Don’t sleep on nonfiction. I Am Malala (the young readers edition) is about a girl who stood up to the Taliban just for wanting to go to school. It’s inspirational and short. Also check out The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind—a true story about a 14-year-old in Malawi who built a windmill from scraps. Makes you feel like you can literally build your future.
And for the secretly sporty ones: Ghost by Jason Reynolds. It’s about a kid from a rough neighborhood who discovers he’s stupidly fast. The writing is poetry, it’s street-smart, and it acknowledges that life is hard without being a downer. Reynolds is a genius at talking to middle schoolers.
A Quick Word on "Boring" Books
You know what? If a 12-year-old wants to read the same graphic novel for the fifth time, let them. If they only want Diary of a Wimpy Kid—okay, fine. The point is motion, not perfection. I’m just here to offer the maybe-they’ll-love-this list.
And Leo? He ended up buried in Restart for three hours straight. His mom texted me: “He didn’t even ask for screen time.” That is the sound of a tiny victory. I hope you get yours, too.
