Fiction - Middle School

This is a list of the fiction books on the suggested Summer Reading List for Trumbull Middle School students.

Updated June 7, 2025
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1

The crossover /
Alexander, Kwame.
Paper Book
Series streaming now on Disney+, with executive producers including NBA great LeBron James! The Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award-winning middle grade bestseller! Basketball and heartache share the court in this slam-dunk novel in verse. "With a bolt of lightning on my...

2

The line tender /
Allen, Kate,
Paper Book
Funny, poignant, and deeply moving,The Line Tenderis a story of nature's enduring mystery and a girl determined to find meaning and connection within it. Wherever the sharks led, Lucy Everhart's marine-biologist mother was sure to follow. In fact, she was on a boat far off...

3

Amari and the night brothers /
Alston, B. B.
Paper Book
New York Times bestseller! Artemis Fowl meets Men in Black in this exhilarating debut middle grade fantasy, the first in a series filled with #blackgirlmagic. Perfect for fans of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, the Percy Jackson series, and Nevermoor. Amari Peters has...

4

Dogtown /
Applegate, Katherine.
Paper Book
The New York Times bestseller, Indie bestseller, and Amazon Best Children's Book from beloved authors Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko and with illustrations by Wallace West, Dogtown is at once an uplifting story and a page-turning adventure, sure to find a forever home...

5

Odder /
Applegate, Katherine.
Paper Book
Over 100 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list! From #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wishtree and The One and Only Ivan, Katherine Applegate, a touching and lyrical tale about a remarkable sea otter, perfect for summer...

6

Something like home /
Arango, Andrea Beatriz.
Paper Book
The Pura Belpré Honor winning novel in verse, in which a lost dog helps a lonely girl find a way home to her family . . . only for them to find family in each other along the way. From the Newbery Honor winning author of Iveliz Explains It All. "Trust me: this book will touch...

7

Small spaces /
Arden, Katherine.
Paper Book
New York Times bestselling adult author of The Bear and the Nightingale makes her middle grade debut with a creepy, spellbinding ghost story destined to become a classic. Now in paperback. After suffering a tragic loss, eleven-year-old Ollie who only finds solace in...

8

Serafina and the black cloak /
Beatty, Robert,
Paper Book
Read the #1 New York Times best-selling children's fantasy thriller recommended by thousands of teachers nationwide! Serafina lives secretly in the basement of the grand Biltmore Estate--but when children begin to disappear from the Gilded Age manor, she...

9

El Deafo /
Bell, Cece
Paper Book
Cece Bell's #1 New York Times Bestseller graphic novel El Deafo is the origin story of a student with hearing loss and a hearing aid becoming a superhero. A John Newbery Medal Winner Now an Apple+ Animated TV Series! ...

10

The blackbird girls /
Blankman, Anne,
Paper Book
NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD WINNER A SYDNEY TAYLOR MIDDLE GRADE HONOR BOOK Like Ruta Sepetys for middle grade, Anne Blankman pens a poignant and timeless story of friendship that twines together moments in underexplored history. On a spring morning, neighbors...

11

Simon Sort of Says
Bow, Erin.
Paper Book
Simon O'Keeffe's biggest claim to fame should be the time his dad accidentally gave a squirrel a holy sacrament. Or maybe the alpaca disaster that went viral on YouTube. But the story the whole world wants to tell about Simon is the one he'd do anything to forget: the story in which he's the only...

12

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus /
Bowling, Dusti.
Paper Book
"Aven is a perky, hilarious, and inspiring protagonist whose attitude and humor will linger even after the last page has turned." --School Library Journal (Starred review) Aven Green loves to tell people that she lost her arms in an alligator...

13

The war that saved my life /
Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker.
Paper Book
* Newbery Honor Book * #1 New York Times Bestseller * Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award * Forbes 25 Top Historical Fiction Books Of All Time selection * Wall Street Journal Best Children's Books of the Year selection * New York Public...

14

Masterpiece /
Broach, Elise,
Paper Book
A New York Times bestselling middle grade mystery novel full of adventure, friendship, and stolen art. Marvin lives with his family under the kitchen sink in the Pompadays' apartment. He is very much a beetle. James Pompaday lives with his family in New York City. He is...

15

Plain Jane and the mermaid /
Brosgol, Vera,
Paper Book
Already love Vera's work? Don't miss her first novel Return to Sender! A New York Times Best Children's Books of the Year An NPR Best Book of the Year On ALA's 2024 Best Graphic Novels for Children Reading List

16

The secret garden.
Burnett, Frances Hodgson
Paper Book
Celebrate an unforgettable classic with this gorgeous hardcover edition, including full-color illustrations. This beautiful hardcover edition includes Tasha Tudor's iconic illustrations in full color, making it the perfect collector's edition or a wonderful gift for young readers. ...

17

The tenth mistake of Hank Hooperman /
Choldenko, Gennifer,
Paper Book
Everyone will be rooting for a happy ending for Hank, a boy struggling to hold his family together when his mom doesn't come home, in this gripping story from Newbery Honor winner Gennifer Choldenko. "One of those rare and important books . . . Hank Hooperman may well be the most...

18

Swim team /
Christmas, Johnnie.
Paper Book
"Combines wonderful characters and history to create a story that will make you want to dive right in!" JERRY CRAFT, author of the Newbery Medal-winning New Kid A splashy, contemporary middle grade graphic novel from bestselling comics creator Johnnie Christmas! Bree can't wait for...

19

Class act /
Craft, Jerry.
Paper Book
New York Times bestselling author Jerry Craft returns with a companion book to New Kid, winner of the 2020 Newbery Medal, the Coretta Scott King Author Award, and the Kirkus Prize. This time, it's Jordan's friend Drew who takes center stage in another laugh-out-loud funny, powerful, and...

20

New kid /
Craft, Jerry.
Paper Book
Winner of the Newbery Medal, Coretta Scott King Author Award, and Kirkus Prize for Young Readers' Literature!  Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Gene Luen Yang, New Kid is a timely, honest graphic novel about starting over at a new school where diversity is low...

21

Blended /
Draper, Sharon M.
Paper Book
Eleven-year-old Isabella's blended family is more divided than ever in this thoughtful story about divorce and racial identity from the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Out of My Mind, Sharon M. Draper. Eleven-year-old Isabella's parents are...

22

Out of my heart /
Draper, Sharon M.
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller! Melody faces her fears to follow her passion in this stunning sequel to the acclaimed, New York Times bestselling middle grade novel Out of My Mind. Melody, the huge-hearted heroine of Out of My Mind, is...

23

The eyes and the impossible /
Eggers, Dave.
Paper Book
NEWBERY MEDAL WINNER * #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER An enthralling novel for all ages by award-winning author Dave Eggers, told from the perspective of one uniquely endearing dog--featuring beautiful artwork from Caldecott honoree Shawn Harris. ...

24

Bea and the new deal horse /
Elliott, Laura,
Paper Book
This lyrical middle grade historical novel set during the Great Depression from award-winning author L. M. Elliott is a moving tale of the spirit of American persistence, found family, and the magical partnership between girl and horse. Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for...

25

The probability of everything /
Everett, Sarah.
Audiobook

26

Starfish /
Fipps, Lisa.
Paper Book
A PRINTZ HONOR BOOK . Ellie is tired of being fat-shamed and does something about it in this poignant novel-in-verse. "In her debut novel, Starfish, Lisa Fipps confronts diet culture and fat phobia head-on. . . . The book reads as if Ellie herself is writing these poems, which...

27

The remarkable journey of Coyote Sunrise /
Gemeinhart, Dan.
Paper Book
"Sometimes a story comes along that just plain makes you want to hug the world. The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise is Dan Gemeinhart's finest book yet -- and that's saying something. Your heart needs this joyful miracle of a book." --Katherine Applegate, acclaimed author of The...

28

Invisible /
Gonzalez, Christina Diaz,
Paper Book
For fans of New Kid and Allergic, a must-have graphic novel about five very different students who are forced together by their school to complete community service... and may just have more in common than they thought. Can five overlooked kids make one big...

29

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's library /
Grabenstein, Chris.
Paper Book
THE START OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING SERIES WITH MORE THAN TWO MILLION COPIES SOLD! Can you escape from what James Patterson calls "the coolest library in the world"? Follow along and solve the clues in this interactive adventure! From the co-author of Murdle...

30

Ground Zero /
Gratz, Alan,
Paper Book
The instant #1 New York Times bestseller. Acclaimed storyteller Alan Gratz (Refugee) delivers a pulse-pounding and unforgettable take on history and hope, revenge and fear -- and the stunning links between the past and present. September 11, 2001, New...

31

Game changer /
Greenwald, Tom,
Paper Book
Thirteen-year-old Teddy Youngblood is in a coma, fighting for his life after an unspecified football injury at training camp. His family and friends flock to his bedside to support his recovery-and to discuss the events leading up to the tragic accident. Was this the inevitable result of playing...

32

Wrecker /
Hiaasen, Carl,
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Wrecker needs to deal with smugglers, grave robbers, and pooping iguanas--just as soon as he finishes Zoom school. Welcome to another wild adventure in Carl Hiaasen's Florida! Valdez Jones VIII calls himself Wrecker because his great...

33

Turtle in paradise /
Holm, Jennifer L.
Paper Book
In Jennifer L. Holm's New York Times bestselling, Newbery Honor winning middle grade historical fiction novel, life isn't like the movies. But then again, 11-year-old Turtle is no Shirley Temple She's smart and tough and has seen enough of the world not to expect a Hollywood ending....

34

One dog and his boy /
Ibbotson, Eva.
Paper Book
Eva Ibbotson's final masterpiece, a tale of a boy and dog who were meant to be together. All Hal had ever wanted was a dog. "Never!" cries his mother. "Think of the mess, the scratch-marks, the puddles on the floor." But on the morning of Hal's 10th birthday, the unbelievable...

35

When stars are scattered /
Jamieson, Victoria.
Paper Book
A National Book Award Finalist, this remarkable graphic novel is about growing up in a refugee camp, as told by a former Somali refugee to the Newbery Honor-winning creator of Roller Girl. Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab,...

36

The contract /
Jeter, Derek,
Paper Book
The debut book in the New York Times bestselling Contract series, The Contract is a middle grade baseball novel inspired by the youth of legendary sports icon and role model Derek Jeter. As a young boy, Derek Jeter dreams of being the shortstop for the New York...

37

Amina's voice /
Khan, Hena.
Paper Book
A Washington Post Best Children's Book of 2017 "For inspiring empathy in young readers, you can't get better than this book." --R. J. Palacio, author of #1 New York Times bestseller Wonder "Amina's anxieties are entirely relatable, but it's her sweet...

38

Stand up, Yumi Chung! /
Kim, Jessica,
Paper Book
One lie snowballs into a full-blown double life in this irresistible story about an aspiring stand-up comedian. On the outside, Yumi Chung suffers from #shygirlproblems, a perm-gone-wrong, and kids calling her "Yu-MEAT" because she smells like her family's Korean barbecue...

39

Inside out & back again /
Lai, Thanhha.
Paper Book
Inside Out and Back Again is a #1 New York Times bestseller, a Newbery Honor Book, and a winner of the National Book Award! Inspired by the author's childhood experience as a refugee--fleeing Vietnam after the Fall of Saigon and immigrating to Alabama--this coming-of-age debut novel told...

40

Heat /
Lupica, Mike.
Audiobook
Michael Arroyo has a pitching arm that throws serious heat. But his firepower is nothing compared to the heat Michael faces in his day-to-day life. Newly orphaned after his father led the family's escape from Cuba, Michael's only family is his seventeen-year-old brother Carlos. If Social Services...

41

The lost year /
Marsh, Katherine.
Paper Book
*A National Book Award Finalist* From the author of Nowhere Boy - called "a resistance novel for our times" by The New York Times - comes a brilliant middle-grade survival story that traces a harrowing family secret back to the Holodomor, a terrible famine that...

42

Mexikid :
Martin, Pedro,
Paper Book
NEWBERY HONOR AWARD WINNER * An unforgettable graphic memoir about a Mexican American boy's family and their adventure-filled road trip to bring their abuelito back from Mexico "One of those books that kids will pass to their friends as soon as they have finished it."-...

43

Anne of Green Gables /
Montgomery, L. M.
Paper Book
Read the timeless classic about the beloved Anne Shirley, a red-haired orphan with a fiery spirit, behind the hit Netflix series Anne with an E-now celebrating a hundred years of this children's favorite. " Anne is the dearest and most lovable child in fiction since the...

44

Iceberg /
Nielsen, Jennifer A.
Stand-alone player

45

Hatchet /
Paulsen, Gary,
Paper Book
After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the wilderness, learning to survive with only the aid of a hatchet given him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents' divorce.

46

The Sherlock society /
Ponti, James.
Paper Book
In the tradition of Nancy Drew, four kids and one grandfather in Miami tackle a decades-old mystery in this first book full of "atmosphere, history, and lively humor" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) in the Sherlock Society middle grade series from New York Times bestselling,...

47

Ghost /
Reynolds, Jason.
Paper Book
A National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature Nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read Ghost wants to be the fastest sprinter on his elite middle school track team, but his past is slowing him down in this...

48

Black brother, Black brother /
Rhodes, Jewell Parker.
Paper Book
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection! From award-winning and bestselling author, Jewell Parker Rhodes comes a powerful coming-of-age story about two brothers, one who presents as white, the other as black, and the complex ways in which they are...

49

Daughter of the deep /
Riordan, Rick.
Paper Book
New York Times #1 best-selling author Rick Riordan pays homage to Jules Verne in his exciting modern take on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. "If you have ever craved a story that will leave your heart racing, your lungs gasping from the numerous twists and turns, your...

50

Impossible creatures /
Rundell, Katherine.
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Two kids race to save the world's last magical place in the first book of a landmark new fantasy series, from "a writer with an utterly distinctive voice and a wild imagination." (Philip Pullman, author of The Golden Compass) *This...

51

The labors of Hercules Beal /
Schmidt, Gary D.
Paper Book
From award-winning author Gary D. Schmidt, a warm and witty novel in the tradition of The Wednesday Wars, in which a seventh grader has to figure out how to fulfill an assignment to perform the Twelve Labors of Hercules in real life--and makes discoveries about friendship, community...

52

Peak /
Smith, Roland,
Paper Book
In this unputdownable, spine-tingling adventure of a lifetime called "a winner at every level,"* fourteen-year-old Peak Marcello attempts to be the youngest climber to summit Mount Everest. After Peak Marcello is arrested for scaling a New York City skyscraper, he's left with two choices:...

53

The hobbit, or, there and back again /
Tolkien, J. R. R.
Paper Book
The stirring adventure that begins The Lord of the Rings, the greatest fantasy epic of all time When Thorin Oakenshield and his band of dwarves embark upon a dangerous quest to reclaim the hoard of gold stolen from them by the evil dragon Smaug, Gandalf the wizard suggests an...

54

Other words for home /
Warga, Jasmine.
Paper Book
New York Times bestseller and Newbery Honor Book! A gorgeously written, hopeful middle grade novel in verse about a young girl who must leave Syria to move to the United States, perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds and Aisha Saeed. Jude never thought she'd be...

55

A rover's story /
Warga, Jasmine.
Paper Book
#1 New York Times bestseller * Best Book of the Year from The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library The One and Only Ivan meets The Wild Robot in this unique and deeply moving middle grade novel about the journey of a fictional...

56

Brown girl dreaming /
Woodson, Jacqueline.
Paper Book
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER * NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The acclaimed author of Red at the Bone tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing poems. A NEWBERY HONOR BOOK * WINNER OF THE CORETTA SCOTT KING BOOK AWARD * A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST MIDDLE GRADE BOOK OF THE CENTURY...

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