Rank 11Ink of NightmaresJeff Szpirglas, illustrated by Andrew P. BarrThe final instalment in the Book of Screams series.Tanya and Niah lure writer Joel Southland to a local coffee shop to find out his scheme. But soon, customers are collapsing around them, lulled into an unnatural sleep―Southland's (and the evil ink's) doing.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile 650LView book detailsCBC Favorites Awards 2026
Annual favorites chosen by children, teachers, and librarians from books submitted by publishers.
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Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th Grade
25 of 35 selections on this pageContinued from page 5
Rank 11Ink of NightmaresJeff Szpirglas, illustrated by Andrew P. BarrThe final instalment in the Book of Screams series.Tanya and Niah lure writer Joel Southland to a local coffee shop to find out his scheme. But soon, customers are collapsing around them, lulled into an unnatural sleep―Southland's (and the evil ink's) doing.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile 650LView book details
Rank 12Oppenheimer and the Atomic Bomb: Young Readers Edition of AMERICAN PROMETHEUS: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert OppenheimerKai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, Adapted by Eric S. SingerThis young-readers adaptation traces J. Robert Oppenheimer’s childhood, leadership of the wartime atomic-bomb project, later moral conflicts, Cold War role, and political downfall.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Rank 13Old SchoolGordon KormanFrom the New York Times bestselling author of The Unteachables comes a hilarious story about a boy who is homeschooled in his grandmother’s retirement…Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Rank 14War GamesAlan GratzEvie Harris can't believe her luck: She's competing in the Olympics,along with fellow American athletes like Jesse Owens. True, there'ssomething creepy about Germany's leader, Adolf Hitler, whowatches over the games with his Nazi henchmen.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Rank 15Allyship as Action: 7 Ways to Advocate for OthersTanya Boteju, illustrated by Bithi SutradharSeven practical approaches and realistic scenarios help young readers understand privilege, avoid performative allyship, learn from mistakes, and act in support of others.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile 970LView book details
Aarzu All AroundMarzieh AbbasLiving with her aunt and patriarchal uncle in Karachi, Pakistan, recently orphaned twelve-year-old Aarzu detests the way she and her younger sister get treated like extras and excluded from all the fun stuff.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Adi of Boutanga: A Story from CameroonAlain Serge DzotapThirteen-year-old Adi lives among the Mbororo people in western Cameroon and wants to keep learning, but a powerful uncle declares that she is old enough to marry. Her family seeks a way for her to live and study without fear.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Afia in the Land of WondersMia Araujo, illustrated by Mia AraujoAfia leaves her twin sister and secluded home to follow a shape-shifter into the magical land of Ijábù. When its queen and hidden dangers reveal the cost of staying, Afia must find a way home and decide what freedom means to her.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Are There Rainbows in Space?: A Colorful Compendium of Seriously Cool ScienceSheila Kanani, illustrated by Liz KayOrganized around color, this science compendium answers questions about animals, Earth, space, and light, including polar-bear skin and the colors found beyond Earth.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile 1080LFountas & Pinnell YView book details
Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide to Inventing the WorldDylan Thuras, Jennifer Swanson, illustrated by Ruby FressonThe Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide to Inventing the World is an illustrated middle-grade nonfiction book that traces 50 inventions and scientific discoveries across places and periods, showing how one technology can lead to the next.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Burning Season, TheCaroline Starr RoseIn this riveting coming-of-age survival story in verse, a fire lookout-in-training must find her courage when a wildfire breaks out on her watch.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Chinese Mythology: Legendary Tales of Heaven, Earth, Humanity, and BeyondAaron Hwang, illustrated by Adela LiStep into the magical and rich world of Chinese mythology with tales of gods, goddesses, the Monkey King, the White Snake, and more in this gorgeous, fully illustrated collection of myths and fairy tales.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Court of the Dead: A Nico di Angelo Adventure, TheRick Riordan and Mark OshiroNew York Times #1 best-selling authors Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro collaborate again on a new adventure in which Nico di Angelo teams up with his half-sister Hazel Levesque to protect . . . monsters?A few months after returning from the depths of Tartarus, demigods Nico di Angelo and Will Solace agree to join Nico's half-sister Hazel Levesque…Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Creaky AcresCalista Brill, Nilah Magruder, illustrated by Nilah MagruderBut when her mom gets a prestigious new job in a poor, rural area, she has to adjust to a lot of change: to being the only Black kid in a new class and to a new barn called Creaky Acres, where her beloved horse, Hay Fever, will make his new home.It’s there she meets sweet and geeky…Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Extra LargeTyler PageTyler Page returns with a touching middle grade memoir about a boy dealing with Button Pusher weight gain, bullying, and gendered expectations all while starting a new school year.It’s the start of a new school year for Tyler, and with it comes brand-new problems.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Glade, TheNaseem JamniaBut Camp Clear Skies hides a secret: a clearing in the deep woods the older kids call “the Glade.” After falling asleep here, Pina and Jo are able to enter one another’s dreams, transforming into superheroes and knights in shining armor, fighting back their nightmares in epic adventures.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Halfway to SomewhereJose PimientaNew school, new country, but only half a family?!Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
It's WatchingLindsay CurrieA chilling middle school novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Mystery of Locked Rooms, three kids must discover who—or what—is…Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Malcolm Lives! The Official Biography of Malcolm X for Young ReadersIbram X. Kendi"Vital, brilliant" ―New York Times Book Review * A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection * 4 starred reviewsNational Book Award–winning and #1 New…Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
OasisGuojingOasis is a middle-grade graphic novel about siblings JieJie and DiDi, who survive in a barren desert and form a family-like bond with an AI-powered robot found in an abandoned junkyard.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeATOS 2.0AR interest MG 4–8View book details
Ollie In BetweenJess CallansA Stonewall Book Award Honor Book!A 2026 Rise: A Feminist Book Project Top Ten TitleA 2026 Rainbow Round Table Top Ten Pick for Young…Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
One Crazy Summer: The Graphic NovelRita Williams-Garcia“I wish I didn’t know that I was marching my sisters into a boiling pot of trouble cooking in Oakland...”Eleven-year-old Delphine is like a…Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Refugee: The Graphic NovelAlan Gratz, illustrated by Syd FiniThis graphic novel interweaves the journeys of Josef, fleeing Nazi Germany in the 1930s; Isabel, leaving Cuba by raft in 1994; and Mahmoud, escaping Syria in 2015. Although separated by time and place, their searches for safety become connected.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Trouble With Heroes, TheKate MessnerThe Trouble with Heroes is a novel in verse about Finn, who must hike all forty-six Adirondack High Peaks after damaging a tombstone and gradually confronts grief and trauma connected to his father’s death.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeATOS 5.1AR interest MG 4–8View book details
We Need to Talk About Divorce : An IMPORTANT book about Separation, Stepfamilies, and Feeling HeardKate Scharff, illustrated by Annika Le Large*A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2025**A School Library Journal Best Book of 2025**A Children's Book Review Editors Pick 2025*A kid-centric guide for the…Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book detailsTeacher Favorites — 9th–12th Grade
35 of 45 selections on this pageContinues on page 7
Rank 1Trans History: A Graphic Novel: From Ancient Times to the Present DayAlex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett, illustrated by Alex L. Combs and Andrew EakettDeeply researched, highly readable, and featuring a broad range of voices.What does “trans” mean, and what does it mean to be trans? Diversity in human sex and gender is not a modern phenomenon, as readers will discover through illustrated stories and records that introduce historical figures ranging from the controversial Roman emperor Elagabalus to the swashbuckling seventeenth-century conquistador…Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 2Beyond They/Them: 20 Influential Nonbinary and Gender-Diverse People You Should KnowEm Dickson, illustrated by Cameron MukwaThis illustrated collection profiles 20 nonbinary, genderqueer, and Two-Spirit people across the arts, sports, politics, science, and activism.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 3Art of Drag, TheJake Hall, illustrated by Sofie Birkin, Helen Li, and Jasjyot Singh HansThis illustrated cultural history traces drag through theater, fashion, sexuality, and politics, from ancient performance and Kabuki to Shakespeare, Stonewall, ballroom culture, and contemporary artists.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 4I Can't Even Think StraightDean AttaIt's all part of life for Kai. Is it any wonder he can't think straight?Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 5Messi Mania: The Ultimate Story of the World's Greatest Soccer StarLuis Miguel EchegarayIn Messi Mania, discover the seismic effect Leo has had on MLS and global soccer, woven through with fascinating insights into his family background, childhood, teenage years, and career to date.Messi’s career has been built on hard work, determination, and teamwork, but his early years in Argentina were tough, including personal challenges that almost ruined his dreams of…Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 6Raven Boys: The Graphic Novel, TheMaggie Stiefvater; adapted by Stephanie Williams, illustrated by Sas MilledgeNATIONAL BESTSELLER • A gorgeously illustrated graphic novel adaptation of the first book in Maggie Stiefvater’s #1 New York Times bestselling series The Raven Cycle!Blue Sargent comes from a family of psychics.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 7Eve (Adapted for Young Adults): How the Female Body Shaped Human EvolutionCat BohannonThis is the 200-million-year story of how the female body gave rise to the human species and forever shaped life on Earth and what that means for us in the future.Why do women live longer than men?Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 8Silenced Voices: Reclaiming Memories from the Guatemalan GenocidePablo Leon, illustrated by Pablo LeonIn 2013 Maryland, Jose’s questions about a genocide trial lead his mother Clara to describe her childhood during Guatemala’s civil war. The graphic novel shifts to 1982, when violence separated Clara and her sister Elena from their village and each other.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeATOS 3.9AR interest Upper Grades (UG 9-12)View book details
Rank 9Buzz! (2025 edition)Ananth Hirsh, illustrated by Tess StoneOn his first day of high school, Webster stumbles into underground competitive spelling and is labeled the Golden Kid after an unexpected success. New rivals and mentors pull him into battles built around words, friendship, and self-worth.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 10You've Found OliverDustin ThaoA direct sequel to the bestselling viral sensation "You've Reached Sam" promising more heartbreak and hope with a devastating magical twist.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 11King: A Life (Young Adult Edition)Jonathan Eig; Adapted by Yohuru Williams and Michael G. LongHailed as “the most compelling account of [Martin Luther] King’s life in a generation” by the Washington Post, the Pulitzer Prize–winning bestseller is now adapted for young adults in this new standard biography of the most famous civil rights activist in American History.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 12Royal Heirs AcademyLindsey Duga"Gossip Girl meets Katharine McGee’s American Royals" (SLJ) in this story filled with “romantic tension, royal drama, and family secrets” (Kristy Boyce), where four teens living in a glamorous boarding school must compete to inherit a European kingdom.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 13Latina Superheroes (Volume 1): Jalisco & SantaKayden PhoenixMeet Jalisco and Santa: Jalisco is looking for her beloved mother, who disappeared mysteriously. Santa is faced with taking down the corrupt politicians in her hometown.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 14Crimson Throne, TheSara Raasch and Beth RevisPowerless meets Reign in this new historical romantasy from the New York Times bestselling authors of Night of the Witch.Samson Calthorpe's curse has isolated him from everyone he has ever cared about.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 15Maya in MulticolorSwati TeerdhalaFans of When Dimple Met Rishi will love this charming, slow-burn YA romance about all the ways you can honor tradition while still giving it a modern flair.When it comes to romance, Maya still believes in meet-cutes, but she’s done with boys wasting her time.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
(S)KinIbi ZoboiEvery new moon, she sheds her skin like the many women before her, shifting into a fireball witch who must fly into the night and slowly sip from the lives of others to sustain her own.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
13 Days of SummerStephanie Kate StrohmAfter high school graduation, Carson, Noemi, and Eleanor take a cross-country road trip to a Taylor Swift concert. Picking up a stranded traveler introduces romance and tensions that test their friendship before they reach the show.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
After We BurnedMarieke NijkampAfter a fire destroys Fenix’s high school and kills Eden, five teenagers each hold part of the truth about what happened. Their attempts to protect their own secrets drive this suspense novel.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Bright Before Us, Like a Flame: Igniting The New Generation of WritersEdited by Sasa Aakil and Kathy Crutcher; foreword by Elizabeth AcevedoThis anthology gathers youth-authored memoir, poetry, fiction, comics, and children’s literature on identity, family, justice, and belonging. Writing prompts and conversations with guest authors turn the collection into a resource for new writers.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Common Rule Youth Edition, The: Growing Your Faith in a Distracted WorldJustin Whitmel EarleyThe Common Rule Youth Edition provides clarity and purpose, tailored specifically for teens and tweens (grades 6-12). Adapted from Justin Whitmel Earley's bestselling book, The Common Rule Youth Edition empowers youth to break free from the stress and anxiety that modern life can impose.The CommonRule Youth Edition equips young people with the tools to help them find peace…Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Education of Kia Greer, TheAlanna BennettHow can you trust your heart in a world that’s plastic? The story of a teen girl who longs to escape the spotlight, and the PR relationship that helps her find real happiness. "Smart, fearless, romantic, and so very alive." — Casey McQuiston, New York Times bestselling author of Red, White and Royal BlueGrowing up in the public…Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Extraterrestrial Zoo 1: Finding the Lost One, TheSamantha van LeerA middle grade debut by New York Times bestselling co-author of Between the Lines stars 13 year old Ava, who helps run her family’s refuge for extraterrestrials. But a sudden attack on the zoo leads to her discovering a government conspiracy that upends everything she believed to be true.When meteors suddenly dropped to earth containing eggs in which…Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Gay the Pray AwayNatalie NaudusBut when she stumbles upon a queer romance novel at the library, everything about her life—centered around a fundamentalist Christian homeschooling group —is thrown into question. And to make things even more complicated, there’s a new girl in town.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Get Real, Chloe TorresCrystal MaldonadoWhen Chloe Torres plans the perfect summer to reunite her estranged BFFs—a cross-country road trip to see their favorite boy band!—there’s only one difficulty... getting them to actually go along for the ride.Chloe Torres’ birthday has always marked the end of summer—but as she turns eighteen and prepares to leave for her freshman year of art school, it…Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Hey, Mary!Andrew Wheeler, illustrated by Rye HickmanHe goes to church, says his prayers, and spends too much time worrying about hell. When Mark realizes he has a crush on another boy in his school, he struggles to reconcile his feelings with his faith as the weight of centuries of shame and judgment—and his fear of his parents' response—presses on his shoulders.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Island CreaturesMargarita EngleUnbeknownst to her, Adán has also moved to Florida and is feeling trapped in his new home, buffeted by the stormy fights between his abuelo and papi. When a chance encounter with a captive fox leads to their reunion, Vida and Adán are able to find refuge from the cruelty that surrounds them in their soaring, rekindled romance.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Last Bookstore on Earth, TheLily Braun-ArnoldAgain.Ever since the first Storm wreaked havoc on civilization as we know it, seventeen-year-old Liz Flannery has been holed up in an abandoned bookstore in suburban New Jersey where she used to work, trading books for supplies with the few remaining survivors.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
LeapSimina PopescuAs they reach for their dreams, the girls begin to question if the future they’ve worked for is still the future they want. A powerful story about ambition, identity, and daring to make the steps up as you go.Ana has been studying contemporary dance since she was little, but her heart isn’t in it anymore.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal StoriesCynthia Leitich SmithPrintz Award Winner American Indian Youth Literature Award Winner Featuring the voices of both new and acclaimed Indigenous writers and edited by bestselling Muscogee…Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Orisha, Volume 1: With Great PowerHuzayfa Umar and Saturday AM, illustrated by Huzayfa UmarIn Orisha, Volume 1, the world’s most powerful human is a humble African teenager who has the potential to save humankind. This African shonen manga fantasy features fun-loving teen Aboki, who unexpectedly receives the superhuman power of the Orisha, powerful beings imbued with godlike power who are born from celestial seeds that randomly appear throughout the world and…Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Payback Girls, TheAlex TravisWhy get over your cheating ex when you can get even? John Tucker Must Die meets One of Us Is Lying in a gripping, page-turning debut young adult thriller.Senior year was supposed to be about dreams, not damage control.Meghan's got everything going for her: top of her class, basketball star boyfriend, future Ivy League plans.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Reasons to Hate MeSusan MetalloSusan Metallo has the best YA voice I’ve read in years—sharp, hilarious, and heartbreakingly honest. I couldn’t put this book down.” —Rachael Allen, author of A Taxonomy of Love and Harley Quinn: RedemptionThere are countless good reasons to hate seventeen-year-old Jess Lanza, Stone Bridge High’s premier autistic theater nerd and Champion of Questionable Life Choices.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Sabrina Carpenter: A Vibrant Journey Through the Career and Influence of a Pop PrincessSelena FragassiBut did you know, before her rise on the music charts, Carpenter was also an actress on the Disney Channel? (It seems, while she was making a name for herself as an actress, she really was working late...cause she’s a singer.) With a rocket ship rise to fame, Sabrina Carpenter is a visually dynamic biography of the star…Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
SoloGráinne O'BrienOn the outside of her twin brothers’ intense relationship, she leans towards her parents, particularly her father, for support. As a passionate classical musician, she is not wildly popular at school, but she has one close friend and a life filled with musical performance.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Tectiv Vol. 1: NoirtopiaRichard Ashley Hamilton, illustrated by Marco MatroneWhen her best friend vanishes, Bingo Finder — the only literate person in a post-apocalyptic L.A. — turns to her beloved, ancient books for inspiration, becoming the first detective in centuries.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details