Novels with Diverse Voices for Your Middle School Classroom Library
We have a responsibility, as educators, to offer and suggest stories to our students that have been written by diverse authors and tell the stories of diverse characters. Below you will find a compiled list of novels that I have read personally and have had tremendous success with in my classroom. (BTW, If you’d like to become a middle grade book expert, but just don’t have the time, click HERE to get my book talk guides. These guides do the recommending work for you :)).
This post will be a growing list of titles that will always include only the most engaging, accessible, and thought-provoking texts that are ideal for reluctant readers and readers of varying confidence levels.
Ghost Boys ~ Jewell Parker Rhodes
Ghost ~ Jason Reynolds
Piecing Me Together ~ Renee Watson
Genesis Begins Again ~ Alicia D. Williams
Patron Saints of Nothing ~ Randy Ribay
The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora ~ Pablo Cartaya
Golden Boy ~ Tara Sullivan
Boy21 ~Matthew Quick
Illegal ~ Eoin Colfer & Andrew Donkin
The Breadwinner ~ Deborah Ellis
The Playbook ~ Kwame Alexander
Amal Unbound ~ Aisha Saeed
Long Way Down ~ Jason Reynolds
Front Desk ~ Kelly Yang
Now is the Time for Running ~ Michael Williams
The Crossover ~ Kwame Alexander
The Bridge Home ~ Padma Venkatraman
Home of the Brave ~ Katherine Applegate
New Kid ~ Jerry Craft
Refugee ~ Alan Gratz
Look Both Ways ~ Jason Reynolds
Dear Martin ~ Nic Stone
Tight ~ Torrey Maldonado
No Fixed Address- Susin Nielsen
Jackpot - Nic Stone
Miles Morales Spider-Man - Jason Reynolds
Hurricane Child ~ Kacen Callender
The Skin I’m In ~ Sharon G. Flake
Clean Getaway ~ Nic Stone
I highly recommend adding each of these titles to your classroom library. And, to become an expert on many of these incredible titles, click HERE to get in-depth book talk guides for these novels. These book talk guides include information about each novel’s plot, characters, mature scenes, themes, big questions, similar titles, and suggested read-aloud pages to entice your students. Be an expert for your students and book-talk with ease.
Happy Reading (and book-talking)!
♥ Kara & Riley
