by Sara Smith 
​
First published: 10/15/22
Updated 11/24/2023
Updated 8/11/2025
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Middle school is by far the hardest grade to collect for as the in-betweeners struggling to find the line of scary, serious, intense, romantic -- but not too much. Below, I've compiled a list of manga I've read and reviewed that I've rated 8/10 or above that would be great for Middle School Libraries (grades 7th+). Many of these titles have stood the test of time as I've updated this list many times, or are ones I've added as the list has been updated. 

As budgets are tight all over, I've also included some older series that might still have appeal and were on previous versions of this list, so you can determine if you want to spend your dollars on these series if your readers might be interested in them. Lastly, at the bottom are some series I rated 7/10 which might still appeal to your audiences if you have the budget to spend on them.

I've also created a list of Good Manga for Elementary School Libraries (grades 3+). A lot of these titles would also be great for Middle School Libraries, but I also caution people against doubling up if you are in a school system and elementary libraries are buying the same titles as the junior high library. 

Additionally, you should definitely check out Ashley Hawkin's list of manga and light novels, which might have some overlap, and check out her website for more resources and content.

Note: These titles are listed in alphabetical order by title of series​.

Key: some reviews may require subscriptions: Booklist* or School Library Journal+

by Sara Smith 
​
First published: 5/7/22
Updated 4/1/2024
Updated 8/11/2025
​
Finding age relevant manga for elementary readers can be difficult, so I sympathize with all of my library friends out there who are trying to satiate our younger, voracious readers! Elementary manga, known as "kodomomuke" in Japan (or just kodomo) often revolves around video game adaptations, animal stories, or stories that teach morals and lessons. You'll notice some of those themes within this list and other resources as you do your collection development. If your readers are tired of video game stories, sorry! That's kind of what's out there for the age group.

The manga on this list are all titles I've read and reviewed that received a rating of 7/10 or higher. Feel free to bookmark this page, as I'll continue to update it periodically and add more titles to it.

Additionally, you should definitely check out Ashley Hawkin's list and her website.

Note: These titles are listed in alphabetical order by title of series​.

Key: some reviews may require subscriptions: Booklist* or School Library Journal+

Better late than never, right? As awards season is upon us for 2025, let's take a look back at what books won awards in 2024! Some of these books have become favorites of the 2024-2025 school year with my readers, particularly Pedro Martín's Mexikid, which appears on a lot of awards lists below. 

As always, it's good to skim through the winners and nominees for these industry recognitions to see what items could be included in your collections, paying attention to age relevancy and the needs of your particular collection. Worth noting is that these awards and recognitions all have human judges and their own criteria, but these titles all bring something valuable enough to achieve recognition within their field, and possibly deserve consideration for inclusion in your graphic libraries.

With linked reviews, +, * = subscription may be required.

by Sara Smith
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This year, my reading challenge was a modest 200 books, a far cry from the heigh of 2020 where I had the goal of a book-a-day. But, this feels like a good balance between work, life, and reading! And, I still managed to find 15 great books with some honorable mentions while pumping out many reviews for Booklist  and the site, and even finding time to squeeze in School Library Journal this year. I hope you find some great books below to include in your collections!

(Note: any review marked with an * may require a Booklist​ subscription to read, or you might be able to find it among your favorite library purchasing software)

This Spring, the New Jersey Association of School Librarians held a virtual mini-conference with the theme, "Hope and Healing." My presentation for this conference was "Manga that Heals the Soul." After all, there is an entire genre of manga, "iyashikei", that is meant to heal the reader. Many of these stories have something to do with animals and nature, so you'll find tons of cute animals all over my presentation. Check out my resources below:​

by Sara Smith 
​
In 2022, I challenged myself to read 300 books, but that quickly became an unreasonable pace to keep with as I got more involved in things with my school. I re-set my sights on 250 books, and was ultimately successful.

From those 250, here are my Top 15, with 5 honorable mentions, and some shout outs to series I selected last year that kept churning out bangers in 2022.

(Note: any review marked with an * will require a Booklist​ subscription to read)

I had the pleasure of speaking at K.C. Boyd's Back-to-School professional development mini-con in August of 2022. I got to share about some must-buy titles for Fall of 2022, and hear from some folks from across the nation. This was a fantastic experience, and I'm so honored I was included! Below are the resources I shared with the audience. Hope you find some great titles to add to your lists this semester!

by Sara Smith 
​
This February, I not only helped co-chair the CSLA 2022 Virtual Conference, I presented yet again! I love being able to share what I'm passionate about and to help others find great books to put on their shelves. Take a look at the resources below.

Title List

by Sara Smith 
​
In 2020, I challenged myself to read a book a day and made my goal of 366 books (as it was a leap year!). This was made a little more possible by the state-wide shut-down in March of 2020, where California basically stopped operating and everyone stayed in their homes for months on end. In 2021, with going back to in-person teaching and a little bit of normal life, I brought that challenge down to 300. Then, a personal tragedy in November forced me well off my reading goal, so I *only* read 275 books in 2021. I'm still very pleased with how many books I was able to read. Here's to hopefully getting to 300 in 2022!

​Normally I like to limit my best books to 10, but this year, I just couldn’t bring myself to cut it down!

So that multiple volumes don't clog up this list, I have included all volumes of a series as one item. To be fair to everything I've read this year, I haven't included my personal favorite series that were being re-released this year, such as Fullmetal Alchemist, which received a beautiful hardcover edition, The Fullmetal Edition, or Sailor Moon, which is being republished in a really hefty Eternal Edition. 

by Sara Smith 
​
I attended AASL in October of 2021, and had MANY titles to recommend. In this list, I have combined Elementary (ELEM), Middle School (MS), and High School (HS) recommendations but have notated on the list which would be appropriate for each age group. I also book-talked most of these titles and explained the rationale for each age group rating, so let me know if you have any questions!