I’ve written books for adults and young adults, but during the pandemic, for the first time in my career, I turned to writing middle grade. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I discovered reading and writing books for children at the time when I felt like I had the least amount of control over the world around me. (Not dissimilar to the powerlessness I often felt as a kid.) Reading middle grade as a grown up turned out to be surprisingly healing. It deals with much of the same terrain we find in adult literature, but often with a huge helping of delight and way better fart jokes.
It’s unfortunate that this recommendation (and my favorite book of all time ever in the history of our infinite universe) starts with a disclaimer. This book is problematic. If you read it with a kid (and I suggest you do, because it makes the experience even more delightful if you have the heft of a lovely child in your lap), I suggest skipping some of the language. (Like the Supreme Court says about porn, you’ll know it when you see it.) Still, at a time when the world seems dark and hard, this book is magic for a raw soul. It's about healing in the wake of grief, found family, how sticking our hands in the dirt can bring us back to life.
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett is a magical novel for adults and children alike
'I've stolen a garden,' she said very fast. 'It isn't mine. It isn't anybody's. Nobody wants it, nobody cares for it, nobody ever goes into it. Perhaps everything is dead in it already; I don't know.'
After losing her parents, young Mary Lennox is sent from India to live in her uncle's gloomy mansion on the wild English moors. She is lonely and has no one to play with, but one day she learns of a secret garden somewhere in the grounds that no…
Written in verse, this book is the rare piece of literature that has something to offer every single age group. I can imagine holding a baby and whispering Woodson’s poetry into their open ears. I can picture my own middle grade reader curled up on a couch being transported for the first time by the magic of Woodson’s language. And I remember my first encounter with this book as a grown up, read in a single sitting with a cup of coffee growing cold next to me as I absorbed Woodson’s captivating story. Which is to say, I don’t care how old you are, where you are from, what your own history says about you. I promise you will grow from reading this memoir.
The compelling story of a young Black girl growing up in 1960-70s America - a multi-award winning New York Times bestseller and President Obama's 'O' Book Club pick.
Brown Girl Dreaming is the unforgettable story of Jacqueline Woodson's childhood, told in vivid and accessible blank verse. She shares what it was like to grow up as an African-American in the wake of the Civil Rights movement, never truly feeling at home, and discovering the first sparks of an incredible, lifelong gift for writing. It's packed with wonderful reflections on family and on place, in a way that will appeal to…
Nothing frustrates me more than parents who police their kid’s reading and claim that graphic novels are not “real” books. Although there a million reasons why this argument is bogus (ie, studies that show how graphic novels can expand critical thinking, etc.), the best argument I’ve found to fight this misguided thinking is to hand these parents a book like The Tryout. It’s about growing up Asian American in a small town in Texas, trying to fit in when you feel different than everyone around you, and about finding your voice in ways you didn’t expect. It’s funny and charming and bizarrely suspenseful. Will Christina make the cheerleading squad? Dude, I’m not embarrassed to tell you I was desperate to find out.
A graphic novel about friendship, belonging and feeling comfortable in your own skin! Trying out for middle school cheerleader means: performing in the giant school gym, with the whole school watching, and risking total humiliation. If Christina can make it through this, she can make it through anything.
As one of the only Asian American kids in her small Texas town, Christina just wants to fit in. Luckily, her best friend, Megan, who is Iranian American, can totally relate. The two girls have always been inseparable and relish creating elaborate fantasy worlds together.
Do not say I didn’t warn you: this book requires a box of tissues. It’s told from the perspective of a gorilla named Ivan, who is stuck in a glass enclosure in a shopping mall. Stay with me on this; I can feel you doubting me. When Ivan befriends a baby elephant named Ruby, who is taken from the wild, he begins to see his circumstances in a whole new way, and discovers that art might be a ticket to freedom. Okay, I know what you are thinking: I am a grown up. I do not read books told from the perspective of gorillas, nor do I read the book equivalent of cute YouTube videos of weird animal friendships. All I can say is: trust me. It’s brilliant.
Inspired by a true story, this is the beautifully written tale of how a mighty gorilla wins his freedom. A winning blend of humour and poignancy that will appeal to fans of Michael Morpurgo.
This #1 New York Times bestselling and Newbery Award-winning novel is coming to the big screen this summer, with a star-studded cast including Sam Rockwell, Angelina Jolie, Danny DeVito, Helen Mirren, Bryan Cranston, and more!
Ivan is an easy-going gorilla who has spent his life performing for the crowds at the Exit 8 shopping mall. He rarely misses…
I’m willing to bet that if you’ve made it this far into my list, you’ve already read Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. But if you read this book as a kid, I’m here to tell you it doesn’t count. Please read it again. The book may not 100% hold up (nothing does). Still, I spent one of my favorite afternoons recently rereading this classic, and realizing how much I missed when I read it the first time as a twelve-year-old desperately wishing for my period to finally arrive. It’s a portrait of a family, of what it’s like to feel your body changing without your permission, of worrying about not keeping up. Basically, it’s as relevant to me now at 45 as it was at 12.
Meet Margaret. She's going through all the same things most teenage girls have to face; fitting in, friendship and first bras.
Life isn't easy for Margaret. She's moved away from her childhood home, she's starting a new school, finding new friends - and she's convinced she's not normal. For a start she hasn't got a clue whether she wants to be Jewish like her father or Christian like her mother. Everyone else seems really sure of who they are. And, worst of all, she's a 'late developer'. She just knows that all her friends…
When Sky Patel-Baum is sent to live with her mysterious uncle, she didn’t imagine she’d end up here: Area 51. A top-secret military base so classified not even the president knows its secrets.Also, it turns out the place is full of aliens. Lots and lots of aliens.
As Sky sets out to explore her extraordinary new home with her pet hedgehog Spike, she meets her next-door neighbor Elvis and his fluffy pup, Pickles. But something mysterious is afoot in Area 51. Some of the aliens have gone missing. Where could they be? Why does the macaroni and cheese at Area 51 Middle have eyeballs in it? New best friends Sky, Elvis, Spike, and Pickles try to crack the case, but the clock is ticking…
