Teachers are usually avid readers, but the pressures of the school year often prevent the sort of thoughtful professional development that a good book can provide. That's why a summer reading list is such a great option, to refresh and renew the scientist within. At the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), a group of teachers works all year to sort through publications for teachers and students. In the past five years, the Recommends review team has examined over 6,000 publications, and has entered summaries of almost 3,000 great choices into a searchable database. This spring that team got together to brainstorm a list of summer reading suggestions for middle school teachers. These suggestions are discussed in this article.