Middle School 2025 Must Reads (teens)

High school freshmen, Pacy and Cecil, share a look of love at first sight that sparks a series of mistakes and awkward interactions that become part of their love story.

When a stock-pile of confiscated classroom items go missing, (self-appointed) seventh grade PI Maya is on the case. From the New York Times bestselling author of Kill the Boy Band comes a whip-smart middle grade debut and the start of a sharp cul-du-sac crime-solving series. 9:48 AM. Math class. Marlowe Middle School. Life isn't easy on the streets, er, hallways of Marlowe Middle School. Luckily, private eye Maya Mendoza never stops paying attention....

"The extraordinary true story of America's first female astronauts hailed as "suspenseful, meticulously observed, enlightening" by Margot Lee Shetterly, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Figures, now adapted for young readers. Sally Ride may have been the first US woman in space, but did you know there were five other incredible American women who helped blaze the trail for female astronauts by her side? When NASA sent astronauts to the...

After coming out as trans, fourteen-year-old A is forced to attend weekly Save Our Sons and Daughters meetings, where he uncovers the terrifying truth that the group is run by a demon feeding on their pain and is part of a larger, darker force preying on the world's vulnerable.

As school begins in 1963, Cooper Dale wrestles with what it means to "shine" for a black girl in a predominantly white community near Pittsburgh. Set against the historic backdrop of the Birmingham church bombing, the Kennedy assassination, and Beatlemania, Radiant is a finely crafted novel in verse about race, class, faith, and finding your place in a loving family and a complicated world. Cooper's primary concern is navigating fifth grade, where...

"Compiling the definitive speeches, sermons, and correspondence as well as some never-before-seen original material, this comprehensive narrative biography of American icon, Malcolm X, will be the definitive reference volume for young readers"-- Provided by publisher.

"Thirteen-year-old Candace discovers a portal in her locker that connects her across time and space with two other women who also had the same locker as girls, and the three go on to investigate the origins of the portal"-- Provided by publisher.

"In the deepest recesses of the ocean, Graciela--once an ordinary girl--now makes sea glass and assists her friend, Amina, as she welcomes newly awakened sea ghosts from their death sleep. Though Graciela's spirit is young, she has lived at the bottom of the ocean for more than a hundred years. Meanwhile, in the mortal world on land, twelve-year-old Jorge Leon works in his family's forge. He's heard of the supernatural spirits living beneath the ocean's...

From Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker James Robinson comes a breathtaking illustrated memoir for readers ages 10 and up--inspired by the viral, Emmy-nominated short film Whale Eyes. WINNER OF THE SCHNEIDER FAMILY BOOK AWARD - AN ORBIS PICTUS RECOMMENDED BOOK - A BEST BOOK THE YEAR: School Library Journal, NPR, BCCB, New York Public Library, and Chicago Public Library Told through an experimental mix of intimate anecdotes and interactive visuals,...