Recommended Book List: Middle Grades
Guest post by Rebecca Redinger, Redwood’s Librarian
The previous post, Recommended Book List: Lower Grades, we provided a curated list of reading materials suggested for students in lower grades, K-3rd. Today’s post highlights books for the middle grades, 3rd-8th. Oftentimes, helping engage middle grade readers is as simple as selecting entertaining subjects and attractive formats. For students with dyslexia, however, the road to becoming stronger and more independent readers is not as easy. At Redwood we are working hard to provide access to books that match the reading levels of the students. As they become better and better at decoding the words on the page, the stories and information presented will become more and more alive in their minds.
Unlike many of the books recommended for the lower grades, the books here fall into a wide range of subjects and depths. Some books are carefree and humorous; others touch on the themes of war, mental illness, death, divorce, and incarceration. The middle grade years are pivotal in a child’s development. As responsible adults, let these books serve as opportunities to learn and engage along with the young readers in your life. Tackle the hard questions, laugh at the punchlines, weep with the grieved, and applaud with the victors.
As before, the books are listed in order according to their Lexile numbers (the most common leveling used by library catalogs and online retailers). The records also include their corresponding Fountas & Pinnell letters and the general subject categorization. As you dig deeper and discover your child’s favorite books and authors, refer to the Reading A-Z correlation chart to switch between leveling systems. Enjoy, and happy reading!
FICTION
Title, Author, Lexile Range, Fountas & Pinnell, Subject/Format
HiLo series
Judd Winick
200-460
D-I
Graphic Novel/Comic
Pashmina
Nidhi Chanani
240
D-E
Graphic Novel/Comic
Dog Man series
Dav Pilkey
260-530
D-L
Graphic Novel/Comic
Hazardous Tales series
Nathan Hale
270-410
D-G
Historical Fiction
Real Friends
Shannon Hale
290
D-E
Graphic Novel/Comic
Big Nate series
Lincoln Peirce
300-500
E-J
Graphic Novel/Comic
The Truth as Told by Mason Butte
Leslie Connor
310
D-F
Mystery
Zita the Spacegirl
Ben Hatke
310
E-G
Graphic Novel/Comic
Amulet series
Kazu Kibuishi
330-410
F-G
Graphic Novel/Comic
Be Prepared
Vera Brosgol
360
F-G
Graphic Novel/Comic
Phoebe and Her Unicorn
Dana Simpson
390
F-G
Graphic Novel/Comic
Calvin Coconut series
Graham Salisbury
400-490
F-G
Graphic Novel/Comic
Smile
Raina Telgemeier
410
F-G
Graphic Novel/Comic
El Deafo
Cece Bell
420
F-G
Graphic Novel/Comic
Roller Girl
Victoria Jamieson
440
F-G
Graphic Novel/Comic
The Boxcar Children series
Gertrude Chandler Warner
490-650
H-M
Mystery
The Season of Styx Malone
Kekla Magoon
510
I-J
Realistic Fiction
The Tail of Emily Windshap
Liz Kessler
540
J-M
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook
Leslie Connor
540
J-L
Realistic Fiction
Best Man
Richard Peck
540
J-L
Realistic Fiction
Mo & Dale Mysteries series
Sheila Turnage
540-560
J-M
Realistic Fiction
Fish in a Tree
Lynda Mullaly Hunt
550
J-M
Realistic Fiction
Raymie Nightingale
Kate DiCamillo
550
J-M
Realistic Fiction
I Survived . . . series
Lauren Tarshis
550-740
J-N
Adventure
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
Judy Blume
560
J-M
Realistic Fiction
Girls Who Code series
Stacia Deutsch, etc.
560-680
J-N
Realistic Fiction
Mr. Terupt series
Rob Buyea
560-790
J-M
Realistic Fiction
The One and Only Ivan
Katherine Applegate
570
J-M
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Life of Pi
Yann Martel
570
J-M
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Al Capone at Alcatraz series
Gennifer Choldenko
570-620
J-M
Historical Fiction
The Great Shelby Holmes series
Elizabeth Eulberg
570-690
J-N
Mystery
The War that Saved My Life
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
580
K-M
Historical Fiction
Frank Einstein series
Jon Scieszka
580-730
L-N
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Stargirl
Jerry Spinelli
590
L-M
Realistic Fiction
Percy Jackson and the Olympians series
Rick Riordan
590-790
L-N
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Artemis Fowl
Eoin Colfer
600
K-M
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
The Parker Inheritance
Varian Johnson
610
K-M
Mystery
Aru Shah and the End of Time
Roshani Chokshi
630
L-M
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster
Jonathan Auxier
630
L-M
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Armstrong & Charlie
Steven B. Franks
630
L-M
Historical Fiction
The Lions of Little Rock
Kristen Levine
630
L-M
Historical Fiction
The Girl Who Drank the Moon
Kelly Barnhill
640
L-M
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Front Desk
Kelly Yang
640
L-M
Realistic Fiction
Betsy-Tacy series
Maud Hart Lovelace
640-790
L-O
Classic Fiction
Inkling
Kenneth Oppel and Sydney Smith
650
L-M
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
The Last Kids on Earth
Max Brallier
650
L-N
Graphic Novel/Comic
The Way Home Looks Now
Wendy Wan-Long Shang
650
L-M
Historical Fiction
Stars Beneath Our Feet
David Barclay Moore
650
L-M
Realistic Fiction
Holes
Louis Sachar
660
L-N
Adventure
Sammy Keyes series
Wendelin Van Draanen
660-820
L-Q
Mystery
Ella Enchanted
Gail Carson Levine
670
L-N
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Lucky Broken Girl
Ruth Behar
670
L-N
Historical Fiction
Number the Stars
Lois Lowry
670
L-N
Historical Fiction
The First Rule of Punk
Celia C. Pérez
670
L-N
Realistic Fiction
Rules
Cynthia Lord
670
L-N
Realistic Fiction
Long Way Down from Chicago series
Richard Peck
670-750
L-N
Historical Fiction
Echo
Pam Muñoz Ryan
680
L-N
Historical Fiction
Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh
Uma Krishnaswami
680
L-N
Realistic Fiction
The Underland Chronicles
Suzanne Collins
680-730
L-N
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Hello, Universe
Erin Entrada Kelly
690
L-N
Realistic Fiction
Where the Red Fern Grows
Wilson Rawls
700
L-N
Classic Fiction
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Kate DiCamillo
700
L-N
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
E.L. Konigsburg
700
L-N
Mystery
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
Dusti Bowling
700
L-N
Mystery
Out of My Mind
Sharon Draper
700
L-N
Mystery
Merci Suárez Changes Gears
Meg Medina
700
L-N
Realistic Fiction
Track series
Jason Reynolds
700-850
L-N
Realistic Fiction
A Wrinkle in Time quartet
Madeleine L’Engle
700-850
L-R
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Swindle
Gordon Korman
710
L-N
Adventure
The Secret Garden
Francis Hodgson Burnett
710
L-N
Classic Fiction
The Giver
Lois Lowry
710
L-N
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
The BFG
Roald Dahl
720
L-N
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Little House on the Prairie series
Laura Ingalls Wilder
720-1030
L-Z
Historical Fiction
Spy School series
Stuart Gibbs
720-780
L-N
Mystery
The Wild Robot
Peter Brown
740
L-N
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Little Women
Louisa May Alcott
750
L-N
Classic Fiction
Esperanza Rising
Pam Muñoz Ryan
750
L-N
Historical Fiction
Jasper and the Riddle of Riley's Mine
Caroline Starr Rose
750
L-N
Historical Fiction
The Mighty Miss Malone
Christopher Paul Curtis
750
L-N
Historical Fiction
One Crazy Summer
Rita Williams-Garcia
750
L-N
Historical Fiction
The Westing Game
Ellen Raskin
750
L-N
Mystery
When You Reach Me
Rebecca Stead
750
L-N
Mystery
As Brave as You
Jason Reynolds
750
L-N
Realistic Fiction
The Crossover
Kwame Alexander
750
L-N
Poetry
The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora
Pablo Cartaya
750
L-N
Realistic Fiction
Pax
Sarah Pennypacker
760
L-N
Adventure
Heart of a Samurai
Margi Preus
760
L-N
Historical Fiction
Harriet the Spy
Louise Fitzhugh
760
L-N
Mystery
Hoot
Carl Hiaasen
760
L-N
Realistic Fiction
Bo at Ballard Creek series
Kirkpatrick Hill
760-840
L-R
Historical Fiction
Walk Two Moons
Sharon Creech
770
L-N
Realistic Fiction
Counting by 7s
Holly Goldberg Sloan
770
L-N
Realistic Fiction
Chasing Vermeer series
Blue Balliett
770-870
L-R
Mystery
The Borrowers
Mary Norton
780
M-N
Classic Fiction
Save Me a Seat
Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan
780
M-N
Realistic Fiction
Under the Egg
Laura Marx Fitzgerald
79-
M-O
Mystery
Wonder
R.J. Palacio
790
M-O
Realistic Fiction
Only Game
Mike Lupica
790
M-O
Realistic Fiction
Nevermoor series
Jessica Townsend
790-840
M-R
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
The Chronicles of Narnia
C.S. Lewis
790-970
M-T
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Ms. Bixby’s Last Day
John David Anderson
800
M-P
Realistic Fiction
The Hunger Games series
Suzanne Collins
800-820
M-N
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
The Penderwicks series
Jeanne Birdall
800-940
M-W
Realistic Fiction
Birchbark House series
Louise Erdrich
800-970
M-X
Historical Fiction
Redwall series
Brian Jacques
800-1010
M-Z
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Anne of Green Gables series
L.M. Montgomery series
800-1020
M-Z
Classic Fiction
Bridge to Terebithia
Katherine Paterson
810
M-P
Realistic Fiction
The Vanderbeekers series
Karina Yan Glaser
810
M-P
Realistic Fiction
Austin Family Chronicles
Madeleine L’Engle
810-1010
M-S
Realistic Fiction
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Brian Selznick
820
M-Q
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Frindle
Andrew Clements
830
M-Q
Realistic Fiction
Matilda
Roald Dahl
840
M-Q
Realistic Fiction
Sweetest Heist in History
Octavia Spencer
860
N-R
Mystery
Cilla Lee-Jenkins
Susan Tan and Dana Wulfekottle
870-940
N-W
Realistic Fiction
Hero on a Bicycle
Shirley Hughes
880
N-S
Historical Fiction
Harry Potter series
J.K. Rowling
880-950
N-S
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Shiloh
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
890
N-S
Classic Fiction
Diary of a Wimpy Kid series
Jeff Kinney
910-1060
N-U
Realistic Fiction
The Dark is Rising series
Susan Cooper
920
N-T
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Mildred D. Taylor
920
N-T
Historical Fiction
Bud, Not Buddy
Christopher Paul Curtis
950
Q-T
Historical Fiction
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Mark Twain
950
Q-T
Classic Fiction
Wednesday Wars
Gary D. Schmidt
990
Q-Z
Historical Fiction
Brown Girl Dreaming
Jacqueline Woodson
990
Q-T
Poetry
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain
990
Q-Z
Classic Fiction
The Series of Unfortunate Events
Lemony Snicket
1010-1370
Q-Z
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
NON FICTION
Childhood of Famous Americans series
Augusta Stevenson
510-800
J-O
Historical/Biographical
Blast to the Past series
Stacia Deutsch
590-720
J-N
Historical
Otis and Will Discover the Deep
Barb Rosenstock
620
K-M
Science
Dear America series
(various authors)
700-1070
L-Z
Historical/Biographical
Older than Dirt
Don Brown
730
L-N
Graphic Novel/Comic - Science
March series
John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell
760-850
L-R
Graphic Novel/Comic - Historical
Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom
Lynda Blackmon Lowery
780
L-N
Historical
My Name is America series
(various authors)
820-1010
M-Z
Historical/Biographical
Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor's Story
Caren Stelson
850
M-S
Historical/Biographical
Kids on Strike!
Susan Campbell Bartoletti
920
Q-Z
Historical
Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart
Candace Fleming
930
Q-Z
Historical/Biographical
Boots On The Ground: America's War In Vietnam
Elizabeth Partridge
960
Q-Z
Historical - Military
Undefeated
Steve Sheinkin
980
Q-Z
Biographical - Sports
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream
Tanya Lee Stone
980
Q-Z
Biographical - Science
Chasing Lincoln’s Killer
James Swanson
980
Q-Z
Historical - Biographical
Spooked!: How a Radio Broadcast and The War of the Worlds Sparked the 1938 Invasion of America
Gail Jarrow
1000
Q-Z
Historical
The Boys in the Boat: The True Story of an American Team's Epic Journey to Win Gold at the 1936 Olympics
Daniel James Brown
1000
Q-Z
Historical - Military
House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery
Liz Rosenberg
1010
Q-Z
Biographical
Isaac the Alchemist: Secrets of Isaac Newton, Reveal'd
Mary Losure
1010
Q-Z
Biographical - Science
Titanic: Voices from the Disaster
Deborah Hopkinson
1040
S-Z
Historical
Six Days in October
Karen Blumenthal
1040
S-Z
Historical
Uprooted: The Japanese American Experience During World War II
Albert Marrin
1050
S-Z
Historical - Military
Calling All Minds
Temple Grandin
1060
S-Z
Biographical - Science
The Long Road to Gettysburg
Jim Murphy
1070
S-Z
Historical - Military
Twelve Days in May: Freedom Ride 1961
Larry Dane Brimner
1080
S-Z
Historical
Sinking the Sultana
Sally Walker
1090
Z
Historical
Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery
Russell Freedman
1100
Z
Historical/Biographical
The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian’s Art Changed Science
Joyce Sidman
1110
Z
Biographical - Science
Attucks!
Phillip Hoose
1110
Z
Historical - Sports