RecommendedReads: JFiction:RealisticFiction
KareemBetween ShifaSaltagiSafadi
JSAFA
, S
From failed football tryouts to helping the new Syrian refugee student, Kareem attempts to navigate the social complexities of seventh grade, which are further complicated when his mother is unable to return home from Syria due to an executive order.
SouthofSomewhere KalenaMiller
JMILL, K
When FBI agents swarm Mavis Callahan's downtown Chicago home, her mom goes on the run. With the family's house and bank accounts seized, Mavis's dad takes her and her siblings to seek refuge with his sister just south of rural Somewhere, Illinois.
TheTenthMistakeofHankHooperman GenniferCholdenko
JCHOL, G
When Hank's mother does not come home after a week, he and his toddler sister seek out the stranger listed as their emergency contact, even though it means social workers, a new school, and having to answer questions about his mom that he has been trying to keep secret.
TheShapeofLostThings SarahEverett
JEVER, S
A heartfelt exploration of family and change as twelveyear-old Skye reunites with her older brother, Finn, after he spent four years on the run with their father.
Unstuck BarbaraDee
JDEE, B
Twelve-year-old Lyla sets out to write the perfect fantasy novel in her creative writing class, but discovers some unexpected twists and turns, both on and off the page.
BetweenTwoBrothers CrystalAllen
JALLE, C
Isaiah "Ice" Abernathy has always worshiped his older brother and best friend, Seth. But after a fight, Ice finds out Seth has been in a serious accident that he may never recover from. Racked by fear and guilt, Ice chooses to step up, defy the experts, and help Seth recover by trusting in their bond and the undying love between two brothers.
WithTwicetheLow,DessieMei JustinaChen
JCHEN, J
On Dessie’s first day of 6th grade, she meets Donna, who looks exactly like her. A secret DNA test reveals the shocking truth that they are identical twins, adopted from the same orphanage in China, then separated into two different families: one white, the other Taiwanese American.
CarterAvery’sTrickyFourth-GradeYear RobBuyea
JBUYE
, R
Carter Avery, initially dreads his new teacher Ms. Krane, but he quickly discovers she can channel his restlessness, so when he learns of efforts to replace her, he embarks on a mission to save her job.
MalloryinFullColor ElisaStoneLeahy
JLEAH, E
A funny, poignant middle grade novel about a tween who navigates questions of identity and friendship when her anonymous web comic goes viral, from the acclaimed author of Tethered to Other Stars.
ThePartitionProject SaadiaFarqui
JFARQ
, S
When her grandmother comes to live with her, Pakistani American Maha decides to document Dadi's experience of the Partition of India and Pakistan for her journalism project.
Jamie L.D.Lapinksi
JLAPI, L
Jamie is a happy 11-year-old non-binary kid who loves hanging out with their two best friends. But when the trio find out that in Year Seven they will be separated into one school for boys and another for girls, their friendship suddenly seems at risk.
TheTruthAboutTriangles
MichaelLeali
JLEAL, M
A heartfelt contemporary middle grade novel following Luca Salvatore, a young gay Italian American trying to save his family's pizza restaurant and a life that feels like it's falling apart after he learns that his parents may be separating and his first crush and best friend might be into each other.
Mid-Air
AliciaD.Williams
JWILL, A
Thirteen-year-old Isaiah grapples with the loss of his best friend as he strives to fit into a world that expects him to toughen up, which leads him on a exploration of identity and vulnerability.
SummeratSquee AndreaWang
JWANG, A
A new middle grade novel about a Chinese American tween who attends a Boston-based Chinese cultural overnight camp—and the many ways it transforms her.
SingItLikeCelia MónicaMancillas
JMANC, M
After her mother's sudden departure, twelve-year-old Salva Sanchez adjusts to her new life in an RV campground with her father, and finds her voice through new friendships and a love for Celia Cruz, the 'queen of salsa’.