19 Must-Read Books for Middle-School Children
CV NEWS FEED // Throughout June, we’re not just taking the garbage off the children’s shelves in our libraries with “Hide the Pride,” but we’re also replacing it with great literature.
The books we consume as children stay with us our whole lives – the images, characters, heroes, and villains! In the difficult transition of middle-school, here are some great reads to fill your children’s imaginations with truth, goodness, and beauty.
Look for them at your local library (or parish library, if you’re lucky enough to have one!) or favorite bookseller!
Black Beauty
Anna Sewell
This beautiful classic novel has enchanted horse-lovers and animal-lovers for generations. Learn with Black Beauty, as he grows from a foal to an adult, the power of kindness.
Comedy of Errors
William Shakespeare
This is one of Shakespeare’s early plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humor coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe
An anti-slavery novel published in two volumes in 1852. The novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the U.S., and is said to have helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War. Follow the thrilling chase of Eliza and her son, who run away from slavery with the hope of a better life.
Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry
Mildred Taylor
Set in a segregated rural Mississippi, Cassie Logan lives in rural Mississippi and her three brothers help farm the land they now own. Read how they navigate the segregation and racism of the south.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Mark Twain
Follows the adventures of Tom Sawyer as he works smarter not harder, discovers buried treasure, and has to deal with a murderer on the loose.
Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain
This story takes place in the same time and place as Tom Sawyer, but surrounds the adventures of Huckleberry as he travels down the Mississippi with a runaway slave. Twain’s clever wit and poignant social commentary make this novel one to remember.
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Scott O’Dell
Karana has been stranded on an island alone – how will she survive? The book is based on the true story of Juana Maria, a Nicoleño Native American left alone for 18 years on San Nicolas Island during the 19th century.
Owls in the Family
Farley Mowatt
Billy lives in Canada, and is a pretty ordinary boy, except for his choice in pets. Follow the adventures of Billy, Weeps and Wol, two owls who become his best friends.
Snow Treasure
Marie McSwigan
In Nazi-occupied Holland, the children of the town must do their part to help the war effort. They must sneak gold past the Nazi’s noses using their sleds. Based on a true story, this book will have readers on the edge of their seats!
The Good Master
Kate Seredy
The Good Master is set in the Hungarian countryside before World War I and tells the story of wild young Kate, who goes to live with her Uncle’s family. Learn how this wild girl is tamed by the wild countryside.
The Chronicles of Narnia
C.S. Lewis
Follow the adventures of Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy as they adventure through the mystical land of Narnia. Meet talking fawns, giants, centaurs, and the good (but not tame!) lion Aslan.
Swallows and Amazons
Arthur Ransome
Two families of children come together one fateful summer to sail, camp, fish, explore and vanquish pirates…specifically Uncle Jim, who has become particularly unfriendly…
King of the Wind
Marguerite Henry
Agba, a mute slave boy, tends to a colt named Sham with a lucky white spot on his hind heel, and a wheat ear on his chest, symbolizing bad luck. Follow Agba and Sham as they travel to France to race.
My Side of the Mountain
Jean Craighead George
Follow the adventures of Sam Gribley as he runs away from home to live off the land in the Catskill Mountains. Learn how he eats and sleeps in the wilderness, and about his unexpected friendship with a falcon…
Enemy Brothers
Constance Savery
British airman Dym Ingleford is convinced that the young German prisoner, Max Eckermann, is his brother Anthony who was kidnapped years before. Raised in the Nazi ideology, Tony has by chance tumbled into British hands. Will he stay with his “family”? Or escape back to Germany?
Johnny Tremain
Esther Forbes
During the Revolutionary War, Johnny works as an apprentice to a silversmith, when a horrible accident may change the course of his life forever.
Sign of the Beaver
Elizabeth George Speare
Twelve-year-old Matt is left on his own in the Maine wilderness while his father leaves to bring the rest of the family to their new settlement. He befriends the local Native American tribe who follow the sign of the beaver. As the months go on and his family does not return, Matt has a serious decision to make…
North to Freedom
Ann Holm
A young boy named David was born and raised in a concentration camp. He escapes, through the help of one of the guards, and must survive alone in a world unfamiliar to him.
The Hobbit
J.R.R. Tolkien
After an unexpected party, Bilbo Baggins sets out to help thirteen dwarves liberate their home from the greedy dragon, Smaug. Tolkien includes beautiful Christian virtues in this novel, including the love of home and importance of friendship.
>> Want More? Check out all of our CatholicVote reading lists for kids!
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