top ten middle grade books i recommend most

Tuesday, March 26, 2013 |
Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, where we all get to exercise our OCD tendencies and come up with bookish lists.  If you’d like to play along, check out this post.

top ten tuesday

It’s Middle Grade March, so I’m giving everything a middle grade spin.  That’s fine, because the majority of people who ask me for recommendations are looking for books for their kids or grandkids.  And usually, that means middle grade readers.  This list isn’t necessarily full of all-time favorites, but it is full of well-written crowd-pleasers that will (mostly) appeal to both sexes, and all ages.

Top Ten Middle Grade Books I Recommend Most


1. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman – This book is sharp and dangerous and beautiful (as Neil Gaiman books just are), and I recommend it to readers of all ages.

2. Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce – A poignant, funny take on family, growing up, and the possibilities of space travel.

3. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente – The magic of Fairyland will break your heart and remake it again.

4. Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede – Dragons, dangerous wizards, unusual adventures, and cherries jubilee (a recipe for fun, if there ever was one).

5. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis – Classic fantasy, and still enchanting and perfect after so many years.


6. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart – Clever middle grade mystery, defined.

7. The Merlin Conspiracy by Diana Wynne Jones – The book that introduced me to DWJ’s genius and charm.

8. Lyddie by Katherine Paterson – One of my favorite historical fiction books from childhood, it follows the life of determined, brave young Lyddie as she makes her way in the world.

9. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls – Oh, this book!  A must read.

10. The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau – One of the first post-apocalyptic books I’d ever read, and a tightly constructed one at that.

What books do you recommend most?

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

I really enjoyed The Mysterious Benedict Society and The City of Ember; seeing them on your list makes me want to read them again! :) My TTT list: http://aliceinreaderland.com/2013/03/25/mostrecommended/

Alice @ Alice in Readerland

marissa | Rae Gun Ramblings said...

The graveyard book was so lovely. And there are so many on your list I've been meaning to check out I'm excited to hear they are some of your most recommended

Marissa @ Rae Gun Ramblings

Unknown said...

I've been wanting to read The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making for a long time but after reading what you had to say I have to read it!

And The City of Ember, I have the whole series but I still need to read it.

Thanks for sharing you recommendations! :)
Roxy @ Story Envy

Liviania said...

Lyddie! I loved that book so much, mostly because I adored Lyddie herself.

And man, I really need to finish The Mysterious Benedict Society.

Divergent Gryffindor said...

I didn't really like The City of Ember, but that might be because at the time I read it, I was not open to the dystopian idea.. I have only watched Narnia, but never read it.
Top Ten Books I Would Recommend
Review: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

Lori said...

I've only read one of these, but I have lots of them on my TBR!

My Top Ten

Courtney said...

The Dealing With Dragons series is one of my FAVORITE of all time. I revisit it so often - and now on audiobook mostly because it's read by a CAST and that makes it that much more amazing! :) Lovely list! There's a lot more on it I want to read :)

Rebecca @ The Key to the Gate said...

Such a dreamy list! I need to read some more of these. I loved Where the Red Fern Grows. I need to reread it as well. Have a great week!
Happy Reading,
Rebecca @ The Key to the Gate

Susan said...

I love that you focused on MG books. I need more of them in my life! My 11 yo daughter just finished CITY OF EMBER and loved it. More than I did, but that's okay :) It's fun to be able to discuss books with her!

Mel@Thedailyprophecy said...

Great topic! : DI really like Neil Gaiman's work and I can't wait to read The girl who circumnavigated...

TT- Mel@thedailyprophecy.

Sarah - Exploring All Genres said...

There are some good sounding books listed here. Loved The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe when I was younger.
Check out my TTT.

Anonymous said...

I love middle grade books. The Mysterious Benedict Society is great. I actually haven't read The Graveyard Book, but I'm hoping to soon. I think it might be my next audiobook, actually, once I finish The Name of the Star.

THE SELF-TAUGHT COOK/TAMMY said...

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is awesome. If the list had been "Top 15", it would have been on mine. I didn't even think about "Where the Red Fern Grows", but that's a classic.

Anonymous said...

A huge yes to Dealing with Dragons! That one's on my list too =) I just finished The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland last week, and it will definitely be going on my list of books to recommend. So many good books on your list!

Rubita said...

This is the perfect list for me, as I teach this reading level and I'm always looking for books for the classroom. Thanks!

Tales of Whimsy said...

I love this list sooo and I completely agree with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe!

You've given me several to add to my list too.

Thank you :)

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

I love about half of these choices and I need to read the other half immediately!

Ann @ Blogging Profits Unleashed said...

Great list! These books looks all good, I already added it on my list.

Anonymous said...

I like Roald Dahl's children's fiction. But these are good picks too!

Alyce said...

I've been meaning to make my way through more of Patricia C. Wrede's books after reading some of her recent releases.

Sell books said...

Cosmic looks good! I will have to get the book for my daughter. Thank you for the great blog! I love it.

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