10 Must-Read Books for Middle Schoolers in 2025

📚 A Guide for Parents, Teachers & Young Readers

Are you searching for the best books to inspire, comfort, and excite your middle schooler? From timeless classics to trending titles, here are 10 carefully chosen books that meet today’s middle schoolers where they are—covering curiosity, friendships, identity, resilience, and adventure.

1. Wonder by R.J. Palacio

🌟 Theme: Kindness, Bullying, EmpathyA modern classic that helps kids understand inclusion and compassion through Auggie’s journey with facial differences. Perfect for building empathy in today’s classroom climate.

2. New Kid by Jerry Craft

🌟 Theme: Diversity, Fitting In, Graphic NovelWinner of the Newbery Medal, this relatable graphic novel explores being “the new kid” in middle school. A huge hit for kids who love comics but need deeper topics too.

3. Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston

🌟 Theme: Fantasy, Magic, Self-BeliefPerfect for kids who love Harry Potter but want a modern, diverse twist. Amari’s magical training academy adventure speaks to kids’ imaginations and resilience.

4. The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

🌟 Theme: Sports, Family, PoetryTold in powerful verse, this story of basketball, brotherhood, and family is especially loved by reluctant readers and sports fans.

5. Percy Jackson and the Olympians (series) by Rick Riordan

🌟 Theme: Greek Mythology, Humor, AdventureStill trending thanks to Disney+ adaptations, Percy’s adventures connect mythology with laugh-out-loud middle school humor.

6. A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée

🌟 Theme: Friendship, Activism, IdentityA contemporary book exploring identity and courage, this speaks to kids starting to notice social issues around them.

7. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

🌟 Theme: Humor, Everyday LifeStill hugely popular in 2025, Greg Heffley’s middle school misadventures keep reluctant readers laughing and turning pages.

8. Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhhà Lai

🌟 Theme: Refugee Experience, Poetry, ResilienceA moving verse novel about a Vietnamese girl’s journey to America. Great for building global empathy and classroom discussions.

9. The Science of Breakable Things by Tae Keller

🌟 Theme: Mental Health, Family, HopeThis award-winning novel helps middle schoolers gently explore depression in families while celebrating science and hope.

10. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

🌟 Theme: Adventure, Courage, ClassicsA timeless adventure about Bilbo Baggins stepping out of his comfort zone. Great introduction to fantasy classics.

📖 Why These Books Matter in 2025

• Balance of classic literature and modern diverse voices

• Covers mental health, identity, empathy, resilience

• Includes graphic novels & verse novels for different reading preferences

• Aligns with current school reading lists and trending TV/movie adaptations