The term “middle grade readers” refers to children in the middle of elementary school, students between the ages of 8 and 12, or third though sixth grade. These readers have moved beyond simple chapter books but are not quite ready for the heavier topics in young adult novels.
Middle grade reads tackle characters’ internal conflicts which are typical of what the reader would see in their everyday life. Common themes are family, friendships, and school. There are several different genres that fall under middle grade readers including graphic novels, fantasy, realistic fiction, science fiction, action/adventure, humor, and manga.
February 11th is National Make a Friend Day! National Make A Friend Day is a perfect excuse to say hi to someone you’ve never met and start a new friendship! Friends can provide a sense of belonging, boost confidence, and reduce stress.
To celebrate National Make a Friend Day, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite middle grade readers on friendship. We hope you enjoy these as much as we do! All of the books are available at Richmond Public Library, so stop in and check them out!
You Don’t Know Everything, Jilly P by Alex Gino
When her new baby sister is born deaf, Jilly makes an online connection with a fellow fantasy fan, who happens to be black and deaf, and begins to learn about the many obstacles that exist in the world for people who are different from her.
The Flyers by Beth Turley
Picked to become an intern at her favorite teen magazine and spend an adventure-packed summer between seventh and eighth grades in New York City, Elena is excited but also worried about losing her best friend.
Mixed Up by Gordon Korman
Twelve-year-olds Reef and Theo have a mutual problem: their memories are getting mixed up, and that means that Reef is losing his memory of his mother, recently dead of COVID, which terrifies him–but for Theo his new memories are helping him deal with his domineering father
The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon
Caleb Franklin and his big brother Bobby Gene have the whole summer for adventures in the woods behind their house in Sutton, Indiana. Caleb dreams of venturing beyond their ordinary small town, but his dad likes the family to stay close to home. Then Caleb and Bobby Gene meet new neighbor Styx Malone. Styx is sixteen and oozes cool. He’s been lots of different places. Styx promises Caleb and Bobby Gene that together, they can pull off the Great Escalator Trade–exchanging one small thing for something better until they achieve their wildest dream. But as the trades get bigger, the brothers soon find themselves in over their heads. It becomes clear that Styx has secrets–secrets so big they could ruin everything–and Caleb fears their whole plan might fall apart. In this madcap, heartwarming, one-thing-leads-to-another adventure, friendships are forged, loyalties are tested and miracles just might be possible.
The Cardboard Kingdom by Chad Sell
Follows the adventures of a group of neighborhood children who create costumes from cardboard and use their imagination in adventures with knights, robots, and monsters.
Invisible by Christina Diaz Gonzalez
Can five overlooked kids make one big difference? There’s George: the brain, Sara: the loner, Dayara: the tough kid, Nico: the rich kid, and Miguel: the athlete. And they’re stuck together when they’re forced to complete their school’s community service hours. Although they’re sure they have nothing in common with one another, some people see them as all the same… just five Spanish-speaking kids. Then they meet someone who truly needs their help, and they must decide whether they are each willing to expose their own secrets to help… or if remaining invisible is the only way to survive middle school.
Turtle Boy by M. Evan Wolkenstein
Seventh-grader Will’s Bar Mitzvah community service project, visiting an incurably ill older boy in the hospital, leads to a friendship that is life-changing for both them and those around them.
Beti and the Little Round House by Atinuke
Beti lives in a little round house in the green woods under the mountains with Mam, Tad, baby Jac, and her very own tiny goat named Naughty. Beti loves the little round house, where there is always the promise of adventure with Naughty, Jac, and her friends, whatever the season!
Stargazing by Jen Wang
Moon is everything Christine isn’t. She’s confident, impulsive, artistic. and though Moon and Christine both grew up in the same Chinese-American suburb, Moon is somehow unlike anyone Christine has ever known. When Moon’s family moves in next door to Christine’s, Moon goes from unlikely friend to best friend–maybe even the perfect friend. The girls share their favorite music videos, paint their toenails when Christine’s strict parents aren’t around, and make plans to enter the school talent show together. Moon even tells Christine her deepest secret: that she sometimes has visions of celestial beings who speak to her from the stars. Who reassure her that earth isn’t where she really belongs. But when they’re least expecting it, catastrophe strikes. After relying on Moon for everything, can Christine find it in herself to be the friend Moon needs?
A Place at the Table by Saadi Faruqi
Sixth-graders Sara, a Pakistani American, and Elizabeth, a Jewish girl, connect in an after-school cooking club and bond over food and their mothers’ struggles to become United States citizens.
