Reading Middle Grade

Finding chapter books for second graders can be tough, because these kids are often new to reading and we don't want to discourage them with bulky chapter books. Ideally, these kids would be seven-year-olds. The selections for this age (unless you have a faster reader) tend to be heavily illustrated, featuring text in much larger fonts and simple storylines, most of which are...

Graphic novels about sports are extra special to me because it takes a lot of creativity to bring a sport to life using only pictures and speech bubbles. The writers and illustrators on this list do a phenomenal job at this. For this list, I've sourced a variety of sports graphic novels for kids ages 8 and up. These stories include graphic novels about hockey, swimming, rolle...

I recently read and enjoyed Nancy Stone's debut middle grade novel, Glow, which would be excellent for kids who enjoyed Applegate's Willodeen. It's about two kids and the special storks they're determined to save in their home state of Florida. In today's interview, Nancy discusses writing in the intersection of reality and magic for kids, climate change, and writing about me...

Sincerely Sicily features young Panamian-American Sicily who's dealing with a major social upheaval: she's changing schools. After planning to coordinate first-day-of-school outfits and looking up each other's schedules, she won't be attending the same middle school as her best friends (the group calls themselves the Tether Squad).

At the new school, Sicily, fortunate...

The best books for eight graders (who are usually around age 13) are upper middle-grade and young YA titles! That's what you find recommended on this list. Still, I tend to lean toward conservative choices, especially for kids who are still under age 16. So I've included books about crushes, body image, sexual harassment and consent, and identity. Many of these books are pers...