Top 9 Romance Novels for Middle Schoolers

By Rebecca P.

Middle schoolers, especially middle school girls, love to read romance novels for fun. This is a list of some top reads for people who are looking for their next favorite romantic diversion.

1. Stargirl By Jerry Spinelli

Mica Area High School, where the unspoken rule remains: DON’T stand out! Leo Borlock has been going here for a while, long enough to know this rule. One person sets things out of place: Stargirl. Some say she’s weird, some say she’s strange, some say she’s crazy, some even say she’s not real. Everyone agrees on one thing. She is definitely different. Stargirl is shunned for this reason. People are afraid, will she survive this time at MAHS? Through friendship, struggles, and a whole lot of love, will Stargirl and Leo make it through, or will these two hearts be broken?

2. Never Evers By Tom Ellen

Mouse, after being kicked out of ballet academy, is forced to go on a school ski trip. She definitely knows that some of her classmates can’t wait to see her fail. On the other hand, Jack looks forward to the trip. Especially the danger, and the girls. The only thing is, he has absolutely no clue about either. But of course, Roland had to arrive at the resort. He is Jack’s “twin”, or so you could say. Roland encourages Jack to, secretly, share about his feelings for Mouse. Will there be romance on the slope? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

3. Peppermint Cocoa Crushes By Laney Nielson

The Holidaze Spectacular is coming up, and Sasha is super excited! She and her best friends, the twins Karly and Kevin, are working on a dance routine. She is so sure they will win! Sasha is also pretty sure that Kevin, who just so happens to be her crush, likes her back. She’s just not sure how to tell him. All of a sudden, things start to fall apart. Karly decides to go to the quiz bowl, things with Kevin are going NOWHERE, and Sasha is juggling so many things at once! Rehearsals, homework, volunteer commitments. Everything’s going on at once! Will Sasha be able to reignite her friendship, find out about her crush, and still make a statement on the stage?

4. Crushing It By Joanne Levy

Kat is so over seventh grade. What doesn’t help at all is that Kat’s best friend and cousin Olivia grew a foot over the summer and earned a spot in the school’s dance team, which shot her up on the popularity scale. If Olivia was an animal, she’d be a gazelle. As for Kat, well, she’d be the warthog. To make things worse, Kat’s neighbor and buddy for her entire life, Tyler, all of a sudden became a supercute boy over the summer. Olivia confesses having a crush on Tyler and even wants to ask him to the Fall Ball dance. There's a catch. Tyler thinks Olivia is just another one of those girls who only care about boy bands, lip gloss, and all that other girly stuff. Being the good friend that she is, Kat decides to help Olivia gain Tyler’s attention. Kat does everything from writing “Tyler Cheat Sheets” of his favorite things to feeding Olivia lines through headphones. It starts to work! Kat begins to wonder if she made the right decision, and if Tyler has been persuaded to fall of the wrong girl. Then again, who would fall for a warthog over a gazelle?

5. Donut Go Breaking My Heart By Suzanne Nelson

Sheyda may not be a big star on the screen, but she’s a star on the set! She loves designing sets while her friend, Kira, performs for the camera. They both work at the New York donut shop owned by Kira’s parents, Doughlicious. Lucky for them, the tween star Cabe Sadler is going to film his next big movie at their shop! Kira is sure she will get a part (and maybe a date with Cabe), but instead, it’s Sheyda who gets the small part in the movie. Unfortunately, Cabe is so rude! Too bad he’s super cute. Sheyda will have to have to overcome her stage fright to see the real Cabe.

6. Drama By Raina Telgemeier

Who loves theater? Callie does! She would totally try out for her middle school’s production, Moon over Mississippi. The only thing is, she can’t really sing. Instead she is tasked with designing the set! This year, she’s determined to create a set that is Broadway worthy! On a middle school budget of course. This will be a challenge because she doesn’t know much about carpentry, ticket sales are down, and the crew are not working well together. Plus all of the other onstage and offstage drama that goes on. Things start to get out of hand, especially when two cute brothers enter the scene!

7. Playing the Field By Janette Rallison

McKay, a very talented, thirteen year old, baseball player, may be the worst at algebra. If he doesn’t get his grade up soon, his parents may force him to quit the team. The natural solution to this problem? McKay will befriend Serena, a pretty girl in their class, how just so happens to get A’s in algebra. So says McKay’s best friend, Tony. Plus, this will give Tony a chance to flirt with Serena’s best friends. If McKay follows this path, though, it may just put him in a worse spot than merely failing algebra. With wit and lots of self-confidence, McKay will keep you hanging on to this book until the last word.

8. The (Almost) Perfect Guide to Imperfect Boys By Barbara Dee

Finnley and her BFF Maya agree. Middle school boys can be put into three categories: tadpoles, croakers, and frogs. According to their Life Cycle of Amphibian Boys, tadpoles are not developed yet (boys who still laugh at fart jokes and can’t have a normal conversation with a girl without making fun of them). A frog, on the other hand, is a fully developed and mature boy. Finnley thought she had every boy pegged. That was until Zachary Mattison returned after unexpectedly leaving the year before. His sudden reappearance at their school forces Finnley to see him in a new light. When the “life cycle” of boys falls into the wrong hands, a laugh or two turns into a full on battle. The war between boys and girls makes Finnley wonder. Who can really win this fight?

9. Operation Pucker Up By Rachele Alpine

First kisses can be a little nerve racking, but the most nerve racking part is if the first is on stage. Grace Shaw is thrilled when she earns the coveted part in her school’s play. The only thing she’s not thrilled about? She’ll have to kiss Prince Charming, who just so happens to be the most popular kid in school, James Lowe. Plus, Grace has never, ever been kissed. To help, Grace’s two best friends create “Operation Pucker Up”, the plan for Grace to have her first kiss before she has to go on stage. Then, as if Grace didn’t have enough to think about, her father, who had left six months ago, has suddenly walked back into her life. Grace isn’t sure if she has the heart to forgive him just yet. Operation Pucker Up is not working and the opening night is coming quick. Will Grace be able to score her first kiss before she is to go on stage?

Romance novels can be a great diversion. I hope you enjoy these novels on your free time!!!