Best New Middle School Reading Books

Don’t miss out on these best new middle school reading books of the year!

Perfect for your children ages 9 to 12, I’m also loving reading a number of these books out loud to my late elementary children as well.

You can find these amazing new middle school reading books at your local library or purchase through the affiliate links provided.

Best New Middle School Reading Books

The Girl Who Drank the Moon and Ghost were a huge hit in our house!

Every night I read a middle school book out loud to the boys, and this one definitely kept their interest!

The next new middle school reading books on our list? The Wild Robot and Full of Beans!

New Reads for Middle Schoolers

The Girl Who Drank the Moon

Winner of the 2017 Newbery Award. A New York Public Library Best Book of 2016. A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2016. An Amazon Top 20 Best Book of 2016. A School Library Journal Best Book of 2016. KirkusReviews’ Best Books of 2016 and more!

A young girl raised by a witch, a swamp monster, and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon must unlock the dangerous magic buried deep inside her in this epic coming-of-age fairy tale from the highly acclaimed author of The Witch’s Boy.

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, Book 2 The Hammer of Thor

Thor’s hammer is missing again. The thunder god has a disturbing habit of misplacing his weapon — the mightiest force in the Nine Worlds. But this time the hammer isn’t just lost, it has fallen into enemy hands.

Unfortunately, the only person who can broker a deal for the hammer’s return is the gods’ worst enemy, Loki — and the price he wants is very high.

The Trials of Apollo, Book 1: The Hidden Oracle

How do you punish an immortal? By making him human.

After angering his father Zeus, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus. Weak and disoriented, he lands in New York City as a regular teenage boy.

Now, without his godly powers, the four-thousand-year-old deity must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus’s favor. 

Pax

National Book Award Longlist * New York Times Bestseller * An Amazon Best Book of the Year

From best-selling and award-winning author Sara Pennypacker comes a beautifully wrought, utterly compelling novel about the essential truths that define us and the devastating costs of war. Pax is destined to become a beloved classic.

The Wild Robot

From bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator Peter Brown comes a heartwarming and action-packed novel about what happens when nature and technology collide.

Wolf Hollow

A 2017 Newbery Honor Book * An NPR Best Book of the Year * A Booklist Best Book of the Year * A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year * A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year * A Wall Street Journal Best Children’s Book of the Year * An ALA Notable Children’s Book 

Brilliantly crafted, Wolf Hollow is a haunting tale of America at a crossroads and a time when one girl’s resilience, strength, and compassion help to illuminate the darkest corners of our history.

The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog

A 2017 Newbery Honor Book * A New York Times Editor’s Choice * A New York Times Notable Children’s Book * A People Magazine Kid Pick * A Washington Post Best Children’s Book * A Wall Street Journal Best Children’s Book and more!

The best-selling author of A Tale Dark and Grimm takes on medieval times in an exciting and hilarious new adventure about history, religion, and farting dragons. 

The Misadventures of Max Crumbly 1: Locker Hero

Max Crumbly is about to face the scariest place he’s ever been: South Ridge Middle School.

There’s a lot that’s great about his new school, but there’s also one big problem — Doug, the school bully whose hobby is stuffing Max in his locker.

If only Max could be like the hero in his favorite comics. But that doesn’t mean Max won’t do his best to be the hero his school needs!

Ghost (Track)

A National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature * Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read.

Ghost wants to be the fastest sprinter on his elite middle school track team, but his past is slowing him down in this first electrifying novel of a brand-new series from Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award–winning author Jason Reynolds.

Serafina and the Twisted Staff (Serafina Book 2)

Filled with history, mystery, and magic for both adults and middle school readers, this Disney-Hyperion thriller is now being taught in over a thousand classrooms nationwide.

The brave and unusual Serafina lives in the magnificent Biltmore Estate in the opulence of the Gilded Age and the rugged beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

But she’s caught between two worlds: she’s too wild for Biltmore’s beautifully dressed ladies and formal customs, and too human to fully join her forest kin. 

The Secret Keepers

By the author of The Mysterious Benedict Society, this heart-pounding mystery adventure is laced with magic and humor.

In this ingeniously crafted novel, acclaimed author Trenton Lee Stewart invites readers to join the adventure, decipher the clues, and ask themselves the question: Is knowing a secret a gift or a curse?

When the Sea Turned to Silver

This breathtaking, full-color illustrated fantasy is inspired by Chinese folklore, and is a companion to the Newbery Honor winner Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.

Raymie Nightingale

A 2016 National Book Award Finalist.

Two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo returns to her roots with a moving, masterful story of an unforgettable summer friendship.

The Best Man

Newbery Medalist Richard Peck tells a story of small-town life, gay marriage, and everyday heroes in this novel for fans of Gary Schmidt and Jack Gantos.

When Friendship Followed Me Home

A boy’s chance encounter with a scruffy dog leads to an unforgettable friendship in this deeply moving story about life, loss, and the meaning of family.

Lily and Dunkin

For readers who enjoyed Wonder and Counting by 7’s, award-winning author Donna Gephart crafts a compelling dual narrative about two remarkable young people: Lily, a transgender girl, and Dunkin, a boy dealing with bipolar disorder.

Their powerful story will shred your heart, then stitch it back together with kindness, humor, bravery, and love.

Full of Beans

Winner of the Scott O’Dell Award * A New York Public Library Best Book for Kids of 2016

It’s 1934, the middle of the Great Depression.

With no jobs on the island, and no money anywhere, who can really blame the grown-ups for telling a few tales? Besides, Beans isn’t anyone’s fool.

In fact, he has plans. Big plans. And the consequences might surprise even Beans himself.

Furthermore

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2016 * A Shelf Awareness Best Book of 2016 * A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2016 * An Amazon Best Children’s Book of 2016

The best-selling author of the Shatter Me series takes listeners beyond the limits of their imagination in this captivating new middle grade adventure where color is currency, adventure is inevitable, and friendship is found in the most unexpected places.

The Evil Wizard Smallbone

In a hilarious tale reminiscent of T. H. White, a lost boy finds himself an unlikely apprentice to the very old, vaguely evil, mostly just grumpy Wizard Smallbone.

Wildly funny and cozily heartfelt, Delia Sherman’s latest is an eccentric fantasy adventure featuring dueling wizards, enchanted animals, and one stray boy.

Hundred Percent

This book marks beloved author Karen Romano Young’s masterful return to children’s literature: a heartbreakingly honest account of what it means to be between girl and woman, elementary and middle school, inside and out — and just what you name that in-between self.

Love this list of these middle school reading books? Don’t miss out on other Best New Children’s Books for Kids, all broken down by age group through high school!