Books can teach kids of all ages a lot. It opens them up to new experiences, from big topics like consent to ones like friendship issues, while also honing their reading skills. And with a really good book, reading can be fun. While stereotypes see to it that girls read more or enjoy reading more, we want that to change. So we found some books that experts across the web say are great reads for middlegrade boys in particular.
As back-to-school time is upon us, and parents now have an excuse to encourage their kids to read, we found 18 books for boys in the middle school age range to enjoy that cover all kinds of topics. Some are just fun, but each touch on a topic that the kids may particularly relate to: losing a parent, sexual boundaries, racial discrimination, poverty, LGBTQ+ issues, and adoption to start.
'Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key' by Jack Gantos
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Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos is a book for boys who have ever been or are called “hyper” or unfocused. It follows a boy named Joey who takes medicine — Ritalin — to help him with his ADHD. But he wants to make a change, because “as Joey knows, if he keeps making bad choices, he could just fall between the cracks for good. But he is determined not to let that happen.”
'The Goldfish Boy' by Lisa Thompson
Matthew Corbin, a boy who has obsessive-compulsive disorder, happens to be the last person to see a toddler who is staying next door before the child goes missing. As Scholastic’s description states: “Suddenly, Matthew finds himself at the center of a high-stakes mystery, and every one of his neighbors is a suspect. Matthew is the key to figuring out what happened and potentially saving a child’s life, but is he able to do so if it means exposing his own secrets, and stepping out from the safety of his home?”
'Holes' by Louis Sachar
Holes by Louis Sachar is a title millennial parents may have read when they were in school. It’s a classic at this point, and has also been made into a movie. It follows a boy from a cursed family who is sent to a juvenile camp called Camp Green Lake to dig holes for a warden who has ulterior motives. There’s twists and turns that’ll captivate even the biggest book-hating middle-schooler.
'The Crossover' by Kwame Alexander
With so many books of the past meant for kids of middle school age that were whitewashed, aside from To Kill a Mockingbird and “white-savior” books, this one is not. The Crossover follows 12-year-old Josh and his struggles: “Both on and off the court, there is conflict and hardship which will test Josh’s bond with his brother. In this heartfelt novel in verse, the boys find that life doesn’t come with a play-book and it’s not all about winning.”
'Dough Boys' by Paula Chase
Dough Boys follows “the complex friendship between two African American boys whose lives are heading down very different paths.” One of the boys lives in low-income housing and has big dreams of getting out, so he turns to the drug dealing life to make it happen. The other wants to stay away from it all. It’s an issue so many teens face.
'That's What Friends Do' by Cathleen Barnhart
There are books out there to talk about sexual assault experiences from a girl’s perspective, but it should become more common for boys to see examples of boundaries early on. That’s what the book That’s What Friends Do by Cathleen Barnhart does. It does so through the lens of middle school “flirting” and friendships.
'Things You Can't Say' by Jenn Bishop
Things You Can’t Say by Jenn Bishop is a good book for middle school boys going through the grief of losing a parent. Three years ago, the main character, Drew, lost his dad and suddenly finds that his mom has a new “friend” that he knows isn’t just a friend. The book is about how he navigates that change, his loss, and more.
'Half a World Away' by Cynthia Kadohata
Imposter syndrome is real for adoptee Jaden. When his parents go to Kazakhstan to adopt his sibling, he feels it’s because he isn’t good enough. The trouble he gets into doesn’t help. In the new country, Jaden takes interest in a toddler who might age out of an adoption and “for the first time in his life, Jaden actually feels something that isn’t pure blinding fury, and there’s no way to control it, or its power.”
'Save Me a Seat' by Sarah Weeks
Whether your middle-schooler has ever been a new kid, or thought of befriending one, especially of a different race or nationality, this book will help encourage him to take the leap. According to Amazon, “Joe and Ravi don’t think they have anything in common — but soon enough they have a common enemy (the biggest bully in their class) and a common mission: to take control of their lives over the course of a single crazy week.”
'Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish' By Pablo Cartaya
Latino kids may see themselves in this book by Pablo Cartaya. It follow Marcus Vega, who is “six feet tall, 180 pounds, and the owner of a premature mustache. When you look like this and you’re only in the eighth grade, you’re both a threat and a target.” After a fight at school, he goes to Puerto Rico for a change of scenery and a journey to find his dad.
'Frindle' by Andrew Clements
Frindle by Andrew Clements is another one of those new classics. Millennial parents may have read it while they were at school. It follows a kid who makes up a completely new name for a pen and convinced everywhere to start calling it that, too. Not only that, but “the new word is spreading across the country, and there’s nothing Nick can do to stop it.”
'See You in the Cosmos' by Jack Cheng
Fans of Wonder by R.J. Palacio will love See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng. It’s about an 11-year-old boy who absolutely loves space: “From Colorado to New Mexico, Las Vegas to L.A., Alex records a journey on his iPod to show other lifeforms what life on earth, his earth, is like. But his destination keeps changing. And the funny, lost, remarkable people he meets along the way can only partially prepare him for the secrets he’ll uncover.”
'Checked' by Cynthia Kadohata
This book goes out to the middlegrade boys (or girls) who love sports. If they don’t like reading, we hope this book will change that. It’s about Conor, a boy who loves hockey, but he discovers there’s a lot more to life than that, like his dog Sinbad. But when the dog “is diagnosed with cancer, Conor chooses to put his hockey lessons and practices on hold so they can pay for Sinbad’s chemotherapy.”
'Fighting Words' by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Five-star reviews on Amazon are rare, as are so many book awards, but Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley takes it proudly. It’s a book that follows two sisters who deal with a lot of heavy, but real, issues — from an incarcerated parent, to sexual abuse to attempted suicide and “must find their own voices before they can find their way back to each other.”
'Ghost Boys' by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes is, to quote Amazon, “a heartbreaking and powerful story about a black boy killed by a police officer, drawing connections through history.” It’s a book that sadly puts what’s still going on in the country today into a level for middle-school readers to understand.
'Hatchet' by Gary Paulsen
Hatchet is another one of those books that millennial parents may remember, and for good reason. It deals with real-life issues (a divorce) but also centers around a fantastical adventure of survival when the plane that the main character, 13-year-old Brian Robeson, is flying in crashes: “Brian slowly learns survival skills — how to make a shelter for himself, how to hunt and fish and forage for food, how to make a fire — and even finds the courage to start over from scratch when a tornado ravages his campsite.”
'George' by Alex Gino
LGBTQ+ issues are becoming more talked about when raising kids as the country grows more tolerant in many places — but not all. For Melissa, a trans girl, people see a biological boy named George. There’s one issue: She really wants to try out for the lead in the play Charlotte’s Web, as a girl. George will either help middle schoolers understand the world of this community, or make them feel seen in it.
'Paperboy' by Vince Vawter
For kids, or parents and teachers, who enjoy historical fiction Paperboy by Vince Vawter is a great choice. Set during a summer in the segregated South, the book follows Little Boy, who has a paper route. He gets into trouble with the junkman “who stirs up real trouble in Little Man’s life.” Reviews say it’s “reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird.”
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