The best high school books? what are upper middle grade books, you ask? Simply put, these are books that:
- handles more sensitive topics than the typical middle grade book. middle grade books where the mc deals with topics like eating disorders, serious mental illness, a serious crush or first boyfriend, sexual harassment, colorism, drug abuse, abuse – you get the gist. things you wouldn’t feel ready to give your 9-year-old.
- usually feature main characters ages 12 and up.
- target readers ages 11-14, maybe an occasional 10 year old.
Upper middle grade books are often loved by adults who don’t normally read middle grade books. They’re also perfect for children in their early teens who don’t feel ready for the content of most young adult novels. You can learn more about upper-middle grade books by viewing this middle-grade bookfest panel.
You are reading: Upper middle grade books
For this list, I have chosen books that I have read and judged to be upper middle grade, books promoted by their authors as upper mg, or books marked as such by trusted readers.
click on the book cover to go to the book’s amazon page.
Disclaimer: I use affiliate links for amazon and will earn a cent or two if you buy using these links. it’s a great way to support a blog(ger) you love.
So Done
Published: August 14, 2018
jamila phillips and tai johnson have been inseparable since they were little kids, growing up across from each other in pirates cove, a low-income housing project. As summer draws to a close, Tai can’t wait for Mila to return from spending a month with her aunt in the suburbs. But both girls are dealing with secrets, and when Mila returns, she’s more focused on her upcoming dance auditions than dating Thai.
dough boys
Published: August 27, 2019
deontae “simp” wright has big plans for his future. Plans that include basketball, her best friend Rollie, and earning enough money to get her mom and four younger siblings out of Cove, her low-income housing project.
in the long run, this means the nba. In the short term, it means being a dough boy: getting paid to play vigilante, and eventually rising through the ranks of the neighborhood drug operation with rollie as a partner.
roland “rollie” matthews loved to play basketball. he loved the rhythm of the game, how he would get his best drum beats after running from one side of the court to the other. But playing for the elite team comes with extra and illegal responsibilities, and Rollie isn’t sure he’s up for that life. The new gifted and talent show, in which Rollie gets the chance to audition for a real-life go-go band, seems like the perfect excuse to stop being a dough boy. but how can he abandon his best friend?
paula chase explores universal themes of budding friendship and romance, while also exploring complex themes that affect many young teens. Filled with basketball, friendship, and everyday life in a housing project, this universal story is perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds’ track and field series, the ghost children of Jewell Parker Rhodes, and Chris Crutcher.
related: an interview with paula chase, author of dough boys
before ever after
Published: September 1, 2020
for as long as zj can remember, his father has been everyone’s hero. As a charming and talented professional soccer star, he is as loved by the neighborhood kids he plays with as he is by his millions of sports fans. but lately life at zj’s house is anything but charming. his dad has trouble remembering things and he seems to be angry all the time. zj’s mother explains that she is due to all the head injuries his father suffered during his career. zj can understand that, but it doesn’t make the sting any less real when his own father forgets his name. As ZJ contemplates his new reality, he has to figure out how to hold on to family traditions and memories of the glory days, all the while wondering what his past amounts to if his father can’t remember him. And more importantly, can those happy feelings be regained when everyone is so busy pining for the past?
junior lifeguards: the test
Published: July 26, 2016
Join the junior lifeguard girls as they continue their summer adventures on cape cod, where ice cream, lip gloss, and sand between your toes combine with crushes and life skills for fun beachfront escapades. to the sea.
Dive into the trials with Jenna, Piper, Selena and Ziggy, four diverse girls starting their first season as lifeguards-in-training on the iconic Atlantic coast of Cape Cod. Romance and rivalries abound in this beachside town, where posh seasonal homeowners and hard-working locals collide and unite in age-old patterns. In this first book in the Junior Lifeguards series, the girls compete for a spot on the summer team, with ocean legend Bud Slater hand-picking a team of winners. Will they make the cut or not?
in love
Published: October 12, 2021
Ever since her parents divorced, twelve-year-old Peyton has known that in order to achieve the happiest outcomes in her life, she needs to focus on ironing out her flaws and making sure her first boyfriend is truly right for her. Guided by her collection of inspirational quotes and her growing list of ideal boyfriend traits, Peyton is convinced this summer will be the perfect summer—with the perfect boyfriend! But when she discovers an unconscious boy in the middle of the road, the victim of a hit-and-run, her perfect summer takes a dramatic detour. Determined to find the driver responsible, Ella Peyton divides her time between searching for clues in Ella’s small town and visiting the comatose (and cute!) boy in the hospital. when she wakes up, will he be her destiny? Or does life hold some more surprises for you? With plenty of warmth and gentle humor, Jennifer Richard Jacobson delivers a novel about searching for the perfect answers and discovering that reality is more complicated and far more intriguing than anything you could dream of.
all of me
Published: June 11, 2019
ari has body image issues. after moving across the country, her parents work selling and promoting her mother’s paintings and sculptures. Ari’s bohemian mother needs space to create, and her father is away for long periods of time on “selling” trips.
meanwhile, ari makes new friends: pick, the player; the artistic jorge and the troubled lisa. He is also relentlessly bullied because he is overweight, but he can’t tell his parents, they just aren’t close enough to listen.
After a disturbing incident, ari’s mom suggests he go on a diet and she gives him a book to help him. but the book, and the diet, cannot fix everything. As Ari deals with the demise of her parents’ marriage, she too feels a change, both emotionally and physically. here is a much needed story about embracing the imperfect in yourself and in life.
related: best middle grade novels in verse
nikki on the line
Published: March 5, 2019
Thirteen-year-old Nikki Doyle’s dreams of becoming a great basketball player feel within reach when she’s selected to play for an elite club team. But in a league with taller, stronger, faster girls, Nikki is suddenly not the best point guard. in fact, she’s no longer a base, which leaves her struggling to figure out who she is and how she fits in.
Stress mounts when Nikki’s best friend spends more and more time with another girl on the team, and when her science teacher assigns her a family tree project that will be impossible to complete unless Nikki reveals her most embarrassing secret. . As if that wasn’t enough, to cover the costs of her new outfit, Nikki agreed to babysit her annoying little brother after school to save money on childcare.
As the stakes rise on the basketball court, at school, and at home, Nikki’s confidence plummets. Will he be able to learn to compete at this new higher level? and how hard is she willing to work to find out?
keep it real
Published: October 19, 2021
marigold johnson can’t wait to attend a special show at her family’s business, flexx unlimited, for teen fashionistas. But Mari quickly realizes that she is out of place compared to the other three apprentices of hers, and one girl, Kara, seems to hate her at first sight.
As tensions mount and the stakes on the show rise, Mari discovers exactly why Kara has been so spiteful. He also discovers some hard truths about her and her family.
holy ivy: kind at all costs
Published: May 18, 2021
Thirteen-year-old Ivy Campbell has always been a good girl: supporting her brother, a soccer star, cooking with her nanny, and putting her friends’ needs before her own. So, of course, Ivy is 100 percent behind her when her mother decides to be a gestational surrogate, pregnant and giving birth to her friends’ baby. But when ivy finds out that the surrogacy treatment worked and that her mother is pregnant, and she has been for weeks, she is surprised that she is jealous and worried about what others will think. and she, above all, she is embarrassed that she is not reacting to this news in the right way. the path of the ivy Ivy is determined to prove to herself that she’s as selfless as she’s always believed, and she gets a chance to do so when she receives an anonymous email from someone who needs her help. But the more Ivy immerses herself in helping this anonymous person, the more she drifts away from the people she loves and the person she wants to be.
the prettiest
Published: April 14, 2020
the prettiest: she’s the last thing eve hoffmann expected to be, the only thing sophie kane wants to be, and something nessa flores-brady knows she’ll never be. . . until a list appears online, ranking the fifty prettiest girls in the eighth grade.
eva is disgusted by the way everyone around her suddenly objectifies her body. Sophie is fed up with the bullying she has endured after being relegated to number two. And Nessa is tired of everyone else trying to tell her who she is.
it’s time to remove it. As the three girls band together, they begin to stand up for not only themselves, but each other as well.
Related: 43 Best High School Books About Friendship
good enough
Published: February 19, 2019
Before she had an eating disorder, twelve-year-old Riley was many things: an aspiring artist, a runner, a sister, and a friend.
But now, from inside the inpatient treatment center where she’s being treated for anorexia, it’s easy to forget all of that. Especially since, under the influence of her eating disorder, Riley alienated his friends, abandoned his art, made running harmful, and destroyed his family’s trust.
if riley wants to get her life back, she has to get back on her feet. part of her wants to improve. when she goes to therapy, she makes friends in the hospital and starts drawing again, things start to get better.
But when her roommate starts breaking the rules, triggering riley’s old behaviors and blackmailing her into shutting up, riley realizes recovery will be even harder than she thought. She begins to think that even if she “gets well,” there’s no way she’ll stay well once she gets out of the hospital and faces her dieting mom, school bully, and her star sister. gymnastics.
everything you love is love
Published: March 30, 2021
alba, twelve years old, does not want to live with her separated grandmother in barcelona. but her mother needs her to be far, far away from her home in new york city. Because this is the year that her mother is going to leave Alba’s abusive father. I wish. if she’s strong enough to finally, finally do it. Alba is surprised to discover that she loves Barcelona, forming a close relationship with her grandmother, meeting a supportive father figure, and making new friends. Above all, she discovers a passion and talent for baking bread. When her beloved bakery is threatened with closure, Alba is determined to find a way to save it and, at the same time, she is able to devise a plan to bring her family back together.
turning point
Published: September 15, 2020
Best friends Rasheeda and Monique are good girls. For Sheeda, that means keeping her friends close to her and following all the rules of her deeply religious and strict aunt. For me, that means not making waves at the prestigious and mostly white ballet intensive she’s been accepted into.
but what happens when sheeda catches the eye of mo’s older brother and the invisible racial barriers to mo’s success as a dancer turn out to be not so invisible? What happens when you discover that being yourself is not enough? how do you defend yourself?
take a breath
Published: May 7, 2019
Thirteen-year-old Annabelle struggles in school, no matter how hard she tries. but as soon as she dives into the pool, she’s unstoppable. she’s the fastest girl on the high school swim team, and when she’s asked to join the high school team for the summer, everything changes. Suddenly, she has new friends and a high school boy starts treating her like she’s someone special, and Annabelle thinks she’ll finally stand out in a good way. She’ll do anything to fit in and help the team make it to the Labor Day invite, even if it means drifting away from old friends of hers. But after a prank goes wrong, Annabelle is dumped by the older boy and she can’t swim. Who is she without the one thing she’s good at? poignant and relatable, up for air is a story about where we find our self-esteem.
related: middle grade sports books
big apple diaries
Published: August 17, 2021
It’s the year 2000 in New York City. For 12-year-old Alyssa, this means splitting time between her Puerto Rican dad’s apartment in Manhattan and her white mom’s new place in Queens, navigating the trials and tribulations of high school, and an epic crush on a new classmate. class. the only way to make sense of it all is to capture the ups and downs in doodles and hilarious comics in a journal.
Then life changes abruptly on September 11, 2001. After the fall of the twin towers and so many lives lost, worries about gossip and boys feel distant and insignificant. Alyssa must find a new sense of self and purpose in the midst of all the chaos, and find the strength to carry on with hope.
the prophet calls
Published: November 6, 2018
Gentry Forrester feels lucky to live among God’s chosen people in the Prophet’s Precinct, but when music is banned, Gentry and her older brother, Tanner, slip out of the community. when they return, all bets are off as the prophet is in control of him.
Born in a polygamous community in the foothills of New Mexico, Gentry Forrester feels lucky to live among God’s chosen ones, cut off from the outside world and its “evils”.
On his thirteenth birthday, Gentry receives a new violin from his father, and more than anything, he wants to play at the Santa Fe Music Festival with his brother, Tanner. but then the prophet calls from prison and announces that he has banned music in his community and now forbids women to leave.
Determined to play, Gentry and Tanner slip away. but once they return, the prophet takes over from prison with devastating consequences for the nobility and his family. soon, everything the nobility has ever known is turned upside down. she begins to question the prophet’s teachings and his revelations, especially when his latest orders endanger the noble family. Can gentry find a way to protect herself and her family from the prophet and escape the only life she’s ever known?
related: best books for ninth graders
focused
Published: March 26, 2019
clea can’t control her thoughts. she knows that she has to do her homework. . . but she is distracted. she knows that she can’t just say whatever thought pops into her head. . . but she sometimes she can’t help it. she knows that she needs to concentrate. . . but how can she do that when the people around her are always loudly chewing gum or making other annoying noises?
It’s starting to be a problem, not only at school, but also when Clea is playing chess or just hanging out with her best friend. other children are beginning to notice. When Clea fails one too many tests, her parents take her to get tested and she finds out that she has ADHD, which means her attention is everywhere instead of where she needs to be.
clea knows that life cannot continue as it is now. she’s just not sure how you can fix a problem that’s in your head. but that’s what you’ll have to do, find a way to focus.
just be cool jenna sakai
When Jenna is dumped for winter break, she confirms what she’s learned from her parents’ messy divorce: relationships are risky and only lead to disappointment. So even though she has yet to see Ella Elliott’s ex-boyfriend at the Newspaper Club, Jenna is going to be totally ruthless this semester: no boys, just books.
But staying calm isn’t always easy. Jenna’s main competitor for a big journalism scholarship is none other than Elliott. her best friend keiko always seems busy with her own boyfriend. And the cute but incredibly annoying Rin Watanabe keeps stealing her stall at the restaurant she’s been hiding out at every day after school. Rin is just as stubborn and aloof as Jenna. And the more Jenna gets to know him, the more intriguing a mystery he seems. Soon Jenna begins to realize that being a loner is a bit, well, lonely. and letting people in can be a risk worth taking.
related: debbi michiko florence in just be cool, jenna sakai
genesis begins again
Published: January 15, 2019
there are ninety-six things genesis hates about herself. he knows the exact number because he keeps a list. like #95: because her skin is so dark, people call her charcoal and eggplant, even her own family. and #61: because her family is always being kicked out of her house, her belongings are out on the sidewalk for the world to see. when your dad is a gambling addict and loses rent money every month, eviction is commonplace.
what’s not so regular is that this time not everyone has a place to sleep, so genesis and her mom have to stay with her grandma. it’s not that genesis doesn’t like her grandma, but she and mom always fight: grandma scolding mom to leave dad, that she should have gone back to school, that if she had married a lighter-skinned man nothing of this would be happening, and it goes on and on and on. but things are not all bad. genesis really likes her new school; She has made a couple of friends, her choir teacher says that she has real talent and even encourages Genesis to join the talent show.
but how can genesis believe everything his teacher says when his father tells him the exact opposite? How can she stand up to all those people with her dark dark skin knowing that even her own family thinks less of her because of it? Why, why, why don’t lemon or yogurt or fancy creams lighten her skin like they’re supposed to? And when Genesis reaches 100th on the list of things she hates about herself, will she continue or can she find the strength to start over?
related: q & a with alice d. williams, author of genesis begins again
beverly, right here
Published: September 24, 2019
beverly stepped on the accelerator. They were even faster. this was what beverly wanted, what she always wanted. to walk away escape as fast as she could. to stay away.
beverly tapinski has run away from home many times, but that was when she was just a kid. At this point, she thinks to herself, she’s not running away. she leaves determined to fend for herself, beverly finds a job and a place to live and tries to forget about her dog, her friend, now buried under the orange trees in her house; her friend raymie de ella, whom she left without saying a word; and her mom, rhonda, who has never cared for anyone but herself. Beverly doesn’t want to be dependent on anyone, and she definitely doesn’t want anyone to be dependent on her. But despite her best efforts, she can’t help but form connections with the people around her, and gradually she learns to see herself through her eyes. In a poignant, funny and bold conclusion to her string of novels about the beloved Three Ranchers, New York Times #1 bestselling author Kate Dicamillo tells the story of a character who will break your heart and break it again. join.
violets are blue
Published: October 12, 2021
Twelve-year-old wren loves makeup, special effects makeup to be exact. When she’s experimenting with new looks, her wren can create a different version of herself. a girl who doesn’t have the best friendship with someone who seems to hate her. a girl whose parents aren’t divorced and doesn’t have to learn to love her new stepmother.
So, when Wren and her mother move to a new town to start over, she’s cautiously optimistic. And things seem to fall into place when Wren meets potential friends of hers and is selected as a makeup artist for her school’s next production of Evil.
just wren’s mom isn’t doing too well. she is taking a lot of naps, she starts biting the wrens for no reason and she always seems to be sick. And what’s worse, Wren keeps getting hints that things aren’t going well at her new job at the hospital, where her mother is a nurse. And after an opening night disaster leads to a harrowing discovery, Wren realizes her mother has a serious problem, one she can’t erase or cover up.
After all the progress he’s made, can wren start over with his devastating new normal? And will he ever be able to heal the broken trust with her mother?
well that was awkward
Published: February 28, 2017
gracie had never felt like this before. one day, suddenly she can’t breathe, she can’t walk, she can’t do anything, and the reason is that she’s standing right in front of her, all tall and weirdly good-looking: a.j. but it turns out that a.j. She doesn’t like Gracie, but Gracie’s beautiful best friend, Ella Sienna Ella. obviously gracie is happy for sienna. super happy! She helps Sienna compose the best texts, responding to AJ’s surprisingly funny and engaging texts, as if she were Sienna. because gracie is fine. forever! she’s had a lot of practice being the partner, second best.
everything is fine. well, almost everyone. she is trying.
nest
Published: September 9, 2014
for fans of jennifer holm (penny from heaven, turtle in paradise), a touching and unforgettable middle grade novel about an irresistible girl and her family, tragic change, and the healing power of love and friendship. In 1972, home is a cozy nest on Cape Cod for eleven-year-old Naomi “Chirp” Orenstein and her older sister, Rachel; her father her psychiatrist; and her mother, her dancer. but then chirp’s mother develops symptoms of a serious illness and everything changes.
chirp finds solace in watching his beloved wild birds. She also finds a true friend in Joey, the mysterious boy who lives across the street. together they create their own private world and come up with the perfect plan: escape. adventure. discovery.
collin worst case
Published: September 28, 2021
Collin is always prepared for something to go wrong. ever since he lost his mother in a car accident, he has been writing in a journal about how to overcome things like avalanches, currents or even a bad case of halitosis. Meanwhile, Collin’s father grows more distant by the day and has started piling up things all over the house. Determined to hide his home life from his friends, Collin navigates high school alongside the hilarious and clueless Liam, and Georgia, for whom Collin may have feelings. Can Collin learn to be vulnerable with his loved ones, even when he can’t control every possible scenario?
stick together, keiko carter
Published: May 5, 2020
Seventh grade is supposed to be a game changer. And Keiko thinks she’s got it all covered, especially with Audrey and Jenna by her side to shop for a new style, pick out a prime spot for lunch, and even hit that cute new bubble tea spot after school. her trio is ready to face life as they always have…together.
but when audrey decides they need boyfriends before prom drops, it looks like things may be turning the wrong way. Jenna is sick of giving in to Audrey’s demands, and soon Keiko’s best friends barely talk about her, leaving her caught in the middle. While she’s been dreaming of triple dates, first kisses, and a guy she really shouldn’t be in love with, the friendship she always thought was rock solid is starting to unravel.
keiko feels pulled in two directions. Should she try to help her friends, even if it means losing one of them, or follow her heart? When it comes to flirting, friendships, and fights, how is Keiko supposed to keep everything under control?
a kind of paradise
Published: April 30, 2019
thirteen-year-old jamie bunn made a mistake at the end of the school year. a big one. and all the kids in his high school know everything. she now has to spend her summer vacation volunteering at the local library, as punishment. what a waste of summer!
or so she thinks.
A Kind of Paradise is an unforgettable story about the power of community, the power of the library, and the power of forgiveness.
each of us a universe
Published: February 1, 2022
since the day everything changed, cal scott’s response has been to run away: running away from his mother battling cancer, running away from his father whom he can’t forgive, and running away from his classmates who never seemed” to understand”. her anyway. the only thing lime runs towards is near mt. meteorite, named for the magical meteorite that some say crashed there fifty years ago. Cal spends her afternoons plotting her way to the top of the mountain, so she can find the magic that she believes will make the impossible possible and heal her mother. But no one has ever successfully peaked out of it, no one who’s lived to tell the tale, anyway.
Then, Cal meets Rosine Kanambe, a girl who has faced more impossibles than anyone should. Rosine has her own secret plan for the mountain and her magic, and she convinces Cal that they can make it to the top if they work together. As the girls climb high and dig deep to face the mountain’s challenges, Cal learns from Rosine what true courage looks like and begins to question if the magic she’s been searching for is really what she needs.
summer in the meadow forest
Published: May 19, 2020
vic brown didn’t want to go to camp this summer.
As nice as it is to be back with her friends in Meadow Wood, Vic still can’t get over the secret reason her mom wanted her and her brother out of the house, or how much her life is going to change. family. When her home life falls apart, it can be hard to focus on campfires and canoe rides.
but there’s just something about summer and surprises that go hand in hand, like blueberry pancakes and maple syrup. And soon, Vic begins to feel that, just maybe, a summer at Meadow Wood was exactly what he needed.
maybe he just likes you
Published: October 1, 2019
Mila, a seventh grader, starts with an unwanted hug from some kids on the school blacktop. A few days later, at recess, one of the boys (and fellow trumpeter) Callum tells Mila that it’s her birthday and asks for a “birthday hug.” she’s just being nice, right? And how can she say she can’t? but callum’s hug lasts a few seconds too long and it feels… weird. according to her friend, zara, mila is being immature and exaggerated. Doesn’t she know what it’s like to flirt?
but the boys don’t leave mila alone. on the bus. in the halls during band practice, the one place mila could always escape to.
doesn’t feel like flirting, so what is it? Thanks to a chance encounter, Mila begins to find solace in a new place: karate class. slowly, with the help of a classmate, mila learns to stand her ground and respect others, and herself.
gabe in the after
Published: June 28, 2022
Two years after a global pandemic, twenty survivors (mostly children) moved from their off-shore Maine island filled with sad memories to a mansion on a small neighboring island where they run school and farm. When Gabe and her dog, Mud, find Relle Douglas alone in the woods on the mainland, they take the strange new girl across the channel to live with them. relle changes the island with her hopeful attitude. she tells great stories and makes plans for activities like talent shows. Despite his growing crush on her, Gabe doesn’t quite get the point of it all; why have a talent show at the end of the world? But when tragedy strikes, Gabe embarks on a dangerous journey to try to find other survivors where the world could be normal. like before.
a good kind of problem
Published: March 12, 2019
shayla, age twelve, is allergic to problems. all she wants to do is follow the rules. (oh, and she’d also like to get through seventh grade with her best friends intact, learn to run track, and have a cute boy she sees past her giant forehead.)
but in high school, it’s like all the rules have changed. now all of a sudden she’s wondering who her best friends are and some people at school say she’s not black enough. wait what?
shay’s sister, hana, is involved in black lives matter, but shay doesn’t think that’s for her. However, after experiencing a powerful protest, Shay decides that some rules are worth breaking. she begins wearing an armband to school in support of the black lives matter movement. soon everyone is taking sides. and they give him an ultimatum.
shay is afraid of doing the wrong thing (and even more afraid of doing the right thing), but if she doesn’t face her fear, she’ll always run into the next hurdle. now that’s a problem, really.
coyote dawn’s extraordinary journey
Published: January 8, 2019
five years.
That’s how long Coyote and his father, Rodeo, have lived on the road in an old school bus, across the country.
It’s also how long ago Coyote lost his mother and two sisters in a car accident.
Coyote hasn’t been home all that time, but when she learns that her old neighborhood park is being torn down, the same park where she, her mother, and her sisters buried a prized box of memories, she makes up a concocted plan for his father to drive 3,600 miles back to washington state in four days…without him knowing.
Along the way, they will pick up a strange group of misfit travelers. Lester has a lady he would love to meet. Salvador and his mother are looking to start over. Val needs a safe place to be herself. and then there’s gladys…
Over the course of thousands of miles, the coyote will learn that getting home can sometimes be the hardest journey of all…but with friends by his side, he just might be able to turn his “once upon a time” into a “happily ever after”.
related: 16 books about road trips
falling short
Published: June 21, 2022
Bea’s parents believe she can accomplish absolutely anything, and she’s determined to prove them right. But at the end of seventh grade, the same day she makes a brave play to send her softball team to the league championship and Xander, the boy she likes, makes it clear that he likes her too, a scandal rocks her world. bea’s dad made a big mistake, taking money that belonged to a client. he is now suspended from practicing law, and another lawyer spread the news online. to make matters worse, that other lawyer is xander’s dad.
Bea doesn’t want to be mad at her dad, especially since he’s feeling terrible and trying to fix things. but she can’t face the pitying looks from all her friends, and then she starts missing shots at softball because she’s stuck in her own head. she what she best she gives it seems that she is slipping out of her hands along with her old family happy for her. she’s not sure which will be harder: learning to pitch again or forgiving her father. How can she be the best version of herself when everything she loves is falling apart?
the bidding line
Published: April 16, 2019
Wherever the sharks led them, Lucy Everhart’s marine biologist mother would surely follow. in fact, she was on a boat off the coast of massachusetts, collecting shark data when she died suddenly. Lucy was seven years old. Since then, Lucy and his father have stayed afloat, thanks in large part to a few close friends and neighbors. But June of her twelfth summer brings more than the end of school and a heat wave to sleepy Rockport. On a hot day, the tide brings in a great white shark, and then another tragedy, interrupting a friendship that everyone insists was “meaningful,” but no one can tell Lucy what it all meant. To survive the new wave of grief, Lucy must pick up the line that connects her depressed father, a stubborn fisherman, and a curious elderly widower, to her mother’s unfinished investigation into the return of the great white shark to Cape Town. code If Lucy can find a way to help this unlikely quartet follow the sharks her mother loved, she’ll finally be able to look beyond what she’s lost and what remains to be discovered.
we dream of space
Published: May 5, 2020
Cash, Fitch and Bird Thomas are three brothers who are in seventh grade together in Park, Delaware. In 1986, as the country eagerly awaits the launch of the challenging space shuttle, each wrestles with their own personal anxieties.
Cash, who loves basketball but has a recently broken wrist, is in danger of failing seventh grade for the second time. Fitch spends every afternoon wreaking havoc in the main arcade, struggling with an explosive temper he doesn’t understand. and bird, her twelve-year-old twin, dreams of being the first female commander of a nasa shuttle, but she feels that she is disappearing.
The Thomas children exist in their own orbits, spinning around in a tense and unpredictable household, with little in common except an enthusiastic science teacher named Ms. living room as the challenger’s release draws near, mrs. salonga gives her students a project: they are separated into spaceship crews and must create and complete a mission. when the fated day finally arrives, it changes everyone’s life and brings them together in unexpected ways.
Told in three alternating points of view, We Dream of Space is an unforgettable and thematically rich novel for middle grade readers.
moon walk
Published: April 12, 2022
It seems that punk rock-loving JJ Pankowski can’t fit in at his new school in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, as one of the only white kids. Pie Velez, a math and history geek by day and graffiti artist by night, is eager to follow in the footsteps of his idol, Jean-Michel Basquiat. The boys stumble upon an unlikely friendship, exchanging notes about their love of music and art, which helps them get through a tough semester at school and at home. but a run-in with the police threatens to spoil everything.
braced
Published: March 28, 2017
rachel brooks is excited for the new school year. she finally earned a spot as forward on her soccer team. her best friends make everything fun. and she really likes tate, and she’s pretty sure he likes her too. After one last appointment with her scoliosis doctor, this will be her best year yet.
Then the doctor gives her some terrible news: Rachel’s lateral curvature of the spine has worsened and she needs to wear a back brace 23 hours a day. the brace wraps her in hard plastic from her shoulder blades to her hips. she changes how her clothes fit, how she kicks a ball and how everyone sees her, even her friends and tate. But as Rachel confronts all the challenges that the corset presents to her, the biggest change of all may lie in how she sees herself.
what about jellyfish
Published: September 22, 2015
See Also: 5 Best C.S. Lewis Books that Everyone Should Read
After her best friend dies in a drowning accident, Suzy is convinced that the real cause of the tragedy must have been a rare jellyfish sting: things don’t just happen for no reason. Retreating into a silent world of imagination, she devises a plan to test her theory, even if it means traveling the world alone. Suzy’s painfully candid journey explores life, death, the awesome wonder of the universe…and the potential for love and hope right next door.
red, white and whole
Published: February 2, 2021
reha feels torn between two worlds: school, where she is the only American Indian student, and home, with her family’s traditions and festivities. But Reha’s parents don’t understand why she is conflicted: they only notice when Reha doesn’t meet their strict expectations. reha feels disconnected from her mother, or amma, although her names are related (reha means “star” and punam means “moon”), but they are a separate universe.
then reha finds out her amma is sick. very sick.
Reha, who dreams of becoming a doctor even though she can’t bear to see blood, is determined to get her amma back on her feet. she will be the perfect daughter, if it means saving her mom’s life.
related: rajani larocca on red, white and whole, family and the 80s
the night diary
Published: March 6, 2018
It’s 1947 and India, newly independent from British rule, has split into two countries: Pakistan and India. the division has created a lot of tension between Hindus and Muslims, with hundreds of thousands dying crossing borders.
Twelve-year-old half-Muslim, half-Hindu
nisha no longer knows where she belongs or what her country is. when dad decides it’s too dangerous to stay in what is now pakistan, nisha and her family become refugees, embarking first by train and then on foot to reach her new home. The journey is long, difficult and dangerous, and after losing her mother as a baby, Nisha can’t imagine losing her homeland as well. But even if her country has been shattered, Nisha still believes in the possibility of rebuilding.
related: 8 books like… the night diary
the truth told by mason buttle
Published: January 23, 2018
Mason Buttle is the biggest, sweatiest kid in his grade, and everyone knows he can barely read or write. Mason’s learning disabilities are exacerbated by pain. Fifteen months ago, Mason’s best friend, Benny Kilmartin, was found dead in the Buttle family’s orchard.
an investigation drags on, and mason, honest as the day is long, can’t understand why lieutenant baird won’t believe the story mason has told about that day.
Both Mason and his new friend, Tiny Calvin Chumsky, are relentlessly harassed by the other kids in their neighborhood, so they create an underground shelter for themselves. When Calvin goes missing, Mason finds himself in trouble again. He is desperate to find out what happened to Calvin and eventually Benny.
but will anyone believe him?
reckless and glorious girl
Published: February 23, 2021
beatrice miller may have a grandmother’s name (her grandmother, to be more specific), but she loves her mom and her mom, who give her all the wisdom and love they have. But the summer before seventh grade, Ella wants more than she has, she aches for what she can’t have, and wonders what the future holds.
family game night and other catastrophes
Published: February 28, 2017
annabelle has a secret. . . a secret so big that she won’t let her friends come within five miles of her house. her mom collects things. her house is full of things. She gives Annabelle’s sister nightmares, her brother spends as much time as she can at her friends’ houses, and her father immerses himself in her work.
So, when a stack of newspapers falls on Annabelle’s sister, it sparks a catastrophic fight between their parents, one that could tear them all apart, and Annabelle begins to think that things at home must finally change.
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Is it possible for her to clean up the family mess? Or are they really broken?
blooming at the texas sunrise motel
Published: March 28, 2017
Stevie’s world changes dramatically when her parents die tragically and she is forced to live with her grandfather in a run-down motel. After failed attempts to connect with her grandfather, Stevie befriends the motel’s colorful tenants and neighbors. Together, they decide to bring some color and life to the motel by planting a flower garden, against the wishes of Stevie’s grandfather. It will take Stevie’s departure before her grandfather realizes how needy everyone needs her.
school for everything
Published: March 1, 2022
that’s what the note that max finds under his keyboard says.
he knows his best friend, josie, wrote it. he would recognize his handwriting anywhere. but why he wrote it, and what it means, remains a mystery.
ever since they met in kindergarten, max and josie have been inseparable. until the summer after fifth grade, when Josie disappears, leaving only a note and whispering something about “some rules.”
but why would max ever think josie wasn’t real? And what are those things?
As Max prepares to find out what happened to Josie, and what it is or isn’t, he doesn’t know that she, too, is struggling to find him again. But there are forces trying to stop Max and Josie from seeing each other again. because josie wasn’t supposed to be real.
forget me not
Published: March 14, 2017
calliope june, an astronomy lover, has tourette’s syndrome, so she sometimes makes faces or makes noises she doesn’t mean to make. when she and her mom move in again, she tries to hide the ts from her. But it’s not long before the kids at her new school realize she’s different. only calliope’s neighbor, who is also the popular student body president, sees her for who she really is: an interesting person and a good friend. but is he brave enough to go public with her friendship?
As Calliope navigates school, she must also come to terms with her mother’s new relationship and the fact that they might move away, again, just as she begins to make friends and finally come to terms with their differences.
partly verse and part prose with two intertwined viewpoints, ellie terry’s moving debut will speak to a wide audience about being true to yourself.
related: middle grade books on dementia
the ethan that was before
Published: January 24, 2017
ethan had been many things. He was always up for adventure and always up for a challenge, especially from his best friend, Kacey. but that was before. before the accident that he took from kacey. Before his family moved from Boston to the small town of Palm Knot, Georgia.
The palm knot may be small, but it is the home of possibility and second chances. It’s also home to Coralee, a girl with a big personality and even bigger stories. Coralee may be just the friend Ethan needs, except Ethan isn’t the only one with secrets. Coralee is reaching her and what she hides could be endangering both their lives.
whim
Published: March 1, 2022
This should be an exciting time for quirk. She has been offered a place at the school of her dreams, where she has just spent a fantastic summer. But this great opportunity coincides with many internal doubts and the disturbing news that his grandmother, from whom he has been estranged for a long time, has fallen ill and may be on the verge of death. As Caprice tries to figure out her future, she is drawn back to her past and the abuse she suffered from her uncle when she was little, abuse she has never told anyone about.
With extreme sensitivity and honesty for middle grade readers, Coe Booth has written a painful but ultimately healing novel about finding the support of your parents and friends, articulating your truth, and choosing your own path.
which lane?
Published: April 14, 2020
Anything his friends can do, stephen should be able to do it too, right? so when they challenge each other to sneak into an abandoned building, he doesn’t think she’s his lane, but leaves. however, here’s the thing: can he do everything that his friends can do? lately, he’s not so sure. As a mixed-race boy, he feels that he lives in two worlds with different rules, and has realized that strangers treat him differently than his white friends. . .
then what will you do? Hold on tight as Stephen weaves in and out of lanes to find out which ones are his and who should be with him.
tight
Published: September 4, 2018
tight: lately bryan has been feeling it in many ways. he knows what’s hard for him in a good way: reading comics, drawing superheroes, and hanging out without drama. but the drama is hard to escape from where he is, and that makes him tense.
and now bryan’s new friend mike challenges him to some crazy risky fun. At first, it’s a race to follow Mike, jumping turnstiles, navigating the subway, and getting into all sorts of trouble. but bryan never feels good about acting bad. So what path will he take when he understands that drama is not his style? Fortunately, his favorite comic heroes shed light on his dilemma, reminding him that he has power: the power to choose his friends and stand up for what he thinks is right. . .
a song called home
Published: February 22, 2022
Lou and her family don’t have much, but for Lou it’s enough. breast. her sister, casey. her apartment in the city. her best friend, beth. it would be better if dad could stop drinking and be there for her and casey, and if they didn’t have to worry about money all the time. but lou doesn’t need better, she just needs enough.
which is enough for lou, however, is not enough for mom. Mom’s boyfriend Steve isn’t a bad guy, he’s just not what Lou is used to. and now, he and mom are getting married, and that means moving. packing up life as they’ve known it and storing it in steve’s garage. Lou will be cut off from everything in her small but predictable life, further away from Dad than ever.
On her last night in town, Lou receives a mysterious birthday present: a guitar, left for her at the front door. There’s nothing to say who left it, but it must be Dad’s. And when he leaves the only place he’s ever known, he begins to believe that if he can learn to play it, maybe he can bring a part of him and his old life home.
split frenzy
Efren Nava’s mom is his superwoman or superwoman, named after the delicious Mexican sopes that his mother usually prepares. Both Mom and Dad work hard around the clock to provide for the family, making sure that Efren and Ella’s younger brothers Max and mine feel safe and loved.
but efrén worries about his parents; Although he was born in the United States, his parents are undocumented. Her worst nightmare comes true one day when she loves not coming back from work and is deported across the border to Tijuana, Mexico.
Now more than ever, Efrén must channel his inner superboy to help care for and try to reunite his family.
related: 2020 releases you may have missed
the only black girls in town
Published: March 10, 2020
Beach-loving surfer Alberta has been the only black girl in town for years. Alberta’s best friend, Laramie, is the closest thing she has to a sister, but there are some things even Laramie can’t understand. When the bed and breakfast across the street finds new owners, Alberta is thrilled to learn that the family is black and that they have a 12-year-old daughter just like her.
alberta is sure that she and the new girl, edie, will be fast friends. But while Alberta loves being a California girl, Edie misses her native Brooklyn and finds it hard to adjust to small-town life.
When the girls discover a box of old newspapers in edie’s attic, they team up to find out exactly who’s after them and why they stayed behind. They soon discover shocking and painful secrets from the past and learn that nothing is what it seems.
breathe underwater
Published: March 30, 2021
olivia is on the road trip of her dreams, with her trusty cameraman and older sister ruth by her side. Three years ago, before her family moved from California to Tennessee, Olivia and Ruth buried a time capsule on her favorite beach. Now, they’re taking an RV back across the country to discover the memories they left behind. But Ruth’s depression has been getting worse, so Olivia has come up with a plan to help her remember how life used to be: an impromptu scavenger hunt across the country, like pirates looking for treasure, taking pictures and making memories along the way. .
All he wants is to take the photo that makes his sister smile. but what if things can never go back to the way they used to be? What if they never find the treasure they’re looking for? Through all the questions, loving her sister, not changing her, is all Olivia can do, and maybe it’s enough.
Mary under the water
Published: April 7, 2020
mary murphy feels like she’s drowning. her violent father is home from prison and the social worker is suspicious of her new bruises. An aunt she never met keeps calling. and if she can’t get a good grade on her science project, she will fail her favorite class.
but mary doesn’t want to be a victim anymore. She has a plan: build a real submarine, just like the model she’s been making with Kip Dwyer, the secretly sweet class clown. Gaining courage from her heroine, Joan of Arc, Mary swears to pilot a submarine across the Chesapeake Bay, risking her life in a modern-day crusade to save herself from her.
Related: 45 Best Middle Grade Books Under 250 Pages
there they are: 55 of the best high school books to read! Obviously, this is not an exhaustive list. if you want more books, especially fantasy (which is not my strong point), check out this multi-source list. I hope you find at least one book that is perfect for you.
Do you like high school books? Which of the books on this list did you read and enjoy? what books would you add? I’d love to hear.
See Also: List of the Best Self-Help Divorce Books – Reppucci Roeder
more book lists
- My 13 Favorite High School Books to Read in 2020
- 76 Best Historical Fiction Books for High School
- 50 Best Books for 7th Graders