Striking the Fancy of Middle School Readers

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The middle school years are a great age...for those of us who are adults and aren't going through them, at least. I have very fond memories of teaching seventh grade language arts. The kids were at a point where they were thinking more critically, but still had a bright-eyed outlook on the world. Most of them hadn't yet bought into the rubbish that learning and school is uncool. I was so inspired by their creativity and inquisitiveness.

There are a lot of chapter books out there that speak to the awkwardness and joys of being 11, 12 and 13 -- Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson and pretty much everything by Walter Dean Myers.

One of my most successful lesson plans involved a short story by Gabriel Garcia Marquez: "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings." It was a story I had read when I was a senior in high school, but I was confident that these middle school students could handle the big words and nuances of this talented writer. The story fits the genre of magical realism, where real life is combined with fantasy. In this case, it was an ordinary fishing town that gets an extraordinary visit from an unworldly man. The combination of everyday life with the surreal totally fascinated to this group of students.

I thought it was really neat that I found a piece of literature that didn't necessarily use the traditional themes of social awkwardness and growing pains but still spoke to and captivated the imagination these kids. Those books are great, but sometimes it's nice to be distracted from the turmoil growing up can bring.

As parents and educators of middle schoolers, what are the books your kids are reading?

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Parent Replies to "Striking the Fancy of Middle School Readers"

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A lot of suggestions for middle school boyos focus on fantasy books. My son really likes funny books, though. He liked the Joey Pigza series a lot. He also liked the Boys vs. Girls series by Phyllis Naylor and books by Dan Gutman. Any other suggestions for humorous books for boys in this age group?

The school my daughter attends has just given us information about recorded books. The child reads the book while listening and it is so much easier to get through texts. You can order CD through the Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic or your State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. I don't have numbers but I am sure there is an 800 number

By daughters both have LD so to find a book they will actually sit down and read is very difficult.
My 13 year old loves Darren Shan. They are very scary and about Vampires and such. If your kids love to be scared they will love these books.
My 11 year is enjoying Diary of a Wimpy kid. www.wimpykid.com/
I've read it myself and found it very amusing.

My 6th grade dau loves the series of the lightning thief by Rick Riordan. It is about the greek Gods. The next book is called Sea Monsters, and last in the series was Titans Curse. It was 10pm one night and she begged me to let her finish the chpt!! The most wonerful thing is my dau is dyslexic so to have her get excited over a book is a miracle!!! and to beg to finish the chpt is amazing:)

Hi. I always like to take my kids to the book store and make a fun trip out of it. When they get to pick out a book on there own, they seem to really get into it a bit more. A book of interest to them, something fun, and not hard to read. Also remember the more your children see you reading quietly on your own, the more they will feel inclined to do so also. Another idea is to find books on tape, and have him listen to them before bed. Make it a nightly thing. Hope some of this helps a little.

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