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)