Top Ten Tuesday – Top Ten Christmas Gift Books for Middle Graders (Gr. 5-8) 2022

Welcome back to my Christmas Book Gifting blogs! Last week, I featured books to gift the younger readers in your life. You can check that list out HERE. This week, I’m excited to share some of my favorite middle grade novels and graphic novels perfect for gift giving to readers in grades 5-8! From the animal lover, to the Sci-Fi enthusiast, to the writers and actors in your life – there is a book on this list for everyone!

I have divided the list – the first section are books recommended for Grades 4-6, followed by recommendations for Gr. 6-8. And yes, I had trouble counting to ten – AGAIN!

RECOMMENDED FOR READERS IN GRADES 4-6

Abby In Between: Ready or Not – Megan Ebryant

Perfect for your grade 4 reader, this new middle-grade series features nine-year-old Abby as she navigates all the chaos that can come from growing up. I loved Judy Blume books when I was growing up and this one certainly had a modern Judy Blume vibe! It’s a great book to introduce the topic of puberty as I feel it offers a realistic portrayal of the emotions, experiences, and feelings of a young girl. I appreciated the understanding doctor and the un-embarrassed mother.

Odder – Katherine Applegate

How can you NOT fall in love with this adorable sea otter? You can never go wrong with a book written by beloved author Katherine Applegate. I love how she manages to weave important issues into her books with such respect and grace wrapped up in gorgeous writing and endearing characters. Told in verse, this book tells the tender tale of an injured sea otter who is rescued by humans. Inspired by the true story of a Monterey Bay Aquarium program that pairs orphaned otter pups with surrogate mothers. A PERFECT gift for the animal lover in your life!!!

Growing Pangs – Kathryn Ormsbee

Great coming of age theme in this cute graphic novel that includes topics like homeschooling, theater, friendship, summer camp, OCD, and anxiety. They say “books are mirrors” and I really like that there are so many authors books for middle graders who are trying to find their place in the world and be proud of who they are.

The Ice Cream Machine – Adam Rubin

Such a clever and original idea! This book is a collection of six short stories in a variety of genres and settings, all featuring ice cream! A great introduction to different genres and a very relatable storyline. Don’t forget to read th author’s notes at the beginning and end of the book!

The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza – Mac Barnett

Likely your kids will recognize this title from the massively popular The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza live cartoon. Now the cartoon has been turned into an action-packed and hysterical graphic novel series–perfect for fans of Dav Pilkey, Raina Telgemeier, and Jeff Kinney. Perfect for kids who like wacky, zany, LOL books! This series is targeted for 7-9 year olds.

A Rover’s Story – Jasmine Warga

For fans of Sci Fi space exploration – this is a MUST READ story about the journey of a fictional Mars rover. But don’t let the premise fool you – this book is unique and deeply moving and took me completely by surprise! (Think “The Wild Robot” meets “The One and Only Ivan”) This one will tug at the heartstrings, no question! This would be a great read for ANY age!

RECOMMENDED FOR READERS IN GRADES 6-8

Swim Team – Johnnie Christmas

This graphic novel follows Bree, a Math wiz, who moves with her dad to a new state and has to begin at a new school. She ends up having to take swimming class because all the other electives are full. Despite knowing nothing about swimming, Bree ends up competing in the state swim meet. A powerful coming of age story that explores sports, the meaning of friendship, family struggles, bullying, and stereotyping.

The Tryout – Christina Soontornvat

What could be more horrible than trying out to be a cheerleader in front of the your entire grade seven class? Not to mention, having your best friend say she doesn’t want to be your partner for the tryouts! This graphic novel, based on the author’s childhood, captures the many cringe-worthy moments of middle school life.

J.R. Silver Writes Her World – Melissa Dassori

This book will be a HUGE hit for the writer in your life! It has just about everything you could want in a book – mystery, art, history, friendship, and a pinch of magic! During a writing assignment at school, J.R. discovers she has a peculiar power – stories she writes come true! Soon J.R. is getting a cell phone, scoring game-winning goals, and triggering school cancellations. But she soon realizes that each new story she writes creates as many conflicts as it does solutions. This book is heartfelt and SO GOOD!

Operation Do-Over – Gordon Korman

The latest by Canadian great Gordon Korman weaves themes of friendship, first crushes, loyalty, promises, consequences, and regret mixed in with a little magic and time travel! WOW! The story follows seventh-grader Mason and and his best friend Ty, who in order to save their friendship, make a pact to avoid their mutual crush on classmate Ava. But when a freak storm brings Mason and Ava together, Mason breaks the pact and loses his best friend. Five years later, Mason is lonely and friendless — until he gets the magical chance to change the past with a “do-over”.

Marvellerverse #1 The Marvellers – Dhonielle Clayton

For the Fantasy fans in your life – this brand new adventure series set in a global magic school in the sky is getting a lot of “book buzz”! A little Harry Potter mixed with The Lightening Thief and you get this latest story of a trio of friends attending a magical school. Non-stop action, magical creatures, marvelous abilities – this is the first in what I believe will become a very popular series.

Looking for a spooky ghost story? You have come to the right place! Ghostlight is the latest fast-paced, spooky fantasy by the great Canadian author Kenneth Oppel. Set in Toronto, the story follows Gabe who lands a summer job giving a ghost tour of a lighthouse. While telling ghost stories to tourists, he accidentally connects with Rebecca, the ghostly daughter of the former lighthouse guardian, who asks Gabe for help to kill the evil ghost-eater Viker before he starts killing again. Oooooooo – SCARY!!!

WARNING: This book includes some frightening descriptions and themes and I would recommend for 13 years and older.

Twelfth – Janet Key

For all budding actors and theater fans! This book centers around a theater summer camp preparing to perform the play Twelfth Night. Strong protagonist and fun cast of characters (including some great LGBTQ+, anxiety, and depression representation), throw in an interesting mystery, duel timelines (2015 and 1940-50’s), and a pretty good twist and you get this great coming-of-age novel!

Two Degrees – Alan Gratz

I LOVED the book Refugee so was excited to see Alan Gratz’s new book Two Degrees. In this book, he focuses on climate change and does so in the same action-packed, page-turning adventure of his other books.  It follows three separate story lines and individual characters – a wildfire in California, a Polar Bear attack in Canada, and a hurricane in Florida to illustrate the immense damage being done to the planet through global warming. Each individual story is very compelling, as the teens figure out how to survive in extremely dangerous situations. A great book for your middle grade reader!

Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone – Tae Keller

Jennifer Chan is the new quirky girl obsessed with aliens, making her the subject of ridicule. At school, she is rejected by the cool clique and even the nerds. And then she goes missing. WOW! This book takes a deep dive into the mentality of bullying, belonging, and popularity. It is so, so thought provoking, real, and powerful. A gripping magical-realism plot that flips between “Then” and “Now” chapters. Every middle schooler needs to read this book! Based on the author’s own experience with bullying – HIGHLY recommend this one!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you found one or two books to gift the middle grade readers in your life this holiday season!

Next week, I will be featuring some favorite new Christmas picture books for sharing and gifting! See you then!

Top 10 Tuesday – Favorite Middle Grade Chapter and Graphic Novels Part 2 2022

A few weeks ago, I posted Part 1 of my list of favorite middle grade chapter and graphic novels with a focus on upper middle grades (mature grade 6 – 8) You can read that post HERE. I intended to post Part 2 last week, but 7 workshops and webinars in 5 days got in the way! So here is Part 2 – which features books I would recommend for lower middle grades (grades 4-6). And once again, I had trouble counting to ten!!

Abby In Between: Ready or Not – Megan Ebryant

Very excited about this first book in a young middle-grade series about nine-year-old Abby as she navigates all the chaos that can come from growing up. I loved Judy Blume books when I was growing up and this one certainly had a modern Judy Blume vibe! It’s a great book to introduce the topic of puberty as I feel it offers a realistic portrayal of the emotions, experiences, and feelings of a young girl. I appreciated the understanding doctor and the un-embarrassed mother.

Growing Pangs – Kathryn Ormsbee

Another coming of age theme in this cute graphic novel that includes topics like homeschooling, theater, friendship, summer camp, OCD, and anxiety. They say “books are mirrors” and I really like that there are so many authors this year writing “connect” books for middle graders who are trying to find their place in the world and be proud of who they are.

Surely Surely Marisol Rainey – Erin Entrada Kelly

This is the second “Marisol” book in a new series (I haven’t read the first one) featuring the quirky, unathletic Marisol Rainey. Marisol Rainey’s two least-favorite things are radishes and gym class. Well, I made so many connections to this book! I was the kid in elementary school who was terrified of gym class and picked last for every class sport. Basically: I was Marisol. Turns out Marisol has more spunk and grit than she thinks! Humorous and heartfelt story of friendship, family and fitting in for fans of Clementine, Judy Moody, Billy Miller,  and Ramona the Pest.

Step – Deborah Ellis

Canadian icon Deborah Ellis has written a collection of short stories featuring children who are all about to turn 11-years old — and how that event changes them. The series of stories are about children from all over the world and feature magical and mysterious themes. I LOVED this book and thought of so many wonderful ways you could use it in a classroom! A perfect book for an interactive read aloud to model questioning, connecting and transforming!

Odder – Katherine Applegate

Sea Otters + Katherine Applegate + a novel in verse = middle grade gold! How can you NOT fall in love with this adorable sea otter? Like her other books, beloved author Katherine Applegate knows how to weave important issues into her books with such respect and grace wrapped up in gorgeous writing and endearing characters. This book could stand alone as an amazing read aloud. But I could see it being the anchor to a class inquiry unit around endangered species, conservation, climate change, ecosystems, animal surrogates – the list goes on! Great information included in the back notes. This book will be released on Sept. 22nd.

Oh, Sal – Kevin Henkes

I love Kevin Henkes books so was excited to see this continuation of his Billy Miller series, told from Billy’s younger sister Sal’s voice. Henkes, once again, writes from the voice right of a nervous child worrying about trivial things that are very important to her. The whole story takes place over the course of a single day but with lots of space to explore Sal’s many emotions. The book is illustrated in black and white and a great choice for fans of Ramona, Ivy + Bean, and Dory Fantasmagory. A strong grade 2 reader would enjoy this story, up to beginning grade 4.

Max & The Midknights: The Tower of Time – Lincoln Peirce

A funny new graphic novel series (this is #3) about Max – a Knight in Training by the author of Nate the Great. This book is jam packed with action and adventure, pictures and personality, fantasy and fun!!! In this continuation of Max’s story, she meets her twin Mary, and the two journey (along with the other Midknights) to learn what happened to their parents. We also learn how Max got her name!

Nat Enough – Maria Scrivan

Nat Enough is a coming of age graphic novel (first in a series) about a young girl finding her place in middle school. Her best friend from elementary school is hanging out with the ‘cool kids’ now, and Natalie feels like she is “not enough”- not pretty enough, not talented enough, not cool enough. Certainly a lot of connections will be made with this one!

The Ice Cream Machine – Adam Rubin

Such a clever and original idea! This book is a collection of six short stories in a variety of genres and settings, all featuring ice cream! I enjoyed how each of the stories were a different genre, great for introducing genres to your class and great anchors for writing! Kids will make lots of connections to the book. I appreciated the author’s notes at the beginning and end of the book so don’t forget to share those if you are reading this story aloud.

The Bird & Squirrel On The Run – James Burk

I so enjoyed this colorful graphic novel featuring two unlikely friends – a nervous squirrel and a carefree bird, who join together to escape the menacing cat that wants to eat them.  Kids will enjoy the silly humour and colorful illustrations. LOTS of fun!

Mr. Wolf’s Class – Aron Nels Steinke

Another fun graphic novel – this one is about the first day of grade four and everyone is nervous — even Mr. Wolf! Despite the characters being colorful cartoon animals, the book had a realistic feel to it. All the student animals are unique and have their own challenges, hopes, goals. I think kids will really enjoy this first book in a new series.

PAWS: Gabby Gets It Together – Michelle Assarasakorn & Nathan Fairbarirn

This new graphic novel series is about best friends, cute dogs, and all the fun (and trouble) that comes with them. Funny and heartwarming – think Baby-Sitters Club for pets!

Omar Rising – Aisha Saeed

I enjoyed this book by the author of Amal Unbound. In this book about injustice in education, young Omar gets accepted to a private school on scholarship but is expected to work for free, cannot play in extracurricular events, and must maintain an A plus average. Most scholarship boys do not make past their first year so Omar decides to challenge this unfair system. An uplifting story about working together to make a change; the story is hopeful and empowering.

Outside Nowhere – Adam Borba

Surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! It’s about a funny, slacker kid who gets himself fired from his summer job at the pool and then gets sent to a farm in the middle of nowhere. But before long, magical things start happening at the farm. It’s weird, wonderful and whimsical! Would make a wonderful read-aloud.

The Trouble At Turtle Pond – Diana Renn

This is a eco-mystery is about making friends and saving endangered turtles – perfect for animal lovers everywhere! Strange that a mystery can also be heart-warming – but this story was. I think because of Miles, the loveable main character, who I was cheering for after the first page. A great mystery with important environmental lessons and a great characters.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you found one or two new books to add to your classroom or school library! Happy reading, everyone!

Top 10 Tuesday -10 Must Have Middle Grade and Graphic Novels for 2022 (Part 1)

I don’t post about novels very often because it takes me so long to read enough books to make a post! But a new school year is always a great time to highlight some of my favorites of the year so far. In my experience, one of the best way to inspire your students to read is to get them excited about books! I love having a few new “hot picks” to share those first weeks of school. Giving book talks and sharing “book trailers” or choosing that perfect “read-aloud” book to launch the new year can be just the thing to inspire your students to dive into books this year! Many of these books are also excellent choices for reading aloud, whole class novel study, or to add to your Lit Circle choices.

Trends this year? I’m noticing authors tackling tough topics such as homelessness, poverty, activism, and bullying. There are also many “coming of age” stories with tweens navigating emotional and physical changes as they mature. If you teach those middle graders or are a teacher librarian – here are my favorite new novels (so far) of 2022:

I have divided this post into two parts. This week, I am featuring books I would recommend for UPPER middle grades (mature grade 6 to grade 8) and next week, I will share my favorites for LOWER middle grades (grades 4-early 6). As with ANY book you bring into the classroom, PLEASE READ FIRST to ensure it is an appropriate fit for your students.

Gabe in the After – Shannon Doleski

Themes of grief, loss, community, hope, friendship, and first crush run through this post-apocalyptic story inspired by Anne of Green Gables. (sounds weird, but it works!) Set two years after a global pandemic, twenty survivors, most of them children, have moved from their coastal town to a smaller island where they all live in a mansion. During Gabe’s turn to look for survivors, he finds Relle Douglas and brings her home. That new friendship, coupled with another tragedy, spurs him to wonder if there are other survivors out there and he sets out to search for them. Anne of Green Gables fans will see many parallels, others will enjoy the light romance and COVID connections.

Swim Team – Jonnie Christmas

Swim Team is a middle grade graphic novel that follows Bree, a girl who moves with her dad to a new state and has to begin at a new school. Bree is a math whiz but ends up having to take swimming class because all the other electives are full. Bree knows nothing about swimming, but thanks to an older lady in her building who was once a swim champ, and a little tenacity, Bree ends up competing in the state swim meet. A powerful coming of age story that explores sports, the meaning of friendship, family struggles, bullying, and the stereotype of Black people not swimming.

A Duet for Home – Karina Yan Glasser

An important, eye-opening look at homelessness but filled with gentleness and hope. Told in dual perspectives, A Duet for Home shares the stories of June and Tyrell, two biracial tweens currently living at the Huey House homeless shelter whose stories are intertwined by a prank gone wrong. Full of community, family, music, activism, and speaking out against injustice. This is a must read middle grade novel that will make both a great read aloud and Lit Circle choice.

Ghostlight – Kenneth Oppel

No middle grade novel list would be complete without the latest from Canadian author Kenneth Oppel! Once again, Oppel creates a creates a fast-paced, spooky fantasy set in Canada (Toronto) with GREAT characters. This story follows Gabe who lands a summer job giving a ghost tour of a lighthouse. While telling ghost stories to tourists, he accidentally connected with Rebecca, the ghostly daughter of the former lighthouse guardian, who asks Gabe for help to kill the evil ghost-eater Viker before he starts killing again.

WARNING: This book includes some scary descriptions and themes and I would recommend for 13 years and older.

The Last Mapmaker – Christina Soontornvat

Get ready for a high-seas, coming-of-age adventure set in a Thai-inspired fantasy world! Sai pretends to be from a wealthy family in order to get an apprenticeship with a mapmaker. She hides that her father is a criminal, and uses her skills as a forger to help the mapmaker copy maps and documents. When the mapmaker goes on a sea voyage to explore new regions of the world, Sai is eager to leave her past behind and start a new life. Compelling girl-power fantasy, great adventure, and don’t forget the dragons!

The Tryout – Christina Soontornvat

What could be more horrible than trying out to be a cheerleader in front of the your entire grade seven class? Not to mention, having your best friend say she doesn’t want to be your partner for the tryouts! This graphic novel, based on the author’s childhood, captures the many cringe-worthy moments of middle school life while shining a light on the challenges of being biracial and dealing with racism. A great addition to the MG graphic novel world that invites LOTS of connections!

Operation Do-Over – Gordon Korman

The latest by Canadian great Gordon Korman weaves themes of friendship, first crushes, loyalty, promises, consequences, and regret mixed in with a little magic and time travel! WOW! The story follows seventh-grader Mason and and his best friend Ty, who in order to save their friendship, make a pact to avoid their mutual crush on classmate Ava. But when a freak storm brings Mason and Ava together, Mason breaks the pact and loses his best friend. Five years later, Mason is lonely and friendless — until he gets the magical chance to change the past with a “do-over”. Great for “What would you do?” discussions!

The Road to After – Rebekah Lowell

This powerful novel-in-verse is full of both sadness and hope. It’s told from the perspective of Lacey, a young girl escaping domestic violence with her mother and sister. I love how this book explores the range of emotions that Lacey and her family go through. Great parallels of Lacey learning to garden, growing a seed into a sunflower, just as she is starting to grow and heal herself. This is such an important book for everyone to read.

Thirst – Varsha Bajaj

Set in one of the poorest communities in Mumbai where access to clean water is limited, this story is about how one girl makes a a positive difference in her family, her community, and her own life. Minni, our wonderfully strong heroine, “struggles to juggle” when she has to temporarily take over her mom’s responsibilities while keeping hold of her dreams to get an education and make something of herself. Lots of important themes to unpack with older students including: the inequalities surrounding access to water and education; poverty; theft and corruption. Recommended for mature grade 6’s and older.

Forever Birchwood – Danielle Daniel

Set in the northern mining town of Sudbury, Ontario in the 1980’s, this is a tender, powerful story of Wolfe and her three best friends, on the cusp of turning 13 and all the changes that brings, trying to save their town’s trees and a historic site they discover. This is debut novel by Canadian indigenous picture book author Danielle Daniel has many themes including friendship, environmentalism, activism, and indigenous teachings about nature.

Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone – Tae Keller

Jennifer Chan is the new quirky girl obsessed with aliens, making her the subject of ridicule. At school, she is rejected by the cool clique and even the nerds. And then she goes missing.  WOW!  This book takes a deep dive into the mentality of bullying, belonging, and popularity.  It is so, so thought provoking, real, and powerful.  A gripping magical-realism plot that flips between “Then” and “Now” chapters.  Every middle schooler needs to read this book!  Based on the author’s own experience with bullying, this book would make an amazing read-aloud, whole class novel, or  literature circle choice.  One of the best middle grade books I have read about friendships and bullying, ever.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you found one or two new books to add to your class or library collection! Leave a comment and let me know which books caught your eye! Stay tuned for PART 2 next week, where I will be featuring middle grade novels for grades 4-6.