CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.

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Great Middle School Reads

Compiled by Merri Lindgren and Megan Schliesman

This list was originally developed by former CCBC librarian Hollis Margaret Rudiger. In her introduction to the original Hollis wrote, "the middle school period refers to a range of years when there are more variables among like-aged children than in any other period, so the only real common denominator among all of them is the building in which they are educated."

For this 2020 revision, we have expanded some of the categories and eliminated others while striving to maintain the original list's emphasis on emotional needs and interests of older children and young teens. While books are organized into specific categories, many of the titles would easily fit into two or more. An effort was made to incorporate fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, as well as graphic novels (both fiction and non-fiction) across the list and, when possible, within each category.

This list is far from exhaustive, but we hope it provides ideas for reader's advisory, library or classroom displays, and other initiatives in which you are engaged to connect middle school-aged readers with books.

Who Am I If Not My Family?

Duel
by Bagley, Jessixa
Illustrated by Aaron Bagley. Simon & Schuster, 2023. 307 pages. Ages 10-14

Shine On, Luz Veliz!
by Balcarcel, Rebecca
Chronicle, 2022. 262 pages. Ages 9-12

Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish
by Cartaya, Pablo
Viking, 2018. 249 pages. Ages 10-13

Julia and the Shark
by Hargrave, Kiran Millwood
Illustrated by Tom de Freston. Orion, 2023. 191 pages. Ages 9-13

Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir
by Martin, Pedro
Illustrated by Pedro Martin. Dial/Penguin Random House, 2023. 309 pages. Ages 8-13

Don't Date Rosa Santos
by Moreno, Nina
Disney/Hyperion, 2019. Age 12 and older

Black Brother, Black Brother
by Rhodes, Jewell Parker
Little, Brown, 2020. 239 pages. Ages 10-13

Running
by Sylvester, Natalia
Clarion/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020. 328 pages. Age 12 and older

The House That Whispers
by Thompson, Lin
Little, Brown, 2023. 330 pages. Ages 9-13

Maizy Chen's Last Chance
by Yee, Lisa
Random House, 2022. 276 pages. Ages 8-12

Changing Relationships

King and the Dragonflies
by Callender, Kacen
Scholastic Press, 2020. 259 pages. Ages 9-12

New Kid
by Craft, Jerry
Illustrated by Jerry Craft. Harper, 2019. 249 pages. Ages 9-13

Cross My Heart and Never Lie
by Dasnes, Nora
Illustrated by Nora Dasnes. Translated by Matt Bagguley. Astra/Hippo Park, 2023. 239 pages. Ages 9-13

Honey and Me
by Drazin, Meira
Scholastic/Scholastic Press, 2022. 283 pages. Ages 9-13

The Shape of Lost Things
by Everett, Sarah
Harper/HarperCollins, 2024. 263 pages. Ages 10-13

If I Ever Get Out of Here
by Gansworth, Eric
Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic, 2013. 359 pages. Age 11 and older

Tight
by Maldonado, Torrey
Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin Random House, 2018. 180 pages. Ages 9-13

The Museum of Lost and Found
by Sales, Leila
Abrams/Amulet, 2023. 297 pages. Ages 9-13

A Song Called Home
by Zarr, Sara
Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, 2022. 356 pages. Ages 9-12

Seeing Myself in New Ways

Out of My Heart
by Draper, Sharon M.
Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, 2021. 342 pages. Ages 9-12

Not an Easy Win
by Giles, Chrystal D.
Random House, 2023. 245 pages. Ages 9-12

Almost American Girl
by Ha, Robin
Illustrated by Robin Ha. Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, 2020. 227 pages. Age 12 and older

The Worlds We Leave Behind
by Harrold, A. F.
Illustrated by Levi Pinfold. Bloomsbury, 2023. 241 pages. Ages 9-13

The 47 People You'll Meet in Middle School
by Mahoney, Kristin
Knopf/Random House, 2019. 291 pages. Ages 9-12

Code Red
by McCullough, Joy
Atheneum/Simon & Schuster, 2023. 233 pages. Ages 10-13

The Wrong Way Home
by O'Shaughnessy, Kate
Knopf/Random House, 2024. 322 pages. Ages 9-13

A First Time for Everything
by Santat, Dan
Illustrated by Dan Santat. First Second/Roaring Brook, 2023. 308 pages. Ages 10-14

The Genius Under the Table
by Yelchin, Eugene
Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. Candlewick, 2021. Age 9 and older

Kyra, Just for Today
by Zarr, Sara
Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, 2024. 305 pages. Ages 9-13

Growing and Healing

Something Like Home
by Arango, Andrea Beatriz
Penguin Random House/Random House, 2023. 248 pages. Ages 9–12

Simon Sort of Says
by Bow, Erin
Disney-Hyperion, 2023. 305 pages. Ages 9-13

A Pocketful of Stars
by Bushby, Aisha
Carolrhoda/Lerner, 2023. 241 pages. Ages 10-13

Rain Rising
by Comrie, Courtne
Harper/HarperCollins, 2022. 327 pages. Ages 10-13

Flamer
by Curato, Mike
Illustrated by Mike Curato. Henry Holt/Macmillan, 2020. 366 pages. Age 12 and older

Next Stop
by Fong, Debbie
Illustrated by Debbie Fong. Random House/RH Graphic, 2024. 249 pages. Ages 9-13

Wink
by Harrell, Rob
Dial/Penguin Random House, 2020. 314 pages. Ages 9-12

Aviva vs. the Dybbuk
by Lowe, Mari
Levine Querido, 2022. 171 pages. Ages 9-13

Once There Was
by Monsef, Kiyash
Simon & Schuster, 2023. 406 pages. Age 12 and older

Long Way Down
by Reynolds, Jason
Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, 2017. 320 pages. Age 11 and older

Living Through History

The Door of No Return
by Alexander, Kwame
Little, Brown, 2022. 418 pages. Age 10 and older

Grasping Mysteries: Girls who Loved Math
by Atkins, Jeannine
Atheneum/Simon & Schuster, 2020. 305 pages. Age 10 and older

Across So Many Seas
by Behar, Ruth
Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin Random House, 2024. 258 pages. Ages 10-13

This Promise of Change: One Girl's Story in the Fight for School Equality
by Boyce, Jo Ann Allen and Debbie Levy
Bloomsbury, 2019. 310 pages. Age 11 and older

One Big Open Sky
by Cline-Ransome, Lesa
Holiday House, 2024. 296 pages. Ages 9-13

The Night Diary
by Hiranandani, Veera
Dial/Penguin, 2018. 264 pages. Ages 10-13

In the Tunnel
by Lee, Julie
Holiday House, 2023. 332 pages. Ages 10-14

Coming Up Cuban
by Manzano, Sonia
Scholastic/Scholastic Press, 2022. 301 pages. Ages 10-13

The Lost Year: A Survival Story of the Ukrainian Famine
by Marsh, Katherine
Roaring Brook, 2023. 354 pages. Ages 9-13

World Made of Glass
by Polonsky, Ami
Little, Brown, 2023. 276 pages. Ages 10-13

The Bletchley Riddle
by Sepetys, Ruta and Steve Sheinkin
Penguin Random House/Viking, 2024. 392 pages. Ages 10-14

They Called Us Enemy
by Takei, George and Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott
Illustrated by Harmony Becker. IDW/Top Shelf, 2019. 204 pages. Age 11 and older

How I Became a Ghost: A Choctaw Trail of Tears Story
by Tingle, Tim
RoadRunner, 2013. Ages 10-13

Rising to Challenges

Muzoon: A Syrian Refugee Speaks Out
by Almellehan, Muzoon and Wendy Perlman
Knopf/Random House, 2023. 270 pages. Ages 11-14

Iveliz Explains It All
by Arango, Andrea Beatriz
Random House, 2022. 268 pages. Ages 10-13

Uprooted: A Memoir about What Happens When Your Family Moves Back
by Chan, Ruth
Illustrated by Ruth Chan. Roaring Brook, 2024. 285 pages. Ages 11-14

Will on the Inside
by Eliopulos, Andrew
HarperCollins/Quill Tree, 2023. 292 pages. Ages 9-13

Bitter
by Emezi, Akwaeke
Knopf/Random House, 2022. 264 pages. Age 12 and older

When Stars Are Scattered
by Jamieson, Victoria and Omar Mohamed
Illustrated by Victoria Jamieson. Dial/Penguin Random House, 2020. 256 pages. Ages 9-13

Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone
by Keller, Tae
Random House, 2022. 277 pages. Ages 9-12

Quagmire Tiarello Coudn't Be Better
by Larsen, Mylisa
Clarion/HarperCollins, 2024. 234 pages. Ages 10-14

A Snake Falls to Earth
by Little Badger, Darcie
Arthur A. Levine Books/Levine Querido, 2021. 372 pages. Age 12 and older

South of Somewhere
by Miller, Kalena
Albert Whitman, 2024. 282 pages. Ages 9-12

Take the Mic: Fictional Stories of Everyday Resistance
compiled by Morrow, Bethany C.
Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic, 2019. 245 pages. Age 12 and older

Ain't Burned All the Bright
by Reynolds, Jason
Illustrated by Jason Griffin. Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, 2022. Age 12 and older

Dawn Raid
by Smith, Pauline Vaeluaga
Illustrated by Mat Hunkin. Levine Querido, 2021. 217 pages. Ages 9-12

All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team
by Soontornvat, Christina
Candlewick, 2020. 280 pages. Age 10 and older

The In-Between
by Van Heidrich, Katie
Aladdin/Simon & Schuster, 2023. 295 pages. Age 11 and older

I Am Enough

A Little Bit Super: With Small Powers Come Big Problems
by Cartaya, Pablo and Nikki Grimes, Leah Henderson, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Remy Lai, Kyle Lukoff, Meg Medina, Daniel Nayeri, Linda Sue Park, Mitali Perkins, Pam Munoz Ryan, Gary D. Schmidt, Brian Young, Ibi Zoboi
Clarion/HarperCollins, 2024. 278 pages. Ages 9-12

#NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women
compiled by Charleyboy, Lisa and Mary Beth Leatherdale
Annick, 2017. 109 pages. Age 12 and older

You Are Here: Connecting Flights
by Chee, Traci and Mike Chen, Meredith Ireland, Mike Jung, Erin Entrada Kelly, Minh Le, Grace Lin, Ellen Oh, Linda Sue Park, Randy Ribay, Christina Soontornvat, Susan Tan
Allida/HarperCollins, 2023. 256 pages. Ages 9-13

We Still Belong
by Day, Christine
HarperCollins/Heartdrum, 2023. 249 pages. Ages 9-12

Starfish
by Fipps, Lisa
Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin Random House, 2021. 244 pages. Ages 8-12

Tales of a Seventh-Grade Lizard Boy
by Hill, Jonathan
Illustrated by Jonathan Hill. Candlewick/Walker, 2022. 264 pages. Ages 9-13

I Am the Night Sky: & Other Reflections by Muslim American Youth
Shout Mouse, 2019. 171 pages. Age 12 and older

Deer Run Home
by LeZotte, Ann Clare
Scholastic/Scholastic Press, 2024. 224 pages. Ages 10-13

The (Other) F Word: A Celebration of the Fat and Fierce
compiled by Manfredi, Angie
Abrams, 2019. 206 pages. Age 11 and older

Elliot Jelly-Legs and the Bobblehead Miracle
by Ridge, Yolanda
Illustrated by Sydney Barnes. Orca, 2023. 215 pages. Ages 9-12

Stars in Their Eyes
by Walton, Jessica
Illustrated by Aska. Graphix/Scholastic, 2023. 209 pages. Age 11 and older

Genesis Begins Again
by Williams, Alicia D.
Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, 2019. 364 pages. Ages 11-14

Play Like a Girl
by Wilson, Misty
Illustrated by David Wilson. Balzer + Bray/HarperAlley, 2022. 258 pages. Ages 10-13

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Our Recommended Book Search includes access to CCBC-recommended titles based on subject headings created by our staff.

Please send questions or comments about CCBC booklists to ccbcinfo@education.wisc.edu.