Middle Grades Books are the Best Books
Have you ever noticed that the vast majority of the best children’s novels have protagonists that are ages 10 to 14? And yet, this is the very age when kids begin to lose their grit for reading.
This summer, challenge your preteens and teens to turn off their screens and get lost in a book!
We asked super readers from across Owensboro to share their favorite recommendations!
Super reader:
Yao Yao Dong
Daviess County Middle School
Recommendations:
The Mysterious Benedict Society
by Trenton Lee Stewart
This series is filled with wonderful and creative stories of these 4 kids called Reynie Muldoon, George “Sticky” Washington, Constance Contraire, and Kate Wetherall who are all geniuses in their own ways. It teaches you the importance of cooperation, and I love how every kid has their own personalities and attitudes.
The Paper Girl of Paris
by Jordyn Taylor
The Paper Girl of Paris contains the most ADORABLE love story while also being a historical fiction. It’s in the perspectives of Alice, who’s in modern times, and Alice’s great-aunt, Adalyn, who’s in the midst of the Nazi occupation of France. The message is that we all have to summon the courage to fight for equality.
Super Reader:
Annalise Abel
College View Middle School
Recommendations:
The War that Saved my Life
by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
This easy-read historical fiction book is about a disabled girl with a clubfoot during World War II in England. I love how she learns to overcome the battles in her own life and how she learns her self-worth.
The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
by Holly Jackson
In this teen mystery book the main character, Pip, is trying to find out what really happened to Sal Signh and his girlfriend. I love how this novel leaves readers at the edge of their seats wondering, “What will happen next?”
Super Reader:
Trinity W
iMiddle School
Recommendations:
The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost Kiss
by Amy Noelle Parks
The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost Kiss is one of my favorite books because it is funny and also very heartwarming at the same time. This is a book that I can read over and over.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is also one of my favorite books because it is hilarious at the beginning, and very sad at the end. I loved the development of these characters throughout the series.
Super reader:
Tatum Dewitt
iMiddle School
Recommendations:
Never Vacation With Your Ex
by Austin Siegemund-Broka and Emily Wibberley
When you read Never Vacation With Your Ex, it kind of makes you feel like you are there witnessing it with the characters.
Bellegarde by Jaime Lilac
When reading Bellegarde Bloom I immediately connected with the book. Overall, they are both amazing books and should be on your must-read list for this summer.
Super Reader:
Hayden Christensen
Burns Middle School
Recommendations:
The Lightning Thief
by Rick Riorden
There is a new Percy Jackson and the Olympians show streaming on Disney+ which is based off of Greek mythology. If you like that series, then you may also like the books by Rick Riordan.
Prisoner of Cell 25
by Richard Paul Evans
Also check out the Michael Vey series by Richard Paul Evans because it is super entertaining and thrilling.