Kids Contemporary Fiction
Featured Booklist: Book Club Titles for Kids and Teens
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The school year is underway, and whether you’re a teacher or librarian running a book club or a parent stockpiling good reading material for those inevitable Covid-exposure quarantines, I have a book list for you!
This list includes titles for upper elementary schoolers, middle schoolers, and high schoolers. All of the books were released within the last year, and they have a blend of unputdownable storytelling and though-provoking thematic content. As always, you will need to evaluate the individual titles to be sure they fit within the specific parameters and needs of your students/children, but think of this list as your launchpad.
I will continue to curate this list throughout the year, but titles include:
FAST PITCH by Nic Stone, a middle grade sports story about a girl combatting racial injustice while vying for a softball championship.
NIGHTINGALE by Deva Fagan, a middle-grade fantasy about an orphan thief, a reluctant prince, a magic sword, and worker’s rights in a racially diverse, Victorian-London-esque fantasy world.
GENERATION MISFITS by Akemi Dawn Bowman, a middle grade contemporary novel about four social outcasts and one popular girl who find friendship and the courage to express themselves through their mutual love of J-Pop.
ZARA HOSSAIN IS HERE by Sabina Khan, a YA contemporary novel about a Pakistani Muslim immigrant wrestling questions of home, identity, and belonging after a bigot targets her family with hateful vandalism.
VIOLET GHOSTS by Leah Thomas, a YA historical fantasy about a transgender boy in the ’90s coming to terms with his identity as he helps restless ghosts find justice and a safe haven in the afterlife.
THE DARKNESS OUTSIDE US by Eliot Schrefer, a YA sci-fi about two young men from rival countries on a mission to rescue a fellow spacefarer aboard a ship that may or may not be trying to kill them.
Check out the full list on Bookshop.org. (Don’t worry if you’re not looking to buy; just see what titles look good to you, then find them at your local or school library!)
IT ALL BEGINS WITH JELLY BEANS by Nova Weetman
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Since her dad dies, the nurse’s office has been Meg’s haven while at school. She can just sit alone, listening to the refrigerator hum and breathing into her paper bag to stave off a panic attack. Sometimes the nurse even gives her food to eat, which is good because Meg doesn’t always have breakfast. Or dinner. Or even real shoes since she outgrew her old ones and her mom hasn’t been in any condition to take her shopping for new ones. She doesn’t think anyone noticed she wears slippers to school every day until the newest 6th grade girl shows up in the nurse’s office with a bag of jelly beans.
Riley hasn’t been keeping her Type 1 Diabetes a secret really. She’s been testing during the day, just probably not as often as she should. And if the nurse calls her mom, her life will be officially over. Her mom is already insanely overprotective, never letting her do anything on her own. It’s one of the reasons she has such a hard time fitting in with her new friends. But at least she has friends, unlike Meg, the weird girl who always wears the same shirt and slippers to school. Riley doesn’t mean to give Meg the nickname “Slipper Girl.” It’s just something that slips out when she’s back in class with her popular friends. But as Riley’s friends’ bullying of Meg intensifies, Riley and Meg keep encountering each other in the nurse’s office and start to wonder if they might be kindred spirits after all.
This sweet friendship story has a beautiful blend of humor and sincerity, heartbreak and hope. The extreme opposite behaviors of the two moms allow Riley and Meg to each understand and appreciate their families more, and the way the school community (bullies excepted) supports both girls as they struggle for safety and acceptance made me smile more than a little. I highly recommend this one to middle grade fans of contemporary fiction.
AFTER/MATH by Emily Barth Isler
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I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher in order to write this review.
Ever since her little brother died of a heart defect, there has been a line dividing Lucy’s family. Her parents are broken, grieving in different ways but both unable to talk about Theo. In fact, even their house and the town where they live is too painful for them to handle, so without even asking for Lucy’s input, they move to another state and into the former home of a dead girl.
Everyone in Lucy’s new town has lost someone. The school shooting that took place four years ago claimed the lives of many children, all of them in Lucy’s grade, one of them who used to live in Lucy’s new bedroom. Even though Lucy has experienced a loss of her own, it seems impossible to befriend these kids, whose lives are defined by a shared trauma. But when Lucy happens to sit at a lunch table with the the shooter’s younger sister, a social pariah because of her brother’s actions, she really connects with someone for the first time since Theo’s death. And when she and her new friend join an after school drama club run by their math teacher, Lucy begins to work through her feelings about Theo, her relationship with her parents, and the infinite journey of grief and love.
As a middle grade book about a school shooting, this book will be challenged (as many great books are) by adults who feel the content is inappropriate for upper-elementary and middle school students. As with any book about trauma and violence, there will be individual children who would find it unduly upsetting and won’t be ready for it. But I believe AFTER/MATH is developmentally appropriate and relevant for readers in grades 5-8–children who, like the book’s protagonist, have been getting glimpses of school shootings and gun violence in the news or through overhearing adult conversations. Although the characters bluntly share deeply disturbing (but realistic) memories of the shooting, because the novel is set years later and told through the eyes of a girl who experienced a different, less violent loss, the focus throughout the novel is not on violence but on grief, healing, and community. I would recommend this novel to mature middle grade readers, especially those in middle school.
FAST PITCH by Nic Stone
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I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher in order to write this review.
Shenice “Lightning” Lockwood is making history. She’s the captain of the only all-Black softball team in her Georgia youth league, and they’re on their way to the championships. She knows she’s following in the footsteps of her great-grandfather, who was very nearly one of the first Black players in Major League Baseball before an event that no one will talk about derailed his career.
But when her parents take her to visit her granduncle Jack in his assisted living home, Shenice gets the first clue as to what happened in her great-grandfather’s past. He was accused of stealing a Joe DiMaggio baseball glove, and according to Uncle Jack, he was framed. Her parents claim that Uncle Jack is just senile, but Shenice can’t help wondering if what her uncle said was true. Is it possible that a white man framed her great-grandfather, destroying his career and the family legacy? As the softball championships draw closer, Shenice can’t concentrate on her game. She needs to find out the truth–before a past full of lies and injustices prevents her from leading her own team into their trail-blazing future.
Family, friendships, and a quest for justice burn bright in this gripping middle grade novel. The humor and Shenice’s loving community keep the story fun and uplifting even as Shenice’s quest for racial justice forces her to confront the darkness and pain of racism in the past and the present. This novel has something for mystery lovers, realistic fiction lovers, and sports fans–plus plenty of thought-provoking thematic material–making it an ideal choice for classrooms and book clubs. I highly recommend this book to all middle grade and younger YA readers (grades 4-8).
SAY IT OUT LOUD by Allison Varnes
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Charlotte hates her stutter so much that sometimes she wishes she were invisible. When a pair of bullies start picking on another kid on the bus, Charlotte can’t bring herself to stand up for him–not when it might make her the bullies’ next target. And when Charlotte’s best friend tries to stand up to the bullies and becomes a target herself, Charlotte does the unforgivable and abandons her.
Wracked by guilt, Charlotte tries to find new friendships in her musical theater class. But when the school board announces that the class will be cut next semester due to lack of funds, Charlotte won’t make the mistake of staying silent anymore. Through letters, she begins to fight for her musical theater class. And since she can’t stand up for the kids around her with her voice, she starts doing it with her pen, sending anonymous encouraging notes. As the school play draws closer, Charlottes written voice gets stronger. But will she ever find the courage to use her voice to ask for forgiveness?
This novel took me right back to middle school. The shifting, straining friendships, the bullying, trying to fit in so hard you end up pushing other people out–Varnes captures all of it perfectly. Yet SAY IT OUT LOUD does not feel angsty. The musical theater plot line and positive friendships in that class as well as Charlotte’s decision early on to start practicing empathy and encouraging others keep a constant thread of hope and inspiration running through the novel. This is a stand-out middle grade book that will be excellent for contemporary fiction readers, schools, and book clubs.
BOTH CAN BE TRUE by Jules Machias
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Ash’s mom didn’t really check before signing Ash up for a new school. I mean, it’s great that she’s supportive, and great that the new school has a Rainbow Alliance and gender neutral bathroom, but Ash isn’t really ready to talk about gender to the whole school. It’s easier to let everyone assume that Ash is a girl–maybe a tomboy–than try to explain how that identity can change from day to day. Just the existence of the gender neutral bathroom creates problems. What if Daniel saw Ash using a gender neutral bathroom? It’s kind of convenient for Ash’s male crush to think of Ash as a girl.
When Daniel rescues an elderly Pomeranian from euthanasia at the vet clinic where he volunteers, though, he turns to Ash for help. And Ash realizes that the crush is very much mutual. The only problem: Daniel has no idea of Ash’s gender identity. Will their friendship continue to blossom into something more if Ash tells Daniel the truth?
Loved this middle grade novel! The voice of both protagonists is so authentically middle grade with just the right balance of humor, sincerity, and self-doubt. A true delight to read. Highly recommend to 5-7th grade readers, especially dog lovers!
ELFIE UNPERFECT by Kristin Mahoney
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Elfie could not be more excited to start private school. If she didn’t make friends at public school by the end of fourth grade, let’s face it: it was never going to happen. At Hampshire Academy, she’ll be able to meet kids like her–kids who are excited about science and getting good grades. Kids who don’t make her look like a perfectionistic weirdo by comparison. And she’ll finally be able to get away from her insufferable cousin, Jenna.
But on the first day of school, a clash with an entitled descendent of generations of the Academy’s alumni leads to Elfie being falsely accused of stealing. Before the day ends, she’s been expelled, pending an Honor Council hearing. Worse, while her family is waiting for the hearing and gathering evidence from the few friends Elfie managed to make in her brief stint at the Academy, Elfie has to enroll in public school. And she’s in Jenna’s class. Again. But as the school year gets underway, some surprising revelations about the people Elfie considered perfect and the ones she considered infuriating make Elfie realize that there is a lot happening in people’s lives that they never give her a chance to see. Is it possible Elfie could find her perfect fit in public school after all?
A sweet middle grade coming-of-age story about seeing and accepting people for who they really are. While the drama of the Honor Council hearing draws a thread of suspense throughout the narrative, it quickly falls into the background while themes of empathy and forgiveness rise to the surface. The story has its funny moments and its touching moments and can definitely skew younger if you need a book for an elementary book club.
GENERATION MISFITS by Akemi Dawn Bowman
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Millie could not be more excited to start at her new school. Actually, it’s her first school, since for her whole life she’s been home “schooled,” which to her parents means flute, flute, and more flute. But at the performing arts magnet middle school, she’ll be with other kids–which means potential friends! And things besides the flute, which she’s been having more and more trouble pretending to like.
Unfortunately, real school is much harder than Millie expected. There are so many unspoken rules, like the fact that homework assignments will magically appear on a white board without the teacher even mentioning them or the fact that there seems to be some sort of complex system of maneuvers required to get someone to sit with you at lunch. But things start to look up when Millie meets Zuki and they form a J-Pop club together, which is quickly joined by two other misfits and (shockingly) the most popular girl in the sixth grade. The only catch is that the popular girl insists they can’t tell anyone else about the club–plus, Millie has to lie to her parents about why she’s spending time after school. But when they get a chance to perform at a pop showcase, will their tenuous friendships survive the fallout from their secrets?
What a sweet, fun middle grade friendship story! I flew through this novel which will please any reader who has ever felt like they didn’t fit in, like their parents didn’t get them (even though they loved them), or like there was a part of themselves they weren’t sure they were ready to share with the world.
A GLASSHOUSE OF STARS by Shirley Marr
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You are a stranger here. You don’t know anyone in this New Land. You don’t even speak their language. The uncle who was supposed to welcome you to your New Home died unexpectedly, so it is just you and your parents in the huge, empty house. You should play with the children at school, but you can’t understand them. Even the food is strange. The only thing that brings you comfort is the greenhouse in the corner of the garden because it contains not only your uncle’s beloved orange trees but also the sun and moon–a surprising burst of magic in this otherwise dull world.
But when a tragedy shakes the foundation of your family, making you want more than ever to hide in a magical garden, you know you will have to leave the safety of the glasshouse and find a way to survive, to keep going.
You are Meixing Lim, and your life is about to change forever.
A heartbreaking, beautiful story about a young immigrant finding her way in an unfamiliar world. Marr’s clever choice to use second person narration gives readers a unique experience, letting you feel as disoriented as Meixing from the first sentence when you are unsure who “you” are. This novel is a powerful emotional journey, and it would be a great pick for middle grade book clubs.
DEAD WEDNESDAY by Jerry Spinelli
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Perfect Day.
Worm murmurs it on the bus–not loudly; he’s shy, after all–but soon it’s picked up by the rest of the eighth graders as their mantra and their cheer. It’s the second Wednesday in June, “Dead Wed” in Worm’s small Pennsylvania town, a day that school administrators designed to scare the eighth graders out of future reckless behavior but that every eighth grader knows as the day they can get away with anything. In homeroom, they will each receive a black shirt and a card with the name and picture of a teenager who died in PA last year as a result of preventable car accidents or dangerous stunts–and from that moment, every eighth grader will be “dead.” No teacher can acknowledge their presence, not even to stop them from walking out of school if they feel like it. Perfect Day.
But Worm’s perfect day veers off course almost immediately when the dead girl from his card, Rebecca Finch, starts showing up in real life. He’s the only one who seems to be able to see her or speak to her, although she’s 100% real and tangible. Becca doesn’t know how she ended up back on Earth, but she’s positive it has something to do with Worm. She’s here to save him–because let’s face it, Worm hasn’t really been living. As Mean Monica once announced, he needs to get a life. As Becca drags Worm on an impulsive jaunt around his hometown, Worm starts to realize that there is more than one way to “be bold” and that maybe Becca needs some saving of her own.
This novel is exquisite. It exists somewhere between middle grade and YA, between fantasy and realistic fiction, but the book is full of betweens. Becca is caught between life and death, Worm between middle school and high school, childhood and adulthood, responsibility to his parents and individuality, a desire to be noticed and a desire to fade into the background. The narrative is masterfully woven, sending readers on an undulating emotional journey that builds to its climax so subtly that it is both unexpected and grounded. There is humor, realistically cringe-worthy teen interactions, and true heartache (warning to parents: this may upset you more than it will your kids), and Worm’s personal journey is authentic and meaningful. This book is a must-read for middle schoolers and an excellent pick for M.S. book clubs.
Susan the Librarian 