Macy has a psychological, potentially neurological, disorder that impacts her daily life and the relationships with her best friend and family. Wanting to find her way, Julia decides to take up graffiti again anywhere she can. Books for the middle-school audience tend to be divided between the MG and YA shelves. Find some great dragon-themed books in my blog 5 Middle-Grade Series You Won’t Want to Put Down. Great Gatsby? Compelling misfits, touching romance, mature themes. 7 of the best middle grade books with CATS. One of my favorite books while growing up was Sport by Louise Fitzhugh, who also wrote the iconic Harriet the Spy. Spam or Self-Promotional The list is spam or self-promotional. This thriller features not only a bisexual main character, but Sophie struggles with chronic pain as well as challenges relating to her addiction. Incorrect Book The list contains an incorrect book (please specify the title of the book). And check out 3 Children’s Books with Disabled Main Characters, a Kidlit Karma review I wrote as a guest post on Angela Isaac’s blog. Falling Over Sideways (2016), Jordan Sonnenblick’s latest, is a perfect example. Lively stories of girls who broke barriers, smashed records. Mia, the main character, sees color, hears color, and reads color. Smart mystery about blind girl searching for missing dad. Reframing her bulky hearing aid as a superpower, Bell illustrates her desire to fit in with her classmates, losing her hearing, and trying to make friends. Instead, consider this an introduction to finding some of the best books out there featuring disability in YA books. A Boy Called Bat (Elana K. Arnold) This book is about an autistic boy named Bat who loves animals. Leslie’s Story: A Book about a Girl with Mental Retardation by Martha McNey (Lerner, 1996) is one of a series of books published by Lerner that present first-person children’s accounts of disabilities. She’s kept this a secret, but when she can no longer hide what’s going on, she learns this mingling of her senses has a name. Story Profile: Russ is a young boy with Down syndrome whose everyday life experiences - not his disability - are the subject of books in this series. Both main characters are physically disabled in this science fiction book. Reading is how I learned to understand my ADHD challenges. Reader usually between the ages of 7-10 (grades 2-4). It offers teens a solid base of information about learning disabilities. They are the in-between-books for readers who have outgrown chapter books like the Magic Tree House series, or popular books like the Big Nate series, and are too young to emotionally handle or enjoy themes and ideas found in young adult books. Lord of the Flies? Thank you for signing up! Inappropriate The list (including its title or description) facilitates illegal activity, or contains hate speech or ad hominem attacks on a fellow Goodreads member or author. 21 Middle Grade Novels With Multiracial Characters by Colours of Us on March 1, 2017 with 4 Comments Last year’s list for Mixed Heritage Week featured 50+ Picture Books about Mixed Race Families , and the response was overwhelming! As a middle school educator, author, and blogger at Latinxs in Kid Lit, I am always seeking out books by Latinx authors and about Latinx characters, especially those for middle grade readers.I teach struggling students, almost all students of color and the majority Latinx, in grades 6–8, so these books are of particular interest. We still need more books with Muslim characters. Blind teen probes a friend's death in compelling tale. Once you discover his voice in this book, make sure you pick up the second memoir-in-essays he wrote called Strangers Assume My Girlfriend Is My Nurse. Teen girl's bold adventure among dragons, fairies, princes. Inclusive Minds, a UK-based organization, is calling on more writers and publishers to include characters with disabilities in their children’s books with their Everybody In campaign this holiday season. MIDDLE GRADE. Beau, student body president, becomes smitten with Maya, learning ASL so he can pursue her, and while she’s hesitant about their relationship, she lets herself get involved. Stories of realistic, … Funny, overweight, deaf -- the new kid is an unlikely hero. Books. Last month I wrote about seven children's book authors with dyslexia, speaking to my own personal struggles with learning disabilities.Our audience's response was huge, and I think I know why. The Freak. A disfigured classmate teaches stirring lessons. 10 Books by Disabled Writers You Should Read Posted over 3 years ago by Claire F. October is National Disabilities Awareness Month, in which we not only recognize the existence of disabilities and the need for accessibility, but also celebrate the achievements of disabled … Told through the voices of Chess and Shannon, this novel in verse is about two girls dealing with Crohn’s Disease, one who has been working with the illness for a long time and one who, after an unfortunate incident with a boy she was beginning to like, is newly diagnosed. by Melissa Sarno / September 30, 2015 at 12:00 pm Share. May have anthropomorphic heroes. … This memoir follows Kamara as she experiences total upheaval from her small town in Sierra Leone when rebel attackers descended. Book reviews are one piece of the book marketing puzzle. But she doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her or of them. The work isn’t done, of course. Despite how different the two girls are, they become fast friends—and when Bo shows up in the middle of the night desperate to run away from her life (and the police), Agnes joins her. While Maya has set huge goals for herself, including going into the medical field, her new teachers don’t have the same beliefs in her as she does. Pick up fiction for any age, from romance to children’s books. Though she tried to flee, she never made it to the neighboring town. Amara and Nolan are never alone and never apart from one another. Here are some of my favorite middle grade fiction books — ones that made a difference as I came to understand my own ADHD. Julia sees a slur about her best friend on the wall of her school, The Kingston School for the Deaf, and she decides to cover over it with graffiti. So which shelf do those readers go to? The start of Claire’s 7th-grade year is full of the pitfalls that […] Books with Characters of Color While people of color are still underrepresented in books for kids and teens, we've found lots of great reads with diverse main or supporting characters in all sorts of genres, including mystery, fantasy, romance, adventure, sci-fi, graphic novels, historical fiction, novels in verse -- … Cindy: Last week, we held our first middle-school book club meeting of the year. Some disabilities are showcased more than others, and there are absolutely still books that offer representation that does more harm than good. It’s here Marcelo not only makes friends, but uncovers a real world problem that he needs to solve. Vanna never planned to get stuck in her small New Mexico town, but it happened—and that was before her father was diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease. Though this book falls more closely to middle grade than YA, I’ve included it because it deals with something so rarely seen: synesthesia. Diverse characters. 4. Sweet friendship tale of isolated teen boy pen pals. As long as public education has been alive in the United States, so too has the idea of a literary canon. It boils down to an issue of category: there is middle grade (MG), for children ages 8 to 12 (or 10 to 14, on the upper end), and there is young adult (YA), for children/teens ages 12 to 18 (or 14 to 18, on the upper end). She’s diagnosed with an allergy to the sunlight, and her parents immediately go into overdrive, shielding her away from any potential exposure. Sign in. Children’s books, picture and chapter books, with Muslim characters show representation, open kids’ eyes to new cultures, and build empathy. Girl with cerebral palsy conquers challenges in moving tale. Their philosophy: “We believe in breaking down barriers and challenging stereotypes to ensure that every child can access and enjoy great books that are representative of our diverse society. The start of Claire’s 7th-grade year is full of the pitfalls that […] While we publish for every age, from toddlers to teens, we are most interested in expanding Tanglewood’s range of middle grade and YA fiction and narrative nonfiction (history or biography).We are open to most fiction genres, as long as the manuscript has authentic, 3D characters and a strong plot.While we are not looking for high fantasy, elements of fantasy or the fantastical are always welcome. 10 Middle Grade Books with ADHD Characters Who Slay. He’s keeping the diagnoses a secret from his father, who is grieving the death of his mother. North American Muslim teens find romance on Qatar trip. How Technology Is Reshaping Democracy and Our Lives, Get fun, free Holiday Gratitude activities from Wide Open School, Online Playdates, Game Nights, and Other Ways to Socialize at a Distance, Keeping Kids Motivated for Online Learning, Books That Feature Characters Dealing with Mental Illness, She Persisted in Sports: American Olympians Who Changed the Game, All the Way to the Top: How One Girl's Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything, Not So Different: What You Really Want to Ask About Having a Disability, I Am Not a Label: 34 Artists, Thinkers, Athletes and Activists with Disabilities from Past and Present, The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread. Help kids deal with disturbing news events. An important piece that some authors find impossible. Thoughtful coming-of-ager about looking beneath the surface. Being “uncool” isn’t going to stop Reggie from running for school president. Sunny. Keep an eye on your inbox. Where she believes her future has been taken from her because of this, suddenly, when she’s able to see again, even if it’s just one person, it helps her understand that she still has a big, bright future ahead of her. My 12 year old daughter loves to read! 14 can be too young for young adult (depending on the story), but it can fit in late middle grade fiction. Told in verse, this book follows Veda, who is a classical dance prodigy in India, on her way to fame. Additionally, children tend to like to read about characters a bit older than them. 20,000 – 60,000 words. In this article, you will learn: Why book reviews matter How to get your book reviewed by blogs the right way What to look for in a good review blog The best book review blogs for … Now let’s get reading! Fiction and nonfiction are included, as are as many genres as possible. They range from fun and zany to gut-wrenching and heartbreaking, and some are a mix. Agnes is a by-the-rules girl who never stays out late and believes that her parents are just being protective because she’s blind. Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson. Detailed biographies show heart, perseverance. Tip: Anything older than 18 for YA is getting into new adult territory, where the characters are generally in college. When Zayneb, who is the only Muslim in her school, is suspended for confronting her teacher, she heads to Qatar for an early spring break at her uncle’s home. Told in alternating voices, this story follows Autumn, a popular girl wrestler who struggles with a learning disability that makes reading hard, and Adonis, a shy boy who has no legs and uses a wheelchair. More to the Story by Hena Khan #OWNVOICES. Elementary School Middle School High School Kindergarten 1st Grade 2nd Grade 3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade PreK 8th Grade 12th Grade 9th Grade 7th Grade 10th Grade 6th Grade 11th Grade Higher Ed. 8 Children’s And Young Adult Books That Cast Characters With Disabilities. This even means screen time is limited—a big challenge, especially when she begins to fall for Josh. Moving tale of facially different boy with inner beauty. Although not all of these books are #OwnVoices (in part because unless an author is forthright in sharing something personal about themselves, you can’t always verify disability), they offer a solid array of portrayals of living with a disability. The book is about how she made her way from such a tragic situation to living in Toronto and how it is she navigates her new life without her hands. Leslie describes her daily activities, including being mainstreamed in middle school and how she feels about teasing. Stories about the teens who don’t leave their hometowns after high school fascinate me, as it’s such under explored territory. Their shift includes a full inspection of the fire equipment, including keeping it clean. Published on: 15 January 2019 Author: Matilda Woods. Building a middle-grade book Generally, middle-grade fiction should be somewhere around 40 – 50,000 words. Poignant sick-sibling tale blurs lines of real and imagined. This voice-driven novel follows Macy as she navigates her own tumultuous home life—one with an inconsistent mother, a father in prison, and a younger brother in the foster care system because of repeat CPS visits—with understanding why it is her best friend has been pulling away from her. © Common Sense Media. According to their organization, “The Handbook of Research o… All of the books in this series are presented in a similar fashion, and the … So when I found myself chaperoning a 6th grade retreat, I used it as an opportunity to ask each child this question: What is your favorite book … There are so many other voices we need to hear from. This is how words like “golly” and “gosh” … I was used to writing angsty YA, where my protagonists spent a lot of time thinking about their relationships and conflicts. Discussing our taste in books, I told the teens my favorites are always ones that make me laugh and cry. Maybe 1984 or Les Misérables? This character-driven novel is humorous, as much as it’s a look at a disability too easily mocked in popular culture. Instead, she was captured and had her hands cut off. A girl wants to earn a scholarship to high school while still somehow supporting her poverty-stricken, illness-ravaged family. But her “best friend” tells on her, causing her to get kicked out of the school. 8 Beloved Book Characters with Disabilities Literature not only helps us feel seen but also teaches us about others’ experiences. Browse our latest titles in the Children's Middle Grade Mystery & Detective Books category to discover your next read from PenguinRandomHouse.com . At the end of this exciting day, all the firemen thank Russ for his hard work … Marcelo, the main character, has an autism-like disorder that isn’t named directly in the book but is rather shown to the readers through his actions, thoughts, and behaviors. Maggie lost her sight six months ago, but rather than desire the pity of her classmates, she instead cranks up the notch on being rebellious—until a school prank goes too far and she ends up with her very own probation officer. Hero is usually 10-13, and in middle school (grades 4-8). Browse our latest titles in the Children's Middle Grade Mystery & Detective Books category to discover your next read from PenguinRandomHouse.com. Sam sets out on a cross country trip as he works to discover more about his family, about his future with romance, and about where and how his inherited Tourette’s Syndrome, which came to be part of who he is. All are a part of an elite middle school track team that goes to the state championships. Brave mouse adventure a modern classic; great read-aloud. Equal Read researches the need for more literary diversity and works with schools and libraries to build their collections. Appealing tale of flawed, noble prince offers strong values. While kids in real life often avoid a child who is physically disfigured or burdened with something that sets him apart, young readers latch onto such a fictional character and root for him from page one. Books with thoughtful portrayals of characters who encounter mental health issues can offer middle grade readers comfort, connection, and inspiration. Tags Motivating Students Book Lists Teacher Problems Positive School Culture COVID-19/Coronavirus Literacy Writing Free Printables Classroom Decor EdTech Online Learning School … Enter to win a $100 gift card to the bookstore of your choice. Burcaw’s first memoir-in-essays will have you rolling with laughter as he shares his exploits, his awkward situations, and his life with spinal muscular atrophy with honesty. Middle-grade fiction is an age-based categorization of fiction works written for readers between the ages of 8 and 12. Sign up to The … Bringing in new characters in the middle of your book will enable new dynamics and possible complications between characters to emerge. Additionally, children tend to like to read about characters a bit older than them. 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