Middle grade books…

Are for all ages.

I have been pleasantly surprised by how some middle grade authors tackle complex issues in a kid-friendly way. Whether reading two copies of the same book side-by-side with my sons or listening alone to an audiobook, I have discovered many middle grade books to be a fun and uplifting experience for kids and adults alike. Here are some of my favorites:

General Fiction

• Katherine Applegate – Wishtree
• Ali Benjamin – The Thing About Jellyfish
• Dusti Bowling – Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
• Suzanne Collins – Underland Chronicles (Note: The Hunger Games is Young Adult but this series is middle grade.)
• Leslie Connor – All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook, Crunch, The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle, Waiting for Normal
• Neil Gaiman – Fortunately, the Milk
• Geoff Herbach – Hooper
• Jennifer L. Holm – The Fourteenth Goldfish
• Gordon Korman – No More Dead Dogs, Restart, Schooled, Ungifted series
• R. J. Palacio – Wonder
• Louis Sachar – Holes
• Aisha Saeed – Amal Unbound
• Holly Goldberg Sloan – Counting by 7s
• Leah Thompson – The Goldfish Boy
• Wendy Van Draanen – Flipped
• Jasmine Warga – A Rover’s Story

Historical Fiction

• Kristin Levine – Lions of Little Rock
• Lois Lowry – Number the Stars
• Jennifer A. Nielson – A Night Divided

Graphic Novel

• Raina Telgemeier – Drama, Ghosts, Smile series

Supernatural / Mystery / Horror

• Neil Gaiman – Coraline, The Graveyard Book
• Jonathan Stroud – The Lockwood & Co. series
• Pam Smy – Thornhill

Fantasy / Science Fiction

Rick Riordan has written several wonderful fantasy series based on mythology: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Heroes of Olympus, The Kane Chronicles, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, and The Trials of Apollo. Dive in and keep going! Pay attention to publication order as some characters/storylines overlap.

For more contemporary fantasy based on mythology, look for other authors published by Rick Riordan Presents (book imprint of Disney-Hyperion), such as Sarwat Chadda’s City of the Plague Gods.

The kiddos and I also enjoyed:

• Holly Black & Cassandra Clare – Magisterium series
• Cornelia Funke – Inkheart, The Thief Lord
• Neil Gaiman – Odd and the Frost Giants
• Gail Carson Levine – Ella Enchanted, Ever, Fairest, Ogre Enchanted
• Dianne K. Salerni – Eighth Day series
• Jessica Townsend – Nevermoor series

The kids loved (but I didn’t read):

• Max Brallier – The Last Kids on Earth series
• John Flanagan – Ranger’s Apprentice series, Brotherband Chronicles series
• Tui T. Sutherland – Wings of Fire series (published in both novel and graphic novel format)

Happy reading!