Recommending Middle Grade Reads (That Aren’t Recent)

An Introduction:

In the world of book blogging, when hundreds of books are coming out each week, it is sometimes hard to stop and remember old favorites, especially those from when we were younger.

Most people who read Middle Grade these days only ever seem to recommend the classics: A Series Of Unfortunate Events, Alice In Wonderland, Narnia, etc. Or recent releases: The Thing Of Jellyfish, We Are All Made Of Molecules, etc.

And While I love all of these, I feel like forgetting most of the books from 3+ years ago is a travesty! So I’m going to remind you of (or introduce you to), some of my favorite Middle Grade books. I don’t read much Middle Grade these days, but these were my JAM in middle school/Upper Elementary (If you aren’t in the US, think age 9-14).

Italics means a MUST read (even if you’re “too old” for middle grade)

Though to be fair, I love all these books.

Forgotten Favorites:

• Molly Moon Series By Georgia Byng
• Peter And The StarCatchers By Dave Barry
• Heir Apparent By Vivian Vande Vilde
• The Companions Quartet By Julia Golding
• The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making By Catheryenne M. Valente

• Ten Ways To Make My Sister Disappear By Norma Fox Mazer

• School Spirit By Elizabeth Cody Kimmel

• Princess Academy By Shannon Hale

• Awful End By Philip Ardagh

• Gilda Joyce: Psychic Investigator By Jennifer Allison

• Hoot By Carl Hiaasen

• Esperanza Rising By Pam Muñoz Ryan

• The School for Good and Evil By Soman Chainani 

• Queen of the World! By Jennifer L. Holm

• Wonder By R.J. Palacio

• My Sister The Vampire Series By Sienna Mercer

• Inkheart By Cornelia Funke

 

Obligatory Classics/Must Reads (Just in case you had no childhood):

• The Chronicles Of Narnia By C.S Lewis
• Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland By Lewis Carroll
• Charlie And The Chocolate Factory By Roald Dahl
• Matilda By Roald Dahl
• A Wrinkle In Time By Madeleine L’Engle
• Little House In The Big Woods By Laura Ingalls Wilder
• Holes By Louis Sachar
• Bridge To Terabithia By Katherine Paterson
• The Giver By Lois Lowry
• A Series Of Unfortunate Events By Lemony Snicket

• The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

• Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary

• Percy Jackson By Rick Riordan

 

So what do you think? Am I missing something important? Have you read any of my childhood favorites? Planning on it now? Let me know!