finished this book, they can read the sequel The Beast which came out this fall!
2. Caterpillar Summer by Gillian McDunn
I am amazed by McDunn's amazing ability to address so many different themes in just one book. This book is about friendship, responsibility, love, family, first impressions, and second chances. I would recommend this for anyone looking for great realistic fiction and a heart-warming story. You can purchase a copy here!
3. My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero
This book is the young reader version of Diane Guerrero's autobiography-- My Family Divided: One Girl's Journey of Home, Loss, and Hope. This one was very interesting to me since it is non-fiction. Just from her name, I didn't realize who Diane Guerrero was but after looking her up, I realized that I am a big fan of her work. She is an actress in the hit show Orange is the New Black as well as Jane the Virgin. After reading her story and the situation in which she grew up, I am even more impressed and amazed at what she went through to reach the success that she did.
Diane was born to parents who were living in the U.S. undocumented. While Diane was a citizen, her parents and brother were constantly living in the fear that they would be deported back to Colombia. In fact, her mother was deported twice while she was growing up but managed to make her way back to Boston to be with her family. However, when Diane was 14, her parents were deported and were unable to come back, leaving Diane all alone in the United States. Luckily, she was taken in by family friends. This autobiography details Diane's struggle to not just survive but to thrive as she essentially grows up alone. We also get the story of how she found success in her passion of acting. Her plight is one that is so common in the United States right now and is at the forefront of the immigration conversation.
Diane was born to parents who were living in the U.S. undocumented. While Diane was a citizen, her parents and brother were constantly living in the fear that they would be deported back to Colombia. In fact, her mother was deported twice while she was growing up but managed to make her way back to Boston to be with her family. However, when Diane was 14, her parents were deported and were unable to come back, leaving Diane all alone in the United States. Luckily, she was taken in by family friends. This autobiography details Diane's struggle to not just survive but to thrive as she essentially grows up alone. We also get the story of how she found success in her passion of acting. Her plight is one that is so common in the United States right now and is at the forefront of the immigration conversation.
4. Super Jake & The King of Chaos by Naomi Milliner
Milliner's debut novel is all about eleven-year-old Ethan who has a special needs brother, two-year-old Jake. Their family's life frequently revolves around hospital visits and Jake struggling to simply learn how to eat and move. In order to experience some form of escape, Ethan retreats to the world of magic tricks. He is a talented magician for his age and loves to perform and bring people joy with his card tricks and birthday party acts. He enters a junior magic competition that he is dying to win so that he can meet his hero, Magnus the Magnificent. All the while, Ethan is faced with how he can do what he loves while also being there to support his family and take care of Jake.
I highly recommend this book for children and adults (It's marketed as Middle Grade). Those with disabled siblings will feel seen but will also enjoy the fun that Ethan's magic will bring to the book. I hope you'll check it out. You can purchase your own copy here!
5. Up For Air by Lauire Morrison
Up for Air is about Annabelle, a thirteen-year-old girl who struggles at school but excels in the water. When summer comes and she gets to spend more and more of her time in the pool, she feels more like herself. But this year, everything changes when she is asked to join the high school swim team instead of swimming for the middle school team with her friends. Suddenly she is learning how to interact with the older crowd--including a boy who seems to pay her special attention. She starts to feel like she is standing out in a good way.
However, Annabelle finds that she starts having to compromise her values and her relationships with her friends in order to fit in with the high school kids. After she gets into some trouble with her new friends, the high school boy abandons her, she is injured, and can't even swim. Annabelle finds that she doesn't know who she is without swimming--the one thing she feels like she is good at. She must rediscover who she is and what self-worth is.
However, Annabelle finds that she starts having to compromise her values and her relationships with her friends in order to fit in with the high school kids. After she gets into some trouble with her new friends, the high school boy abandons her, she is injured, and can't even swim. Annabelle finds that she doesn't know who she is without swimming--the one thing she feels like she is good at. She must rediscover who she is and what self-worth is.
I highly recommend this upper-middle-grade novel for anyone who loves swimming, realistic fiction, coming of age books, and teachers looking for relatable books for their junior high aged kids. You can purchase a copy here!
6. Tight by Torrey Maldonado
Tight is the story of Bryan, a kid growing up in a tough urban area. His dad is in and out of jail but his mom has high expectations for him and wants him to stay out of trouble. His parents introduce him to Mike, someone they feel will be a good influence on him. They start to hang out, read comics, and draw pictures together. Then suddenly Mike starts to pressure Bryan into doing things that he knows he shouldn't.
Bryan is drawn in by the crazy adrenaline rush of skipping school, hopping turnstiles at the subway, and even train surfing. But Bryan starts to realize that he might be in over his head. This isn't the type of life that his parents want for him--and he doesn't want the drama.
So Bryan has to figure out how he can stand up for the things that he believes in while maintaining his reputation in their urban community.
I would recommend this book for those who love middle-grade, urban settings, books about friendship, relatable dialogue, and short book lovers (it's less than 200 pages!).You can purchase your own copy here!
7. Front Desk by Kelly Yang
This lovely middle grade book is a super easy read. But like I said, such a heart-warming story about immigrants in which many young people can relate to the main character. It's perfect for lovers of realistic fiction and middle grade stories! Read my full review and purchase a copy here.
8. Eventown by Corey Ann Haydu
Children and adults alike face grief and change that makes them uncomfortable so I think that anyone can learn from the story that this book has to tell. I was expecting a light-easy read about two sisters coping with a move to a new town but was pleasantly surprised to find a book with deep emotions and important lessons running through it about memory and grief and loss. Anyone who knows what it's like to lose someone can relate to this book. Read my full review here!
You can purchase a copy here.
You can purchase a copy here.
9. The Camelot Code by Mari Mancusi
This book is for the middle graders who love gaming! A young King Arthur accidentally time travels to the 21st century and after googling himself, decides he'd rather avoid his fate and stay in the future. Modern day gamer geeks Sophie and Stu, with the help of Merlin, try to pull off the adventure of a lifetime to make sure the sword gets pulled from the stone and Arthur returns to the past where he belongs. And if they fail, the world as they know it will cease to exist!
It's a fun spin on the Arthurian legend but pulls in many gaming aspects that kids will love. This is a fun fantasy read for middle graders of all types. Purchase a copy here!
10. Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson
Goodreads describes it as "For fans of Raina Telgemeier’s Smile, a heartwarming graphic novel about friendship and surviving junior high through the power of roller derby.
Twelve-year-old Astrid has always done everything with her best friend Nicole. So when Astrid signs up for roller derby camp, she assumes Nicole will too. But Nicole signs up for dance camp with a new friend instead, and so begins the toughest summer of Astrid's life. There are bumps and bruises as Astrid learns who she is without Nicole...and what it takes to be a strong, tough roller girl."
Roller Girl is a great graphic novel which I am a huge supporter of! So if you have a middle grader (boy or girl) who loves graphic novels--they will enjoy this one! Victoria Jamieson has another middle grade graphic novel called All's Faire in Middle School. Purchase a copy of Roller Girl here!
About 90% of what I read is middle grade books so that I have books to recommend to my seventh graders. I absolutely love it because these books are great examples of books that are not only fun and entertaining but touch on difficult topics and encourage kids to open their eyes to the world around them.
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