In no particular order, check out these amazing new 2020 middle-grade chapter books. This list contains mystery, historical fiction, survival, sci-fi, and adventure genres — lots of choices for every reader. Middle-Grade Books, February and March 2020 Winterbone Home for Vengence and Valor by Ally Carter MYSTERY April is a foster kid invited to […]
Continue ReadingGood Books for Middle School
If you're looking for good chapter books and nonfiction books reviews, lists, and recommendations for kids in middle school, you've come to the right place.
Parents, teachers, and librarians, I hope to save you time by reading books that you don't have time to read, giving you reviews and recommendations, to help you build your classroom and home libraries. And for you to find the best books on any topic or theme.
In addition, you'll find some learning and literacy ideas, activities, games, and gift suggestions for middle school ages which span from tween to teen, 11 or 12 to 13.
Here are some quick links to get you started. And if you keep scrolling, you can read the most current blog posts.
Book Suggestions by Age:
Best Books for 11-Year Olds (6th Grade)
Best Books for 12-Year Olds (7th Grade)
Read Aloud Book Ideas for Middle School:
Read Aloud Books for 6th Grade
Read Aloud Books for 7th and 8th Grades
New Biography Books for Elementary and Middle School
A reading strategy I like to use with children reading nonfiction is connecting to background knowledge. As you read these biographies, both picture books for preschool and elementary ages as well as biographical story collections for upper elementary and middle school, help your kids connect to what they’re reading. Start with prompts like: How are […]
Continue ReadingRead Aloud Books for 7th and 8th Grade
Yes, reading aloud to middle school students in 7th and 8th grade benefits them just as much as in elementary school. Immeasurably. Besides the enjoyment kids get when listening to a story (who among us doesn’t love a good audiobook?), you can introduce your 12- and 13-year-old readers to a new author or book series, […]
Continue ReadingWhere to Find Diverse, Multicultural Books for Kids
What multicultural children’s books are you loving right now? If you’re like me, you always want to learn about new diverse books to share with children. First, let me tell you something exciting…today is the 7th annual Multicultural Children’s Book Day. This non-profit children’s literacy initiative was founded by Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen, book-loving […]
Continue ReadingOwnVoices Historical Fiction Chapter Books
Discover amazing historical fiction chapter books written by OwnVoices (#ownvoices). If you aren’t aware of this term, OwnVoices signifies when an author of a marginalized group writes a fiction story about a character in that same marginalized group. When a reader asked me to share a list of diverse, historical fiction chapter books written […]
Continue ReadingBooks for Tweens Who Love Animals
A friend of mine recently asked me for book suggestions for a reluctant tween reader who loves animals. Since many of you have or teach children ages 8 – 12 who might also like animals, reluctant or not, you’ll want this list, too. I have several posts with ideas to help reluctant readers. But one […]
Continue ReadingDownload a Reading Bingo Game for Your Kids and Students
Over the winter vacation, we watched the Harry Potter movies along with a BINGO game for each one. It gave me an idea to make my own bingo game for you all to encourage your kids to read more books. But before I tell you about the game, I want to give you some context… […]
Continue ReadingMeaningful Ways to Improve Creativity in the Classroom with Adobe Creative Suite
Disclosure: I partnered with Adobe to create this material. As such, this should be considered sponsored content. Improve creativity in your K – 12 classroom using Adobe Creative Suite. No matter what subject you teach, there are specific, foundational principles that can help teachers create a learning environment filled with more creative opportunities using the […]
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