This document provides a list of 100 book recommendations for grades 5-8 compiled by a middle school librarian. It is organized by genre, with 3-6 books listed under each genre. Brief annotations are provided for each book selection noting what types of readers might enjoy each book based on themes, characters, or similar authors. A wide variety of fiction and nonfiction genres are represented including mysteries, adventures, histories, sports books, science fiction, fantasy, realistic fiction, multicultural stories, problem novels, and biographies.

1. 100 Books
for
Grades 5-8
Compiled by Karen Yingling
Blendon Middle School Librarian

2. Mystery

3. The Dying Breath
For readers who like
•CSI mysteries
•Romance
•Gore
Book 4

4. The Mystery of the Third Lucretia
For readers who like
•Travel
•Clue oriented
mysteries
•Girly books

5. The Red Blazer Girls
For readers who like
•Clue oriented
mysteries
•Problem novels
•Blue Balliet

6. Closed for the Season
For readers who like
•This author
•Amusement parks
•Scary books

7. For readers who like
• Sherlock Holmes
•Victorian settings
•Strong female
characters
Book 6
The Case of the Gypsy Goodbye

8. Bad Girls Don’t Die
For readers who like
• Psychological
horror
•Ghost stories
•Family drama

9. The Dark Days of
Hamburger Halpin
For readers who like
• Humor
•Non-pitying
students with
disabilities
•Detective stories

10. The Monstrumologist
For readers who like
•Graphic violence
•SCARY stuff
•Victorian setting
•Award winners
•Warning: Gave me
nightmares!

11. Adventure

12. Alibi Junior High
For readers who like
•Stormbreaker
•Spies
•James Bond
•Problem novels

13. Don’t Judge a Girl By Her Cover
For readers who like
•Stormbreaker
•Strong female
characters
•Romance

14. Quantum Prophecy Series
For readers who like
• Superheroes
•Action and
adventure

15. STORM: The Black Sphere
For readers who like
• Gadgets
•Goofy Sidekicks
•Action and
adventure
Book 3

16. Ice Claw
For readers who like
• Travel
•Military maneuvers
•Extreme sports
•Spy stories
Book 2

17. For readers who like
• Short chapters
•International
terrorist plots
•School stories
Book 2
Steel Trapp: The Academy

18. First Strike
For readers who like
•Action
•Family stories
•Chase scenes
Book 4

19. History

20. Ashes
Holocaust
Slightly different
viewpoint

21. A Troubled Peace
World War II
Sequel to Under the
War-Torn Sky

22. Purple Heart
Iraq War 2003
Very realistic
language and
violence. Weigh
merits of books
against plethora of f-
bombs.

23. The Plague
17th Century
Also mystery and
action/adventure

24. Legacy of Blood
Ancient Sparta!
Great
action/adventure
series
Book 3

25. Trail of Fate
Middle Ages
Great
action/adventure
Book 2

26. Soldier’s Secret
Civil War
Women’s roles
Pair with Anita
Silvey’s I'll pass for
your comrade :
women soldiers in
the Civil War

27. Chasing Lincoln’s Killer
Death of Lincoln
Nonfiction that reads
like a story
Nicely illustrated

28. After the Train
Aftermath of the
Holocaust

29. Sphinx’s Princess
Ancient Egypt
Fictionalized life of
Nefertiti
Also by this author:
Nobody’s Princess
and Nobody’s Prize,
about Helen of Troy

30. The Day of the Pelican
Kosovo in 1998
Follows family to the
US and goes
through 9/11
Pair with Mead’s
Adem’s Cross.

31. The Man From Pomegranate Street
Ancient Rome
The first six books
are easy to obtain;
there are 18 in all,
plus a British movie
version of the first!

32. Sports

33. The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z.
For readers who like
•Cross Country!
•Funny books
•Problems
•Family stories

34. Hardcourt Comeback
For readers who like
•Easy reads
•Matt Christopher
•Historical notes
•Jeff McMillan!

35. Fakie
For readers who like
•Skateboarding
•High/Low reads
•Problems

36. Pop
For readers who like
•Football
•Family problems
•Funny books
•Gordon Korman

37. The Great Reciever
For readers who like
•Football
•Play-by-plays
•Romance

38. The Brooklyn Nine
For readers who like
•Baseball
•Historical fiction
•New York City

39. Rivals
For readers who like
•Baseball
•This author
•Series
•More complex
stories than
Christopher

40. Million-Dollar Throw
For readers who like
•Football
•Problems
•Mike Lupica

41. Stepping Up
For readers who like
•Sports
•Summer Camp
•Friendship
problems

42. Science Fiction

43. Candor
For readers who like
•Evil adults
•Smart kids
•Dystopias

44. Leviathan
For readers who like
•Steampunk
•Victorian settings
•Alternative histories
•Scott Westerfeld

45. Fantasy

46. Linger
For readers who like
•Werewolves
•Romance
Warning: Older
readers

47. Never Cry Werewolf
For readers who like
•Werewolves
•Camp stories
•Romance

48. Silvertongue
For readers who like
•British fiction
•Monsters
Book 3

49. Fire
For readers who like
•Tamora Pierce
•Strong female
characters
•High Fantasy
First book: Graceling

50. The Siege of Macindaw
For readers who like
•Tolkien
•Fighting
•Medieval settings
Book 7: Erak’s
Ransom
Book 8: The Kings of
Clonmel

51. A Clash of Demons
For readers who like
•Magic
•Witches and
monsters
•Action
Book 7: Coven of
Witches, 4/27

52. The Demon’s Lexicon
For readers who like
•Magic
•Action and
adventure
•Family problems

53. Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary
For readers who like
•Magic
•Magical creatures
•Adventure
Book 4
Book 5--Keys to the
Demon Prison

54. Eleventh Grade Burns
For readers who like
•Vampires
•Gross humor
•Goth/Alt lifestyles

55. Sucks to Be Me
For readers who like
•Vampires
•Romance
•Funny books
Still Sucks to be Me
forthcoming

56. The Van Alen Legacy
For readers who like
•Vampires
•Action
•Book 4;
•Keys to the
Repository
forthcoming

57. Hourglass
For readers who like
•Romance
•Boarding Schools
•Vampires
•Sly humor
Book 3

58. Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the
Dark Side
For readers who like
•Reluctant vampires
•Romance

59. The City of Glass
For readers who like
•Vampires and
werewolves
•Urban adventure

60. Realistic
Fiction-
Boys

61. Notes From the Dog
For readers who like
•Paulsen
•Dysfunctional but
amusing characters
•Problem novels

62. Messed Up
For readers who like
•Urban stories
•Children on their
own
•Problems

63. After Ever After
For readers who like
•Brilliant writing
•Wicked humor in a
sad setting
•Great characters

64. The Juvie Three
For readers who like
•Gordon Korman
•Urban setting
•Children on their
own

65. Blade: Playing Dead
For readers who like
•Urban adventure
•Murder mysteries
•Survival
•Gritty characters

66. Mercy on These Teenage Chimps
For readers who like
•Quick Reads
•Goofy characters
•Funny situations

67. Crunch
For readers who like
•Survival stories
•Self reliance
•Humorous
situations and
characters

68. Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can’t
Have
For readers who like
•Football
•Romance
•Underdog stories

69. Project Sweet Life
For readers who like
•Goofy boy
adventures
•Comedy of errors
•Mysteries

70. The Last Newspaper Boy in America
For readers who like
•Underdog stories
•Newspapers
•Kids saving the day

71. How to Get Suspended and Influence
People
For readers who like
•Banned books!
•Goofy kids
•Fabulous writing
Warning: Does have
more mature subject
matter

72. Realistic
Fiction-
Girls

73. Girls Acting Catty
For readers who like
•Funny stories
•Strong girls
•Series
Sequel to Boys are
Dogs

74. Rissa Bartholomew’s
Declaration of Independence
For readers who like
•Quirky characters
•Growing up stories
•The Clique series
A Scholastic
paperback

75. Girlfriend Material
For readers who like
•Sigh-worthy
romance
•Unpredictable
stories
Friend the author on
Facebook!

76. Along for the Ride
For readers who like
•High school
romances (but
clean!)
•Growing up stories
•This author

77. Just One Wish
For readers who like
•Road trips
•Celebrity stories
•Romance
•This author

78. Dear Pen Pal
For readers who like
•Book groups
•Classic literature
•Friend stories

79. My Life in Pink and Green
For readers who like
•Environmental
concerns
•Makeovers
•Kids saving the day
•Overcoming
economic difficulty

80. Multicultural

81. Just Another Hero
For readers who like
•Urban stories
•Suspense
•Sharon Draper
Sequel to The Battle
of Jericho and
November Blues

82. Claudia Cristian Cortez
Series from
Capstone Press
Easy Readers
Latina main
character

83. David Mortimore Baxter
Series from
Capstone Press
Easy Readers
African American
main character

84. Boys Without Names
For readers who like
•Books set in foreign
locations (India)
•Children in difficult
circumstances
Pair with Francesco
D’Adamo’s Iqbal

85. Mare’s War
For readers who like
•World War II
•Civil rights era
•Road Trips
•Grandparents’
stories

86. Take Me With You
For readers who like
•Friend stories
•World War II
•Orphan stories

87. Wanting Mor
For readers who like
•Books set in foreign
locations
(Afghanistan)
•Children in difficult
circumstances
Pair with Ellis’ The
Breadwinner

88. Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet
For readers who like
•Family stories
•Food and
celebrations
•Mixed race families
(Chinese and African
American)

89. Brendan Buckley’s Universe and
Everything in It
For readers who like
•Grandparent stories
•Family problems
•Funny stories
•Biracial characters

90. Extra Credit
For readers who like
•Books set in foreign
locations
(Afghanistan)
•Pen pal stories
•Andrew Clements

91. Confetti Girl
For readers who like
•Family problem
stories
•Cultural activities
•Latino stories

92. City Boy
For readers who like
•Books set in foreign
locations (Malawi)
•Children in difficult
circumstances
(Parents with AIDS)
Pair with Allan
Stratton’s Chanda’s
Secrets

93. Problems

94. Walkaway
For readers who like
•Survival stories
•Books about mental
health issues
•Family stories

95. Somebody
For readers who like
•Stories about
abducted children
•Pair with Face on
the Milk Carton
•Mysteries

96. Jane in Bloom
For readers who like
•Stories about eating
disorders
•Pair with Stick
Figure, Wintergirls,
Kim:Empty Inside

97. Anything But Typical
For readers who like
•Stories with different
point of view
•Stories about children
with Asperger’s
Syndrome
Pair with The London
Eye Mystery

98. If I Grow Up
For readers who like
•Urban problems
•Children in difficulty
•Gang stories

99. Nonfiction

100. What the World Eats
Shows families
from around the
world with one
week’s worth of
groceries.
Gives cost
comparisons.
Well-illustrated.

101. Toilets of the World
Pictures of toilets
from around the
world, with
explanations.
One slightly odd
picture of a
female urinal in
use, but not
graphic.

102. Blue Lipstick
Concrete poetry
about the adolescnet
experience that is
funny and well done.
Also by this author:
Technically, it’s not
my fault.

103. Recycle This Book
Short essays by
well-known
children’s authors
about simple things
they do to “go
green”. Would be
nice for reading
aloud.

104. Three Cups of Tea
Children’s version of
the memoir by a
man whose life has
been dedicated to
building schools for
children in Pakistan
and other
impoverished
countries.

105. Truce
Gives the historical
background for the
Christmas time truce
between British and
German soldiers
during World War I.
From master of
nonfiction Jim
Murphy.

106. Bloodiest Battles
From Capstone
Press. This series
includes Antietam,
Hastings, Normandy,
Stalingrad,
Gettysburg, Iwo
Jima and others
High/Low

107. Satchel Paige:
Striking Out Jim Crow
Well-done biography
in graphic format.
Not one done by
hack writers for a
series.

108. Knucklehead
Hysterically funny
autobiographical
memoir by the
author of the Time
Warp Trio Books.
Cats shouldn’t get
near Stuckey Pecan
Nutrolls while in
cars.

109. The Day-Glo Brothers
Picture book, but so
graphically
interesting that I’m
buying it.
Most completely
researched story of
the men who
invented day-glo
paint.

110. Oh My Gods
Three Scholastic
paperbacks.
Also: She’s All That,
a guide to
goddesses, and
What a Beast, a
guide to monsters.

111. Norwood House Press,
2009

112. The Story of Google
Also from Saunders
Book Built for
Success series:
Nike, Starbucks,
McDonald’s, Coca
Cola, Disney, Ford,
Microsoft

113. Bone: Crown of Horns
Three Scholastic
paperbacks.
Also: She’s All That,
a guide to
goddesses, and
What a Beast, a
guide to monsters.

114. Keep up to
date with