Books for Middle School Readers: Realistic Fiction (Authors A - L)

In this novel in verse, Afro-Latina Xiomara doesn't feel like she has a voice in her Harlem neighborhood...until she discovers slam poetry. This book won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, the Michael L. Printz Award, and the Pura Belpre Award. Two other great reads by this author are...

In a novel-in-verse that brims with grief and love, Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives.

A dazzling, realistic fiction, novel in prose about a girl with talent, pride, and a drive to feed the soul that keeps her fire burning bright.

In this realistic novel, Suzy is starting middle school when she gets the tragic news about her friend Frannie. Suzy is a thoughtful, scientifically-minded character who learns about herself and the world - as well as a lot about jellyfish - in the course of this National Book Award finalist.

In this novel, Grace, Maya, and Joaquin find out they have the same birth mother and consider what that means they are to each other. This book thoughtfully explores issues of adoption, foster care, and teen pregnancy.

In this poignant novel a trio of friends struggle to find a way to be true to themselves while building back the grounding friendship on which they once relied. Just days before the start of junior year, a spontaneous kiss and then a lie shakes the very foundation between best friends. When the girls' bathroom at Wood Valley is set ablaze, no one doubts it's arson. But in this bastion of privilege, who'd be angry enough to want to burn down the school? Answer: pretty much everyone.

Lie. Cheat. Bribe. How far would you go to get into your dream school? How far would your parents go? This ripped-from-the-headlines novel sees one teenage girl's privileged world shatter when her family's lies are exposed.

This is book one of the series. New Kid is a timely, honest graphic novel about starting over at a new school where diversity is low and the struggle to fit in is real, from award-winning author-illustrator and Fieldston Alum, Jerry Craft.

This super twisty and suspenseful novel tells the story of four friends whose friendship turns destructive. See also Lockhart's

...in which the story is told backwards in time!

In this romantic realistic novel about immigration, cultural identity, and finding your voice, 16-year-old Ana has just moved from Argentina to New Jersey. She loves poetry and language, so it's extra frustrating that she can't speak or understand much English. Ana starts to learn English through two very different boys she meets and finds herself torn between them.

Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it's the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel-prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with--of all things--her mind. True chemistry results. But like science, life is unpredictable.

In this realistic novel, Aza struggles with OCD and anxiety as she navigates friendships and tries to solve the mystery of a missing billionaire. We recommend all of Green's books, including...

Green has won several awards, including the Michael L. Printz Award

This suspenseful and surprising mystery is narrated by Claudia, who sometimes feels like she is the only one to notice or care that her best friend, Monday, is missing.

In this realistic novel, Catherine struggles with and grows in her relationship with her younger brother, David, who is on the autism spectrum.

This realistic, novel, set in the Dominican Republic and NYC, is about four sisters and is told in their four voices as they grow up in these two different cultures.

This classic coming-of-age novel - written by Hinton when she herself was a teenager - tells the story of rival teenage gangs divided by socio-economic class.

This classic novel, set during WWII at a New England boarding school, explores the intense friendship between Gene and Phineas.

This Pulitzer Prize-winning, complex classic novel is a coming-of-age story set in Alabama in the 1930s. It focuses on issues of racial discrimination and criminal justice at that time and is told through the eyes of Scout, a young girl

In book one of this realistic fiction series, Lara Jean writes love letters to the five boys she has loved. She never means for them to be mailed, but when that happens, she needs to figure out what to do next. These books are about friendship and love, as well as family - she is the middle child - and the importance of family traditions like those of her Korean heritage. Check out Han's other series...

In this realistic novel, Arthur and Ben can't tell if their relationship is meant to be or doomed not to. Albertalli is the author of...

which become the movie "Love, Simon" and...

and...

Silvera is the author of several novels including...

This novel is told from the perspective of Darius Kellner, who calls himself a "Fractional Persian" because he is half Persian on his mother's side. The book takes place partly in Iran, as Darius gets to know his Iranian family, make new friends, and figure out he fits - and wants to fit - into the world. See also the sequel...

This realistic fiction series with a speculative twist introduces "A," a person who wakes up each day in a different person's body. Through this character and this highly original premise, Levithan explores issues of identity, gender, friendship, and ethics. Many of Levithan's books have LGBTQ themes. We also recommend other books by Levithan, including...