Hello readers! Middle Grade March is almost over, so I’m going to bring you guys one more recommendation post of my favorite diverse middle grade books. These will have POC and disability rep.
Honestly, if you are ever wanting to make a goal to read more diversely, the easiest way to do it is to read middle grade. This age group is incredibly diverse these days. MUCH MORE than adult or even YA.
I’m going to try my best to only talk about books that I haven’t mentioned in my Middle Grade March Recommendations or Middle Grade Graphic Novel Recommendations.
Rep type: Disability (Deafness)
You guys know I’ll Find any reason to recommend an Alex Gino book!
This one follows Jilly, whose baby sister is born deaf. This book is so frustrating as far as the adults go. They treat this baby like she is broken.
Jilly also knows this boy online who is deaf, and she attempts to start learning ASL for her sister. But, the doctor tells Jilly that she shouldn’t encourage her new sister not to try and use her ears. As if being deaf is a choice.
Rep: Disability (dyscalculia), POC
Figure it Out, Henri Weldon follows a seventh grade girl named Henri who has dyscalculia, which is like dyslexia, but for numbers. She struggles with time, money, and all types of math.
Henri wants to join the soccer team at her new school, but her mom wants her to focus on school. So, she asks someone at school to tutor her. And, she is struggling with her new friends being her sisters old bullies, which makes her kind of torn.
REP: Disability (clubfoot)
This is a WWII historical fiction following ten year old Ada who lives in London. She is hidden in her home by her mother as she is embarrassed of Ada.
What is so frustrating about this is that clubfoot is completely curable if you take care of it in infancy.
She is eventually shipped to the countryside with her brother, as many children were in WWII. I will warn you that Ada is very unlikable, but it is worth it to make it to the end of both books!
REP: Disability (CTE), POC
Before the Ever After follows a young boy named ZJ. ZJ’s dad is a pro football player who is loved by everyone.
But, one day his dad starts to change. Some days he is fine and others he is angry, or seems to not even know ZJ. This book is heartbreaking.
ZJ’s dad suffers from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, which is a disorder that mimics Alzheimer’s. It’s caused by repeated head trauma, and is mostly common among black men, as most football players are black men.
It says in this study done by the National Institute of Health, that 40% of contact sports players who die before 30 had this disorder, and it can only be diagnosed after death.
REP: POC
From the Desk of Zoe Washington follows 12-year-old Zoe on her birthday. She goes out to check the mail and finds a letter from her dad that she hasn’t ever met.
Turns out, he has sent one every single year on her birthday and her mom hides them. But, she found this one before the mom could.
Her dad has been in prison for a crime he says he didn’t commit and she goes in a journey to prove him innocent.
Janae Mark’s, the author, said she wrote this book to represent all the kids out there who have a parent in jail/prison like she did. If you read book two, it really highlights how going to jail/prison can make life on the outside so difficult for people, whether they were innocent or not.
REP: POC
The Love Sugar Magic series is very reminiscent to me of a kids show. This series follows Leonora who finds out she is a witch. Her parents own this bakery and they also do kitchen magic.
She then takes it upon herself to try and make a love potion for her friend with no supervision or practice and it goes horribly wrong.
REP: POC
I oftentimes will mention I Can Make This Promise by this author, but not The Sea in Winter.
This one follows a young girl name Maisie who has always had one love, ballet. She loves doing ballet and hopes to make it a career when she is an adult.
Until she gets a leg injury that takes away her dream completely. And she doesn’t know what to do. She doesn’t have an identity outside of ballet.
Her family goes on a winter road trip and she gets to visit her indigenous roots and finds that losing ballet isn’t the end of the world.
REP: POC
Aru Shah and the End of Time is part of Rick Riordan Presents and is the Hindu version of Percy Jackson.
This one follows Aru, a 12-year-old girl whose mother runs this Indian museum in Texas.
Aru is also a known liar, and when a few kids come to the museum to catch her in another lie, they light a cursed lamp and release an evil being. She then spends the rest of the book trying to fix what she has done.
REP: POC, Religion (Muslim)
Once Upon an Eid is a book of short stories all taking place during Eid. They are those type of life lesson stories.
AND, this is the perfect time to read this as Ramadan is happening right now! Eid is April 10th.
Ramadan is a time of fasting, prayer, and reflection. And, this book even gives you some insight into the fasting and how it effects children. I suppose you could compare it to lent and Easter, but the intent isn’t the same.
My daughter is reading this book right now as I love teaching her about different cultures through religion and religious holidays.
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