Although middle school romance books are gaining popularity, it can be challenging to find relatable ones for this age of readers. Middle school books are generally targeted toward readers aged 8-12. Still, many romance books for young readers (think post-elementary school) involve characters finishing high school or about to start college.
There are many great genres of YA novels – fantasy and science fiction, realistic fiction, mystery, and romance, just to name a few – and many fantastic genres of Middle-Grade novels – science fiction, fantasy fiction, graphic novels, books in verse, historical fiction, etc. It’s important to note that there is a difference between YA and middle-grade books; many YA books will contain much more explicit content that might not suit your middle school students.
If you are looking for information about a novel’s content, you can check out Common Sense Media to see if they have information you can read. Janssen from Everyday Reading shares her tips for finding out the content of a novel in this blog post, Two ways to quickly check the content of a book. You can also go to Goodreads and search for the book title. Then, you can see what others have thought about the novel.
To explore more genre-focused, grade-level, and theme-focused books, you can check out this post, Middle-Grade Book Recommendations, for many more lists.
Middle School Romance Books
Thinking of romance books for middle school students might not seem age-appropriate as an adult, but don’t let the genre fool you. Middle school romance books are stories of friendship, first loves, and conflicting emotions that will help get your students hooked on reading.
Also, it’s hard to define a book as being age-appropriate. When recommending books to your students, focus on their reading abilities and interests and the books they like reading. Often, the protagonist’s age can be a good guide, so books with main characters around 10-14 could be a good choice.
Students will appreciate these middle school romance books, which are written in voices tailored to younger readers and speak to many of the experiences they may also have in their own lives.
This Middle School Romance Books blog post contains affiliate links that are of no cost to the reader. If you purchase through the provided links, this blog will receive a small commission to help with the financial costs of maintaining the site.
Shug by Jenny Han
Annemarie, also known as Shug, doesn’t like being twelve. She thinks she’s too tall and has too many freckles and that nothing about her is amazing. Shug is now starting junior high and has to navigate everything that comes with it (such as boys and popularity) while also dealing with the ups and downs of adolescence.
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
This is the story of Bryce and Juli. When they first met, Juli liked Bryce, but Bryce would do anything to avoid Juli. By Grade 8, when Juli had overcome her infatuation, Bryce began to like Juli. This flipped romance tells the story of these two characters in each of their voices, showing their growth and how they mature.
Cake Pop Crush by Suzanne Nelson
Alicia’s dad runs a small bakery that suddenly has to compete with a new bakery that comes to town. The CEO of the new bakery, Dane, has a son who Alicia should hate, but she’s finding it hard to do so. As Alicia works through her relationship with Dane, she must also navigate middle school and family.
Keep it Together, Keiko Carter by Debbi Michiko Florence
This story is about a trio of friends – Keiko, Jenna, and Audrey – at the beginning of 7th grade. The trio feels like they will be friends forever, but Keiko feels pulled in different directions when ideas clash. She now has to fight with her feelings for a boy and her loyalty to her friends. Can Keiko keep her life together when things are crumbling around her?
Courtesy of Cupid by Nashae Jones
This middle school romance book is part romance, part fantasy. As Erin begins her 13th year, she discovers that her dad is Cupid, a god of love, and that she has inherited some of his power to make people fall in love. When Erin tries to use her powers to get a position she wants in her school’s Multicultural Leadership Club, she realizes that love might get in the way.
Never Evers by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison
Mouse is a girl who just got kicked out of ballet school, and Jack is a boy who is navigating his first crush. As the two attend a school ski trip, they experience the highs and lows of friendship, romance, and the drama of middle school. This story is about growing up and taking chances.
The Swap by Megan Shull
This story follows Ellie, a quiet seventh-grader, and Jack, a popular eighth-grader, and what happens when they suddenly swap bodies. After this, as they navigate each other’s lives and try to find out how to swap back, they gain new perspectives on friendship, family, and learning to be yourself. Jack suddenly has to deal with mean girls, and Ellie discovers what it’s like to be popular in middle school.
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
This book is a mix of mystery, science fiction, and coming of age, telling the story of Miranda, a 12-year-old in New York. Miranda begins to receive notes that seem to predict the future and feels she needs to change events that will happen, all while exploring friendship, family, and growing up.
Forget Me Not by Ellie Terry
This story, told in verse, is about Calliope June, a young girl with Tourette syndrome. As Calliope and her mom move to a new town, Calliope starts at a new school and wants to hide her Tourette syndrome – but when other students find out, she’s pegged as different and is taunted and teased. She is befriended by her neighbour, who sees past her Tourette syndrome and sees her for who she is, but can he be brave and stand up for her?
The Next Great Jane by K.L. Going
Jane wants to be a famous author like Jane Austen and hopes to learn the secrets of success when an author visits her small town in Maine. Not only does she struggle to get along with the author’s son, but when her mother arrives from Hollywood, planning to take Jane back to California, Jane must protect her life in Whickett Harbor by using her knowledge of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy to help her father find love.
These middle school romance books are great for students looking for more mature texts that are still age-appropriate. They can be great for elective reading assignments or just to help get students excited about new books and topics.
Adding Middle School Romance Books to the Classroom
Although these books may be listed as “romance,” they touch on many more themes – friendship, personal growth, the challenges of growing up – and can be used for assignments if teachers wish.
I’ve created a no-prep resource full of activities that will work for any novel, including those listed above. This can be used to teach any novel for whole-class novel studies, book clubs, literature circles or independent reading.
This unit features:
- Detailed Unit Plan
- Daily Lesson Plans
- Activating Prior Novel Knowledge QR Code Activity
- Elements of a Novel Lesson (Slideshow and Graphic Organizer)
- Whole-Class Short Story Analysis Modelling & Practice
- Literary Elements and Reading Strategies Graphic Organizers
- Scaffolded and Regular Graphic Organizers
- Classroom Anchor Charts
- Literary Elements Quiz
- Assessment Options
This differentiated unit focuses on the literary elements of plot, character, setting, theme, and conflict as well as these literary devices: similes, metaphors, symbols and foreshadowing. Use this unit to introduce or review literary elements and literary devices with your students.
You can find this Novel Study Activities For Any Novel resource on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD.
Student Choice
We all know how tough it can be to get students interested in reading. By being flexible and allowing them to select material from different genres – even if they are classified as middle school romance books – we can hopefully open students up to trying different genres, topics, and novels.
Check out this blog post, Best Middle School Book Recommendations, for more middle school romance books, as well as other great middle school books. Also, check out some fantastic YA books in this blog post, High School Book Recommendations.
Help Your Students Love Reading with Lit Launch!
Are you ready to share your passion for reading and inspire your students?
Lit Launch: Middle School Reading Professional Development is for teachers looking to create meaningful reading engagement in their classrooms.
In just three hours, this online workshop equips teachers with strategies to connect with their middle school readers, ideas for classroom management challenges and shares high-impact lesson ideas.
Workshop Includes:
- 3 Hours of Professional Development Videos
- 145 Page Workbook
- 10 Reading Resources
- Professional Development Certificate
- Supporting Resource Links
- Reading Interest Inventory
In this self-paced workshop, teachers will get actionable ideas and lessons they can implement in their classrooms.
Learn more about Lit Launch on Teachers Pay Teachers USD or Shopify CAD.
Related Posts
