RECOMMENDEDREADS JFICTION:REALISTICFICTION
J DAY, C
WE STILL BELONG
Christine Day
Wesley's hopeful plans for Indigenous Peoples' Day (and asking her crush to the dance) go all wrong-until she finds herself surrounded by the love of her Indigenous family and community at the intertribal powwow.
J FARU, R
Reem Faruqi CALL ME ADNAN
Twelve-year-old Adnan dreams of making it to the Ultimate Table Tennis championship, but when tragedy strikes his family, Adnan loses his passion for table tennis and must learn to channel his grief and heal.
RUBY LOST AND FOUND J LI, C
Christina Li
This touching middle grade novel maps one girl's quest to remember her grandfather through his scavenger hunts; reconnect with her family; and fight for her community in her rapidly changing hometown.
COOKIE MONSTERS J KEND, E
Erika J. Kendrick
As twelve-year-old Brooklyn goes head-tohead against her rival to win her school's cookie-selling competition, her friends help her cope with the death of her mother and help her try to clinch the Cookie Queen title.
J CHEN, J
Jack Cheng THE MANY MASKS OF ANDY ZHOU
Sixth grader Andy Zhou grapples with fitting in, befriends a bully, drifts apart from his childhood best friend, and gets to know grandparents who have just moved from Shanghai to live with his family.
AMELIA GRAY IS ALMOST OKAY J BROD, J
Jessica Brody
Amelia Gray is used to "life on the go," but when her nomadic father suddenly decides to put down roots in a small northeastern town, she has to figure out who she is "on the stay.
Elisa Stone Leahy TETHERED TO OTHER STARS J LEAH, E
To Wendy Toledo, black holes and immigration police have one thing in common: they can both make things disappear without a trace. When her family moves to a new neighborhood, Wendy knows the plan: keep her head down, build a telescope that will win the science fair, and stay on her family's safe orbit. But that's easier said than done.
AJAY AND THE MUMBAI SUN J SHAH, V
Varsha Shah
Ajay is a Mumbai railway kid, a newspaper seller, but his great dream is to be a journalist. His dream comes true when he and a gang of friends create their own newspaper, but what is the cost of uncovering the truth?
J WINS, S
THE BRAID GIRLS
Sherri Winston
Maggie, her best friend Daija, and her new halfsister Callie team up to create the ultimate hairbraiding business at their summer camp to make money, while competing against a rival business that threatens their plans.
THE MUSEUM OF LOST AND FOUND
Leila Sales
When eleven-year-old Vanessa discovers an abandoned museum, she starts filling it with her own projects and art and memories, thinking maybe, if she can put them all together in just the right way, she can finally understand why she and her relationships are the way they are.
SIMON SORT OF SAYS J BOW, E
Erin Bow
Two years after a tragedy saddles him with viral fame, Simon and his family move to Grin And Bear It, Nebraska, where the internet and cell phones are banned so astrophysicists can scan the sky for signs of alien life, and where, with the help of two new friends, a puppy, and a giant radio telescope, Simon plans to restart the narrative of his life.
J JORT, M
102 DAYS OF LYING ABOUT LAUREN
Maura Jortner
After being abandoned by her mother in an amusement park, twelve-year-old Mouse is determined to secretly live in the park on her own, even though getting caught could mean saving her life.
Andrew Eliopulos WILL ON THE INSIDE J ELIO, A
After dedicated soccer player Will is sidelined from the season--and his friend group--due to complications from his newly diagnosed Crohn's disease, he finds himself figuring out who he really is on the inside.
Lilliam Rivera BARELY FLOATING J RIVE,
When Nat discovers synchronized swimming, it steals her heart but her activist mom and professor dad think it's a sport with too much emphasis on looks--on being thin and white. Nat grew up the youngest in a house full of boys, so she knows how to fight for what she wants, often using her anger to fuel her.
THE HURRICANE GIRLS J HOLT, K
Kimberly Willis Holt
Born in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Greer, Joya Mia, and Kiki are the best of friends After an accident leaves Greer's little sister paralyzed, Greer is forever changed and blames herself To help her let go of this emotional burden, her friends plan for them to compete in a triathlon if they can convince Greer to run again, something she once loved to do.