25+ Books to Read with Your Middle Grade Book Club

Ginny’s summer is thrown off when her dad gets a surprise redeployment in the middle of their family’s move to another city. Then, her geography camp gets canceled. Her sister seems to be making new friends, but no one appears to like Ginny–even when she starts her own geography camp. This sweet, unique, young middle-grade book made my heart grow and ache for Ginny and her family as they navigated a season of change. Features illustrations and a new geography fact in each chapter. Ages 8+

THEMES: Moving, resilience, friendship, sibling relationships, military family life, geography

Deena is an anxious artist with two best friends, Lucia and Nisha. Deena doesn’t know it yet, but the knot in her stomach and nausea she feels every morning is thanks to anxiety. One of the main sources of her anxiety is her parents’ bickering about financial issues. When Deena has an idea to promote her mom’s business on social media and help them earn more, she hopes it will reduce her parents’ bickering. But her social media use comes with its unique issues, even as Deena realizes she needs more support for her anxiety. Drawing Deena is an inspiring, feel-good story about a young artist surmounting creative challenges and managing anxiety. Ages 9+

THEMES: Social media, anxiety, being yourself, body image, art. Discussion guide here.

⭐️ Our June 2025 Tween Summer Book Club SENIOR Pick. Read with us.

When a bunch of popular kids seems to welcome Kate into their clique, she is torn about ditching her longtime best friend, Haddie. Things get complicated, however, when Kate is a passive participant in a bullying incident that leads to Haddie sinking on thin ice. Then, Kate is captured on camera saving Haddie, and the video goes viral. News outlets hail “Kate the Great” as a shining example for tweens who should not be bullying other kids, but how long can she keep up the charade? And is Kate great? Or is she a bad person? This is a timely, complex, and engaging middle grade book about identity, popularity, bullying culture, and going viral. Ages 10+

THEMES: Popularity, bullying, family, friendships, social media, virality. BOOK CLUB KIT.

Zoe Washington’s summer is off to a rough start. But things get more complicated when she finds a letter in the mail from her incarcerated birth father. The only problem is that he’s in jail for something “very bad,” and Zoe has never met or spoken to him before. As she starts to write to Marcus, Zoe realizes that things might not be so black and white. While she learns more about Marcus, she also spends part of her summer interning at a pastry shop. Author Janae Marks explores parental incarceration, wrongful imprisonment, friendship missteps, and more in this gripping novel. Ages 10+

THEMES: Friendship, blended family, activism, perseverance, wrongful incarceration. Discussion guide here.

⭐️ Our July 2025 Tween Summer Book Club SENIOR Pick. Read with us.

Max and his community are reeling from a night out gone wrong. Max and his friends, Joey and Will, went out with two older boys, but Will ended up unconscious and in a coma, and Joey won’t speak to Max anymore. Max also has ADHD and is over six feet tall at 11, which means he stands out in his class. Frustrated that he can’t figure out what happened to Will, Max teams up with an inquisitive classmate, but the truths he unravels aren’t pretty. Can Max get to the bottom of this mystery? This is a pitch-perfect middle grade mystery about honesty, peer pressure, and standing up for what’s right. Ages 10+

THEMES: Body image, ADHD, male friendship, bullying, standing up for what’s right. Book Club Kit here.

Baseball lover Rick’s summer plans are dashed when his mother drags him to coastal Oregon to spend time with her father. His grandfather is obviously excited to spend time with Rick and starts sharing a Japanese folktale with him. However, Rick soon realizes that there are uncanny parallels between his grandfather’s stories and his real life. When Rick gets involved in a highly competitive baseball team, he quickly learns the same lesson from his grandfather’s folktales: that family matters more than winning or fame and fortune. I liked this story for many reasons: the male main character is fun and has a relatable voice, the high presence of baseball and gaming, and the challenges of male friendships highlighted as well as the tough learnings of what really matters in life — which many tweens will figure out at some point. Ages 9+

THEMES: Grandparent bond, family history, value of relationships over fame and fortune, gaming, baseball

This is an incredible (mostly) verse novel about a boy who vandalizes a gravestone of a 46er Adirondack woman and is tasked with hiking all 46 peaks as reparations. I read this one start to finish in a single day, and I loved the multiple formats–written in posters, pictures, text messages, letters, recipes, and yes, verse. Finn is angry a lot, and the hike introduces him to people who knew his dad and a slobbery dog, Seymour. This one combines adventure, heart, mystery, suspense, and flashbacks beautifully. Finn’s ELA assignment is to write 20 poems of different kinds — acrostic, haiku, found poems, villanelle — making this a great book to teach poetry. Just really clever, strong kid appeal, and full of emotional depth. Ages 10+

THEMES: Forgiveness, perseverance, being brave, what it means to be a hero, love for the outdoors, community

It’s the 1930s, and Bea wakes up in a hayloft to a note from her dad, who’s abandoned her and her little sister Viv to a family friend they’ve never met. There, Bea works hard to be helpful to Mrs. Scott, in the hopes that the farm owner will keep her and her sister forever. She also forms a bond with a wild horse on the farm, which may just be the key to keeping the failing farm afloat. Bea and the New Deal Horse is an inspiring historical fiction book about life in the Great Depression, community, and the animal-human bond. Ages 9+

THEMES: Sisterhood, community, horses, life during the great depression, courage, kindness. Discussion guide.

What if Nazi Germany won WWII? That’s the chilling question this time-travel thriller explores. Two sets of a friendship trio — one in 2023 and the other in 1944 — discover that they can communicate over a radio device present in both timelines. As the two groups figure out the differences in their timelines while trying to avoid making any changes to history, they discover that they’ve unwittingly made an enormously impactful change with shocking consequences. Westfallen is a chilling exploration of a terrifying alternate reality for fans of high-action time travel fiction. Ages 10+

THEMES: WWII, friendship, history, memory, prejudice. Discussion guide here.

This historical mystery combines the literary prowess of author Ruta Sepetys with Steve Sheinkin’s narrative skills as we follow two siblings during WWII in England trying to find their missing mother and help the British army defeat the Nazis. With two teenage protagonists, this one straddles the line between middle grade and YA, although the content is more middle grade than YA. It is gripping, hard to put down, and brilliantly plotted. Hand to fans of fast-paced mysteries, whether or not they love historical fiction. Ages 10+

THEMES: Family, secrets, honor, overcoming challenges, WWII. Discussion guide here.

I LOVED this verse novel told from the perspective of young Lettie, her mother Sylvie, and a teenage teacher, Philomena, about their perilous journey from 1870s Mississippi to Nebraska during the Great Migration. With narrators of varying ages, this suspenseful, at times heartbreaking story has plenty to offer readers between the ages of 9 and 13 and would make a great read-aloud for families with older kids. Ages 10+

THEMES: Westward expansion, gender inequality, civil rights, family, community. Discussion guide here.

A most ill-fated adventure confronts young Santos upon bringing his mother and siblings from their small Italian village to New York City, where they are to meet up with his father in 1911. Soon after alighting the ferry at Ellis Island, Santos gets separated from his mother and siblings, and when he arrives in NYC, his father is nowhere to be found. Homeless, he gets in with a group of homeless boys who steal food to survive until a betrayal upsets the arrangement. There are so many twists and turns in this highly engaging book about a protagonist navigating a difficult situation with poor English language skills and no family to comfort him. Add short chapters, and you get a fantastic class discussion book that kids won’t be able to put down! Ages 11+

THEMES: Immigrant life, ethics, honesty, family, Ellis Island history.

Mia Tang is a ten-year-old Chinese immigrant who lives in a motel with her parents in the 1980s. They run the motel for its crooked owner, Mr Yao. Mia runs the front desk, and soon, she realizes that her parents use the motel to protect undocumented immigrants. I highly recommend this debut by Kelly Yang. It deals with heavier topics like racism, class prejudice, the value of diligence, and the struggles of immigrants in a dignified, relatable way for kids. Ages 9+

THEMES: Immigrant life, racism, writing, believing in yourself, persistence, unlikely friendship. Teaching resources here.

⭐️ Our August 2025 Tween Summer Book Club SENIOR Pick. Read with us.

Sweet Michael Rosario is shy and anxious about Y2K. The only bright spot in his life besides his doting but BUSY (working three jobs) single mother is his babysitter, Gibby, whom he might have a crush on. One day, Gibby and Michael spot an unusually dressed teenager hanging around their housing complex, and after a confrontation, they realize he’s a time traveler from the future named Ridge. This is a brilliant, highly readable middle grade book from the QUEEN of character-driven middle grade literature. This expansive sci-fi feels at once introspective and cinematic, leaping off the page like something made for a movie. Ages 10+

THEMES: Anxiety, living in the present, how the past and future interplay, community, friendship. Discussion guide here.

In this gorgeous graphic novel, tweens Myunghee and Yunho’s paths intersect the day before they both escape the communist regime and converge again in China, where Yunho’s mother takes Myunghee in and along on their arduous, perilous escape plan. The Other Side of Tomorrow is a breathtaking, suspenseful, and gorgeously illustrated graphic novel about two kids escaping North Korea. A stirring, frightening, and powerful glimpse into a largely unseen territory of the world makes this a punchy survival tale for fans of The Blackbird Girls and The Lost Year. Ages 9+

THEMES: Survival, found family, perseverance, Korean history, communism. Discussion guide.

Since their father died, sisters Gigi and Lucy haven’t seen eye to eye. Their mother is worn out by her grief and her demanding job and can’t deal with their constant bickering. Now, Lucy is a new 6th grader at the school where Gigi is the 8th grade Queen Bee, and on Lucy’s first day, the girls get into an altercation that ends with Lucy challenging her sister (and school fencing champion) to a duel. What follows are chapters alternating between each girl’s first-person narration as they go between the past and present, exploring their relationship, where it went wrong, and planning their fencing duel. This story has sports, friendship, sisterhood, family, grief, and even a grandparent relationship, lending it some major kid and adult appeal! It’s a spectacular debut–one of the best I’ve ever read. Ages 9+

THEMES: Sisterhood, grief, fencing, popularity, middle school life. Activity sheet here.

After she and her dad move from Brooklyn to Florida, Bree is excited for her first day in middle school. But also, she’s super anxious about whether she’ll make friends and fit in. Unfortunately, when Bree goes to choose her math club elective, it’s fully booked. As a math lover who can’t swim, she’s crushed to hear that the only elective left is swim 101. At first, Bree avoids getting in the water, but after a near-drowning in her housing complex, an elderly neighbor (who used to be part of her swim team) decides to coach Bree. Bree gets so good that she joins her swim team, but can the team get past the drama and win? Swim Team is a highly engaging graphic novel about swimming, Black history (and why many Blacks don’t swim), and friendship. Ages 9+

THEMES: Black history, swimming, being on a team, friendship, dealing with change, perseverance. Discussion guide.

The graphic novel Measuring Up follows 12-year-old Cici, who moves from Taiwan to the US with her parents, leaving behind her beloved A-ma (her grandmother). Cici misses her A-ma with whom she used to go to the market and cook. So when she stumbles upon a kid cooking contest, it feels like the perfect opportunity to earn $1000. The only problem is that Cici can only cook Taiwanese dishes. Fortunately, she’s paired up with an Italian-American girl, Miranda, whose father runs a restaurant (and who practically grew up working in a restaurant). Halfway through the contest, though, each contestant has to compete alone. This is an excellent feel-good, coming-of-age story that pays homage to the love between a granddaughter and her grandmother. Ages 8+

THEMES: Family, cooking, friendships, grandparent bond, immigrant life. Discussion guide.

Alone follows 12-year-old Maddie, who gets abandoned by some twist of fate when her entire town is mysteriously evacuated. Left alone with no human in sight, she bonds with a Rottweiler named George, who is one of many abandoned pets. Soon after, they lose power and then water, and Maddie has to fend for herself using a variety of ingenious means and the town resources at her disposal. is a well-written middle-grade survival novel with a tenacious protagonist and engaging plot. I would definitely recommend this to fans of adventure and survival stories, as well as those who enjoy a good verse novel. Ages 10+

13-year-old Sage’s life is irrevocably changed when her best friend dies in a car accident on her birthday. Now, she’s in grief group at school and trying to find her way through grief and the tagalong emotions it brings, while still trying to live somehow. I am always nervous about heavy subject-centered books like this one, but Watson’s writing is so gorgeous, I’ll go anywhere she takes me. I think this is a book we all need to read, whether you’ve lost someone you love or you love people who’ve lost someone. It’s a powerful manifesto on grief and community and thriving regardless of emotional pain. A searing exploration of the rollercoaster that is grief and the value of simultaneously holding joy and sadness. Ages 10+

THEME: Grief, friendship, family, community, perseverance, dealing with change, resilience. Activity guide.

ZJ’s dad is a popular pro-American footballer. He has an awesome crew of male friends who feel like family. Life seems pretty good until his dad comes home early from a game with an awful headache. The headache is joined by disturbing symptoms like forgetfulness, aggression, spacing out, and general confusion. The book is set in 1999-2000, when there was just a growing awareness of CTE. ZJ’s mom is worried because she knows a few other football friends of his dad who have had the same symptoms. As ZJ tries to get through each day, not knowing whether it’ll be a good day for his dad or a bad one, he finds comfort in family, comfort, and community. This is a brilliant, true-to-life portrayal of a child coping with his famous father’s deterioration due to CTE. Ages 10+

THEMES: Father-child bond, heroism, sports and mental health, friendship, community, memory. Discussion guide.

Starfish features Ellie, a fat girl who has been bullied for her weight since she wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash in the pool. Thankfully, after Viv moves, Ellie finds a friend in her new neighbor Catalina and her family. At school, bullying intensifies when a chair breaks after Ellie sits on it. Her mom is also pushing for gastric bypass surgery for Ellie. Eventually, her father gets her mother to ease off by taking Ellie to a therapist who helps her accept her body and defend herself against bullies. This is a powerful, fat-positive middle grade verse novel about a girl who is learning that she deserves to take up space. Ages 9+

THEMES: Body image, friendship, community, mental health, therapy, being yourself, being brave. Discussion guide.

The Lost Language centers around 6th grade Betsy and her best friend, Lizard (both girls are actually named Elizabeth!), who decide to save a disappearing language, Guernsiais (spoken on the small Isle of Guernsey, off the coast of France). Betsy’s mom is a passionate linguist who — unbeknownst to Betsy — is also dealing with depression and anxiety. Lizard has always been a bit of a bossy, possessive friend, thanks to her assertive character. As the two girls work on the project together, cracks in their friendship begin to show and a near-tragedy in Betsy’s family threatens to tear them apart. Heads up for a parental suicide attempt. Ages 10+

THEMES: Languages, friendships, mental health, family. Discussion guide.

Afiyah has a problem with taking things, even when she tries really hard not to. Fortunately, she’s often remorseful and returns the stolen items. She’s shaken when her father is wrongfully arrested for embezzlement at the airport during a family trip. The situation puts a strain on her family and moves Afiyah to strongly examine her tendency to steal — especially after she gets caught in the act. This is a touching, realistic coming-of-age story about trying to break bad habits and dealing with a family crisis. This will pull at your heartstrings because we’ve all been through one familial crisis or another and we’ve all done things we weren’t proud of. Ages 9+

THEMES: Family, mistakes, forgiveness, growing up, hope, change. Quiz cards.

After a memorable birthday sleepover with her two best friends, Elise wakes up to realize that time has jumped by six months and her best friends no longer speak to her. With the help of an old friend, she works to figure out what happened and how to undo it. A Split Second is a time travel fantasy with a slightly spooky feel, perfect for kids who like books about magic with a touch of mystery. This book will appeal to young readers for a myriad of reasons, including the fact that it’s short, highly accessible, and written from two points of view while tackling hugely relatable themes like friendship and being brave. Ages 8+

Discussion guide with themes and activities (made by us!)

⭐️ Our August 2025 Tween Summer Book Club JUNIOR Pick. Read with us.

Chance is a three-legged dog at the Dogtown shelter, where able-bodied and robot dogs compete for attention. Things start to change when a new robot dog, Metal Head, comes to the pound. First off, he’s determined to run away (return home). So he hatches a plan with Chance and her mouse best friend to help an older dog get adopted in exchange for helping him escape. But things do not go to plan, and Chance, her mouse friend, and Metal Head spend a night on the streets on an emotional adventure. As someone who isn’t into animal books, I’m shocked by how much I liked this one. It’s charming, beautifully plotted, and full of suspense, heartwarming characters, and plenty of heart. It also has sweet illustrations and concise chapters. Ages 8+

THEMES: Finding home, friendships, nature vs technology, perseverance, community

Apple and Dorothy are half-gods, descendants of the Greek gods Zeus and Hera and Pandora, respectively. When Dorothy’s mother refuses to return to Olympus one solstice, she becomes a full human and is soon killed in a car accident, leaving Dorothy and her father grieving. Motivated by a promise she made to Dorothy’s mother, Apple befriends Dorothy. But when the gods rule that all half-gods must return home to Olympus and take their place as gods or remain human, Dorothy chooses Earth, to Apple’s dismay. Apple’s fear of losing Dorothy leads her to make a decision with terrible consequences. As a non-fantasy reader, I loved this book — how clever, creative, and profound it is, especially in the way it approaches friendship and grief. I think fans of Greek mythology will love it. Ages 10+

THEMES: Friendship, Greek mythology, death and grief, mistakes and regrets, identity, family