Fans pick 87 books like How to Survive Middle School

This is the middle-grade novel that I so wish I had written. Kate DiCamillo is the best kids’ author writing today, and I devour everything she writes. She really gets kids, and Winn Dixie is my favorite dog in books.

The story of ten-year-old Opal and her found dog, Winn Dixie, makes me laugh, want to snuggle my dog, cry and reach out to hug motherless Opal every time I read it (usually once a year). I love the remarkably imperfect people Opal and her dog befriend, and the language is rich and authentic to the story. This is an unforgettable story about making a home for yourself against the odds.

I love this book because it has a very real, gritty feel; I got to walk alongside Parvana and her friends as they dealt with the trauma of the war in Afghanistan. Parvana is a fiercely strong, resilient, and determined 11-year-old girl. Masquerading as a boy, she becomes caregiver to two other children as she journeys amidst the dropping bombs to find her family.

This is the middle book in the Breadwinner trilogy, and I’ve read them all more than once. I so admire the author, Deborah Ellis (a fellow Canadian), who was inspired to write the books after volunteering in an Afghani refugee camp in Pakistan. She has donated millions of dollars in royalties to non-profits supporting women in Afghanistan. Fourteen-year-old me would have loved to read the Parvana books when I was a kid, struggling to broaden my understanding of the world. 

After I read this book, #1 in a trilogy, I wrote to the author (something I rarely do), enthusing about how much I loved almost-orphan Lucky and her inspiring, tragic, hopeful, and heartwarming story. Ten-year-old Lucky’s greatest fear is that she’ll end up in an orphanage following the death of her mother, leaving Lucky to be raised by her absentee father’s ex-wife, Brigitte.

I was drawn into the lives of each of the splendidly flawed, quirky, and very real people in Lucky’s life, but it’s Lucky herself who I fell in love with because she’s so believably innocent and imperfect, working hard, with the support of her friends of all ages, to find her way in her tiny world of Hardpan, population 43.

I love this book because it’s a beautifully written, tough story of finding friendship amidst chaotic loss. It takes place near the ocean in 1972, the year I was also 12 and living near the beach, so I related to Chirp immediately upon meeting her. I got to know her very well in the pages of this book as she struggles to deal with her mother’s illness(es).

She’s an ordinary girl facing extraordinary pain and confusion, and the author beautifully guides readers through her story, through its turbulence and quiet spells, inserting spot-on bits of humor right.

I love the way this book turns the fallen angel genre on its head. It is a fun, darker paranormal read with a sweet, hopeless romance thrown in.

The characters are well-written, the pacing is perfect, and the ending makes me download the next book immediately. As a fun, light, high school-type read, this one sweeps the category.

I will never get sick of hearing people’s roller derby names. I absolutely flew through this book. I mean, as sports go, roller derby has gotta be one of the coolest! The first in this series follows Dynamic Duo Kenzie (aka Kenzilla) and Shelly (aka Bomb Shell) as they round out their derby team. They both have big expectations for how everything will come together, but, of course, getting more girls involved in a duo leads to new, thorny dynamics.

I particularly love the ensemble cast of this book as it builds for the series to follow. Derby Daredevils also comes with a lot of great interior illustrations throughout the story—it’s not quite a graphic novel, but it scratches that itch. 

I wish I was a bug so I could live in this world. Knetzger’s book is a gorgeously illustrated graphic chapter book that clearly loves the natural world and refuses to talk down to young readers. The bugs in question are beautifully drawn, cartoony versions of themselves—Rhino-B and Stag-B live in a colorful world filled with both realistic bug facts and a quietly fantastic reality where different bugs coexist harmoniously.

A case in point: the boys regularly visit their friend and librarian, Dome Spider, who often makes comments about eating "meat" but never actually tries to eat the pair. The stakes in their world are not quite naturally realistic, but the emotions are always resonant. The boys experience a range of days—beautiful ones, sad ones, days they fight, and everything in between.

I’d love to give this book to an early reader to teach them that empathy should extend to… show more.

I was not prepared for the feelings that came up with this book! It is so well written that I actually felt the desperate situation of the main character, teenager Lucille, as she’s forced into the responsibilities of an adult. But her hope and perseverance are inspiring. 

This story made me think about the dire situation that many young people find themselves in. It broke my heart to go on this journey with the characters, but it was worth it! I loved the payoff at the end. It was such a great reminder that love changes everything and that life can take you by surprise in good ways, too. It's one of my favorite reads!

I really enjoyed this fast-paced story, which features the perfect combination of relatable, everyday themes and a magical twist. I had fun watching the suspense build as Emma uses her secret powers to try to keep her best friend from having to move away.

Things quickly spiral out of control—and Emma ends up having to reveal more secrets than she planned. The story cleverly explores the experience of feeling different from everyone around you, whether that’s being a young girl with a crush on another girl, or an adoptee who doesn’t look like their parents, or secretly being a witch. While Emma wrestles with all of this, the story doesn’t lose its lighthearted feeling.

There are too many children out there who feel lonely and isolated – just like the character in my book. These kids want to be included but are just too shy to step forward, so they often get left out. I chose this book because of the sweet story that demonstrates how one person can change another person’s life with an act of kindness. I also periodically check Amazon’s top 100 Children’s Books on Bullying to see what I want to read (which is where I found this book) and it is currently #1.