MWSubstack 026: Middle Grades Books (1)
Explore and enjoy the many teacher suggestions for middle grades and YA reading found in these themed articles.
Welcome to MiddleWeb Substack. It’s a free twice-monthly, topical, five-minute read for middle grades educators, featuring a selection of MiddleWeb’s most popular and influential articles, a book review, and a noteworthy 4-8 resource or project we’ve spotted. That’s it!
►MIDDLE GRADES BOOKS (1)
Take some time to explore our MG/YA recommendations.
What middle grades teacher with a classroom library doesn't love book suggestions? And what school librarian isn't on the lookout for a recommended book they might have missed? In each of these MiddleWeb articles you’ll find teaching ideas and lots of suggested titles. A special thanks to ELA middle school teacher Kasey Short, who put many of these collections together.
More to come: We have so many great posts on this topic that we'll be doing a second middle grades books edition in two weeks.
Welcome Students with New Fiction for Fall
2024 was another fantastic year for new middle grades books. ELA teacher Kasey Short introduces titles for school and class libraries that are sure to appeal to your students. Fantasy, immigration, science, WW II, and more!
What Picture Books Can Add to a Middle School Class
Katie Durkin has begun adding picture books and read alouds to her seventh grade classes. She finds that in units like historical fiction and social justice, they bring students a sense of nostalgia, help them grasp difficult abstract concepts, and create a shared experience. Book suggestions included.
Breaking Glass Ceilings: A Student Reading List
To celebrate Women’s History Month, middle grades teacher Kasey Short offers a list of nonfiction and fiction books representing a wide range of girl’s and women’s voices and experiences. All students benefit from reading about smart, brave women who make positive impacts.
5 Kinds of Nonfiction: A New Way of Thinking
Teachers across the curriculum will welcome this post by nonfiction expert Marlene Correia and the prolific Melissa Stewart, author of 180+ nonfiction books for kids. Learn why the five categories of children’s nonfiction they identify not only excite and engage but are what many students say they want to read most. Included: A list of 20 recommended middle grades nonfiction books.
Inspiring Understanding Using Personal Stories
Exploring human experiences through personal stories promotes discussions that focus on facts and individual realities rather than generalizations and stereotypes. The personal focus helps students develop empathy, compassion and understanding, writes Kasey Short. Book suggestions included!
A Trio of YA Books Written in Verse Form
Recent YA books by Amanda Gorman, Lois Lowry and Margarita Engle are all written in verse, says literacy educator Katie Caprino, yet each tells a story in a different way. One is a poem to America. Another is memoir. And the third is historical fiction, set in 1990s Cuba, with a singing dog. Caprino is a former middle school teacher and now an Assistant Professor of PK-12 New Literacies.
Books to Help Students Explore Body Image
As students experience physical and emotional changes during their adolescent development, body image can become a complex and sensitive topic. Reading stories that explore body image can help. Kasey Short shares some favorite titles and questions for reflection and discussion.
Graphic Novels: Paired or Primary Reads?
Do graphic novels get to stand on their own, or should they be paired with additional texts? ELA teacher Jason DeHart explores that question and concludes (no surprise) that the answer is both. See his suggestions for paired titles that will appeal to middle grades readers.
Novels in Verse! The Why, Which and How
Novels in verse offer quicker reads with instant character connections, vivid imagery, pathways to complex issues, strong narratives, and much more. ELA teacher Kasey Short shares how to use them in class and introduces lots of titles for your middle graders.
Explore Nontraditional Fantasy Novels with Kids
Kasey Short shows how nontraditional fantasy books can be used to address difficult topics, provide real world commentary, counter stereotypes, allow students to see kids that look like them as heroes, and inspire new ways of thinking and imagining. Lots of titles included!
SEL Picture Books for Middle School Advisory
Providing consistent opportunities for students to learn about and practice social emotional skills in middle school advisory can aid in their behavioral and academic growth. Teacher Kasey Short suggests 14 read-aloud picture books with questions that can support that growth.
STEM Fiction Can Help Energize ELA Classes
More emphasis on STEM studies has more language arts teachers working to integrate compatible nonfiction. But what about fiction? Megan Kelly shows how novels with STEM themes let students make an emotional connection to characters while learning scientific concepts.
BONUS: Although Kasey Short doesn't include her usual list of book suggestions in the MiddleWeb article Sharing the Joy of Reading with Students, she does describe her methods for promoting more independent reading and building a classroom climate where reading is valued, enjoyed and celebrated.
►ELSEWHERE
If you’re always searching for tween/teen books, you'll love SLJ.
We love the Post-It Note Reviews featured at the School Library Journal website. Each entry offers a selection of the latest middle grades books with quick comments by librarian Amanda MacGregor. Also see MacGregor’s companion feature, Take Five, for her reviews of the latest graphic novels.
There's so much to keep up with at SLJ that we recommend following their Bluesky account for a steady stream of reviews and other book news. It's an MG/YA gold mine. (Reason enough to join Bluesky if you haven't already!)
►OUR BOOK REVIEW
Belonging in School: Creating a Place Where Kids Want to Learn & Teachers Want to Stay. An Illustrated Playbook by Dominique Smith, Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, Vincent Pompei, and Rachael Stewart.
For educators committed to creating inclusive and supportive school environments, Belonging in School serves up 11 evidence-based modules with actions and strategies and a highly visual style designed to help students feel included, writes 6th grade teacher Ruth A.S. Miller. Read the complete review.
►NEXT TIME
We'll share 12 more themed articles that include middle grades and YA fiction and nonfiction book recommendations for lessons, independent reading and class libraries!