Middle Grade Books

Books with social justice messages geared towards middle grades

Environment

Climate Change Fiction for Middle Years

Climate change is an overwhelming topic. It is important for students to learn about it, but some approaches can provoke eco-anxiety and lead many students to feel disconnected from the environmental crisis. Until recently, it has been difficult to find fiction that allows students to engage with the reality of

LGBTQ Featured

Books for Trans Joy in the Middle School Classroom

March 31 is Transgender Day of Visibility. Transgender students deserve to see themselves represented in the books they read and they deserve affirming stories that bring joy. Here are some joyful books that I recommend for the middle school classroom and beyond. * The Cardboard Kingdom, by Chad Sell - This

Antiracism

Graphic Novels by Asian Authors - Improving Representation in my Classroom Library

I have the feeling that students are looking for mirror books that reflect their own experiences as Asian Canadians. As a result, below are four new graphic novels that reflect in different ways the experiences of Asian students at my school.

Peace

The Ogress and the Orphans

I have a soft spot for fairy tales. As Neil Gaiman wrote, "Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten." For this reason, The Ogress and the Orphans, a middle grade novel

Courage

Rolling Warrior

I have been trying to introduce more books that focus on people with disabilities into my classroom library, since there is a large gap there. Rolling Warrior: The Incredible Sometimes Awkward True Story of a Rebel Girl on Wheels Who Helped Spark a Revolution [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/

Graphic Novel

Books about Japanese Incarceration in WW2

Recently I have been trying to update the novels in my human rights literature circle, focusing on themes relating to power and privilege. These days there are a wider selection of human rights themed books to choose from, ones where the author's own experiences or history help inform

LGBTQ

Queer History in Middle Grade Books

Earlier this month, a presentation was made to a school board in Manitoba requesting the need to set up a committee to evaluate books in school libraries, particularly focusing on books about transgender youth. Happily, the community came out in force against this idea and the motion was voted down.

LGBTQ

Thanks A Lot, Universe

Thanks A Lot, Universe [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49202852-thanks-a-lot-universe], by Chad Lucas, is a book I would like to put in the hands of every boy as they enter middle school. The novel has a lot to say about friendship, mental health, standing up for others and being

Courage

Thirst

Thirst, by Varsha Bajaj, focuses on Minni, a girl who lives in the poorest part of Mumbai and faces the consequences of a water crisis.

Courage

Moonflower

Sometimes the best way to approach and engage with a serious topic is through stories. Genre fiction does this particularly well. For instance, consider A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness, or The Ghost Collector [https://teacherbees.ca/the-ghost-collector/], by Allison Mills, both of which tackle grief and loss with stories

Canadian

The Witness Blanket: Truth, Art and Reconciliation

To prepare for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, this year I chose to explore The Witness Blanket: Truth, Art and Reconciliation [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61070507-the-witness-blanket?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=36eGyJDCp5&rank=2] , by Carey Newman and Kirstie Hudson. This

Graphic Novel

Popular Graphic Novels with 2SLGBTQ+ Characters

In the past few months, my students have become entranced with the Heartstopper series. They have binged the Netflix series, read through the webcomic online, and devoured the copy of Volume One that is in our classroom library. They have convinced their parents to buy them copies and asked the

Indigenous

Indigenous Storytelling Literature Circle

In the past, when teaching my students about Indigenous perspectives, I have often taken an approach that focuses on human rights. We spend time learning about colonialism in Canada and focus on texts [https://teacherbees.ca/indigenous-stories-in-graphic-novels/] that support that understanding. While I still think it is important to do

Courage

I Am Not Starfire

There are a lot of reasons to love I Am Not Starfire [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56120074-i-am-not-starfire?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=2xSshJEVzN&rank=1] , written by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Yoshi Yoshitani. The art is fantastic, the characters are sharp, and

Canadian

Black Water, On the Trapline, and Kīwew

One amazing thing about the writer David A. Robertson is his ability to write compelling literature for any age group. Some of his most recent work demonstrates his versatility as he focuses on his relationship with his father and connecting with his Cree identity in Black Water [https://www.goodreads.

Antiracism

Front Desk

Front Desk [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36127488-front-desk?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=8gCCUiQfWT&rank=1\] , by Kelly Yang, tells the story of  ten year old Mia, a Chinese immigrant who helps her parents manage a motel. Mia's life in America is

Antiracism

Prairie Lotus

Prairie Lotus, written by Linda Sue Park, tells the story of Hanna, a girl who is half-Chinese and living on the American frontier in 1880. Hanna and her father settle in LaForge, hoping to set up a Dress Goods shop in the growing town. Hanna dreams of attending school and

Graphic Novel

A Girl Called Echo: Road Allowance Era

A Girl Called Echo: Road Allowance Era [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57907128-road-allowance-era?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=4sXAsT0TQd&rank=4] , written by Katherena Vermette and illustrated by Scott B. Henderson, is the fourth and final volume in the Girl Called Echo series [https:

Graphic Novel

The Magic Fish

The Magic Fish [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42394599-the-magic-fish?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=kyzNs1EE29&rank=1] , written by Trung Le Nguyen, is a beautiful graphic novel about Tiến and his mother, a Vietnamese refugee. Tiến wants to come out to his parents as

feminism

The Cardboard Kingdom

The Cardboard Kingdom [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30623090-the-cardboard-kingdom] is a graphic novel by Chad Sell about the power of imagination and being yourself. The book is a collection of short stories that follows children of the cardboard kingdom, a neighbourhood where kids go on adventures and take on

Antiracism

New Kid and Not Talking About Race

This year, I was able to teach my identity literature circle [https://teacherbees.ca/identity-literature-circle/] for the first time. Having put together the text sets before going on parental leave, I was excited to finally dive into a unit that explored identity in a variety of ways. As a final

Human Rights

When Stars Are Scattered

When Stars Are Scattered [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51864234-when-stars-are-scattered?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=aWe9uJ4YrO&rank=1] , by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed, recounts Omar Mohamed's childhood in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Separated from his mother, Omar and his

Canadian

Surviving the City: From the Roots Up

Surviving the City Vol. 2: From the Roots Up, written by Tasha Spillett and illustrated by Natasha Donovan, is a graphic novel that explores the intersections of Indigenous culture and gender identity. It builds on the previous volume [https://teacherbees.ca/surviving-the-city/] to show the struggles of an Indigenous teen

LGBTQ

Rick

Rick [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44660928-rick?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=xjv28dLm5m&rank=1] , by Alex Gino, is the sequel to the award winning middle grade novel George. In Rick, characters from the first book have moved onto middle school, which brings new

Environment

Music for Tigers

Music for Tigers [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50618252-music-for-tigers?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=T09RBK96ml&rank=1] , by Michelle Kadarusman, tells the story of Louisa, a Canadian middle schooler who is sent to the Tasmanian rainforest to stay at her family's remote