Category Must Read Middle Grade

Loser Jerry Spinelli Ages 9-11 Just like other kids, Zinkoff rides his bike, hopes for snow days, and wants to be like his dad when he grows up. But Zinkoff also raises his hand with all the wrong answers, trips…

Long Shot Mike Lupica  Ages 9-11 Pedro Morales loves playing basketball, but he’s more of a team guy than a star – that would be Ned Hancock, the best player in their entire town. The two boys get along well,…

Life According to Og the Frog Betty G. Birney  Ages 8-12 Og the Frog has just moved into Room 26, and the place is hopping. There are lively kids, new routines, and a furry neighbor who seems to squeak all…

Letters From Rifka Karen Hesse Ages 9-12 Historical Fiction “America,” the girl repeated. “What will you do there?” I was silent for a little time. “I will do everything there,” I answered. Rifka knows nothing about America when she flees…

Journey Into Terror Bill Wallace  Ages 8-12 Photographing two Learjets in order to test his new camera, Samuel Ross quickly forgets the angry man who tries to stop him (and who’s captured in the picture), until his new life in…

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life Wendy Mass Ages 10-13 In one month Jeremy Fink will turn thirteen. But does he have what it takes to be a teenager? He collects mutant candy, he won’t venture more than four…

Jawbreaker Christina Wyman Ages 8-12 Max Plink’s life just got a lot more complicated. Trouble at home? Check―with money tight, her parents haven’t been getting along lately. School bullies? Double check―especially if you count her sister, who is the worst…

Grenade Alan Gratz Ages 10-13 It’s 1945, and the world is in the grip of war. Hideki lives with his family on the island of Okinawa, near Japan. When WWII crashes onto his shores, Hideki is drafted into the Blood…

Hubert Invents the Wheel Claire & Monte Mongytgomery Ages 9-12 Is Hubert on a roll, or is his invention spinning toward disaster?  Hubert loves to think, and not only does that distinguish him from his father, Gorp, and everyone else…

How to Eat Frieda Worms Thomas Rockwell Ages 7-10 Billy isn’t one to back down from a bet. But this one is gross: If he eats fifteen worms in fifteen days, Alan will pay him fifty dollars. Billy takes the…