Diverse Voices (Middle Grade)

This study guide collection celebrates diverse voices with books appropriate for middle-grade readers that explore overcoming adversity related to racial intolerance, financial hardship, physical disabilities, neurodivergence, and more.

Front Desk

by Kelly Yang

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

Tags Chinese Literature, Asian Literature, Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction

Front Desk is the debut novel of Asian-American author Kelly Yang. First published in 2018, the children’s book became a New York Times bestseller and was mentioned on multiple Best Books of the Year lists including NPR, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, the Washington Post, Amazon, School Library Journal, the New York Public Library, and the Chicago Public Library. Front Desk also made ALA’s Booklist of the Top Ten Debut Novels of 2018. It won the 2019... Read Front Desk Summary

Harbor me

by Jacqueline Woodson

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Music, Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Diversity, Immigration & Refugeeism, Race & Racism, Bullying, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Arts & Culture

Jacqueline Woodson's 2018 middle grade novel, Harbor Me, tracks the bonds of friendship that develop across six fifth-graders when they are given a unique opportunity to get to know each other. Amari, Esteban, Tiago, Ashton, Holly, and Haley Shondell McGrath (the narrator) are students with special learning needs in a Brooklyn school. Each friend has fears and frustrations that they share with each other over the year, and by opening up, they discover a collective... Read Harbor me Summary

Harriet Tubman

by Ann Petry

Publication year 1955

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Religion & Spirituality, Perseverance

Tags Children`s Literature, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction, Biography, US History, Race & Racism, American Civil War, African American Literature, Women`s Studies

Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad is a 1955 biography by American author Ann Petry. This book takes the reader on a journey through Harriet Tubman’s life, from her birth to enslaved parents on a Maryland plantation to her death as a free woman in New York in 1913. Tubman is a well-known figure in American history and is best known for her heroic actions as a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad. After escaping... Read Harriet Tubman Summary

Hush

by Jacqueline Woodson

Publication year 2000

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Perseverance, Justice, Hope, Loneliness, Mental Health, Race, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Realistic Fiction, Race & Racism, Social Justice, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Hush Summary

Inside Out And Back Again

by Thanhha Lai

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Family

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature

The story opens in February 1975. Hà lives with her mother and three older brothers (Brother Quang, Brother Vũ, and Brother Khôi) in Saigon, South Vietnam. Hà knows her father, a naval officer, only through Mother’s stories and memories; he disappeared nine years earlier, a victim of the Communist Army of North Vietnam. Hà learns fractions, practices embroidery, and celebrates the start of the new lunar year on Tết (February 11). As spring and Hà’s... Read Inside Out And Back Again Summary

Kira-Kira

by Cynthia Kadohata

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Grief, Love, Race, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Siblings, Social Class, Economics, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Historical Fiction, Grief & Death, Asian Literature, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, US History, Parenting, Race & Racism, American Literature, Children`s Literature, World History

Cynthia Kadohata’s first novel, Kira-Kira (2004), is a historical coming-of-age novel for middle-grade readers. The novel tells the story of the Japanese American Takeshima family, who live in the Chesterfield, Georgia, in the 1950s. The protagonist and first-person narrator is the younger daughter, Katie. The narrative spans seven years, involving the family’s move from Iowa to the South, where Katie’s parents become workers in the poultry industry. The narrative follows Katie as she awakens to... Read Kira-Kira Summary

Letters from Cuba

by Ruth Behar

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Perseverance, Race, Self Discovery, Immigration, Friendship

Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Latin American Literature, Jewish Literature, Race & Racism, Holocaust, Children`s Literature, Military & War, World History

... Read Letters from Cuba Summary

Lift Every Voice and Sing

by James Weldon Johnson

Publication year 1900

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Grief, Equality, Joy, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Justice, Nation, The Past, Future, Race, Perseverance

Tags Lyric Poem, Inspirational, African American Literature, American Literature, Race & Racism, Religion & Spirituality, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, US History

... Read Lift Every Voice and Sing Summary

Lucky Broken Girl

by Ruth Behar

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Immigration, Beauty, Family

Tags Historical Fiction, Immigration & Refugeeism, Disability, Arts & Culture, American Literature, Children`s Literature, Jewish Literature, Realistic Fiction, World History

Lucky Broken Girl is a middle-grade historical novel by Ruth Behar. Main character Ruthie Mizrahi, an immigrant from Cuba, lives with her parents and brother in 1966 Queens. Together they try to quell their homesickness for Cuba while seeking new opportunities in America. When a car accident injures Ruthie, she becomes bedridden in a full body cast for over a year; during that time, challenges and fears she never anticipated give her a new perspective... Read Lucky Broken Girl Summary

Mañanaland

by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Literature, Grief, Family

Tags Fantasy, Coming of Age, Arts & Culture, Grief & Death, Education, Relationships, American Literature, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Magical Realism, Action & Adventure

... Read Mañanaland Summary

Me and the Mule

by Langston Hughes

Publication year 1959

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Race, Animals, Shame & Pride, Equality, Perseverance

Tags Lyric Poem, Harlem Renaissance, American Literature, African American Literature, Race & Racism, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Social Justice, US History

... Read Me and the Mule Summary

Merci Suárez Changes Gears

by Meg Medina

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Aging, Gender Identity, Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Social Class, Coming of Age, Modern Classic Fiction, Arts & Culture

Merci Suárez Changes Gears (2018), a contemporary middle-grade novel by Meg Medina, centers on a young girl facing major changes to her family dynamics. The book won numerous awards, including the 2019 Newbery Medal. Medina, a founding member of the “We Need Diverse Books” movement, has written many picture books, young adult books, and middle-grade novels about strong girls who overcome adversity and step up to challenges.Plot SummaryEleven-year-old Merci Suárez is the child of Cuban... Read Merci Suárez Changes Gears Summary

Midnight Without a Moon

by Linda Williams Jackson

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Gratitude, Hate & Anger, Hope, Shame & Pride, Race, Beauty, Equality, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Race & Racism, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Children`s Literature, World History, Arts & Culture

... Read Midnight Without a Moon Summary

Money Hungry

by Sharon G. Flake

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Social Class, Friendship, Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Poverty, African American Literature, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Urban Development

Money Hungry is a 2001 middle-grade novel by American author Sharon G. Flake published by Little, Brown and Company. A Coretta Scott King Honor book, Money Hungry is the first book in Flake’s Raspberry Hill series. It explores 13-year-old Raspberry Hill’s hunger for money and the lengths to which she will go to acquire it. Stemming from a period of homelessness in her childhood, Raspberry will do almost anything to earn enough money to move... Read Money Hungry Summary

My Life as a Book

by Janet Tashjian

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Childhood & Youth, Friendship, Fathers, Mothers

Tags Realistic Fiction, Humor, Education, Grief & Death, Parenting, Relationships, Children`s Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction

... Read My Life as a Book Summary

New from Here

by Kelly Yang

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Love, Shame & Pride, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Place, Equality, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Science & Technology, Safety & Danger, Race, Mothers, Siblings, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Friendship, Marriage, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Social Class, Community, Nation, Regret

Tags Race & Racism, Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read New from Here Summary

Ninth Ward

by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Family, Environment

Tags Coming of Age, Relationships, Natural Disaster, African American Literature, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure

Jewell Parker Rhodes’s Ninth Ward is a realistic middle grade novel that follows 12-year-old Lanesha, a resident of New Orleans’s Ninth Ward neighborhood, in the days surrounding Hurricane Katrina, a devastating storm that hit the Gulf Coast in 2005. Lanesha must rely on her resourcefulness, resilience, and fortitude to survive the storm and subsequent flooding of the Ninth Ward. First published in 2010 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, the book earned a School... Read Ninth Ward Summary

Out of My Heart

by Sharon M. Draper

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Joy, Loneliness, Memory, Disability, Coming of Age, Childhood & Youth, Music, Trust & Doubt, Safety & Danger, Art, Animals, Appearance & Reality

Tags Realistic Fiction, Disability, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Out of My Heart Summary

Out of My Mind

by Sharon M. Draper

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Music, Disability

Tags Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Gender & Feminism, Disability, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction

Sharon Draper’s Out of My Mind, based on her own experiences parenting a child with a disability, is a New York Times best-selling novel told from the first-person perspective of 10-year-old Melody Brooks. Melody is a fifth-grade girl who, due to cerebral palsy, is unable to communicate verbally and uses a wheelchair. The challenges and prejudice that Melody encounters provide a more intimate and personal view of the lives of people with disabilities. Atheneum Books... Read Out of My Mind Summary