Reading Middle Grade

Our beautiful home has dealt with more than its fair share of abuse and that’s why I love so many of the books on the list of the best middle grade books about the environment. In these picks, you’ll find kids (and sometimes animals) trying to do their fair share to love the earth, appreciate it, and advocate for it — all the while dealing with their own changing friends, fam...

Over a decade ago, Raina Telgemeier burst onto the graphic novel scene with Smile, stealing the hearts of middle grade readers. Over a decade later now, there's a new favorite realistic middle grade graphic novel: Calin's The New Girl. In the series starter -- which I enjoyed -- Lia's family moves from Romania to Quebec, Canada, where she has to learn a new language, find new...

Without a doubt, summer vacation gives kids a welcome break from the pressures of school, homework, and busy schedules. But while a slower pace is definitely refreshing, the lack of routine can sometimes lead to boredom. The good news is that there are plenty of screen-free activities that do more than just pass the time. We’ve rounded up a wide variety of interactive books f...

After one of our former writers raved about Katherine Applegate's Willodeen a couple of years ago, I mentally added it to my to-read list and finally got to it this year. I enjoyed this unique novel about environmental activism and liked the whimsical creatures and gentle touch of magical realism. If your kids or students also loved Willodeen, they'll love the readalikes on t...

Unfortunately, as kids get older, it seems there are fewer engaging book series for them. For this post, I've hunted down almost 20 of the best book series for 13 year olds. If your 13 year old loves to read and is constantly burning a hole through their library card, these series will them booked and busy. You'll find everything from a spy-adventure series, to graphic novel ...