When it comes to marking the middle of the year, I love finding little ways to honor that perfect halfway point. In most years, July 2nd lands right at the center — with 182 days behind us and 182 still to go (in leap years, it’s just a smidge off, with both July 1st and 2nd sharing that spotlight, but close enough for cake and reflection!). It’s a lovely moment to pause, reset, and celebrate (especially if you’re someone who happens to have a birthday on that very date — just saying! 😉). It’s the perfect time to honor all things middle — and what better way to do that than with a stack of books with “middle” in the title?

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For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday freebie theme, and kicking off July’s UBC challenge.

10 Great Books with “Middle” in the Title (or “Center”!)

Picture Books

• Bunny in the Middle by Anika A. Denise, illustrated by Christopher Denise. This one is a hug of a book!! It is a gentle, affirming celebration of what it means to be the middle one — not the oldest, not the baby, but perfectly placed in between.
• In the Middle of the Night: Poems from a Wide-Awake House by Laura Purdie Salas, illustrated by Angela Matteson. Laura Purdie Salas is one of my go-to authors and like the rest of her books, I love this one too! It is full of fun and whimsical poems that bring everyday nighttime objects to life, making bedtime a little more magical.
• The One in the Middle Is the Green Kangaroo by Judy Blume and illustrated by Debbie Ohi. What can I say? It is Judy Blume after all, and she says it all perfectly in this sweet early chapter book about middle child Freddy, who feels overlooked — until a chance to shine comes along.

Middle Grade and YA

• Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne. I have said it many times before – Jules Verne was and remains one of my favorite scifi writers. He was certainly the first! And I recall reading this one ages ago. It is a classic adventure tale that still thrills readers of all ages with its daring underground journey.
• Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson & Chris Tebbetts. One I got for my son when we was going to start middle-school, this one is a hilarious, heartfelt look at surviving the awkward middle school years — perfect for middle graders and anyone who remembers them!
• The Middle of Somewhere by J.B. Cheaney. A thoughtful road-trip story about family, friendship, and finding your place in the world.
• Middle School’s a Drag, You Better Werk! by Greg Howard. While I have not read this book yet, what I have heard of it and seen ensure its space on my TBR. A bold, funny tale celebrating identity and confidence — middle school has never been this fabulous.
• Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere by Julie T. Lamana. Yet another on my TBR. When Hurricane Katrina hits, Armani’s world turns upside down. This emotional, fast-paced middle grade novel captures the power of family, resilience, and hope in the midst of chaos.

Adult Fiction & Nonfiction

• At the Center of All Beauty: Solitude and the Creative Life by Fenton Johnson is now on my TBR as well. And based on the description, it is a beautiful, reflective meditation on solitude as a wellspring of creativity and peace — perfect for grown-up readers looking for inspiratio
• The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan. I started reading this a few years ago but had to put it aside. Now I am ready to read it. It is a moving, funny, and heartfelt memoir about navigating life’s in-between moments—between childhood and parenthood, illness and recovery, and being someone’s daughter and someone’s mom.

And Now, the End of This Post

So dear reader, whether you’re celebrating the middle of the year, embracing your role as a middle child, or simply stuck in the middle of a really great book — you already know that there’s plenty of magic, mischief, and meaning to be found in the in-between. And these books with “middle” in the titles prove it as well!

What “middle” book would you add to this list? And which of these would you pick to read first? Let me know in the comments — I’d love to meet you in the middle!