Great Reads for Middle School

Great Reads For Middle School

Fever, 1793. Laurie Halse Anderson. Mattie must survive Philadelphia’s yellow fever epidemic.

Feed. M.T. Anderson. Titus never questioned the Feed- the constant stream of media wired right into his brain- until he met Violet.

A Place Called Ugly . Avi. 14 year old Owen refuses to leave his family’s summer rental.

Nothing But The Truth. Avi. Phillip wants to hum “The Star Spangled Banner.” His teacher wants him not to. How does this become a national incident?

Tuck Everlasting. Natalie Babbit. In the woods, 10 year-oldWinnie meets the Tuck family- and learns their haunting secret.

Code Orange. Carolyn Cooney. Mitty would rather flirt with Olivia than do homework– until his science class research leads him into a life-or-death bioterrorism scare.

The Chocolate War. Robert Cormier. Jerry’s refusal to sell fundraising chocolates turns into so, so much more.

Bloomability. Sharon Creech. Dinnie is 13 when her aunt and uncle ‘kidnap’ her from her unraveling family and take her to Switzerland, where she learns that life is, in fact, full of bloomability.

Romiette and Julio. Sharon Draper. This modern retelling of Romeo and Juliette has Romiette’s African-American friends and family objecting to her relationship with Hispanic Julio.

City of Ember. Jeanne DuPrau. In the underground city of Ember, the food is running out and the power is flickering. Lina and her friend Doon have to save their city- but they’re running out of time!

In Search of Mockingbird. Loretta Ellsworth. 16 year old Erin is on a quest to understand her long-dead mother, and to meet her favorite writer, Harper Lee.

The Summer of My German Soldier. Bette Greene. When a WWII prison camp is built near her home in Arkansas, the last thing that Jewish Patty expects is to fall in love with Anton, an escapee.

Stormbreaker. Anthony Horowitz. Alex is 14 when he discovers his uncle Ian had a secret life as a spy for the British government- and that he needs to take over a vital mission.

The Giver. Lois Lowry. 12 year old Jonas is singled out to receive training from “The Giver”- the society’s keeper of memories.

Cut. Patricia McCormick. Callie is at Sea Pines , or as the other ‘guests’ call it, “Sick Minds” for treatment after her parents find out that she cuts herself.

Hoops. Walter Dean Meyers. Lonnie is under serious pressure- big bucks are being bet on his game, and his coach is reliving his own nightmare.

Anne of Green Gables. L.M. Montgomery. Anne Shirley, an orphan, was sent to Marilla and Matthew by mistake- what can she do to make them want to keep her at Green Gables?

Eleven. Lauren Myracle. Winnie isn’t sure why her best friend Amanda is changing- or is it Winnie who is changing?

April and the Dragon Lady. Lensey Namioka. 16 year old April is caught between her life as an American teenager and her family’s Chinese-American heritage and their expectations for and of her.

Shiloh. Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. Marty knows what he has to do to save Shiloh, an abused dog, from a violent neighbor. But can it be right to do wrong to do right?

All Alone in the Universe. Lynne Rae Perkins. Debbie learns how it is to be 13 and to feel friendless.

The Body of Christopher Creed. Carol Plum-Ucci. When class ‘loser’ Chris Creed disappears, why is it so easy for people to blame Bo Richardson?

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Betty Smith. Francie grows up during the Great Depression, telling her story from age 11 to becoming a young woman.

Stargirl. Jerry Spinelli. As fascinating as Leo finds Stargirl, she drives him crazy too. Why can’t she just, well, be normal and fit in like everyone else? What would happen if she tried?

Uglies. Scott Westerfeld. Tally Youngblood has waited all her Ugly life to turn 16- to get the surgery that will make her a Pretty. Well, now she’s 16- what is she waiting for?

The Bar Code Tattoo. Suzanne Weyn. The tattoo makes your life so much easier- and now it’s the law. When Kayla decides she doesn’t want to get it, she’s forced to go on the run.

Armageddon Summer. Jane Yolen and Bruce Coville. Marina and Jed meet on Mount Weeupcutt, where their parents are camping- to wait for the Apocalypse.

NON-FICTION

Diary of a Young Girl. Anne Frank. Anne’s diary, kept while in hiding from Nazis, is must-read.

Stick Figure: A diary of my former self. Lori Gottlieb. Gottlieb’s own diaries, beginning at age 11, tell of her battle with anorexia.

An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793. Jim Murphy. A great companion book to Fever 1793, this is a well-told history of the epidemic that swept through the brand new nation.