Lucie's Best Books

As part of our end-of-year wrap up in 5th grade, I asked my students to compile their own #BestBookList. They could choose an overall theme or not. You can see all of their recommendations at #BestBookList. For individual book recommendations, check out our  #iLoveMG posts. If you are looking for younger readers, #3rdfor3rd features recommendations from when I taught third grade.

Best Books

Recommended by Lucie

Masterminds is a fun-filled book about a “real safe” world that might be a trap. 

The Wolf’s Curse is about a boy whose grandpa dies and has to learn how to take care of himself. 

Deenie is a book about a girl who has scoliosis and is embarrassed about it and has confidence issues with her back brace.

Just as Long a We're Together is about two girls who then find a friend who just moved there and then starts to take over the friend group. 

Restart is about a boy who falls off his roof and doesn’t know why. Lose your memory and find your life.

Click here for all of our #BestBooks posts. Which would you choose?

Best Book List - read or else!

As part of our end-of-year wrap up in 5th grade, I asked my students to compile their own #BestBookList. They could choose an overall theme or not. You can see all of their recommendations at #BestBookList. For individual book recommendations, check out our  #iLoveMG posts. If you are looking for younger readers, #3rdfor3rd features recommendations from when I taught third grade.

Read or Else

Recommended by Name

Warriors: Best books to read ever 

Inheritance series: whee, nightmares. 

Xkcd: best book for laughs 

Foxtrot : best books for worshiping Bill Amend 

Alex Rider: best action books.

Click here for all of our #BestBooks posts. What is your favorite middle grade book for 5th graders?

My Best Book List

As part of our end-of-year wrap up in 5th grade, I asked my students to compile their own #BestBookList. They could choose an overall theme or not. You can see all of their recommendations at #BestBookList. For individual book recommendations, check out our  #iLoveMG posts. If you are looking for younger readers, #3rdfor3rd features recommendations from when I taught third grade.

My Best Book List

Recommended by Joshy

Sugar and Spite is a good book about to kids that one has more money and is mean to the other kid so does something with potion and end up having a bad luck until her dog save her from keeping that bad luck. 

Super Boba Cafe is an interesting book about a rumble that keeps happening under the city and they have to fix it.

Percy Jackson (The Lightning Thief) is a great book about a teenager that has to find Zeus’s Master Bolt and stop a war between the gods. 

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a good book about a kid named Minli going to try and bring fortune to her family. 

Masterminds is a book where they are in a peaceful town but something is suspicious so they do something about it. There are 3 books in the series.

[A note from Katie: both Sugar and Spite and Super Boba Cafe were all-class read alouds where we were able to do Zoom visits with the authors afterwards. It's been so rewarding to see how often those two books appear on these end-of-year favorite lists. Author visits make such a difference!]

Click here for all of our #BestBooks posts. Who is your favorite author to visit with for 5th graders?

Best Books

As part of our end-of-year wrap up in 5th grade, I asked my students to compile their own #BestBookList. They could choose an overall theme or not. You can see all of their recommendations at #BestBookList. For individual book recommendations, check out our  #iLoveMG posts. If you are looking for younger readers, #3rdfor3rd features recommendations from when I taught third grade.

Best Books

Recommended by Hope

Fighting Words is a really important book about a really important topic (abuse).  

Maybe He Just Likes You is about a girl who was getting attention that she did not appreciate. The basketball boys decided to make a game about her. 

The Girl from the Sea is about how a girl called Morgan is ready to escape the big world into her own little one she was dealing with too much and just kept bottling up her feelings. One night when Morgan was drowning she was saved by and girl named Keltie. After a while Morgan starts to fall in love. Keltie wanted everything that had been hidden to find a way to open. 

Unstuck and My Life in the Fish Tank are about a girl who is dealing with anxiety and a bunch of other challenges and this is about how she deals with them.

Click here for all of our #BestBooks posts. What is your favorite middle grade book for 5th graders?

The Best 5 Books that You Will Read

Fifth grader Elliot smartly snuck 31 -- THIRTY-ONE -- books into his Best Book list by sharing his top five favorite book series. 

As part of our end-of-year wrap up in 5th grade, I asked my students to compile their own #BestBookList. They could choose an overall theme or not. You can see all of their recommendations at #BestBookList. For individual book recommendations, check out our  #iLoveMG posts. If you are looking for younger readers, #3rdfor3rd features recommendations from when I taught third grade.

The Best 5 Books that You Will Read

Recommended by Elliot

Alex Rider Stormbreaker is about a boy named Alex, and after his uncle dies he is drafted in by MI6, where his uncle worked, and sent on a mission of his own. (14 book series) 

The False Prince is about a orphan named Sage who has to compete against three other orphans to rule the kingdom. (5 book series) 

Eragon is about a boy named Eragon who finds a mysterious stone… Or maybe it’s a dragon egg (4 book series) 

The Hunger Games is about a girl named Katniss who is forced to compete in a battle to the death between 24 children. (3 book series) 

Gregor the Overlander is about a boy named Gregor and his baby sister when they fall into a mysterious underland miles beneath New York City (5 book series) 

Click here for all of our #BestBooks posts. What is your favorite middle grade book for 5th graders?

Spooky Stories for Middle Grade

With Halloween fast-approaching, I thought I'd revisit my Scary Stories for Middle Grade post from two years ago. Spooky stories (horror, ghost stories, scares, and creepy mysteries) continue to be a big hit with my 5th graders. I started a whole bin just for 'Scary Stories,' and students have been grabbing them since school started. 

Get in a spooky mood with any of these incredible Spooky Stories for Middle Grade readers. Want more middle grade? Check out #iLoveMG for more books that my fifth graders recommend. (Please note that my fifth graders read a wide variety of books across a wide variety of genres, levels, and topics. Do not think that these books are "only" for fifth graders.) Or check out #3rdfor3rd for recommendations from when I taught third grade.

Spooky Stories for Middle Grade

(Whenever possible, I like to include author photos along with book covers when sharing books with kids. It helps reinforce the idea that authors are real people!)

• This Appearing House by Ally Malinenko. The teeth scene. Enough said. (Seriously, so many of my students shoved this book into another unsuspecting-student's hands as soon as they finished with it.)
• It Found Us by Linday Currie. Honestly, that cover is too much for me, yikes!
• Midnight at the Barclay Hotel by Fleur Bradley. This one is the most tame of the bunch but has a strong mystery element to hook readers. Big Westing House vibes.
• Daybreak at Raven Island by Fleur Bradley. Mystery inspired by Alcatraz. Enough said.

• The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf
• Ghost Squad by Claribel Ortega
• Comb of Wishes by Lisa Stringfellow
• The Clackity by Lora Senf -- now a three-book series with The Nighthouse Keeper (2) and The Loneliest Place (3)

• Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian Heidicker (and the sequel Scary Stories for Young Foxes: the City)
• The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsay Currie
• Scritch Scratch by Lindsay Currie
• The Ghost of Spruce Point by Nancy Tandon
• The Jumbies (series) by Tracey Baptiste

Click here for all of our #iLoveMG posts. What are your favorite spooky stories for middle grade readers?

World's Greatest LGBTQIAP2S+ Novels and Graphic Novels

As part of our end-of-year wrap up in 5th grade, I asked my students to compile their own #BestBookList. They could choose an overall theme or not. You can see all of their recommendations at #BestBookList. For individual book recommendations, check out our  #iLoveMG posts. If you are looking for younger readers, #3rdfor3rd features recommendations from when I taught third grade.

World's Greatest LGBTQIAP2S+ Novels and Graphic Novels

Recommended by Anonymous

(Top Left) Melissa: A story of how a young kid comes out to the world 

(Bottom Left) Drama: A young girl find out that she likes to be a set designer 

(Bottom Right) Heartstopper: A story of how 2 young boys find each other 

(Top Right) The Prince and the Dressmaker: The prince of his kingdom discovers he likes dresses and has them made in secret 

(Top middle right half) Laura dean keeps breaking up with me: Is about a kid with her girlfriend who keeps ditching her, then she eventually seeks help 

(Top middle left half) The Girl from the Sea: Is about a girl with a secret

Click here for all of our #BestBooks posts. What is your favorite middle grade book for 5th graders?

GOOOOOOOOOD books

As part of our end-of-year wrap up in 5th grade, I asked my students to compile their own #BestBookList. They could choose an overall theme or not. You can see all of their recommendations at #BestBookList. For individual book recommendations, check out our  #iLoveMG posts. If you are looking for younger readers, #3rdfor3rd features recommendations from when I taught third grade.

GOOOOOOOOOOD Books

Recommended by DJ

Wings of Fire is about dragons. Keeper of the Lost Cities is about elves. The Wild Robot is about a wild robot, surprise! Eragon is a fancy story about a fantasy kingdom. What If is a great nonfiction book. 

Read these books ... or else!

Click here for all of our #BestBooks posts. What is your favorite middle grade book for 5th graders?

Publication News!

Jumping in to share some personal news - since it is book related: I published a story! A short story of mine, Faster, Higher, Stronger, was published this month as part of a middle grade anthology of history and history-inspired stories called Clio's Curious Dash Through Time. I decided to celebrate with cheesecake, yum!

If you are interested in following along on my publishing journey, please sign up for my author newsletter. Best-case scenario, you will hear from my only four times a year, with book news, book recommendations, and cool archaeology stories. 

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Books Just Books

As part of our end-of-year wrap up in 5th grade, I asked my students to compile their own #BestBookList. They could choose an overall theme or not. You can see all of their recommendations at #BestBookList. For individual book recommendations, check out our  #iLoveMG posts. If you are looking for younger readers, #3rdfor3rd features recommendations from when I taught third grade.

Books Just Books

Recommended by Conrad

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (series) makes your life look like eating a slice of cake.

Super Boba Cafe is good.

Big Nate is funny.

Bad Guys is just wacky.

Minecraft Guide to Redstone is helpful-ish. Come on, it's Minecraft, it has to be great.

Click here for all of our #BestBooks posts. What is your favorite middle grade book for 5th graders?

5 Best Books I've Ever Read

As part of our end-of-year wrap up in 5th grade, I asked my students to compile their own #BestBookList. They could choose an overall theme or not. You can see all of their recommendations at #BestBookList. For individual book recommendations, check out our  #iLoveMG posts. If you are looking for younger readers, #3rdfor3rd features recommendations from when I taught third grade.

The 5 Best Books I've Ever Read

Recommended by Clara B.

Starfish - a beautiful novel in verse about a girl who gets bullied because of her body. 

Harry Potter - it’s amazing. Enough said. 

El Deafo - a great graphic novel about a deaf girl 

Restart - a story about losing your memory and getting back your life 

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise - a great-touching story about a girl finding what is left of her mother and sisters.

Click here for all of our #BestBooks posts. Which of these would YOU read first?

The Best Books Ever!

As part of our end-of-year wrap up in 5th grade, I asked my students to compile their own #BestBookList. They could choose an overall theme or not. You can see all of their recommendations at #BestBookList. For individual book recommendations, check out our  #iLoveMG posts. If you are looking for younger readers, #3rdfor3rd features recommendations from when I taught third grade.

The Best Books EVER!!

Recommended by Anonymous

Sugar and Spite is about a girl named Jolina who is the granddaughter of a arbularyo. Jolina uses the magic of her arbularyo and makes a love potion for a girl named Claudine that has been super mean to her. The potion works so well, Claudine is not just nice to Jolina but wants to be her BFF. 

The Wings of Fire series is about a world run by dragons. In the first 5 books, it is about 5 dragonets from different tribes stopping the war and a prophecy and the rest you will just have to read yourself. (Spoiler alert, they are AWESOME.) 

The Harry Potter series is about a boy who goes to a school for wizards and witches. He goes on amazing adventures with his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. 

A Tale Dark & Grimm is about a Hansel and Gretel who are the children of the king and queen of Grimm. Hansel and Gretel get treated poorly and go out to search for better parents. 

Super Boba Café is about a girl named Aria who goes to visit her nainai because of something and ends up helping her nainai protect the city her nainai lives and possibly the entire world from a monster who LOVES boba.

Click here for all of our #BestBooks posts. Which would YOU read first?

Amazing Books for Fifth Graders!

As part of our end-of-year wrap up in 5th grade, I asked my students to compile their own #BestBookList. They could choose an overall theme or not. You can see all of their recommendations at #BestBookList. For individual book recommendations, check out our  #iLoveMG posts. If you are looking for younger readers, #3rdfor3rd features recommendations from when I taught third grade.

Amazing Books for Fifth Graders!

Recommended by Araina

One for the Murphys is a heart-warming book that has the sweetest story about a girl finding a family who will care for her.

The Girl with more than One Heart is a book about a girl trying to find happiness even though her dad died. 

Ruby in the Sky a good book about a girl who is going through hard times. She doesn’t want anyone to know about her family. Read this book to find out what really happened to her dad and what her mom did. 

I Can Make This Promise is about a girl who wants to know about her past. Read more to find out her actually family history.

Shape of Thunder is about two girls who friendship is starting to break because of a school shooting.

Click here for all of our #BestBookList posts. What is your favorite middle grade book for 5th graders?

Orphan Island - book recommendation #iLoveMG

This is part of my continuing series, #iLoveMG , where I share middle grade books that my fifth graders recommend. (Please note that my fifth graders read a wide variety of books across a wide variety of genres, levels, and topics. Do not think that these books are "only" for fifth graders.) Or check out #3rdfor3rd for recommendations from when I taught third grade.

Orphan Island

Recommended by Audra

Orphan Island is a really good book about a girl who lives on an island of orphans. Each year, the oldest one has to go away forever in a boat, and a new youngest one comes. This year, it’s Jinny’s best friend Deen’s turn, leaving Jinny as the Elder. Jinny knows that the Elders always leave, but is she ready? 

 

“Nine on an island, orphans all, 

Any more, the sky might fall.” 

I rate this book 5/5 stars because it is a really beautiful book about friendship, and sacrificing yourself for the people you love.

Click here for all of our #iLoveMG posts. What are your favorite middle grade books?

Pay Attention, Carter Jones - book recommendation #iLoveMG

This is part of my continuing series, #iLoveMG , where I share middle grade books that my fifth graders recommend. (Please note that my fifth graders read a wide variety of books across a wide variety of genres, levels, and topics. Do not think that these books are "only" for fifth graders.) Or check out #3rdfor3rd for recommendations from when I taught third grade.

Pay Attention, Carter Jones

Recommended by Anonymous

The book I’m reading is Pay Attention, Carter Jones by Gary D. Schmidt. It is about a kid named Carter Jones. His dad is in the army, so his mother is always taking care of them. But one rainy day a man rings the doorbell. Carter answers the door, and standing there is a tall man who talks in a British accent with queensley manner. Or in other words, a butler. 

 

I liked this book because it was very funny and interesting. I rate this book as 4.5/5 stars. I recommend this book for anyone who likes funny and can’t-stop-reading books.

Click here for all of our #iLoveMG posts. What are your favorite middle grade books?