Middle School Book Life
Welcome to the Middle School Book Life newsletter, a weekly newsletter for middle school teachers who want to figure out the best books for to teach their students. Join us as we chat about Book Clubs, whole class novels, classroom libraries, and independent reading.
Featuring: "Gather" by Kenneth M. Cadow
Read and teach inclusive books. A weekly recommendation to level up your book matchmaking. Gather by Kenneth M. Cadow Genre: Realistic Fiction Age Range: 13-18 Summary: 10th grader Ian isn't quite sure if there will be food to eat, clothes that fit, or a safe car for his mom to drive. Living on land his family has owned for generations, he is sure that he can fix motors, hunt for deer, and take care of the huge dog that wanders into his life. As the Vermont winter turns into spring, Ian will...
Featuring: "One Killer Problem" by Justine Pucella Winans
Read and teach inclusive books. A weekly recommendation to level up your book matchmaking. One Killer Problem by Justine Pucella Winans Genre: Mystery Age Range: 13-18 Summary: 16-year-old Gigi is many things — terrible at math, a victim of IBS, and secretly in love with Mari — but she didn't expect to become a detective. When her favorite teacher, Mr. Ford, is found dead in his classroom, Gigi is shocked but also suspicious. Since the police have written it off as an accident, Gigi and her...
Featuring: "Almost American Girl" by Robin Ha
Read and teach inclusive books. A weekly recommendation to level up your book matchmaking. Almost American Girl by Robin Ha Genre: Memoir, Graphic Novel Age Range: 13-17 Summary: This graphic novel follows Chuna’s teenage years, starting as a 14-year-old in Seoul, South Korea. Raised by her single mom, Chuna loves the vibrancy of city-life and is devastated when she and her mom move to Alabama for her mom to marry a man named Minsik. Realizing that their life is in America now, Chuna changes...
Featuring: "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Read and teach inclusive books. A weekly recommendation to level up your book matchmaking. Code Name Kingfisher by Liz Kessler Genre: Historical Fiction Age Range: 11 - 14 Summary: This story is told through two alternating narrators: modern-day, 12-year-old Liv and her grandma (Bubbe) in Holland in 1942. Assigned a research project for History class, Liv is surprised to find an old box filled with newspaper articles and photos in Bubbe's attic. The photo shows a young Bubbe with a sister —...
Featuring: "Hana Hsu and the Ghost Crab Nation" by Sylvia Liu
Read and teach inclusive books. A weekly recommendation to level up your book matchmaking. 👀 Want free teaching materials? I am developing new resources for teaching theme and I would love for you to try them out and provide feedback. If you're interested, hit reply and let me know! Hana Hsu and the Ghost Crab Nation by Sylvia Liu Genre: Dystopian, Sci-Fi Age Range: 9-13 Summary: In a world run by corporations, Hana can't wait to begin Start-Up, a highly selective program for 12-year-olds...
Featuring: "Before the Ever After" by Jacqueline Woodson
Read and teach inclusive books. A weekly recommendation to level up your book matchmaking. Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson Genre: Realistic Fiction Age Range: 11-15 Summary: 12-year-old ZJ is a musician and best friend to Ollie, Darry, and Daniel. He's also the son of NFL superstar "Zachariah 44" Johnson. His dad loves everything about football and has excelled as a pro athlete, a husband, and a father. But he has also suffered numerous concussions. Soon, his headaches become...
Featuring: "Pride and Premeditation" by Tirzah Price
Read and teach inclusive books. A weekly recommendation to level up your book matchmaking. Pride and Premeditation: A Jane Austen Murder Mystery by Tirzah Price Genre: Mystery Age Range: 12-17 Summary: Lizzie Bennet wants more than her lot in life. Right now, that means she wants to do real work at her father's law firm but she can't get people to take her seriously. When a member of society is murdered, Lizzie sees an opportunity to enact justice by investigating the case. Only, this brings...
Featuring: "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
Read and teach inclusive books. A weekly recommendation to level up your book matchmaking. A Rover's Story by Jasmine Warga Genre: Science Fiction Age Range: 8-12 Summary: Resilience ("Res") is built to navigate and study the rocks, dust storms, and mountains of Mars. Res wants to be an excellent rover, a courageous robot who not only initiates scientific breakthroughs but who also makes his scientists, Xander and Rania, proud. In the laboratory, Res must patiently wait as his parts are...
Featuring: "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Read and teach inclusive books. Dear Reader, I think I can almost always tell when a middle grade or young adult book is written by a teacher. Their audience is not tweens and teens — it's their students. They don't want to just give their students a fun, meaningful story. They want the plot, characters, and setting to be infused with the academic concepts their students are learning. On the surface, Glitch is a time-travel adventure novel. That makes for an enticing hook for students. But as...
Featuring: "Cleo Porter and the Body Electric" by Jake Burt
Read and teach inclusive books. Dear Reader, During the school year, teachers produce an enormous amount of output. Lesson plans, assessments, family communication, bulletin board designs: it's relentless. There's not always much time for deep thinking. During breaks, I advocate for teachers to focus on input. Read books. Listen to podcasts. Try new foods. See new sites. Take in information and ideas without the pressure of doing anything with them. Let them percolate during your morning run,...
Welcome to the Middle School Book Life newsletter, a weekly newsletter for middle school teachers who want to figure out the best books for to teach their students. Join us as we chat about Book Clubs, whole class novels, classroom libraries, and independent reading.