Katherine Patterson wrote Bridge to Teribithia. She recommends the following book for Middle grades.

Ghost by Jason Reynolds
Everything Jason writes seems to turn to gold, but I truly love this book about a young boy who, with help from caring friends and adults, turns running from an abusive father into a race toward a good life. It’s a sports story, but it’s also much, much more.

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
While on the subject of sports stories that are much, much more, I can’t leave the subject without mentioning Kwame Alexander’s The Crossover. I have a suspicion that nearly every middle school boy in America has already read it and discovered, perhaps to their horrified amazement, that they were sneakily lured into a love of poetry when they thought they were just reading a basketball story.

Ramie Nightengale by Katie DiCamilla
I don’t have to tell anyone that Kate DiCamillo is a wonderful writer, and I could easily just say, “Read anything she writes.” But I will put in a plug for her latest novel, Raymie Nightingale. It made me laugh a lot, but in the end I was laughing through my tears — my favorite sort of reading experience.