Juvenile Fiction Lists

Aven Green was born without arms—so when her dad takes a job running a dying western theme park in Arizona, she knows she’ll become the center of unwanted attention at her new school. But she bonds with Connor, a classmate with his own disability to conquer. Then they discover a room at the park that holds bigger secrets than Aven ever could have imagined. Can Aven face her fears, solve a mystery, and help her friend, too? (description from Novelist)

"Moving halfway across the country did not help eleven-year-old Zinnia deal with her little brother's death, but joining her neighbors and aunt as a Real Life Super Hero does that and more." (description from catalog)

"Frances Chin, a 10-year old Chinese-American girl, lives with her immigrant parents and older sister, Clara. At school Frances copes with bullies and the loneliness of not quite fitting in. And at home, her parents are preoccupied with work and worry about Clara, whose hair is inexplicably falling out. But, with the help of her friend Annie, Frances is determined to solve the mystery of Clara's condition. Frances's powerful inner voice resonates in gorgeous imagery and evocative free verse." (description from Novelist)

"Best friends Rasheeda and Monique navigate the ups and downs of a teenager's summer, Mo at home in the Cove; Sheeda at a sleepaway ballet intensive." (Provided by publisher.)

Allie is British and dreams of being a spy. Sage is an only child from sunny California. They meet when their families swap houses for the summer. Though they're polar opposites, Allie and Sage quickly realize that they're both dealing with family issues--Sage's parents may be on the brink of divorce, and Allie's struggling to feel heard in her big family. It may take a trip around the world for them to find their place at home. This sweet and emotional story is told in alternating chapters from each girl's point of view, offering two unique perspectives on family and belonging.-- Provided by publisher

"Imaginative, eleven-year-old Gina, her mysterious new neighbor, Antonio, and their classmates are inspired by an unusual young teacher to see who they are and envision who they are meant to become." (description from Novelist)

"Sami is your average 13-year-old boy growing up in Damascus. He loves playing soccer and video games and hanging out with his friends. Even though the Syrian civil war has been going on for many years, Sami’s life has hardly changed…until the fateful day when his mother and sister are injured during a bombing at a shopping mall. Realizing they are no longer safe, Sami’s parents—a surgeon and a school principal—arrange to flee, seeking asylum in England. The journey is not an easy one, as Sami and his family face danger, intimidation, and discrimination as they try to reach England and rebuild their lives." (description from Kirkus)

In this powerful collection of short stories, children around the world turn eleven and take a step into their futures. Each one is changed in ways both big and small. (description from Barnes & Noble)

"Lily made her dad an important promise before he passed away; that she would...speak her mind at least five times. But speaking up one time, let alone five, is easier said than done. It'll be even harder now that Lily must attend public school for the first time. Fortunately, she meets curling-obsessed Hobart and quiet Dunya at the beginning of sixth grade...But when Lily and her friends are bullied by Ryan and his mean clique, she quickly discovers the true meaning of friendship and speaking out" (description from publisher)

"This is going to be the worst summer ever for Peyton. Her family just moved, and she had to leave her best friend behind. She's lonely. She's bored. Until . . . she comes across a box buried in her backyard, with a message: I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. Things are about to get interesting.
Back in 1989, it's going to be the best summer ever for Melissa and Jessica. They have two whole months to goof around and explore, and they're even going to bury a time capsule! But when one girl's family secret starts to unravel, it's clear things may not go exactly as planned." (description from publisher)

"Sixth-graders Sara, a Pakistani American, and Elizabeth, a Jewish girl, connect in an after school cooking club and bond over food and their mothers' struggles to become United States citizens." (description from Novelist)

"Bullied and shamed her whole life for being fat, twelve-year-old Ellie finally gains the confidence to stand up for herself, with the help of some wonderful new allies." (description from catalog)

"Twelve-year-old Riley steps out of her older brother's protective shadow and behind the Dungeon Master's screen, running D&D campaigns for her friends and learning to be independent and self-reliant." (description from catalog)

"Thirteen-year-old Jillian Robichaux's coastal Louisiana town of Boutin suffers a catastrophic flood that might be too much for her community to overcome, but she is determined to keep both Boutin and its indomitable spirit alive." (description from catalog)

"Twelve-year-old Beatrice Miller copes with the ups and downs of friendships, puberty, and identity, guided by the wisdom and love of her beloved Mamaw and mom, the summer before seventh grade." (description from catalog)

"After her brother goes missing in Afghanistan, twelve-year-old Juni sets out to break a family curse in hopes it will bring her brother safely home" (description from publisher.)

Feeling like she lives two lives as the only Indian American girl in her school, Lekha Divekar is excited to meet a Desi newcomer only to discover that her proud new friend has just relocated to America and is not content to be quiet about bullying. (description from Novelist)

Lives of four misfits are intertwined when a bully's prank lands shy Virgil at the bottom of a well and Valencia, Kaori, and Gen band together in an epic quest to find and rescue him. (description from catalog)

"In a small Colorado town, lives are changed and secrets are unearthed when swastikas start appearing at the local middle school. Dana, the only Jewish girl, is on edge. Michael, the head of the art club, and Caroline, the class president, are organizing a paper chain six million links long in honor of Jewish Holocaust victims. Link, the most popular seventh grader, learns that as an infant his grandmother was saved in a Catholic nunnery from the Nazis. As the story unfolds, a popular YouTuber brings attention to the town, and Link, after learning about his Jewish ancestry, decides to have a bar mitzvah. All the while, everyone is trying to figure out who keeps drawing swastikas." (description from School Library Journal)

"Eleven-year-old Bea, who is white, has always dreamed of attending sleepaway Camp Shalom with her best friend. Shortly before the summer begins, Bea learns that her friend is going to horse camp instead. Attending camp alone is Bea's first experience with independence. At first she is so nervous that she breaks out in hives and gets picked on by a pair of mean girls. But she also makes new friends and learns to confront problems instead of running from them." (description from School Library Journal)

"Five tweens navigate the pandemic by attending an experimental virtual reality school"-- Provided by publisher.

"Twelve-year-old Haector Muñoz, fleeing from bullies, discovers a magical closet that not only provides him sanctuary, but also unites him with two other kids facing similar problems at their own schools, helping them find friendship and strength in each other." (description from catalog)

"Nine-year-old Betita and her parents fled Mexico after her uncle was killed by the cartels, and settled in Los Angeles seeking political asylum and safety in what her father calls Aztlan, the land of the cranes; but now they have been swept up by by the government's Immigration Customs Enforcement, her father deported back to Mexico, and Betita and her mother confined in a family detention camp--Betita finds heart in her imagination and the picture poems her father taught her, but each day threatens to further tear her family apart." (description from catalog)

Eighth grader Ginny Shepard attempts to ground herself after realizing that the world is apathetic to the very real, very urgent realities of climate change, and reckoning with her own feelings of guilt and impotence.

"When Emma develops vitiligo, a skin condition, shortly after her grandmother's death, it changes her life completely, but when she tries to write in the journal which she and her grandmother shared to write fairy tales, comments like those her grandmother used to write start to appear." (description from catalog)

"After moving across the country, thirteen-year-old Natalie auditions for her new school's play and overcomes her fears and insecurities about performing in a wheelchair." (description from catalog)