Truly, library school doesn't teach you about 95% of what you need to know as a school librarian. So, I've decided to dedicate a section of this blog to all the new librarians out there. Please know that the struggle is real. It isn't you; it's all of us. We've all been there, and we're here to help.
For any teacher or parent that is looking, here is my list of best books for middle school readers. Each of these books has been read or recommended by my students or I during the course of our time together:
Because picture books never really go out of style, and also because big kids love graphic novels, too. This post contains affiliate links.
Finding engaging TED Talks for middle school students is important task in inspiring and motivating your students. Find them right here!
Picture Books in Middle School | Using picture books in your classroom can engage reluctant readers, help introduce a lesson, and build community. Check out tips & resources for using picture books in middle school from The Hanson Hallway at The Secondary English Coffee Shop.
These are some of my favorite middle school graphic novels. They are a great addition to any homeschool language arts curriculum for tweens.
Middle School First Chapter Friday Book List. High-interest, engaging book recommendations & ideas for use in your ELA classroom
A variety of fascinating nonfiction books for middle school (ages 9-13) that teach critical thinking and critical reading skills.
A selection of the best books for 7th and 8th grade compiled by cross-referencing multiple authoritative sources.
An updated list of books that covers the intense social, political, and other changes of the last few years.
She's a reader. There's no denying that. She's also quite driven. At only 11, she has already chosen her desired college, major, and minor. And while I recognize that at eleven her opinions and plans might ebb and flow in the coming years, I also know HER and know that when she gets her sights set on a goal, there's no stopping her determination. That being said, the plan she has penciled in for herself after much prayer and self-evaluation requires a strong literary background. With that in mind, I have spent many months putting together a middle school reading list that will set her on that path. (This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for full details.) The Selection Process Since I'm not a huge fan of most modern reading lists and award-winning books, I have consulted only quality lists from sources that I trust which include THESE lovely gems, The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling Teens, and The Home Scholar. I have pored over countless titles and have devised a list of 50 that I think represent a worthwhile sampling of different genres, themes, and eras. There is an intentional absence of non-fiction books since she reads so many of these already for our living literature style science and history. In my opinion, middle school is a time to start developing personal opinions and convictions on many topics while under the protective umbrella of home. That being said, several of these books contain gentle messages that will challenge her current belief system. While I don't introduce them to sway her from her Christian worldview. On the contrary, I hope to use these weightier-themed books to slowly help her grow stronger in her ability to filter EVERYTHING through a Biblical lens. My home is a greenhouse...a place where small buds can grow strong and form deep roots in Truth. Up until this point, so much of my daughter's growing has come from exposure to nothing-but-Truth. But now that she is in middle school and currently doing some high school level course work, she needs to learn how to weather the tough storms that the world will hurl at her by being gently released to find the Truth amidst the lies. With that in mind, I plan on reading several of these heavier titles with her. We will each read our own copy separately and dialogue about them as we are able, dissecting the Truth from the lie. The Plan I have placed all of these books on a "shelf" called Middle School MUST READS in my Goodreads account so that she can see the list at a glance. There really is no structured order to it all. She is free to pick any title at any time. I don't necessarily expect her to read all of these books by the time she starts high school. (Then again, she's an avid reader and just might surprise me. She's actually read a handful of them already!) I mostly just want to set a wide variety of books in front of her that will each add an element of excellence to her literary journey without the worldly indoctrination that so many popular books offer. As always, when she finishes a book, she will document it for her annual portfolio and mark it as "read" in my Goodreads account. The Books Classics An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery Black Beauty by Anna Sewell Call it Courage by Armstrong Sperry Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling Little Women by Louisa May Alcott My Antonia by Willa Cather* Old Yeller by Fred Gipson Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson The Call of the Wild by Jack London The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls General Fiction Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt Black Ships Before Troy by Rosemary Sutcliff Blue Willow by Doris Gates Johnny Tremain by Esther Hoskins Forbes Letters from Rifka byKaren Hesse* Lyddie by Katherine Paterson* Men of Iron by Howard Pyle* Mr. Tucket by Gary Paulsen* Rascal by Sterling North Redwall by Brian Jacques Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor* Sounder by William H. Armstrong Steal Away by Jennifer Armstrong* The Borrowers by Mary Norton The House of Sixty Fathers by Meindert DeJong* The Miracle Worker by Willian Gibson The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood* The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo Tree Castle Island by Jean Craighead George* The Cay by Theodore Taylor The Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell* Watership Down by Richard Adams Tales from Shakespeare by Charles Lamb Biographies/Autobiographies America's Paul Revere by Esther Hoskins Forbes Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery by Russell Freedman Joni: An Unforgettable Story by Joni Eareckson Tada Not a Tame Lion: The Spiritual Legacy of C.S. Lewis and the Chronicles of Narnia by Terry Glaspey The Diary of a Young Girl by Ann Frank Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington *Books that I am not as familiar with and will be reading alongside her. For more great book suggestions, be sure to head to iHomeschool Network and check out the Massive Guide to Homeschool Reading Lists!
10 inexpensive rewards to use in your middle school class.
Find good books for your middle school students who are reluctant readers, maybe even struggling readers, books that are motivating, some at lower levels.
This is a guide to helping teachers organize and run successful literature circles in their middle school classroom. Lesson plans and tips.
A book pass is the perfect activity to get students hooked on reading! Learn how with The Secret to a Great Book Pass (and 30 Middle School Titles to Use!)
Can you follow directions Charts from following directions worksheet middle school , image source: www.pinterest.com
Finding resources to support middle school special education students is difficult, here are the best reading resources that I have found.
Help upper elementary, middle school, & high school students with media literacy by teaching them to distinguish between real and fake news. Great tips here!
Calling a student out in front of their peers can be unavoidable at times. But this can be tricky when you're dealing with middle and high school students.
Knowing how to effectively research and filter information is an essential life skill. I suggest 5 simple steps to teaching information literacy which are summarised in a poster.
Try this free, fun, and interactive middle school ELA games in your classroom to teach grammar and literacy ELA skills!
An updated list of books that covers the intense social, political, and other changes of the last few years.
Explicit instruction on concepts like central and idea and theme and a blueprint for analyzing texts help educators reach all learners.
I recently posted about book clubs in my classroom and have gotten many questions about how I run them on both posts. I am going to try and answer them all here. First and foremost, I try to make Book Clubs as simple as possible. I used to be MUCH more involved in the book ... Read more
Give your students a taste of adventure with over 20 free digital escape rooms to try at home or at school. Doing distance learning? These are perfect!
Thirty of the best new and classic middle school and middle grade books with diversity and different genres to add to your or your child's reading list.
Teaching research skills to middle school students is a gigantic task! Here are 10 Ideas to Make Teaching Research Easier!
"The author's upbeat, positive tone is refreshing and his enthusiasm about his topic is contagious." — School Library Journal (starred review) Pssst! Do you know the difference between...
A huge list of good historical fiction books for kids ages 8-13, covering time periods from the Iron Age to the 20th century.
I love teaching poetry and can't wait to share these fun ideas with you! This post is full of ways you can make poetry fun in your middle school classroom.
Reading can be a hard sell for students. Introducing middle school literature circles can be the game changer your classroom needs to foster reading.
Picture books make great examples for upper level writing lessons. In this posts, learn to use picture books to teach text structure.
Looking for project based learning ideas for middle school or elementary school students? They will love planning a road trip from start to finish!
Reading can be a hard sell for students. Introducing middle school literature circles can be the game changer your classroom needs to foster reading.
These simple tips will help you feel capable of making time and space for middle school vocabulary instruction in your classroom or at home.
Dystopian fiction is popular with our students - so it's perfect for book clubs or literature circles. Here's a list of books students love!
Teach history through books! Here are my favorite age-appropriate World War II books for kids in elementary and middle school.
A variety of fascinating nonfiction books for middle school (ages 9-13) that teach critical thinking and critical reading skills.
Discover a whole new way to learn and grow with GameschoolAcademy.com! 🌟🎓 Dive into the exciting world of Gameschooling, where fun and knowledge collide. 🚀🎮
How I implement and run guided reading and small group in my middle school and upper elementary ELA classrooms
Student rewards don't have to be expensive or complicated! Incentives for middle school students just have to be fun and consistent.
What are types of propaganda? Sharpen critical thinking and analysis skills. Ideal lesson for middle school. Includes a free slide show.
In this article, I've compiled my favorite mentor texts for middle schoolers. Each mentor text includes grade levels, a summary of the text and skills you could teach. It is a comprehensive article for middle school writing workshop teachers!
Looking for high school rewards or middle school rewards to motivate students? Tired of finding reward ideas that are more applicable to elementary kids than your 8th, 9th, or 10th graders? No need to look any further. As a language teacher, I'm always searching for high school incentives to get my trickier classes to speak
Looking for lessons and ideas to teach paraphrasing to high school students? Read on for fun activities for English Language Arts class.
Motivate students with independent reading by adding engaging reading sprints...turn the traditional reading log upside down!
