I’ve been asked to put together a list of 100 Best Middle Grade books (that’s ages 8-13). I’m not going to get all scientific, like Betsy did, but I really NEED your help. Give me your top five (or ten or twenty) books that YOU think should be on the list. And PLEASE spread the word. The more input I get on this, the better! I’ll do a follow up post, when I get close to 100.
THANKS; you guys are awesome.
The Book Nut 
Are you doing both modern and classic? If so, here are my answers:
The Lightning Thief books by Rick Riordan
Number the Stars and The Giver by Lois Lowry
the Harry Potter books
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
The City of Ember (and sequels) by Jeanne DuPrau
The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett
Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
My son (who is 8 but reading books in the 11-12 category) has a couple selections to add as well. I've not read these, but here's what he's got to say:
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Crystal Doors by Rebecca Moesta (and sequels)
Among the Hidden series by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Hatchett by Gary Paulson
the Island trilogy by Gordon Korman
the Tunnels series by Roderick Gordon
the Leven Thumps series by Obert Skye
the Gregor series by Suzanne Collins
the Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black
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Ok!
To start out with and in no particular order:
1. The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
2. Holes by Louis Sachar
3. Coraline by Neil Gaiman
4. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babitt
5. The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo
6. The Big Splash by Jack Ferraiolo
7. Joy of Spooking: Fiendish Deeds by PJ Bracegirdle
8. The Giver by Lois Lowry
9. Millicent Min: Girl Genius by Lisa Yee
10. The Velvet Room by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
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Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, by Rick Riordan
Schooled, by Gordon Korman
Getting the Girl, by Susan Juby
Becoming Naomi Leon, by Pam Munoz Ryan
Tuck Everlasting, by Natalie Babbitt
All the Jacqueline Wilson books, especially The Worry Website, Dustbin Baby and The Lottie Project
The Saturdays, The Four Story Mistake and And Then there were Five, by Elizabeth Enright
Journey to the River Sea, by Eva Ibbotson
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, by Kate diCamillo
And, of course, all the amazingly wonderful Harry Potter books!
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I loved:
The Book of Story Beginnings by Kristin Kladstrup
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins
The City of Ember series by Jeanne DuPrau
and most definitely:
Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman
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If you put that Tulane book on there, I will come over and smack you upside the head.
I will allow Winn-Dixie.
Since folks tend to go classic, let me suggest some newer books and aim for some diversity in some of them:
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon – Grace Lin
Rickshaw Girl – Mitali Perkins
Rules – Cynthia Lord
The Liberation of Gabriel King – Going
The Thing about Georgie – Graff
Ellijah of Buxton – Curtis
Chains – Anderson
How Tia Lola Came to Visit – Alvarez
Yellow Star – Roy
Clementine -Sara Pennypacker
Toys Go Out – Emily Jenkins
Greetings from Nowhere – Barbara O'Conner
(If you're including early chapter books, Keena Ford and the Second Grade Mix-Up by Melissa Thompson and of course, I second Rowling and Snicket and Riordan)
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The Ramona books by Beverly Cleary
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney
I second Invention of Hugo Cabret and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (sorry MotherReader)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
Princess Academy (or The Goose Girl) by Shannon Hale
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (I didn't love it, but my 8 year old did)
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
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Pam, I promise I won't. 🙂 And THANKS for the diversity. I was trying to think of some (and I did get a couple on your list).
The rest: Thanks so much! Keep 'em coming!
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Tuck Everlasting- Babbitt
The Underneath- Appelt
Lightning Thief- Riordan
Every Soul a Star- Mass
Wrinkle in Time- L'Engle
A Ring of Endless Light- L'Engle
The Shadow Children- Haddix
Life as We Knew It- Pfeffer
Diary of a Wimpy Kid- Kinney
Dollhouse Murders- Wright
Leepike Ridge-Wilson
When You Reach Me- Stead
Six Innings- Preller
Penny From Heaven- Holms
Where the Sidewalk Ends- Silverstein
The Witches- Dahl
Harry Potter- Rowling
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Some suggestions, some of which I will now probably find and reread:
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
The Changeling by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynn Banks
Websters' Leap by Eileen Dunlop
The Silver Crown by Robert C. O'Brien
After Hamelin by Bill Richardson
The Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull
The Magic Treehouse books by Mary Pope Osborne
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper
Olympian series by Rick Riordan
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Rules by Cynthia Lord
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Harry Potter, of course
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
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The Wednesday Wars
Once Upon a Marigold
The Girl Who Could Fly
Savvy
Holes
Chains
The Graveyard Book
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
The City of Ember
Ella Enchanted
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A Single Shard
The Little House books
Harriet The Spy
Holes
Harry Potter
Matilda
Ramona The Pest
In The Year of The Boar and Jackie Robinson
Charlotte's Web
The Silver Sword AKA Escape To Warsaw
Bridge To Terabithia
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I love these types of posts to get you thinking and see other people's thoughts. As a children's librarian I always love recommending for this age.
–The Giver by Lois Lowry
–Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett (surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet)
–Matilda or The Witches by Roald Dahl
–Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
–Ramona books by Beverly Cleary
–The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
–From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by EL Konigsburg (another surprised at not being mentioned, unless I missed it)
–Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
–Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little by Peggy Gifford
–The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi (at the very end of this age range)
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Most of what I would pick has already been mentioned but here's a few I don't think have been suggested:
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
The Chronicles of Narnia (the reading level might be a little high, but I read these to my son when he was five and he loved every minute of it.)
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
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This is excellent. Let's see:
1. Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins (I know that this is a new one, but I truly believe that it has the substance to last. I can't wait to do a book talk this school year).
2. Kingdom Keepers – Ridley Pearson
3. Red Kayak – Priscilla Cummings
4. Hurt Go Happy – Ginny Rorby
5. Coraline – Neil Gaiman
6. Peak – Roland Smith
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