Hey, all! I honestly couldn’t be more excited to share with you a wonderful campaign effort, #MGGetsReal, in which five amazing authors have worked tirelessly to spotlight middle-grade books with tough topics, in hopes that kids who face real issues such as these will be able to see themselves within the pages of a book.
As a personal example, I’ll tell you, I was diagnosed with a hearing loss as a teen. I tried desperately to hide from it and pretend it wasn’t true. I felt ashamed and insecure. I wish more than anything that I could have met another kid like me, or even read about one. It might have kept me from losing so much of my confidence. And yet, I didn’t discover a book with a character like me until CeCe Bell wrote El Deafo. By then, I was an adult with my own family and had burned a lot of bridges along the way because people simply confused my lack of being able to hear them with me being a snob. I should have admitted my problem. I should have been honest. I shouldn’t have been ashamed. But I was.
It’s no surprise then, that this initiative is near and dear to me. I hope you’ll use the extensive list below to discover a book in which you too can see yourself or a child can see themselves. Please feel free to use the comment section below to recommend books for this ongoing list. And/or use the comments to tell us the happiness you may have witnessed when a kid was able to really connect with a book.
Huge shout out to the founding #MGGetsReal girls: Shannon Wiersbitzky (What Flowers Remember, Namelos, 2014; The Summer of Hammers and Angels, Namelos, 2011), Shannon Hitchcock (Ruby Lee and Me, Scholastic, 2016; The Ballad of Jessie Pearl, Namelos, 2013), Joyce Moyer Hostetter (Blue, Boyds Mills Press, 2006; Comfort, Boyds Mills Press, 2009; Aim, Boyds Mills Press, 2016), and Kathleen Burkinshaw (The Last Cherry Blossom, SkyPony Press, 2016) and myself, (Just a Drop of Water, SkyPony Press, 2014).
**Note: Most of the titles below could fit into multiple categories on this list.
Abandonment:
Survival Strategies of the Almost Brave, by Jen White
The Higher Power of Lucky, by Susan Patron
Empty Places, by Kathy Cannon Wiechman
Hugging the Rock, by Susan Taylor Brown
Billy Creekmore, by Tracey Porter
Love, Aubrey, by Suzanne LaFleur
Snakes and Stones, by Lisa Fowler
Gertie’s Leap to Greatness, by Kate Beasley
The Crystal Ribbon, by Celeste Lim
Abuse (Verbal and physical):
Call Me Hope, by Gretchen Olsen
The War that Saved My Life, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (disability)
We Want You to Know (Nonfiction), by Deborah Ellis
True (…Sort Of), by Katherine Hannigan
The Missing Pieces of Me, by Jean Van Leeuwen
Okay for Now, by Gary D. Schmidt
Jasper and the Riddle of Ripley’s Mine, by Caroline Starr Rose
What Jamie Saw, by Carolyn Coman
ADD/ADHD:
This is Not the Abby Show, by Debbie Reed Fischer (ADHD)
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, by Jack Gantos (ADD, verbal abuse, parental abandonment)
Eliza Bing is (Not) a Big Fat Quitter, by Carmella Van Vleet (ADHD)
Cory Stories, by Jeanne Kraus (ADHD)
The Someday Birds, by Sally J. Pla (Autism)
Bounders (Series), by Monica Tesler (Autism)
Adoption/Foster Care:
One for the Murphys, by Lynda Mullaly Hunt (abuse)
Everything on a Waffle, by Polly Horvath
Greenglass House, by Kate Millford
Half a World Away, by Cynthia Kadohata
Dara Palmer’s Major Drama, by Emma Shevah
Pictures of Hollis Woods, by Patricia Reilly Giff (Alzheimers)
Hold Fast, by Blue Balliett
A Tangle of Knots, by Lisa Graff
When Friendship Followed Me Home, by Paul Griffin (bullying, abuse, cancer, death)
The Pinballs, by Betsy Byars
The Eighth Day, by Dianne K. Salerni
Peas and Carrots, by Tanita S. Davis
Waiting to Forget, by Sheila Kelly Welch
Alcohol and Drugs:
The Seventh Wish, by Kate Messner
Rules for Stealing Stars, by Corey Ann Haydu
Sunny Side Up, by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm
Sparrow Road, by Sheila O’Connor
Moon Pie, by Simon Mason
Alzheimers/Dementia:
What Flowers Remember, by Shannon Wiersbitzky
Hour of the Bees, by Lindsay Eagar
Trudy, by Jessica Lee Anderson
Half a Chance, by Cynthia Lord
Anxiety:
The Nest, by Kenneth Oppel
The World From Up Here, by Cecilia Galante
The Liberation of Gabriel King, by KL Going
The It Girl, by Katy Birchall
Autism/Asperger’s:
The Reinvention of Edison Thomas, by Jacqueline Houtman
Rogue, by Lyn Miller-Lachmann
Mockingbird, by Kathryn Erskine
Rules, by Cynthia Lord
Anything but Typical, by Nora Raleigh Baskin
Marcelo in the Real World, by Francisco X. Stork
Rain Reign, by Ann M. Martin
A Boy Called Bat, by Elana K. Arnold
Blended Families:
The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher, by Dana Alison Levy
The Family Under the Bridge, by Natalie Savage Carlson
Kinda Like Brothers, by Coe Booth
My So Called Family, by Courtney Sheinmel
The Lotterys Plus One by Emma Donoghue (Lesbian/gay, multicultural, dementia, adoption)
Body Image:
The Second Life of Abigail Walker, by Frances O’Roark Dowell
N.E.R.D.S. series, by Michael Buckley
Fat Camp Commandos, by Daniel Pinkwater
Slob, by Ellen Potter
Still a Work in Progress, by Jo Knowles (sibling eating disorder)
Bullying:
The Girl in the Well is Me, by Karen Rivers
Wolf Hollow, by Lauren Wolk
Larger-Than-Life Lara, by Dandi Daley Mackall
The Hundred Dresses, Eleanor Estes
Poison Ivy, by Amy Goldman Koss
Dinosaur Boy, by Cory Putman Oakes
Fetching, by Kiera Stewart (abandonment, mental illness)
How my Private Journal became a Bestseller, by Julia DeVillers (self-acceptance)
Civil Rights/Integration:
Ruby Lee & Me, by Shannon Hitchock
Glory Be, by Augusta Scattergood
The Lions of Little Rock, by Kristin Levine
Jericho Walls, by Kristi Collier
The Watsons Go to Birmingham, by Christopher Paul Curtis
Yankee Girl, by Mary Ann Rodman
The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary, by Laura Shovan
Things Too Huge to Fix by Saying Sorry, by Susan Vaught (Alzheimer’s, death)
Yard War, by Taylor Kitchings
Deaf/hearing loss:
Waiting for a Sign, by Esty Schachter
El Deafo, by CeCe Bell
Hurt Go Happy, by Ginny Rorby
Deaf Child Crossing, by Marlee Matlin
Death of a parent:
Eight Keys, by Suzanne LaFleur
Counting by 7s, by Holly Goldberg Sloan
The Secret Hum of a Daisy, by Tracy Holczer
What I Came to Tell You, by Tommy Hays
The Haunted House Project, by Tricia Clasen
Wild Things, by Clay Carmichael
Aim, by Joyce Moyer Hostetter
Be Light Like a Bird, by Monika Schroder (bullying)
What Happened on Fox Street, by Tricia Springstubb
Dear Poppy, by Ronni Arno
Death of a sibling:
The Only Game, by Mike Lupica
After Eli, by Rebecca Rupp
See You at Harry’s, by Jo Knowles
Kira-Kira, by Cynthia Kadohata
A Summer to Die, by Lois Lowry
The Distance to Home, by Jen Bishop
Fig Pudding, by Ralph Fletcher
Death of a Grandparent:
Genuine Sweet, by Faith Harkey
The First Last Day, by Dorian Cirrone
Sun and Spoon, by Kevin Henkes
Vilonia BeeBe Takes Charge, by Kristin L. Gray
Death of a pet:
Seven Days to Goodbye, by Sheri S. Levy
Maxi’s Secret, by Lynn Plourde (bullying, finding your place in the world, blindness)
Depression and Mental Illness:
Small as an Elephant, by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
Courage for Beginners, by Karen Harrington
Some Kind of Happiness, by Claire Legrand
Watch the Sky, by Kristen Hubbard
Footer Davis Probably is Crazy, by Susan Vaught
Chasing the Milky Way, by Erin E. Moulton
Discrimination & prejudices (religious, ethnic, etc.):
Just a Drop of Water, by Kerry O’Malley Cerra (bullying, social justice)
My Mixed-Up Berry Blue Summer, by Jennifer Gennari
The Sound of Life and Everything, by Krista VanDolzer
The Other Half of My Heart, by Sundee T. Frazier
Something About America, by Maria Testa
Unidentified Suburban Object, by Mike Jung
It Ain’t so Awful, Falafel, by Firoozeh Dumas
Every Single Second, by Tricia Springstubb
Blue Birds, by Caroline Starr Rose
Paper Wishes, by Lois Sepahban
Divorce:
Bigger Than a Bread Box, by Laurel Snyder
So Totally Emily Ebers, by Lisa Yee
Dear Mr. Henshaw, by Beverly Cleary
Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen
Dear George Clooney Please Marry My Mom, by Susin Nielsen
Dyslexia/other learning diabilites:
Fish in a Tree, by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
May B, by Caroline Starr Rose
The Hank Zipper series, by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Percy Jackson series, by Rick Riordan
Waiting for Normal, by Leslie Connor
The Wild Book, by Margarita Engle
The Absolute Value of Mike, by Kathryn Erskine
Ethnicity:
Blackbird Fly, by Erin Entrada Kelly
The Warriors, by Joseph Bruchac
Brown Girl Dreaming, by Jacqueline Woodson
The Road to Paris, by Nikki Grimes
The Whole Story of Half a Girl, by Veera Hiranandani
The Year of the Dog, by Grace Lin
Soldier Sister, Fly Home by Nancy Bo Flood (war trauma, finding your place)
The Garden of My Imaan by Farhana Zia
Eyesight/Blindness:
A Blind Guide to Stinksville, by Beth Vrabel (Albinism)
A Blind Guide to Normal, by Beth Vrabel
Granny Torrelli Makes Soup, by Sharon Creech
Feeling like you’re a bad friend:
Extraordinary, by Miriam Spitzer Franklin
Summer of the Gypsy Moths, by Sara Pennypacker
Finding your Place in the World:
Nowhere Girl, by A. J. Paquette (incarceration, drugs)
Counting Thyme, by Melanie Conklin
Frazzled, by Booki Vivat (neurosis, self-doubt)
The Charming Life of Izzy Malone, by Jenny Lundquist
The Looney Experiment, by Luke Reynolds
Following your dreams despite odds:
I am Drums, by Mike Grosso
The Ballad of Jessie Pearl, by Shannon Hitchock
The Dreamer, by Pam Munoz Ryan
The Red Pencil, by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Out of Tune, by Gail Nall
Gifted:
Nerd Camp, by Elissa Elissa Brent Weissman
Millicent Min, Girl Genius, by Lisa Yee
Solving Zoe, by Barbara Dee
Nick and Tesla’s High-Voltage Danger Lab, by Bob Pflugfelder
Homelessness:
How to Steal a Dog, by Barbara O’Connor
Homecoming, by Cynthia Voight
Death by Toilette Paper, by Donna Gephart
Paper Things, by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
Heck Superhero, by Martine Leavitt (abandonment, mental illness, suicide)
Illness:
The Honest Truth, by Dan Gemeinhart (terminal cancer)
Swing Sideways, by Nanci Turner Steveson (terminal cancer)
Blue, by Joyce Moyer Hostetter (polio, racial tenstion)
Out of My Mind, by Sharon M. Draper (cerebral palsy)
Reaching for Sun, by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer (cerebral palsy)
Immigration:
Home of the Brave, by Katherine Applegate
The Red Umbrella, by Christina Diaz Gonzalez
Inside Out and Back Again, by Thanhha Lai
A Step from Heaven, by An Na
Skating with the Statue of Liberty, by Susan Lynn Meyer
Kiki and Jacques, by Susan Ross
Enchanted Air, by Margarita Engle
Incarceration:
Mountain Dog, by Margarita Engle
Harry Sue, by Sue Stauffacher
Ruby on the Outside, by Nora Raleigh Baskin
All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook, by Leslie Connor
LGBTQ:
Five, Six, Seven, Nate, by Tim Federle
Lily and Dunkin, by Donna Gephart (transgender, bi-polar disorder)
Gracefully, Grayson, by Ami Polonsky
George, by Alex Gino
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD):
Finding Perfect, by Elly Swartz
The Goldfish Boy, by Lisa Thompson
Parental/Family Separation:
Operation Pucker Up, by Rachel Alpine
Motley Education, by SA Larsen
Forest World, by Margarita Engle (immigration)
Physical disability/disfiguration:
Wonder, by R.J. Palacio
After Ever After, by Jordan Sonnenblick
Freak the Mighty, by Rodman Philbrick
Fire Girl, by Tony Abbott
Soar, by Joan Bauer (heart issues, abandonment, adoption, death in the community)
Moonpenny Island, by Tricia Springstubb
Braced, by Alyson Gerber (scoliosis)
Poverty:
The Last Great Adventure of the PB&J Society, by Janet Sumner Johnson
The Summer of Hammers and Angels, by Shannon Wiersbitzky
Boys Without Names, by Kashmira Sheth (homelessness)
Money Hungry by Sharon G Flake (homelessness, anxiety)
Self-Doubt:
The Sweetest Sound, by Sherri Winston
Absolutely Almost, by Lisa Graff
The Paperboy, by Vince Vawter
Sibling Rivalry/Relationships:
The Lemonade War, by Jacqueline Davies
Rules for Ghosting, by A.J. Paquette
Stepfamilies:
A Smidgen of Sky, by Dianna Dorisi Winget
The Thing About Leftovers, by C.C. Payne
Two Naomi’s by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich and Audrey Vernick
Lexie, by Audrey Couloumbis
Suicide:
My Brother’s Shadow, by Tom Avery
Nest, by Esther Ehrlich
Avenging the Owl, by Melissa Hart
Wish Girl, by Nikki Loftin
Survivor’s guilt:
On My Honor, by Marion Dane Bauer
The Thing About Jellyfish, by Ali Benjamin
Lost in the Sun, by Lisa Graff
Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
The Ethan I was Before, by Ali Standish
Wanting to fit in:
The Normal Kid, by Elizabeth Holmes
Sticks and Stones, by Abby Cooper
Schooled, by Gordon Korman
Ruby Reinvented, by Roni Arno
War Trauma:
The Last Cherry Blossom, by Kathleen Burkinshaw
All the Broken Pieces, by Ann E. Burg
Comfort, by Joyce Moyer Hostetter (illness, PTSD)
Pax, by Sara Pennypacker
Odin’s Promise, by Sandy Brehl (Death of a pet)
I saw this thread on Melanie Conklin’s twitter feed and have to say this is an excellent list! I’ve been doing a lot (A LOT) of reading in the MG realm about human rights-type topics, so I’d love to suggest a few other books that might fit your list well (some are classics and some are recent):
WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS by Wilson Rawls
– Death of a pet
SKELLIG by David Almond
– Illness
NOWHERE BOY by Katherine Marsh
– Discrimination & prejudices (religious, ethnic, etc.)
– Survivor’s guilt
– War Trauma
THE INFINITE LIVES OF MAISIE DAY by Christopher Edge
– Death of a sibling
– Sibling Rivalry/Relationships
WONDERSTRUCK by Brian Selznick
– Deaf/hearing loss
SHOOTING KABUL by N. H. Senzai
– Finding your Place in the World
– Immigration
– War Trauma
GHOST BOYS by Jewell Parker Rhodes
– Discrimination & prejudices (religious, ethnic, etc.)
MUSTACHES FOR MADDIE by Chad Morris
– Illness
RUNNING ON THE ROOF OF THE WORLD by Jess Butterworth
– Parental/Family Separation
– War Trauma
THE EXPLORER by Katherine Rundell
– Finding your Place in the World
THE HOUSE OF SIXTY FATHERS by Meindert DeJong
– Parental/Family Separation
– War Trauma
THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND by Elizabeth George Speare
– Finding your Place in the World
WISHTREE by Katherine Applegate
– Discrimination & prejudices (religious, ethnic, etc.)
AMAL UNBOUND by Aisha Saeed
– Abuse
– Parental/Family Separation
THINGS THAT SURPRISE YOU by Jennifer Maschari
– Depression and Mental Illness
– Sibling Rivalry/Relationships
LUCKY BROKEN GIRL by Ruth Behar
– Illness
– Following your dreams despite odds
THE SONG FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE by A. F. Harrold
– Finding your Place in the World
THE NIGHT DIARY by Veera Hiranandani
– War Trauma
THE GREAT GILLY HOPKINS by Katherine Peterson
– Abandonment
– Adoption/Foster Care
STORMY SEAS by Mary Beth Leatherdale
– War Trauma
THE HOUSE THAT LOU BUILT by Mae Respicio
– Death of a parent
NIGHT SHIFT by Debi Gliori
– Depression and Mental Illness
WHERE THE WATERMELONS GROW by Cindy Baldwin
– Depression and Mental Illness
THE MANY WORLDS OF ALBIE BRIGHT by Christopher Edge
– Death of a parent
LITTLE BRITCHES by Ralph Moody
– Death of a parent
SIDETRACKED by Diana Harmon Asher
– ADD/ADHD
A LONG WALK TO WATER by Linda Sue Park
– War Trauma
And here are some I haven’t read personally (yet) but have heard promsing things about:
THE BOY AT THE BACK OF THE CLASS by Onjali Q. Rauf
THE ONLY ROAD by Alexandra Diaz
THE TURTLE OF OMAN by Naomi Shihab Nye
THE DOLLAR KIDS by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
EARTH TO DAD by Krista Van Dolzer
THE SOUND OF FREEDOM by Kathy Kacer
OTHER WORDS FOR HOME by Jasmine Warga
THE SKY AT OUR FEET by Nadia Hashimi
FRONT DESK by Kelly Yang
ONE SHADOW ON THE WALL by Leah Henderson
AMINA’S VOICE by Hena Khan
And, last, if I may be so bold to suggest my debut? THE ELEVENTH TRADE would fit well under War Trauma.
Thank you for compiling this list! It rocks!
Alyssa, this is fantastic. I’ll be checking each one out and see which fit the list. We strive to make sure the book’s MC is the one dealing with the situation/issue and not a secondary character–otherwise the list would be way too long. I hope to be able to update it in January.
Huge congratulations on your debut. I’ll be sure to read it!
Hello!
I realize this is an old thread, but it appears to be open, so I’m sending a few remarks. First, I’m happy to see my novel, Waiting to Forget, included in the list of books about adoption and foster care. I’ve only had a few adult readers who have felt the book was depressing, which — I’m guessing — means “too” realistic. Some adults are hoping to protect children from the harsh aspects of the real world. But children who’ve never been exposed to adversity might become more empathetic through reading about characters with problems in their lives. On the other hand, here’s a quote that I think states the case for middle-grade books to continue to include real issues. Josh Westbrook, a librarian says, “Kids are living stories every day that we wouldn’t let them read.”
An excellent list – well done. I’d like to suggest “Save me a seat” By Sarah Weeks & Gita Varadarajan on the theme of relocation, culture and bullying
Thanks for the suggestions. I’ll certainly add them when I update the list again…hopefully very soon.
Hi, Kerry. An amazing book just came out yesterday about a child with Tourettes which touches on OCD and anxiety, as well as moving, inattentive parenting, bullying and friendship. It’s called FORGET ME NOT, written by Ellie Terry and it’s beautiful. It would be a great addition to your list.
Thank you for including Snakes and Stones in your list. It’s quite an honor to be “lumped in” with such a great group of middle grade books and extremely talented authors.
SUMMERLOST by Allie Condie could be added to this list as it powerfully talks about the death of a parent and death of a sibling.
Thank you for sharing this incredibly important resource guide. I am grateful and honored that my story, Finding Perfect, was included in the list. While my book doesn’t officially come out until Oct. 18, there were many who read the arc and shared that they wished this story or similar stories had been around when they or their kids were younger as they had OCD and felt very isolated from their peers. Any time a child can see themselves on the page, they are one step closer to feeling connected. Thank you!