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7 Fantastic Book Series For Middle Schoolers

Depending on your child’s natural interests and proclivities, they may or may not like reading books.

Book Series For Middle Schoolers

However, we encourage reading in middle schoolers, so that they can become more fluent readers, expand their vocabulary appropriately with their age, and take what they learn to better express themselves.

But, if you really want to fuel a child’s enthusiasm for reading, you’re going to need to invest in some fun literature.

In this respect, popular kids book series are a great option, because if they enjoyed the first book in the series, they’ll be enthused about grabbing the next book series to see what’s going to happen to the characters next.

Coming Up

In this article, we’re going to suggest 7 of the best book series around for middle schoolers. Each with a brief run-through of what to expect, including the number of books in the series and the links for finding out more.

And without further ado, let’s get straight to it!

(The following book series for middle schoolers aren’t listed in any particular order.)

1. The Harry Potter Series By J. K. Rowling

Let’s begin with the best-selling fantasy book series of all time – the Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling has sold more than 500 million copies worldwide. And it has sparked both a movie and a TV series.

It’s a series that ticks all the boxes – there’s magic, mayhem, spells, adventure, danger, the uncovering of secrets, high stakes, determined evil villains, and more.

So, if your middle schooler already has a penchant for the Harry Potter stories, why not suggest to them that they read the books?

They have relatable characters that the reader becomes invested in, and they’re easy to read. Not to mention the fact that the books feature lots of quirky detail, characters, and subplots that are missing in the movies.

The first book sees orphan Harry joining a boarding school for kids with magical powers. He makes friends, and enemies while learning to cast spells, make potions, and interact with mysterious magical creatures.

Let your middle schooler discover what all the fuss is about, and let them determine where  the infamous sorting hat would place them.

There are 7 books in the main series, and there are off-shoot books as well, such as Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them.

2. The Percy Jackson And The Olympians Series By Rick Riordan

There have already been 2 movies released based on this riveting urban fantasy book series, and there’s also going to be a Disney+ series coming out to watch as well.

But unlike the Harry Potter book series, the tomes of the books are much narrower, so the middle schoolers, who they are aimed at, are going to be less put off by the sheer size of the books, and the books are much more manageable.

It’s an adventure series with magic, demigods, combat, comedy, and loveable characters. And because it’s so fast-paced, readers get hooked in early on, and don’t have to read lots of material before the action starts.

The first book in the series centers around Percy Jackson, who is about to be kicked out of boarding school.

But somehow, the gods of mount Olympus and other mythical creatures seem to be coming straight out of his study books and into his life!

The trouble is, however, that he seems to have angered them. And now he’s tasked with catching a lightning thief, not least because he’s a suspect, bestowing peace to Mount Olympus, solving the riddle of the Oracle, and unraveling a betrayal. All the while coming to terms with his abandonment issues.

There are 6 books in this series in total, namely The Lightning Thief. The Sea Of Monsters, The Titan’s Curse, The Battle Of The Labyrinth, The Last Olympian, and The Chalice Of The Gods.

There are also spin-off series as well, including Heroes of Olympus and Trials of Apollo.

3. The Twilight Series By Stephenie Meyer

While in middle school, many youngsters start to turn their attention towards potential courting. And if they were to look at the Twilight series, they will most certainly find a love story with a difference!

The story begins when Bella moves school to live with her Dad. While there she starts to notice strange things about one of the students, Edward, who seems to have a very strange reaction to her.

Eventually, she starts to believe he’s a vampire – and it’s true! But that doesn’t stop her wanting to date him! And he, her.

But, there’s more to the stories than that. Bella is threatened by another vampire and her life is put at risk. 

The following 3 books in the series document how their relationship pans out with many twists and turns along the way.

They break up, Bella gets depressed, Bella gets closer to Edward’s rival, werewolf Jacob, and there’s a love triangle, Edward decides he’s no good for Bella and deliberately puts himself in danger, they discuss Bella being turned to be a vampire, and more, including a showdown with some of the most powerful enemy vampires around.

It’s not just romance, but action, adventure, danger, rivalry, teenage drama, and more. And despite the romantic content and making out, there aren’t any scenes that are too spicy.

4. His Dark Materials Series By Philip Pullman

This is a series to capture the hearts and minds of middle schoolers. The first book of the series was adapted as a major motion picture, called The Golden Compass.

The second and third books are called The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. 

It’s a series that takes place in a universe where humans have animal familiars and where parallel universes are within reach.

The first book follows the story of Lyra, who spies on adults to uncover a dark conspiracy against children, an attempt to capture them and separate them from their animal familiars.

In her quest to rectify such wrongs, Lyra finds herself meeting the likes of armored bears and witches.

And in book two, the reader meets Will from another world, another ordinary kid, and together they face fallen angels and soul-eating specters. By the third book, the fate of everyone living and dead relies on them.

There’s also a new additional series of books to enjoy, set in the same universe, called The Book Of Dust, which features a first book of the same name, followed by La Belle Sauvage, and The Secret Commonwealth.

5. The Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children Series By Ransom Riggs

The first book in this series has been made into one of the most wondrous and imaginative major motion pictures of our time, directed by none other than Tim Burton and starring such names as Sammuel L. Jackson and Dame Judi Dench.

But a book based movie is only as good as the storyline empowers it to be.

And the first book sees 16-year-old character Jacob journeying to a remote island where he discovers Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children who are in hiding and have very strange and peculiar natures and abilities.

There’s action, adventure, danger, time travel, and things you cannot even begin to imagine. And there’s spectacular vintage photography throughout.

This thrilling page-turner is sure to delight your middle schooler, not to mention intrigue them and inspire wonder.

There are 6 books in the series in total, namely Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Hollow City, Library of Souls, A Map of Days, The Conference of the Birds, and The Desolations of Devil’s Acre.

There are also related, spin-off books to check out that are set in the same world.

6. A Series Of Unfortunate Events By Lemony Snicket

If your middle schooler flies through their books and goes straight from one to the next, then this could be the book series for them, since it’s made up of a staggering 13 books in total. And they’re told with an element of dark humor.

The first book of the series was made into a movie released in 2004 starring Jim Carey and follows the story of the Baudelaire children who are orphaned and are taken into the care of their cousin Count Olaf, who is secretly plotting to steal their parents’ vast fortune.

And as the series progresses, there are even more adventures and strange things and family secrets for the two orphans to uncover. And along the way, the two children learn important life lessons.

7. The One Of Us Is Lying Series By Karen M. McManus

This is such a great series, and it’s great for middle schoolers because it centers around the lives of high schoolers they may be able to relate to or aspire to be like. It’s reminiscent of Pretty Little Liars.

The first book of the 3 series begins with 5 students in detention who are stereotypical high school characters, namely a brain, a beauty, an athlete, a criminal, and an outcast called Simon.

But this is no normal detention – Simon, who’d been planning to post juicy gossip about each of the others, is declared dead, meaning the remaining 4, collectively referred to as the Bayview Four, are suspects in a murder.

The story follows the lives of these suspects as clues are gradually revealed who may or may not be behind the murder.

In the second book of the series, One Of Us Is Next, someone’s determined to keep Simon’s legacy alive. But this is a new game, and it’s just as deadly, a deadly game of truth or dare.

Then there’s a third book called One of Us Is Back. It’s set two years after Simon’s passing, and as you may imagine from the book’s title, features several characters from the firs book, and some from the second. But now there’s a new deadly game, and everyone’s a target.

Wrap Up

And that’s a wrap people, hope you’ve enjoyed reading and that your middle schooler will too.

You may already be familiar with some of the titles, because of their respective movies and TV series, but readers typically insist that the books are always better!

Simon Lewis

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