I asked teachers to share their best middle and high school appropriate book recommendations. If they provided additional comments, I will include them here as well. All of these might not be books that you might teach, but they are all good (according to teachers) to include in your library.
My personal favorites:
– One of Us Is Lying – Karen McManus (The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars)
– Ten – Gretchen McNeil (modern retelling of And Then There Were None)
– Will Grayson, Will Grayson – David Lathan & John Green (LGBTQ-themed)
– Allegedly – Tiffany Jackson (some mature content, but captivating)
From @hansonhallway (aka the ultimate middle school expert on books, or so I like to call her!)
– The Serpent King – Jeff Zentner
– Goodbye Days – Jeff Zentner
– Eleanor and Park – Rainbow Rowell
– After the Shot Drops – Randy Ribay
Recommended authors:
– Jason Reynolds (@mrs.kcorn said he has “transformed the reading culture in my classroom”)
– April Henry
Recommended books:
– Ghost Boys – Jewell Parker Rhodes
– Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie – Jordan Sonnenblick (eighth grade)
– The Underground Railroad – Colson Whitehead (last year’s Pulitzer Prize)
– Far from the Tree – Robin Benway
– The Poet X – Elizabeth Acevedo
– The Hate U Give – Angie Thomas
– All the Bright Places – Jennifer Niven
– I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter – Erika Sanchez
– Children of Eden – John Caird
– Artemis – Andy Weir
If you have more, please feel free to send me a message on Intstagram (@theengagingstation) or through email at theengagingstation@gmail.com!