Middle grade historical fiction is probably the only type of historical fiction I enjoy. I’m a contemporary girl when it comes to adult fiction. I’m not sure what middle grade historical fiction is about, maybe because it’s written to be more engaging and easier to read? Either way, I’m always on board.
Of course, all of these mid-grade historical fiction recs have more than just the his-fic angle going for them. In this list, you’ll find recommendations on Chinese, American, African-American, Kenyan, Cuban, Chilean history, and more. These middle grade historical fiction selections also address other topics, including living with war, grief, moving, children with special needs, and more.
You are reading: Historical fiction books for middle schoolers
This post was updated for August 2021. You can now find historical fiction novels by the time period in which they are set.
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The Best Middle-Grade Historical Fiction
middle grade fiction set in the 1100s
the crystal ribbon
Published: January 31, 2017
in the town of huanan, in medieval china, the ruling deity is the great huli jing. Although twelve-year-old Li Jing’s name is a completely different character from Huli Jing, the sound is close enough to provide constant teasing, but perhaps also a source of greater destiny and power. Jing’s life is not easy. His father is a poor tea grower, and his family has come to the conclusion that for everyone to survive, jing must be sacrificed for the common good.
sold as a bride to the koh family, where she will be the wife and nanny of their three-year-old son, ju’nan. It’s not fair, and jing feels this bitterly, especially when the koh treat her poorly and sell her once again to a worse situation that leads jing to believe that her only option is to run away from her and find her home. again. With the help of a spider who weaves Jing a means of escape, and a nightingale who helps her find her way, Jing embarks on a quest back to Huanan and herself.
middle-grade historical fiction set in the 19th century
the children of jefferson: the secret children of a founding father
Published: September 15, 2011
This story of Thomas Jefferson’s sons with one of his slave girls, Sally Hemings, tells a darker part of American history from an often unseen perspective: that of three of Jefferson’s slave girls, including two of his own children. As each child grows and tells his story, the contradiction between slavery and freedom becomes more marked, calling into question the true meaning of “life, freedom and the pursuit of happiness.” This moving story sheds light on what life was like as one of Jefferson’s unseen descendants.
show me a sign
Published: March 3, 2020
mary lambert has always felt safe and secure on her beloved island of martha’s vineyard. her great-great-grandfather was one of the first English settlers and the first deaf islander. Now, more than a hundred years later, many people there, including Mary, are deaf and almost everyone can communicate in sign language. Mary has never felt isolated. she is proud of her lineage.
but recent events have brought winds of change. Mary’s brother died, leaving her family in tatters. Tensions rise over land disputes between English settlers and the Wampanoag people. and a cunning young scientist has arrived, hoping to discover the origin of the deafness prevalent on the island. His manic drive to find answers soon turns Mary into a “living specimen” in a cruel experiment. her struggle to save herself is at the center of this poignant and poignant novel that tests our perceptions of ability and disability.
middle grade historical fiction set in the 1840s
gold rush girl
Published: March 10, 2020
Victoria Blaisdell longs for independence and adventure, and longs to join her father on his journey west in search of real gold! But this is 1848 and Tories aren’t even allowed to go to school, let alone travel from Rhode Island to California. Determined to take control of her own destiny, Tory stowaways on the ship. Although San Francisco is hectic and full of wild and dangerous men, Tory finds freedom and friendship there. Until one day, when her father is in the gold fields, her younger brother, Jacob, is kidnapped. And so Tory is goaded into a treacherous search for him in Rotten Row, a part of San Francisco Bay littered with hundreds of derelict ships.
The beloved storyteller avi is at the top of his form as he takes us back to an extraordinary time of hope and risk, brought to life by a heroine readers will cheer for. precise detail and high suspense make this a vivid and absorbing historical adventure.
middle grade historical fiction set in the 1850s
little charlie’s journey
Published: January 30, 2018
Twelve-year-old Charlie is out of luck: his father, a sharecropper, has just died and Cap’n Buck, the scariest man in Possum Moan, South Carolina, has come to collect a debt. Fearing for his life, Charlie strikes a deal with Cap’n Buck and agrees to track down some people accused of stealing from Cap’n and his boss.
Not such a bad bargain for Charlie…until he comes face to face with the fugitives and learns their true identities. Torn between his guilty conscience and his survival instinct, Charlie needs to figure out his next move, and soon. it’s only a matter of time before cap’n buck catches on.
middle grade historical fiction set in the 1860s
last name of first name
Published: April 2, 2019
Twelve-year-old Danny O’Carolan and his sister, Kathleen, arrive in New York City in 1863. Refusing to part with her only remaining relative, Kathleen finds a job as a domestic helper. for her and her younger children…sister. Danny reluctantly poses as a girl to avoid being sent to the boys’ workhouse or recruited as a drummer for the union army. when he occasionally slips away to spend a few hours as a child and share his rich talent for irish dancing, he discovers the wide variety of new york neighborhoods. but the civil war draft is stoking tensions between the Irish and free black populations. With the dangers on the rise, how can Danny find a safe place to call home?
echo (also, 1930, 1940 and 1950)
Published: February 24, 2015
Lost and alone in a forbidden forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and is suddenly thrust into a perplexing quest involving a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica.
decades later, friedrich in germany, mike in pennsylvania, and ivy in california, each, in turn, are intertwined as the same harmonica lands in their lives. all children face enormous challenges: rescuing a father, protecting a brother, keeping the family together. and finally, pulled by the invisible thread of fate, his suspenseful solo stories converge in an orchestral crescendo.
calico girl
Published: February 14, 2017
Twelve-year-old Callie Wilcomb and her family are slaves, and civil war gives them hope that freedom may be on the horizon. On May 23, 1861, the state of Virginia ratified its vote to secede from the union. in virginia, a window was opened where the laws of the country no longer applied. Due to the smuggling law, slaves no longer had to be returned to their owners, granting them a measure of protection and security. With the possibility of Callie and her family escaping her ties forever, Callie is eager to learn and educate herself and hopes to one day teach others. Through hardship and loss, with love and strong family ties, Ella Callie proves that freedom is in her stars.
middle grade historical fiction set in the 1870s
sugar
Published: May 7, 2013
Ten Year Old Sugar lives on the River Road Sugar Plantation along the banks of the Mississippi. slavery is over, but working all day in the fields doesn’t make her feel very free. Fortunately, Ella Sugar has a knack for finding her own fun, especially when she joins forces with Billy the Forbidden Friend, the son of the white plantation owner.
Sugar has always yearned to learn more about the world, and sees its opportunity when Chinese workers are brought in to help harvest the cane. the old people on the river road feel threatened, but the sugar is fascinated. As she befriends the young hunk and the elderly Master Liu, she introduces him to the traditions of her culture and she, in turn, shares in the plantation ways of life. Sugar soon realizes that she must be the one to bridge the cultural gap and bring the community together. here’s a story of unlikely friendships and how they can change our lives forever.
middle grade historical fiction set in the 1880s
prairie lotus
Published: March 3, 2020
prairie lotus is a powerful, moving, multi-layered book about a girl determined to fit in and make her dreams come true: get an education, become a dressmaker in her father’s shop, and make at least one friend. Acclaimed and award-winning author Linda Sue Park has placed a young half-Asian, Hanna, in a small town in the heartland of America in the 1880s. Hanna’s adjustment to her new surroundings, which primarily means negotiating the near-unanimous prejudice of the townspeople against the Asians, is at the heart of the story. Narrated by Hanna, the novel has poignant moments but shines with humor, introducing a captivating heroine whose wry, observant voice will resonate with readers.
middle grade historical fiction set in the 1900s
the most nervous girl in the world
Published: August 18, 2020
pearl lives on a ranch where her duties include collecting eggs and feeding cranky ostriches. she has three older brothers, who do not pamper her at all. and she also knows a thing or two about horses.
one day, pearl’s brothers get comfortable jobs doing stunts for this new form of entertainment called “moving pictures”. They are the daredevil Donnelly Brothers, a trio of death-defying cowboys. Before she knows it, Pearl has become a stuntwoman herself and dreams of becoming a star. the only problem is that her mother has no idea what she is doing. And let’s just say she wouldn’t be too happy to learn that Pearl has been jumping out of burning buildings in her spare time.
Packed with action, humor and heart, not to mention those pesky ostriches, World’s Nerviest Girl introduces a plucky heroine whose adventures will have kids on the edge of their seats and whose sense of humor will have them laughing until the last. line.
the island at the end of everything
Published: April 10, 2018
ami lives in culion, an island in the philippines for people who have leprosy. her mother is among those infected. ami loves her home: with its blue seas and lush forests, culion contains everything she knows and loves. But the arrival of the malicious government official Mr. Zamora changes his world forever. the islanders who have not been affected by the disease are forced to go to a neighboring island, where the children are placed in an orphanage.
Banished across the sea, Ami is desperate to return to Culion before her mother’s death. she finds a strange and fragile hope in a colony of butterflies. Will they be able to get her home before it’s too late? Heartbreaking yet hopeful, newcomer Kiran Hargrave’s celebrated novel is a story of loss, perseverance, and faith.
middle grade historical fiction set in the 1920s
beyond the shining sea
Published: May 2, 2017
Twelve-year-old Raven has lived her entire life on a small, isolated piece of the beautiful Elizabeth Islands in Massachusetts. Abandoned and adrift in a small boat when she was just a few hours old, Raven’s only companions are Osh, the man who rescued and raised her, and Miss Maggie, her fierce and caring neighbor across the sandbar.
the raven has always been curious about the world around her, but it is not until the night a mysterious fire appears in the water that the unspoken question of her own history forms in her heart. Soon, an unstoppable chain of events is unleashed, leading Raven down a path of discovery and danger.
middle grade historical fiction set in the 1930s
growing hope
Published: October 1, 2000
esperanza thought she would always live with her family on their ranch in mexico; she would always have elegant dresses, a beautiful house and servants. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California during the Great Depression, settling in a camp for Mexican farmworkers. Esperanza is not ready for the hard work, financial struggles, or lack of acceptance that she now faces. When her new life is threatened, Esperanza must find a way to overcome her difficult circumstances: Mom’s life and her own depend on it.
stella in the light of the stars
Published: January 6, 2015
stella lives in the segregated south, in bumblebee, north carolina, to be exact. some stores you can go to. others can’t. some people are very nice. others are much less so. to stella, she balances, and heck, the klan hasn’t bothered them for years.
but one night, later than she should be up, much less wandering outside, stella and her little brother see something they were never supposed to see, something that is the first glimpse of a change to come, a change unwanted by any stretch of the imagination. As Stella’s community, her world, is turned upside down, she decides to fight fire with fire. and she learns that ashes don’t necessarily mean an end.
our castle by the sea
Published: April 30, 2019
Growing up in a lighthouse, the 11-year-old pet’s world has been one of storms, secret tunnels and tales of sea monsters. but now the country is at war and the tops of the cliffs are a terrifying battlefield. pet will have to muster all his bravery to find out why his family is being torn apart.
This is the story of a girl who is afraid and goes unnoticed. a girl who freezes in fear at the enemy planes tearing the skies overhears. a girl who is somehow destined to become part of the strange and ancient legend of the daughters of stone.
the war that saved my life
Published: January 8, 2015
ada, age ten, has never left her one-bedroom apartment. Ella’s mom is too humiliated by Ada’s clubbed foot to let her out of it. So when Ella’s little brother Jamie is sent out of London to escape the war, Ada doesn’t waste a minute: she runs away from her to join him.
thus begins a new adventure for ada, and for susan smith, the woman who is forced to take in the two children. As Ada teaches herself to ride a pony, learns to read, and watches out for German spies, she begins to trust Susan—and Susan begins to love Ada and Jamie. But in the end, will their bond be enough to keep them together during the war? Or will Ada and her brother fall back into the cruel hands of her mother?
elsie mae has something to say
Published: September 5, 2017
elsie mae is pretty sure this is going to be the best summer ever.
He explores the cool, calm waters of the okefenokee swamp that surrounds his grandparents’ house with his new dog, huck, and wrote a letter to president roosevelt trusting him to save the swamp from a shipping company and the will make a great local hero. Then Elsie Mae gets word that pig bandits are stealing from swamp families, and she sees another chance to make her family proud while she waits for word from the White House.
But when her cousin Henry James, who dreams of one day becoming a traveling preacher like his dad, shows up and nearly ruins her investigation with his “hallelujahs,” Elsie Mae learns the hard way what it really means to be a hero.
looking for me: …in this great great family
Published: April 17, 2012
edith, one of twelve siblings who grew up in depression-era baltimore, isn’t quite sure who she is. between working in her father’s restaurant, taking care of her younger siblings and living in the shadow of her older sisters, she feels lost in a sea of siblings. When a kind teacher encourages Edith to be a teacher one day, Edith sees prospects for a future of her own. Full of joy, pain, humor, and sadness, this novel in verse is an enduring portrait of one family’s pursuit of the American dream.
the magic of changing your stars
Published: August 4, 2020
Eleven-year-old ailey benjamin lane knows how to dance, so he’s sure to land the part of the scarecrow in his school’s production of the wizard. unfortunately, a talented classmate and a serious nervous breakdown ruin his audition: he just stands there, frozen. Deflated and defeated, Ailey confides in his grandfather that he is ready to quit. But Grandpa believes in Ailey and, to cheer him up, shares a story from his childhood. As a child, Grandpa dreamed of being a tap dancer; he was so good that hollywood star and unofficial mayor of harlem bill “bojangles” robinson even gave him a special pair of tap shoes. Curious, Ailey finds the shoes, tries them on, taps her toes, and makes a wish. in the blink of an eye, he finds himself in a place that is definitely not a place like home. Featuring a cast of African-American characters and infused with references to Black culture and history, this magical realism work is sure to captivate and inspire readers.
the flight of the swallow
Published: May 27, 2021
In England, Ruby has no friends due to mottled spots on her face that children say look like dirt. and kate is sick all the time, her older brothers take turns taking care of her. Ruby and Kate’s first meeting is nearly disastrous, but the two lonely girls soon strike up a friendship. their connection becomes even more important when england joins the war against germany and the bombing starts on high.
In germany, erik and hans are best friends full of plans for their future: erik takes over their beloved local zoo, and hans serves cakes right outside the gates. they never expected to be forced to join national service, train as pilots, and take it upon themselves to hurt people.
and in london an abused dog roams the streets looking for handouts, and a friend.
middle grade historical fiction set in the 1940s
the length of a string
Published: May 1, 2018
imani knows exactly what she wants for her big bat mitzvah gift: to meet her birth parents. she loves her family and her jewish community in baltimore, but she has always wondered where she came from, especially since she is black and almost everyone she knows is white. When Ella’s mother’s grandmother, Imani’s great-grandmother Anna, dies, Ella Imani discovers an old diary among her books. It’s Anna’s diary from 1941, the year she turned twelve, the year she fled Nazi-occupied Luxembourg alone, sent by her parents to seek refuge in Brooklyn. written as a series of letters to the twin sister she had to leave behind, anna’s diary records her journey to america and her new life with an adoptive family. Anna’s diary and Imani’s search for birth parents intertwine to tell the story of two girls, each searching for a family and an identity in her own time and in her own way.
a place to hang the moon
Published: February 2, 2021
It’s 1940 and William, 12, Edmund, 11, and Anna, 9, aren’t too upset about the death of the not-so-grandma who has cared for them since their parents died. But children need a guardian, and in the dark days of World War II London, they are in short supply, especially if they hope to stay together. Could the mass evacuation of children from London to the countryside during the war be the answer? it’s an absurd plan, but they leave, keeping their situation a secret, and hoping to be placed in a temporary home that ends forever. Moving from one lodging to another, the children suffer the cruel deception of foster siblings, the cold realities of open-air baths, and the emptiness of empty stomachs. They find solace in the village lending library, whose friendly librarian, Nora Müller, seems like an excellent choice of accommodation, except that her German husband’s whereabouts are currently unknown, and considered unsuitable by some of the villagers.
a place to hang the moon is a story about the extreme importance of family: the one they give you and the one you choose.
the orphan gang of springdale
Published: April 10, 2018
It’s 1941 and tensions are rising in the United States as World War II rages in Europe. Eleven-year-old Gusta’s life, like the world around her, is about to change. her father, a foreign-born trade unionist, has had to flee the country, and gusta has been sent to live in an orphanage run by her grandmother. short-sighted and crooked-toothed, he arrives in springdale, maine, dragging her only precious possession: a cherished antique French horn, the only memento of her father. But in a family that has a lot of problems and little money, how can a girl hold on to something so valuable and yet so useless when the miller uncle of gustar needs surgery to fix his mutilated hand, without a union to help him? to pay?
betty before x
Published: January 2, 2018
In Detroit, 1945, eleven-year-old Betty’s house doesn’t feel like home. she thinks her mother loves her, but she can’t shake the feeling that her mother doesn’t love her. the church helps make those worries go away, if only for a little while. Singing, preaching, speeches by guest activists like Paul Robeson and Thurgood Marshall encourage African Americans in their community to stand up for their rights. Betty quickly finds confidence and purpose by volunteering for the Housewives League, an organization that supports Black-owned businesses. Soon, the American civil rights icon we now know as Dr. betty shabazz is born.
wolf hole
Published: May 3, 2016
Despite growing up in the shadows of two world wars, Annabelle has lived a mostly quiet and stable life in her small Pennsylvania town. until the day new student betty glengarry walks into her class. Betty quickly reveals herself to be cruel and manipulative, and although her bullying seems isolated at first, it quickly escalates. Toby, a reclusive World War I veteran, soon becomes the target of Betty’s attacks. While others see Toby’s strangeness, Annabelle knows only kindness. And as tensions rise in her small community, Annabelle must find the courage to stand up for justice as a lone voice.
The brilliantly crafted debut from Newbery Honor Award-winning author and Scott O’Dell Lauren Wolk (Beyond the Shining Sea, Echo Mountain), Wolf Hollow is a haunting tale of America at a crossroads and a time when a girl’s resilience, strength, and compassion help illuminate the darkest corners of the story.
the night diary
Published: March 6, 2018
It’s 1947 and India, newly independent from British rule, has split into two countries: Pakistan and India. the division has created a lot of tension between Hindus and Muslims, with hundreds of thousands dying crossing borders.
Twelve-year-old half-Muslim, half-Hindu
nisha no longer knows where she belongs or what her country is. when dad decides it’s too dangerous to stay in what is now pakistan, nisha and her family become refugees, embarking first by train and then on foot to reach her new home. The journey is long, difficult and dangerous, and after losing her mother as a baby, Nisha can’t imagine losing her homeland as well. But even if her country has been shattered, Nisha still believes in the possibility of rebuilding.
Told through Nisha’s letters to her mother, The Night Diary is a moving story of a girl’s search for a home, her own identity…and a hopeful future.
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how tall is the moon
Published: March 5, 2019
In the small town of Alcolu, South Carolina, in 1944, 12-year-old Ella spends her days fishing and running with her best friend Henry and her cousin Myrna. But her life isn’t always so sunny for her, who is bullied for her fair skin tone and whose mother is away from her chasing a dream of being a jazz singer in Boston.
so she is delighted when her mother invites her to visit her for christmas. She little expects the truths she will discover about her mother, her father she never knew, and the most unlikely story of her family.
and after a life-changing month, he returns south and is shocked by the news that his schoolmate, george, has been arrested for the murder of two local white girls.
lark and wallcreeper
See Also: Reading Books to Babies (for Parents) – Nemours KidsHealth
Published: October 2, 2018
While helping her grandmother Collette evacuate to a makeshift shelter in Brooklyn during Superstorm Sandy, Lily uncovers secrets from her grandmother’s past as a member of the French resistance during World War II.
queens, 2012.
Hurricane Sandy is inundating New York City and Lily is in a nursing home with her grandmother, Collette. Lily visits Collette often, as she is starting to lose her memory. When the National Guard shows up to evacuate the building and take them to safety at the Park Slope Armory in Brooklyn, Lily’s grandmother suddenly pulls out a red box that she has hidden in a closet for years. Once they reach safety, Lily opens the box, where she finds a beautiful old Montblanc pen. Grandma tells Lily that the pen is very important and that she has to take care of it, as well as some letters written in French.
but lily loses the pen while helping other residents of the nursing home, and as she searches the city trying to find it, she learns more about her grandmother’s past in france and begins to discover the meaning of the pen with the help of her best friend, a flamboyant pen connoisseur and a larger-than-life off-broadway understudy. Narrated in alternating sections (2012 and 1944), this engaging book explores a deep friendship during difficult times and the importance of family.
under the broken sky
Published: October 15, 2019
Twelve-year-old Natsu and his family live a quiet life on a farm in Manchuria, near the border with the Soviet Union. But the life they’ve known begins to unravel when her father is drafted into the Japanese army, leaving Natsu and her little sister Asa orphaned and destitute. In a desperate move to keep his sister alive, Natsu sells Asa to a Russian family in the aftermath of the Soviet occupation of 1945. Natsu’s journey to redemption for Natsu’s broken family is fraught with struggle, but Natsu is tenacious and will not stop at nothing to get her little sister back. Literally and historically insightful, this is one of the great untold stories of World War II. Like Thanhha Lai’s Upside Down and Upside Down Newbery Honor Book, Beneath the Broken Sky is powerful, moving, and ultimately hopeful.
the summer we found the baby (world war ii)
Published: August 4, 2020
on the morning of the opening of the new children’s library in belle beach, long island, eleven-year-old julie sweet and her six-year-old sister martha find a baby in a basket on the library steps. At the same time, twelve-year-old Bruno Ben-Eli heads to the train station to catch the 9:15 train to New York City. he is on an important errand for his brother, who is a soldier abroad in world war two. But when Bruno sees Julie, the same Julie who hasn’t spoken to him in sixteen days, walking away from the library with a baby in her arms, he has to follow her. Holy everything, he thinks. julie sweet is a kidnapper.
Of course, the truth is much more complicated than children know in this heartwarming and beautiful family story from award-winning author Amy Hest. Told in three different voices, each with a different take on events, the novel captures the moments and emotions of a life-changing summer: a summer in which a baby gives hope to a family and brings a community together.
looking for lottie (world war ii)
Published: February 26, 2019
A long-lost cousin, a mysterious locket, a visit to Nana Rose in Florida, a diary written in German, and a very special violin all lead twelve-year-old Charlie to the truth about his great-aunt Lottie. in this intriguing intergenerational mystery.
charlie, a budding violinist, decides to research the life of her great aunt and namesake for her high school ancestry project. Everyone in Charlie’s family believes that Great-Aunt Charlotte (called Lottie), a violin prodigy, died at the hands of the Nazis, but the more Charlie learns about her long-lost relative, the more confusing Charlie’s story becomes. great aunt lottie. could it be that lottie somehow survived the war by hiding in hungary? Could she still she be alive today?
in search of lottie, susan ross has written a highly personal work of historical fiction that is closely inspired by her own family’s history, exploring the continuing effects of the holocaust on families today. includes a letter from the author describing the research that shaped this story.
everything i knew
Published: August 11, 2020
henry has been deaf from a young age: he’s smart and knows the language, but at age six, he’s decided it’s not safe to talk to strangers. when it comes time for him to start school, he is labeled “unteachable”. Because his family has very little money, his parents and his older sister Molly feel powerless to help him. Henry is sent to Riverview, a bleak institution where he is misunderstood, underestimated, and treated harshly.
Victor, a World War II conscientious objector, is part of a civilian public service program offered as an alternative to compulsory military service. In 1942, he arrives at Riverview to serve as a deputy and quickly sees that Henry is far from impregnable: he’s brave, smart, and sometimes mischievous. Under Victor’s care, Henry begins to see how things can change for the better.
Heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful, Everything I Knew About Helen Frost is inspired by true events and provides keen insight into a little-known element of history.
finding langston
Published: August 14, 2018
It’s 1946. Langston’s mother just passed away and now they’re leaving with the rest of their family and friends. She misses everything: Grandma’s Sunday dinners, the red dirt roads, and the magnolia trees her mom loved.
In the city, they live in a small apartment surrounded by noise and chaos. it doesn’t feel like a new beginning, or a better life. at home he is alone, his father always busy at work; at school they bully him for being a country boy.
but langston’s new home has something great going for it. Unlike the whites-only library in Alabama, the Chicago Public Library welcomes everyone. There, hiding out after school, Langston discovers another Langston, a poet who inspired his mother enough to name his only child after him.
the observer (world war ii)
Published: November 4, 2014
berlin, germany. how did wendy end up in a place like this? Just a few months ago, he was enjoying his time in Maine, supporting the American war effort.
but she was kidnapped and then betrayed by her own mother, who is actually a Nazi spy. As a new Berliner, and now German, Wendy is expected to speak in a language she has never known and support a cause she doesn’t believe in.
However, there are allies among the Germans. allies who have been taking care of wendy since he arrived. And Wendy, along with her new German Shepherd puppy, must face them. If only she could find them.
middle grade historical fiction set in the 1950s
Indian no more
Published: December 10, 2019
regina petit’s family has always been umpqua, and living on the reservation of the great ronde tribe is all ten-year-old regina has ever known. her biggest concern is that sasquatch might exist in the forest. But when the federal government enacts a law saying that Regina’s tribe no longer exists, Regina becomes “no more Indian” overnight, even though she lives with her tribe and practices tribal customs, and although their ancestors were indigenous for countless generations.
Now that they have been forced to leave their homeland, Regina’s father enrolls the family in the federal Indian Relocation Program and relocates them to Los Angeles. Regina finds a whole new world in her neighborhood at 58th. She has never met children of other races, and they have never met a real Indian. For the first time in her life, Regina comes face to face with the cruelty of racism, personally and towards her new friends.
Meanwhile, his father believes that if he works hard, his family will be treated like white Americans. But it’s not so easy. It’s 1957, during the civil rights era, and the family is struggling without their tribal community or land. At least Regina has her grandmother, Chich, and her stories. at least they’re all together.
In this heartwarming middle-grade novel based on Umpqua author Charlene Willing McManis’s own tribal history, Regina must find out: who is Regina Petit? Is she Indian, American or both? Will she and her family ever be okay?
out of left field
Published: May 1, 2018
every kid in the neighborhood knows katy gordon is their best pitcher, even if she’s a girl. but when she tries out for the minor leagues, it’s a whole different story. girls are not eligible, period. It’s child’s play and always has been. It’s not fair, and Katy is going to defend herself. Inspired by what she’s learning about civil rights in school, she sets out to prove that she’s not the only girl who plays baseball.
With the help of friendly librarians and some tenacious research skills, Katy uncovers the forgotten history of ballplayers. why doesn’t anyone know about them? Where are you now? And how can a ten-year-old boy change people’s minds about what girls can do?
a place to belong
Published: May 14, 2019
World War II is over, but even though the United States won the war, twelve-year-old Hanako feels lost. to her, the world, and her world, seems irrevocably broken. The United States, the only home she has ever known, imprisoned and then rejected her and her family, and thousands of other innocent Americans, because of her Japanese heritage, because Japan had bombed Pearl Harbor. , hawaii.japan, the country they were forced to move to, the country they hope will be the savior of the family, where they were supposed to start a new and better life, is in ruins because the united states dropped its own bombs, a in hiroshima like no other in history. and hanako’s grandparents live in a small town on the outskirts of the devastated city. The country is starving, black markets are rampant, and countless orphans beg for food on the streets, but how can Hanako help them when there isn’t even enough food for her? Her own brother of hers? Hanako feels like she might crack under the pressure, but just because something is broken doesn’t mean she can’t be fixed. cracks can make room for gold, her grandfather explains when she tells him about the tradition of kintsukuroi: fixing broken objects with gold lacquer, making them stronger and more beautiful than ever. As she struggles to adjust to find her place in a new world, Hanako will discover that gold can come in many forms, and family can be hers.
looking for junie kim
Published: May 4, 2021
junie kim just wants to fit in. so she keeps her head down and tries not to attract attention. But when racist graffiti appears at her high school, Junie must decide between staying silent or speaking up.
Then, Junie’s history teacher assigns her a project and she decides to interview her grandparents and learn about their amazing experiences growing up during the Korean War. Junie comes to admire her grandmother’s fierce determination to overcome impossible odds and her grandfather’s unwavering compassion during the war. And as racism becomes more pervasive at school, Ella Junie harnesses the strength of her ancestors and finds the courage to do what’s right.
brother’s keeper
Published: July 21, 2020
north korea. December 1950.
Twelve-year-old Sora and her family live by a set of iron-clad rules: don’t travel without a permit. no criticism of the government. no absences from communist meetings. wear red hang pictures of the great leader. don’t trust your neighbors. don’t say what you think. you’re being watched.
but a war is coming, a war between north korea and south korea, between the soviets and the americans. war causes chaos, and war is the perfect time to escape. The plan is simple: Sora and Ella’s family will walk hundreds of miles to the South Korean city of Busan from Ella’s small mountain town. they just need to avoid napalm, frostbite, border guards, and enemy soldiers.
but they can’t. And when a firebombing changes everything, Sora and Ella’s younger brother will have to make it to Busan on her own. Can a twelve year old girl and her eight year old brother survive a three hundred mile winter war zone?
Haunting, timely, and beautiful, this harrowing novel from a searing new talent gives readers a glimpse into a time gone by and a nation closed.
middle grade historical fiction set in the 1960s
see you tomorrow, mr. marsworth (vietnam war)
Published: April 3, 2018
When eleven-year-old Reenie Kelly’s mother dies, she and her siblings are sent to live with their grandmother. Adjusting to life in her parents’ Midwestern hometown isn’t easy, but once Reenie takes a newspaper route with her older brother, she has something to look forward to. As they introduce themselves to each house on her route, Reenie is stumped with only one: the house that belongs to Mr. marsworth, the town recluse. When she doesn’t answer the doorbell, Reenie starts leaving letters for her. Gradually, the two become pen pals, striking up the most unlikely of friendships.
it all comes down to this
Published: July 11, 2017
It’s 1965, Los Angeles. All twelve-year-old Sophie wants to do is write Ella’s book, star in Ella’s community play, and hang out with Ella’s friend Jennifer. but she is the new black girl in an almost all-white neighborhood; her beloved sister, lily, will soon be leaving for college; and the marriage of her parents is difficult. she also has to deal with her family’s disapproving new housekeeper. When riots break out in nearby Watts and a friend is wrongfully arrested, Sophie discovers that her life – and her own place in it – is even more complicated than she once thought.
leavened with gentle humor, this story is perfect for fans of rita williams-garcia.
the last great adventure
Published: March 20, 2018
It’s 1967 and twelve-year-old Bea needs a little adventure. her mother is in san francisco, while her father just remarried in los angeles. bea has gained a younger stepsister and is not thrilled with her blended family. So when her sick Grandma Pidge moves into a senior living community in Orange County and asks if Bea would spend the summer helping her settle in, Ella is happy to have any excuse to escape.
but it turns out her grandmother isn’t interested in settling in. what she really wants is to catch a train back to atchison, kansas, where she believes she will be reunited with her missing sister: amelia earhart. And she wants Bea to be her partner on this secret journey.
At first, Bea thinks her grandmother’s plan is a little crazy. But Pidge has thirty years of letters written in the unmistakable “meelie” voice, all promising to get together. this could be the adventure bea needs…
With cards in hand, Bea and Pidge set out on their quest to find Amelia. but getting to the middle of the country turns out to be more of an adventure than either of them expected. And his search for Amelia leads to some startling truths about her family, and each other.
a divided night
Published: August 25, 2015
with the rise of the berlin wall, gerta finds her family suddenly divided. Ella, Ella’s mother, and Ella’s brother Fritz Ella live on the Soviet-controlled East Side. her father and her middle brother, who had gone west in search of work, cannot return home. Gerta knows it’s dangerous to look at the wall, but she can’t help it. She sees East German soldiers with their guns pointed at their own citizens; she, her family, her neighbors and friends are in prison in her own city.
but one day, on her way to school, gerta sees her father on an observation deck on the west side, pantomiming a peculiar dance. Gerta concludes that her father wants her and Fritz to tunnel under the wall, outside of East Berlin. however, if they are caught, the consequences will be deadly. she can’t trust anyone. Will Gerta and her family find their way to freedom?
she loves you (yes yes yes)
Published: June 26, 2018
The year is 1966. The Vietnam War rages overseas, the Beatles have catapulted to stardom, and twelve-year-old Rhode Island native Trudy Mixer isn’t thrilled with life. her best friend michelle decided to become a cheerleader, everyone at school now calls her gertrude (her hated real name), and the jewel of her high school career, the beatles fan club, has dwindled just three other members. -The least popular kids in school. And at home, her workaholic father has become even more distant.
Determined to regain her social status and prove herself to her father, Trudy looks to the biggest thing happening in the whole world: the Beatles. she is set to see them in boston during her latest world tour and meet her loved her paul her mccartney her. So on a hot August day, unbeknownst to her families, Trudy and the team set out on their journey, each with high hopes for what lies ahead.
lucky broken girl
Published: April 11, 2017
In this unforgettable multicultural coming-of-age narrative, based on the author’s childhood in the 1960s, a young Cuban Jewish immigrant is adjusting to her new life in New York City when her American dream fades. suddenly derails. Ruthie’s plight will intrigue readers, and her powerful, colorful, light, and moving story of strength and resilience will stay with them for a long time.
ruthie mizrahi and her family recently emigrated from castro cuba to new york city. Just as she finally begins to gain confidence in her command of English and enjoys her reign as the hopscotch queen of her neighborhood, a terrible car accident leaves her in a cast and confined to her bed for a long recovery. . As ruthie’s world shrinks due to her inability to move, her powers of observation and heart grow larger, and she comes to understand how fragile life is, how vulnerable we all are as human beings, and how Friends, neighbors, and the power of the arts can sweeten even the worst of times.
a crazy summer
Published: January 8, 2010
eleven-year-old delphine is like a mother to her two younger sisters, vonetta and fern. She has had to be, ever since her mother, Cecile, left them seven years ago to live a radically new life in California. But when the sisters arrive from Brooklyn to spend the summer with her mother, Cecile is nothing like they imagined.
while the girls wait to go to disneyland and meet tinkerbell, their mother sends them to a day camp run by the black panthers. Unexpectedly, Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern learn a lot about their family, their country, and themselves during one really crazy summer.
cuba in my pocket
Published: September 21, 2021
When the failed 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion solidifies Castro’s power in Cuba, twelve-year-old Cumba’s family makes the difficult decision to send him to Florida alone. Faced with the prospect of living alone in another country, Cumba tries to remember the sound of his father’s clarinet, the smell of his mother’s lavender perfume.
Life in the United States presents a whole new set of challenges. Lost in a sea of English speakers, Cumbar has to navigate a new city, a new school, and a new freedom on his own. Each day, Cumber feels more confident in his new surroundings, but he continues to wonder: Will his family ever be whole again? Or will they remain beyond our reach, ninety miles across the sea?
how to find what you’re not looking for
Published: September 14, 2021
The life of twelve-year-old Ariel Goldberg feels like the moment the last guest leaves the party. her family’s jewish bakery is in financial trouble, and her older sister has eloped with a young man from india following a supreme court decision overturning laws banning interracial marriage. As change becomes Ariel’s only constant, she is left to hone something that she will always be in her own voice.
when the winter robe arrived
Published: January 11, 2022
When Eden’s cousin Winter comes to visit, it turns out she’s not just there to sightsee. He wants to find out what happened to his father, who disappeared ten years earlier from the Watts area of Los Angeles. so the cousins set out to investigate together, and what they discover brings them both joy and heartbreak. it also opens up a whole new understanding of his world, just as the area they’re targeting explodes into a standoff between police and black residents. For six days, Watts is like a war zone, with Eden and Winter becoming heroes in their own part of the drama. eden hopes to be a songwriter one day, and the only way she can describe that summer is a song with an unexpected ending, full of changes in tempo and mood, totally unforgettable.
middle grade historical fiction set in the 1970s
I lived on butterfly hill
Published: March 4, 2014
celeste marconi is a dreamer. She lives in peace among friends, neighbors and family in the idyllic city of Valparaíso, Chile, until one day, when warships are seen in the port and classmates start disappearing from class without saying a word. Celeste doesn’t really know what’s going on, but one thing is clear: no one is safe, not anymore.
the country has been taken over by a government that declares artists, protesters and anyone who helps those in need as “subversive” and dangerous for the future of Chile. Therefore, Celeste’s parents, her polite, generous, and kind parents, must go into hiding before they, too, “disappear.” However, before they do, Celeste is sent to America to protect her.
While Celeste adjusts to her new life in Maine, she never stops dreaming of Chile. But even after democracy is restored in his home country, questions remain: Will his parents reemerge from hiding from him? Will he really be safe again?
nest
Published: September 9, 2014
for fans of jennifer holm (penny from heaven, turtle in paradise), a touching and unforgettable middle grade novel about an irresistible girl and her family, tragic change, and the healing power of love and friendship. In 1972, home is a cozy nest on Cape Cod for eleven-year-old Naomi “Chirp” Orenstein and her older sister, Rachel; her father her psychiatrist; and her mother, her dancer. but then chirp’s mother develops symptoms of a serious illness and everything changes.
orange for sunsets
Published: April 2, 2019
Asha and her best friend, Yesofu, never cared about the differences between them: Indians. African. girl. boy. short. tall.
but when idi amin announces that the indians have ninety days to leave the country, suddenly those differences are the only things people in entebbe can see, not the samosas shared after school or the asha cheering on esefu at every cricket game.
Determined to keep her life the same, Asha clings to her world tighter than ever. but she is torn between her friends, her family and the promise of a better future. Now that the neighbors are gone and the soldiers are lining the streets, the two friends discover that nothing seems safe, not even their friendship.
Tensions between Indians and Africans escalate and the deadline to leave is fast approaching. Could it be the bravest thing of all to let us go?
the colors of the rain
Published: September 18, 2018
Set against the backdrop of the 1972 Houston, Texas, desegregation battles, this free-verse middle-grade historical novel is about a boy and his family dealing with loss and deprivation. revelation of dark family secrets. .
paulie sanders, age ten, hates his name because it also belonged to his dad, his dad who killed a white man and then crashed his car. With her mother unable to cope, Paulie and her sister Charlie move in with her Aunt Bee and attend a new elementary school. But it’s 1972, and this new school puts them right in the middle of the Houston school district’s war on desegregation. Paulie soon begins to question everything. she hears that her dad’s crime was related to race; She killed a white man defending a black man, and when Paulie starts fighting a black boy at school, she must face her reasons for doing so. When dark family secrets are revealed, the path ahead for everyone will change the way Paulie thinks about family forever. The Colors of the Rain is an authentic and heartbreaking portrait of human loss and connection during an era fraught with racial tension set in verse from debut. author R. I toalson.
steal mt. rushmore
Published: August 18, 2020
Nellie’s father had planned to have four sons to name as presidents at mt. rushmore has george, nellie, tom and teddy. no abe.
See Also: Deepak Chopra – Audio Books, Best Sellers, Author Bio | Audible.com
It’s the summer of 1974. Nellie turned thirteen. her best friend, maya, is in love with a boy. President Nixon could be impeached. and her mother runs away. her money for her family road trip to see mt. rushmore is not there and her father got into bed and does not get up.
Nellie is sure the trip west will fix her family and she’ll do almost anything to get the money. but she begins to wonder why it’s always her, the girl, who gets to keep the dishes and everything else. And how can a mom just get up and walk away without a note, without a forwarding address, without anything?
the long journey
Published: September 24, 2019
jamila clarke. josie rivera francesca jorge. three mestizo girls, close friends whose immigrant parents worked hard to settle their families in a neighborhood with the best schools. the three girls are strangers there, but they have each other.
Now, at the start of seventh grade, they are told they will be part of an experiment, taking a long bus ride to a new school built to “mix black and white kids.” their parents don’t want them to be experiments. Francesca sends her to a private school, leaving Jamila and Josie to catch the bus without her.
As Francesca tests her limits, Josie and Jamila find themselves strangers again at the new school. As the year progresses, the Spanish girls welcome Josie, while Jamila develops a tender friendship with a boy, but it’s a relationship that can only exist at school.
it’s not that horrible, falafel
Published: May 3, 2016
zomorod (cindy) yousefzadeh is the new kid on the block. . . for the fourth time. California’s Newport Beach is the last perch in his family, and she’s determined to shed his smart, reclusive personality and start over with a new name for the Brady group: Cindy. We are in the late 1970s, and fitting in becomes harder as Iran makes headlines with protests, revolution, and eventually the taking of American hostages. Even mood rings and puka shell necklaces can’t distract Cindy from the anti-Iran feelings that come too close to home.
backwards and backwards
Published: February 22, 2011
Inspired by the author’s childhood experience as a refugee, who fled vietnam after the fall of saigon and immigrated to alabama, this coming-of-age debut told in verse has been celebrated for its poignant childhood vision of family and immigration.
This harper classic edition includes an author’s note explaining how and why thanhha lai translated her personal experiences into this book, an interview with the author, an activity you can do with your family, tips for writing poetry, and discussion questions.
hà has only known saigon: the excitement of its markets, the joy of its traditions and the warmth of its close friends. but now the vietnam war has come to his house. hà and his family are forced to flee when saigon falls and they board a ship that is heading towards hope, towards america.
sunny side up
Published: August 25, 2015
sunny lewin has been sent to florida to live with her grandfather for the summer. At first, she thought Florida might be fun. After all, it is the home of Disney World. but the place where grandpa lives is not an amusement park. it’s full of. . . the elderly. really old people. Luckily, Sunny isn’t the only kid out there. She meets Buzz, a boy who is completely obsessed with comics, and they soon have adventures of their own: dealing with golf ball-eating alligators, runaway cats, and neighbors who mysteriously disappear. But the question remains: why is it sunny in Florida in the first place? The answer lies in a family secret that won’t remain a secret from Sunny for long. . .
middle grade historical fiction set in the 1980s
while I was away
Published: January 26, 2021
When twelve-year-old waka’s parents suspect that she cannot understand the basic Japanese they speak to her, they make the drastic decision to send her to Tokyo to live for several months with her strict grandmother. Forced to say goodbye to her friends and what would have been their summer vacation, Waka is torn from her student life in rural Kansas and travels around the world, where she faces the culture shock of life. of her.
In Japan, Waka has difficulty reading and writing kanji, doesn’t quite fit in with her complicated and aloof obaasama, and is teased by students in her Japanese public school classes. Even though this is the country her parents come from, Waka has never felt more like an outsider.
If she’s always been the “smart Japanese girl” in America but now she’s the “dumb foreigner” in Japan, where is home…and who will waka be when she finds it?
red, white and whole
Published: February 2, 2021
reha feels torn between two worlds: school, where she is the only American Indian student, and home, with her family’s traditions and festivities. But Reha’s parents don’t understand why she is conflicted: they only notice when Reha doesn’t meet their strict expectations. reha feels disconnected from her mother, or amma, although her names are related (reha means “star” and punam means “moon”), but they are a separate universe.
then reha finds out her amma is sick. very sick.
Reha, who dreams of becoming a doctor even though she can’t bear to see blood, is determined to get her amma back on her feet. she will be the perfect daughter, if it means saving her mom’s life.
all the grays on greene street
Published: June 4, 2019
soho, 1981. twelve-year-old olympia is an artist, and in her neighborhood, that’s normal. His father and his business partner, Apollo, revive old paintings, while his mother makes intricate sculptures in a corner of her loft, leaving Ollie to wander the streets of New York with his best friends, Richard and Alex, drawing whatever he wants. caught your attention. .
then everything falls apart. Ollie’s dad disappears in the middle of the night, leaving only a cryptic note and instructions to destroy it. her mother has gone to bed and she does not get up. apollo is hiding something, alex is acting strange, and richard has questions about the mysterious stranger he saw outside. and someone keeps calling, looking for a lost piece of art. . .
not your american girl
Published: July 7, 2020
lauren and her best friend, tara, have always done absolutely everything together. so when they don’t have any classes together in sixth grade, it’s disastrous. the solution? trying out for the school play. Lauren, who loves to sing, wonders if maybe, just maybe, she’ll be the star instead of Tara this time.
But when the show is complete, Lauren lands on the set, while Tara gets the lead. Ella’s teacher explains: Lauren just doesn’t look like the American girl. What audience would believe that she, half-Jewish, half-Chinese Lauren, was the run-of-the-mill star of Pleasant Valley, USA? uu.?
In the middle of the set, Lauren tries to support her best friend. But when she can’t sing anymore, her place in the play and her friendship are in jeopardy. With the help of a button-making business, Patsy Cline’s music, and hers, two arguing grandmothers, can Lauren get her voice back?
Acclaimed co-authors madelyn rosenberg and wendy wan-long shang return to the 1980s world of sydney taylor’s honor book this is just a test with this hilarious coming-of-age story.
as vanessa
Published: March 13, 2018
In this first semi-autobiographical novel set in 1983, Vanessa Martin’s real-life reality of living with her family in public housing in Newark, New Jersey is a far cry from the glamorous setting of Miss America. she struggles with a mother she barely remembers, a grandfather dealing with addiction, and her own battle with self-confidence. But when a new teacher at school coordinates a beauty pageant and convinces Vanessa to enter, Vanessa’s view of her own world begins to change. Vanessa discovers that her own worth is more than her talent performance scores and her interview answers, and that she doesn’t need a crown to feel comfortable in her own skin and see true beauty. of her.
auma’s long term
Published: September 1, 2017
auma loves running. In her small town in Kenya, she is a running star with big dreams. An athletic scholarship could allow her to attend high school and maybe even become a doctor. But a strange new disease called AIDS is ravaging the town, and when her father gets sick, Auma’s family needs her help at her house.
Soon, more people are getting sick, even dying, and no one knows why. now auma faces a difficult choice. Should she stay to support her struggling family or leave to pursue her own future? auma knows her family depends on her, but leaving might be the only way to find answers to questions about this new disease.
the planet earth is blue
Published: May 14, 2019
nova, 12, is eagerly awaiting the launch of the space shuttle challenger—it’s the first time a teacher has gone into space, and children across the united states will watch the event live on television in their classrooms. Nova and her older sister Bridget share a love of astronomy and the space program. they planned to watch the launch together. But Bridget is missing and Nova is in a new foster home.
While foster families and teachers dismiss Nova as severely autistic and non-verbal, Bridget understands how smart and special Nova is, and how much she can’t express. As liftoff approaches, Nova’s new adoptive family and teachers begin to see potential in her and, for the first time, she’s making friends without Bridget. but every day she counts down to the launch and to the moment when she will see bridget again. because bridget said, “whatever happens, i’ll be there. I promise.”
bridge road
Published: October 6, 2020
It’s the summer of ’83 on Trowbridge Road and June Bug Jordan is hungry. months after her father’s death from complications of AIDS, her mother stopped cooking and refuses to leave the house, instead she locks herself away to kill germs she believes are everywhere. parts. June Bug threatens this precarious existence by going out into the neighborhood and gradually befriending an imaginative boy who lives with his nanny Jean after experiencing problems of her own. But as June Bug’s connection to the world grows stronger, his mother’s becomes more distant, even dangerous, forcing June Bug to choose between truth and healing and the only home he has ever known. known.
trowbridge road paints an unflinching portrait of a girl and her family affected by mental illness and grief. Set in suburban Boston during the early years of the AIDS epidemic, the novel explores how a seemingly perfect neighborhood can contain restless ghosts and unspoken secrets. Written with deep insight and subtle lyricism by acclaimed author Marcella Pixley, Trowbridge Road demonstrates our power to rescue one another even when our hearts are broken.
we dream of space
Published: May 5, 2020
Cash, Fitch and Bird Thomas are three brothers who are in seventh grade together in Park, Delaware. In 1986, as the country eagerly awaits the launch of the challenging space shuttle, each wrestles with their own personal anxieties.
Cash, who loves basketball but has a recently broken wrist, is in danger of failing seventh grade for the second time. Fitch spends every afternoon wreaking havoc in the main arcade, struggling with an explosive temper he doesn’t understand. and bird, her twelve-year-old twin, dreams of being the first female commander of a nasa shuttle, but she feels that she is disappearing.
The Thomas children exist in their own orbits, spinning around in a tense and unpredictable household, with little in common except an enthusiastic science teacher named Ms. living room as the challenger’s release draws near, mrs. salonga gives her students a project: they are separated into spaceship crews and must create and complete a mission. when the fated day finally arrives, it changes everyone’s life and brings them together in unexpected ways.
Told in three alternating points of view, We Dream of Space is an unforgettable and thematically rich novel for middle grade readers.
center of gravity
Published: March 24, 2020
tessa is an anxious person, but it has gotten worse since her mother died a few months ago. to calm down, she cuts out photos of missing children from milk cartons and keeps them in a file. she helps her feel that she is not alone.
When her father suddenly announces that he’s getting married and moving in, Tessa must find new friends and a new stepmother. she knows that she must leave her old habits behind, but that is easier said than done. her struggle is something many listeners will understand.
reception
Published: May 29, 2018
mia tang has many secrets.
Number 1: You live in a motel, not a big house. Every day, while her immigrant parents clean the rooms, ten-year-old Mia manages the reception of the Calivista motel and attends to her guests.
number 2: their parents hide immigrants. and if the wicked motel owner, mr. yao find out they’ve been letting them stay in the empty rooms for free, the tangs are doomed.
number 3: she wants to be a writer. but how can she do it when her mother thinks she should stick to math because english is not her first language?
It will take all of Mia’s courage, kindness, and hard work to get through this year. Will he be able to keep his job, help immigrants and guests, escape from mr. yao, and go for your dreams?
dream, annie, dream
Published: January 25, 2022
As the daughter of immigrants who came to the United States in search of a better life, Annie Inoue was raised to dream big. And by the start of seventh grade, she’s channeling that irrepressible hope to become the lead in her school play.
so when annie lands an impressive role in the production of me and the king, she gets excited. . . until she starts hearing complaints from his mostly white classmates that she only got the part because it’s an Asian play with Asian characters. Is this what all people see from her when they see her? Is this the only kind of success they’ll allow you to have, one they can take down or use race to belittle?
Disheartened but determined, Annie channels her pain into a new dream: to show everyone what she’s made of.
the magical imperfect
Published: June 15, 2021
etan has stopped talking since his mother left. his father and his grandfather don’t know how to help him. His friends have given up on him.
When etan is asked to deliver a grocery order on the outskirts of town, he realizes he’s at the home of malia agbayani, aka the creature. Malia stopped going to school when her acute eczema spread to her face and her bullying became too much.
As the two become friends, other kids tease Etan for meeting the creature. But he believes that he might have a cure for Malia’s condition, if only he could convince her and his family to believe it too. Even if it works, will these two outcasts find where they fit in?
middle grade historical fiction set in the 2000s
broken strings
Published: September 10, 2019
It’s 2002. After the Twin Towers and the death of her beloved grandmother, Shirli Berman intends to move on. The best singer in Ella’s high school, she auditions for the lead role in Fiddler on the Roof, but she is overwhelmed to learn that she has been given the role of the elderly Jewish mother in the musical instead of the coveted role. of her sister. But there’s a bonus: her “husband of hers” is none other than Ben Morgan, the cutest and most popular boy in school. Deciding to throw herself into the role, she rummages through her grandfather’s attic for some props. there, she discovers an old violin in the corner, strange, as her zayde never seems to like music, she hasn’t even been to any of her recitals. showing it to her grandpa unleashes an anger in him that she’s never seen before, and though she’s scared of what it could mean, shirli keeps trying to connect with her zayde and discover the terrible reason behind her anger. . a long-kept family secret is revealed and shirli discovers the true power of music, both terrible and wonderful.
yusuf azeem is not a hero
Published: September 7, 2021
yusuf azeem has spent his entire life in the small town of frey, texas, and almost as long waiting for the chance to enter the regional robotics competition, that he just knows he can win.
only this year is going to be harder than I thought. because this year is the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, an anniversary that has everyone in your Muslim community on edge.
With “never forget” banners everywhere and a hostile group of townspeople protesting the new mosque, Yusuf realizes that the country’s anger from two decades ago has not gone away. Will he be able to preserve his joy and his friendships in the face of anguish and prejudice?
big apple diaries
Published: August 17, 2021
It’s the year 2000 in New York City. For 12-year-old Alyssa, this means splitting time between her Puerto Rican father’s apartment in Manhattan and her white mother’s new place in Queens, navigating the trials and tribulations of high school, and an epic crush on a new classmate. class. the only way to make sense of it all is to capture the ups and downs in doodles and hilarious comics in a journal.
Then life changes abruptly on September 11, 2001. After the fall of the twin towers and so many lives lost, worries about gossip and boys feel distant and insignificant. Alyssa must find a new sense of self and purpose in the midst of all the chaos, and find the strength to carry on with hope.
the places where we sleep
Published: August 25, 2020
early september 2001 and twelve-year-old abbey is the new one at school. again.
I worry about people talking to me / and I worry just as much / when they don’t.
Tennessee is her family’s last stop in a series of moves due to her dad’s job in the military, but this one could be different. Ella’s school is far from the base, and for the first time, Abbey has found a true friend: loyal, brave and athletic Camille.
and then it’s 9/11. The country is under attack, and Abbey’s “home” looks like it might fall apart. America has changed overnight.
how are we supposed to / keep this up / with the world / collapsing / around us?
Abbey’s body changes too, as her classmates argue and her family wavers. like everyone around her, she tries to make sense of her own experience as part of the country’s collective pain. With her mother grieving and her father preparing for active duty, Ella Abbey must learn to cope on her own.
Written in beautiful narrative verse, Abbey’s coming-of-age story accessible portrays the military family’s experience during a tumultuous period in our history. both personal and universal, it is a perfect read for fans of sensitive and tender books like the one about jellyfish.
That’s it for this list of 76 Middle Grade Historical Fiction Novels! While some of these are popular, I hope you have found a new one for yourself. If you enjoyed this list of books, you might like these others:
- high school books on sports
- high school books on parents’ divorce
- best of asian high school
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Do you like historical fiction? what are your favorite middle grade historical fiction novels?
See Also: 21 Best Chapter Books for 7 Year Olds