All three of our kids love to read. When we travel, we stock up on new books at our favorite bookstores and refill the Kindle reading library. They are all top readers in their grades and are regularly engrossed in their latest adventure. But one of the problems they face is finding new series to read when one is complete. Here is a list of books for middle school students that just may hit the spot and help you discover a new favorite!

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Real Books for Middle School Students

A few years ago we splurged and bought all three kids their own Kindle reader. This does make it easier to carry more books when we are on road trips. But they still have to have the paper versions for many of their favorites since Kindle readers are not welcome in some of their classes at school. So we make sure they have both options when we are looking for new books.

Harry Potter Series

Author: JK Rowling
Find it on Amazon: Harry Potter Book Series

Mysterious Benedict Society

Author: Trenton Lee Stewart
Find it on Amazon: Mysterious Benedict Society

“Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?” When this peculiar ad appears in the newspaper, dozens of children enroll to take a series of mysterious, mind-bending tests. (And you, dear reader, can test your wits right alongside them.) But in the end just four very special children will succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and resourceful children could complete. To accomplish it they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules.

Chronicles of Narnia

Author: CS Lewis
Find it on Amazon: Chronicles of Narnia

Percy Jackson Series

Author: Rick Riordan
Find it on Amazon: Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school…again. And that’s the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy’s Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he’s angered a few of them. Zeus’s master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

**From my daughter: Even though she was hesitant about reading a series based on greek mythology, she discovered that it was much more than that and loved the book series.

Heroes of Olympus

Author: Rick Riordan
Find it on Amazon: Heroes of Olympus

From Book 1: After saving Olympus from the evil Titan lord, Kronos, Percy and friends have rebuilt their beloved Camp Half-Blood, where the next generation of demigods must now prepare for a chilling prophecy of their own: Seven half-bloods shall answer the call, To storm or fire the world must fall. An oath to keep with a final breath, And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death. Now, in a brand-new series from blockbuster best-selling author Rick Riordan, fans return to the world of Camp Half-Blood. Here, a new group of heroes will inherit a quest. But to survive the journey, they’ll need the help of some familiar demigods.

Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins
Find it on Amazon: Hunger Games

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, “The Hunger Games,” a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed.

Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth
Find it on Amazon: Divergent

One choice can transform you. Veronica Roth’s debut is a gripping dystopian tale of electrifying choices, powerful consequences, unexpected romance, and a deeply flawed “perfect society.

The Hobbit

Author: JRR Tolkien
Find it on Amazon: The Hobbit

Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling any farther than his pantry or cellar. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an adventure. They have launched a plot to raid the treasure hoard guarded by Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon. Bilbo reluctantly joins their quest, unaware that on his journey to the Lonely Mountain he will encounter both a magic ring and a frightening creature known as Gollum.

Star Wars: Boba Fett

Find it on Amazon: Star Wars: Boba Fett

Keeper of the Lost Cities

Author: Shannon Messenger
Find it on Amazon: Keepers of the Lost Cities
Read Natalie’s review of Keeper of the Lost Cities book series

Twelve-year-old Sophie has never quite fit into her life. She’s skipped multiple grades and doesn’t really connect with the older kids at school, but she’s not comfortable with her family, either. The reason? Sophie’s a Telepath, someone who can read minds. No one knows her secret—at least, that’s what she thinks…

What books do your middle school students enjoy? Got another series that my kids would be interested in? I’d love to hear!