Every year I have the joy and privilege of going into local schools and sharing my favorite books with fourth and fifth grade students. I read lots of middle grade fiction year-round, but only the top twenty or so make it into the final cut. A few of the books are general crowd pleasers, there are several interesting non-fiction titles, some graphics, and hopefully there are some amazing books that I know most students would pass up because of the cover or subject matter. I am excited to present you with this year's list! Click on the titles to reserve a copy of a book.
--Andrea W., Headquarters
FICTION
"The Dungeoneers" by John David Anderson
Colm trains at a secret school to become an elite thief.
"Circus Mirandus" by Cassie Beasley
To save his grandpa with a promised wish, Micah must escape his Aunt Gertrude and hunt down a magical circus.
"The Astounding Broccoli Boy" by Frank Cottrell Boyce
Rory is just trying to survive grade school when he suddenly turns green.
"The Doldrums" by Nicholas Gannon
Archer tries to escape his watchful parents to search for his missing explorer grandparents.
"Moving Target" by Christina GonzalezCassie learns about an ancient society, a magic power, and secret family ties while in Rome.
"Masterminds" by Gordon Korman
The perfect town of Serenity, NM is not all as it seems, as Eli and his friends discover.
"Switch" by Ingrid LawGypsy has the gift of stopping time, which she uses to search for her sick and missing grandmother.
"Valiant" by Sarah McGuireTo save herself and her father, Saville must pretend to be a tailor's apprentice and have the kingdom from giants.
"The Secrets of Blueberries, Brothers, Moose and Me" by Sara Nickerson
Missy gets a job picking blueberries and finds herself in the middle of several fights.
"The Nest" by Kenneth Oppel
As Steven's baby brother fights his illness, Steven fights supernatural wasps.
"Under a Pig Tree" by Margie Palatini
A silly story about pigs--or not.
"The Double Cross" by Jackson Pearce
Hale, worst in his class at spy school, finds himself on a secret mission to find his parents.
"The Lightning Queen" by Laura Resau
Teo and Esma form a life-changing, generation-spanning friendship in the dusty hills of Mexico.
"The Fog Diver" by Joel Ross
Chess lives in the clouds and dives into a sea of nanobots to scavenge from the old world.
"Milo Speck, Accidental Agent" by Linda Urban
Milo is sucked through a dryer into Ogregon and must save his secret agent dad.
NONFICTION
"125 Cool Inventions" This book is full of wild and interesting inventions.
"The 50 States" by Gabrielle Balkan
America has never been this interesting or well-illustrated!
"Why" by Crispin Boyer
Do you have a lot of questions about everything? This book has the answers!
"Amazing Body" by Moira Butterfield
The human body is incredible, and you can learn all about it here.
"Puppy Love" by Lisa GerryDogs can do incredible things!
"Brain Games" by Jennifer Swanson
This book of brain science will have you scratching your head in wonder.
GRAPHIC NOVELS
"Sunny Side Up" by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew HolmSunny has to go stay with her grandpa in a retirement community for the summer, but manages to make a friend.
"Hilo" by Judd Winick
Daniel's friend moves away and leaves him alone until a boy falls out of the sky, making a giant crater near Daniel's house.
"Secret Coders" by Gene Luen Yang and Mike Holmes
Hopper notices weird things at her new school and tries to break the code to figure it out.
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