MIDDLE GRADE BOOKS (ages 10–13)
S.T.E.A.M. Race to Space Reading Challenge
OCTOBER 3 – 24, 2025
This is a reading challenge unlike any that have ventured before. Not just because there are
cool bonuses
but because these
books
are secret worlds that will launch your future in ways you never imagined. Let’s explore some great reads!
Sign up to get information about this year's Reading Challenge.
Your Mission
Base Goal
Read for a total of
180 minutes.
Earn 5 virtual tickets and a reward package
(packages can vary).
Bonus Goals
Read an additional
45 minutes.
Earn 3 tickets.
Tickets
Submit tickets to any of the bonuses found in your Beanstack account.
Final day to submit virtual tickets is October 25, 2025.
Bonuses to Win
Middle Grade Bonuses
Be rewarded for your S.T.E.A.M. reading adventure with digital badges, virtual tickets, a certificate of completion and a package of goodies (reward packages can vary). For those who want a greater chance to win bonuses, earn extra tickets by continuing to explore secret worlds hidden inside books!
(Bonuses can only be redeemed through Beanstack and the last day to submit virtual tickets is October 25, 2025. Bonus winners will receive an email notifying them of how to collect their bonus.)
S.T.E.A.M. Reading List
Middle Grade Books
Most of the books listed below can be found at your local library. Happy book hunting!
Download the 2025 Middle Grade Recommended Reading List PDF.
The 2025 Middle Grade Recommended Reading List
Download the
2025 Middle Grade Recommended Reading List PDF.
25 Scratch 3 Games for Kids: A Playful Guide to Coding by Max Wainewright
A Rover's Story by Jasmine Warga
Animal-Inspired Robots by Robin Koontz
Apollo 8: The Mission That Changed Everything by Martin W. Sandler
Artificial Intelligence: Friend or Foe? series by Nick Hunter
Capturing Carbon with Fake Trees by Cecilia Pinto McCarthy
Competition Robots by Lisa Idzikowski
Deep-Sea Creatures: Adapting to the Abyss by Mike Lawrence
Dinosaur Secrets Revealed!: How High-Tech Tools Spark Discoveries by Sandra Markle
Eclipse Chaser: Science in the Moon's Shadow by Ilima Loomis
Eco Action: Ending the Energy Crisis by Robyn Hardyman
EngiNerds by Jarrett Lerner
From Farmworker to Astronaut: My Path to the Stars / De campesino a astronauta: Mi viaje a las estrellas by Jose M. Hernandez
Fun Experiments with Light: Periscopes, Kaleidoscopes, and More by Rob Ives
Genius Physicist: Albert Einstein by Katie Marsico
Giant Rays of Hope: Protecting Manta Rays to Safeguard the Sea by Patricia Newman
Green Promises: Girls Who Loved the Earth by Jeannine Atkins
Hunting a Hacker: Using Science to Crack Cybercrime by Sarah Eason
Maple's Formula for Victory by Kate Mcmillan
My Life in 2055 series by Carrie Lewis
Izzy Newton and the S.M.A.R.T. Squad series by Valerie Tripp
Maglev trains by Louise Spilsbury
Nature's Ninja: Animals with Spectacular Skills by Rebecca L. Johnson
Pop-Up Planetarium by Lynn Brunelle
Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Revenge of the EngiNerds by Jarrett Lerner
Robotics by Louise Spilsbury
Science on Shackleton's Expedition by Tammy Enz
Siglo XX: Carrera hacia la Luna by Stephanie Paris
Surprise the Enemy: Make Your Own Traps and Triggers by Rob Ives
The Atlas Obscura Explorer's Guide to Inventing the World by Dylan Thuras, Jennifer Swanson
The Boy Who Touched the Stars / El niño que alcanzó las estrellas by José M. Hernández
The Doomsday Vault by Thomas Wheeler
The EngiNerds Strike Back by Jarrett Lerner
The Genius of Amazon: How Jeff Bezos and Online Shopping Changed the World by Margaret J. Goldstein
The Problem with Plastic: Know Your Facts, Take Action, Save the Oceans by Ruth Owen
The Secrets of Lovelace Academy by Marie Benedict
The Six: Young Readers Edition: The Untold Story of America's First Women Astronauts by Loren Grush
Video Games: A Graphic History by Sean Tulien
Whales to the Rescue: How Whales Help Engineer the Planet by Adrienne Mason
Guardians of the Middle Grade Books
