From timeless classic titles to modern new releases, you can count on the best high school books to spark a spark in your students. For Amanda Gorman, it was reading Toni Morrison’s Bluest Eye in eighth grade that inspired her to become a writer. “It informed my thinking about how poetic language can be infused into a novel,” she said. “It was also the first time I saw a dark-skinned girl on a book cover and it absolutely blew me away. reading morrison taught me how to write unapologetically with a black feminist voice that was my own.”
identity matters, and as mrs. Gorman showed us so powerfully that youth voices matter too. high school students faced many challenges before the social, political, and economic upheavals of recent years. While many young people feel more empowered than ever, it’s still all too common to feel lonely, which is where books come in.
You are reading: Best middle school books
Today’s classroom requires flexibility, especially with young readers. not all books should be read silently or independently. read some aloud to your students, give them audiobooks to listen to, or let them read one chapter at a time to each other. See what kind of conversations come up. Engaged students learn better, and you don’t need a canned curriculum from some corporation to tell you that.
Each of these high school books offers a path to identity and empathy. But remember, middle school maturity levels vary widely, and you know each student best. make sure you read the books first.
(Just a heads up, weareteachers may get a portion of sales from links on this page. We only recommend items our team loves!)
best high school books
1. print by jason reynolds & ibram x. kendi
this remix of dr. ibram x. Kendi’s national award-winning book, Sealed from the Beginning, is an urgent exploration of how the history of the breed affects us in the here and now, created for young people. there’s even a guide for teachers.
2. everything sad is a lie by daniel nayeri
khosrou isn’t like the other kids at his oklahoma high school, but he knows how to tell a story. This true story of Khosrou’s family and their escape from Iran in the middle of the night is a gripping account of both high school chaos and personal conflict.
3. the hate you give for angie thomas
This is the story of sixteen-year-old Starr Carter as he wrestles with his emotions after seeing his unarmed childhood friend murdered by police, which has become a generational touchstone. definitely for older kids, and definitely worth the conversations that follow.
4. the thirteen by christina prontotornvat
As the title suggests, this book is an exciting and information-packed survival story. Packed with interviews and first-hand accounts, the story will keep even the most active students on the edge of their seats.
5. intact hearts by cynthia leitich smith
louise wolfe is a high school student caught between family obligations and everything that comes with being a teenager. Another one for the older kids, this is an authentic coming of age story with a fresh voice.
6. call us what we wear by amanda gorman
Speaking at the opening in 2021, amanda gorman raised the voice of her generation. Her book of poems is expansive and inventive, and is a must-read for today’s children.
7. Emily X.R.’s Amazing After Color frying pan
In a nutshell, this is one of the best written books you will ever find in your literature. Leigh Chen Sanders’ voice is stunning in this expertly woven story of love, friendship, tragedy, and imagination.
8. naruto by masashi kishimoto
yes, let’s go here. no high school book catalog is complete without some good manga titles. it’s time to ignore any reluctance and dive into what the kids are already reading. these are teacher-approved, rich in narrative and character exposition, and ripe for literary analysis. If these titles don’t seem right for your students, check with them, they know better! The first is the classic Naruto, a story about a chaotic boy who is determined to become the greatest ninja in the world.
9. bakuman by tsugumi ohba & takeshi obata
This twist on traditional manga (with the usual flying warriors and action sequences) tells the story of two boys who want to become manga artists. the characters are high school kids trying to live their dreams, very relatable for young readers.
10. a silent voice of jerry spinelli
When Shoya meets Shoko six years after meeting her at school, he learns the consequences of bullying. this is a great story for high school students and is an accessible way to enter the manga genre.
11. the march series by john lewis, andrew aydin and nate powell
The three-part graphic novel series details how John Lewis made his way from his family’s farm to the Edmund Pettis Bridge alongside Martin Luther King Jr. for the historic march from selma to montgomery. Beautifully acted and powerfully told, this trilogy lends itself to all kinds of reading and classroom activities.
12. elizabeth acevedo’s poet x
acevedo brings his slam-poet sensibilities to this emotionally vivid story about xiomara batista, a first-generation Dominican-American teenager in a religious family who “feels ignored and unable to hide in her harlem neighborhood.”
13. jerry spinelli drainer
See Also: 2&039s Day Read Aloud Books
When the children of Palmer’s Town turn 10, they are expected to become “squeegees” and end the lives of injured pigeons at a town event. At the age of nine, Palmer not only abhors tradition, but he’s also hiding a dove in her room, causing a moral dilemma.
14. the benefits of being an octopus by ann braden
explores the cultural divides around class and the gun debate through the eyes of seventh grader zoey, who lives on the fringes of society and tries to find her way forward.
>
15. monster by walter dean myers
A multi-award winning novel follows Steve, an amateur filmmaker. As a way of coping with the horrible events that entangle him, he decides to transcribe his trial into a script, just like in the movies.
16. the extraordinary journey of coyote dawn by dan gemeinhart
With connections to the Common Core, this book follows a coyote, a young woman who travels through the county with her father in an old school bus. Over the course of thousands of miles, she’ll learn that coming home can sometimes be the hardest journey of all.
17. ghost children of jewell parker rhodes
Twelve-year-old Jerome is shot by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real one. now a ghost, jerome watches the devastation wrought on her family and community by what they see as a brutal and unjust murder. Soon, Jerome meets another ghost: Emmett Till, a boy from a very different time but similar circumstances.
18. rebuilding myself by renee watson
Multi-award winning and one of our favorite high school books, this novel is a powerful story about a girl who strives for success in a world that too often seems like it’s trying to break her.
19. out of my mind by sharon m. draper
another one of our favorite high school books! follows eleven-year-old melody, who is not like most people. can’t walk, can’t talk, can’t write. all because he has cerebral palsy. but he also has a photographic memory; he can remember every detail of everything he has experienced. she is the smartest girl in the whole school, but nobody knows it.
20. return to sender by julia alvarez
a timely story for high school students. After Tyler’s father is injured in a tractor accident, her family is forced to hire Mexican immigrant laborers to help save their Vermont farm from foreclosure. tyler isn’t sure what to do with them.
21. the skin i’m in by sharon g. scale
maleeka is teased every day by the other kids in her class, about her homemade clothes, her good grades, or her dark, black skin. a new teacher starts at your school. his face is smeared with a startling white patch, but he loves his skin. can maleeka learn to do the same?
22. who am i without sharon flake’s
also by sharon g. flake, this collection of short stories deserves a spot right next to the skin i’m in on your shelf. accessible and brimming with truth, these stories address a variety of topics that will be familiar to many students.
23. dashka slater’s 57 bus
Taken from national news headlines, this book follows two teenagers and a heinous hate crime that crosses racial and gender lines.
24. a long walk to the water by linda sue parker
a tale of two stories, told in alternating sections, about two eleven-year-old children in sudan: a girl in 2008 and a boy in 1985.
25. wanting mor by rukhsana khan
jameela lives with her mother and father in afghanistan. Even though there is no school in her poor, war-torn village, and Jameela lives with a birth defect that has left her with a cleft lip, she feels relatively safe, sustained by her faith and the strength of her loving mother, more and then mor dies.
26. when the stars break for victoria jamieson
a graphic novel about growing up in a refugee camp, told by a former Somali refugee.
27. clean getaway by nic stone
Set against the backdrop of the segregated history of the American South, take a journey with an eleven-year-old boy who is about to discover that the world hasn’t always been a welcoming place for kids like him, and Things aren’t always what they seem, including his g’ma.
28. Gary Paulsen’s ax
Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is traveling on a single-engine plane to visit his father when the plane crashes and the pilot is killed. Brian is alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but her clothes, a tattered windbreaker, and the ax her mother had given him as a gift.
29. the book thief by markus zusak
See Also: Annotating My Books: Why and How I Take Notes While Reading – Mollie Reads
it’s 1939. nazi germany. the country is holding its breath. death has never been busier and will be even busier. Liesel Meminger is a foster girl who lives outside of Munich and makes a living stealing when she finds something she can’t resist: books.
30. george by alex gino
george knows she’s a girl, but everyone else sees her as a boy. Gino does a masterful job of bringing us to what she feels when she is assigned the wrong gender.
31. counting by 7 by holly goldberg sloan
genius willow chance loses both her parents in a car accident, but she is able to change her life and impact those around her.
32. wonder of r.j. palace
Born with extraordinary physical deformities, Auggie finally dares to go to a real school. he is watched and tormented, but also finds friendship. high school students will cheer for him and cry for him.
33. ghost of jason reynolds
castle crenshaw, known as ghost, has been on the run ever since his father threatened him and his mother with a gun. It’s not until he starts running for the high school track team that he begins to see what running can do for him.
34. vince vawter’s paperboy
The little man is a great ballplayer, but he can barely say a word, not even his own name, without stuttering. So when he takes over his best friend’s newspaper route for the month of July, the little man doesn’t feel much like interacting with customers.
35. the outsiders by s.e. track
ponyboy and his brothers darry and sodapop have a tough life. they know they can count on their friends, true friends who will do anything for them. Unfortunately, the Socs, a vicious gang of rich kids, make them prove their loyalty after one night of fighting goes too far.
36. bud no friend by christopher paul curtis
bud caldwell is a 10 year old orphan who grew up in flint, michigan. It’s 1936, four years after Bud’s mother died, and Bud has just been placed with the Amoses, his third adoptive family. This book follows Bud’s brave journey to find his father.
37. kwame alexander crossing
Basketball-loving twins Josh and Jordan find their way through isolation and conflict in this novel in verse by master poet, Kwame Alexander.
38. speak for laurie halse anderson
melinda sordino can’t tell anyone why she called the police to break up a party the summer before ninth grade. in fact, after the trauma she suffered, she can’t speak at all.
39. the deborah ellis breadwinner series
Parvana is eleven when the Taliban comes to power in Afghanistan. Her father is arrested, and women are not allowed to leave the house without a male escort. Parvana must disguise herself and find work to save her family.
40. revolution is not a ying chang compestine dinner
Ling Chang must find a way to survive after her father is taken away during China’s Cultural Revolution.
41. stella in starlight by sharon draper
Stella and her brother aren’t supposed to leave the house at night, but run into much bigger problems when they stumble on a Ku Klux Klan rally. She fights racism within her community and learns about compassion in the process.
42. brunette girl dreaming by jacqueline woodson
Woodson’s verse memoir tells the story of coming of age during the Civil Rights Movement.
43. wait until helen comes for mary downing hahn
Molly has concerns when her family moves into a church with a graveyard next door, but when her already-odd stepsister makes a sinister new friend, things get downright dangerous.
44. refugee by alan gratz
Gratz weaves together stories of child refugees in three different eras: Nazi Germany, 1990s Cuba, and present-day Syria.
45. jupiter in orbit by gary schmidt
Jack Hurd gets a foster brother, Joseph, an eighth grader whose only dream is to be with his daughter.
46. thunder hear my cry by mildred d. taylor
Nine-year-old Cassie Logan faces racial discrimination and financial hardship during the Great Depression.
47. ugly by scott westerfield
Tally Youngblood lives in a dystopia in which all sixteen-year-olds have cosmetic surgery to make them pretty.
48. we should hang out sometime by josh sundquist
Youtuber Josh Sundquist tells the true story—with graphs!—of his failures in dating.
49. fed by me t. anderson
The Feed scrolls constantly through Titus’s brain, providing him with entertainment, advertising, and social networking. On a spring break trip to the Moon, he meets a girl who sees life differently.
50. hope being born by pam muñoz ryan
Spoiled princess Esperanza moves from her family’s ranch in Mexico to a migrant camp during the Great Depression. She learns to rely on her inner strength and the support of her family.
Want more articles like this? subscribe to our newsletters!
plus 100 great writing prompts for high school.
See Also: The 16 Best Books to Read After a Breakup (in 2022)