Top Ten Books the Kids in My Book Club Would Not Shut Up About

Top Ten Tuesday is a brilliant meme created by The Broke and the Bookish.

Ah, Middle Schoolers.  I run a weekly book club for middle schoolers.  They come to me instead of going to lunch.  The commitment is strong with these kids.  I have never had as much fun in my life as watching 12 year old swoon over books.  You know how people are constantly moaning about the state of children and the future.  Let me tell you that we are in good hands my friends.   Because I teach in an international school in China almost all of my students are bilingual and many are trilingual or more.  They have come up with the idea of reading the same book in two different languages and then comparing the reading experiences.  I cannot even explain how much I love this idea.  #TheseKidsAreAmazing One thing that I find particularly interesting is the amount of older books that the kids read.  Sometimes the covers are fresh and they don't even know.  This week alone I have seen someone reading Tigereyes,  We were talking about realistic fiction the other day and all of them told me that they are sick to death of MG books about bullying.   But they do get fixated.  There were more than a few books that got brought up (by the same kids mind you) over and over and over again.  Seriously, it was like Groundhog day.  Here are the books that they wouldn't shut up about.  Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass Goodreads | Amazon I finally had to read it to see if it lived up to the book club hype.  It pretty much did.  It is a story about an eclipse and three middle school children whose lives are changing.  Adorable and uplifting. See my full review here. The Maze Runner James Dashner
Goodreads | Amazon This book was so popular with the students that the Design teacher made a whole unit about it.  Basically, all the kids are making digital 3D mazes.  That they will be able to  use VR goggles to navigate.  I know. I want to make one too.  
Divergent Series by Veronica Roth Goodreads| Amazon
It is interesting that this is the series that caught their interest.  They aren't anti Hunger Hunger Games by any means but this is the series that they want to talk about.  I actually like the writing in this series much more. Harry Potter Series  by J.K Rowling Goodreads| Amazon
Harry is in no danger of being abandoned any time soon.  They once spent an entire hour sorting themselves into houses. Of course it made this list.  At least one of the Harry Potter books is an answer to any Top Ten Tuesday.  By the way has anyone read the illustrated versions?  I have the first one and it was gorgeous.  Almost like getting to read the book for the first time again.

Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater Goodreads | Amazon

I have to approve this addition to the list as I am a fan of all things Maggie Stiefvater.  I am rereading it at the moment because it was such a perfect Halloween book.  Atmospheric and with incredible creepy horses.  I love this author with all of my heart.

The Book Thief By Markus Zusak Goodreads| Amazon
This book gets brought up and all the kids chime in with variations of, "Yes". So do I.  This book is amazing.  Death is the narrator and it is set in Germany during WWII.  Some of the phrases in the book are almost poetry. Just Beautiful.  Just be prepared to cry all the tears.
Once By Morris Gleitzman Goodreads| Amazon
I feel as if the main characters total denial of what is happening to him even as his life before more and more dangerous is a valid response to being swept up in the Holocaust.  


I, Funny By James Patterson Goodreads| Amazon
Middle School boys.  What else can I say?  I could do with not hearing about this book for a week.

Stay Where you are and then Leave By John Boyne Goodreads| Amazon
This books get extra points for the title.  I love it.  This is by the same author as The Boy with the Striped Pajamas.  This book is about WWI and a boy being left behind by his father.  It wasn't terrible but wasn't my favorite book either.
Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova  Goodreads| Amazon
A Graphic novel about the art of getting through middle school and figuring out how to fit in.  This is also a story about a girl who is new to school which is something that these international school kids know all about.  Much identification with the characters.
So there is my list for all of you who want your books #MiddleSchoolerApproved.   What do you mean that that isn't something that is in demand? *sigh
What kinds of books do you remember reading in middle school?