The improved diversity in middle grade books over the past years is inspiring! It also means that it can be difficult to pick which ones to add to your classroom library.
This list is by no means exhaustive, but includes some of the books that I and my students have enjoyed most, organized by lexile:
Lexile not available
Bayou Magic by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Black Brother Brown Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Lexile 600- 800
I Can Make this Promise by Christine Day
Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams
Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhhà Lai
George by Alex Gino
Efren Divided by Ernesto Cisneros *
The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Perez *
Blackbird Fly by Erin Entrada Kelly
The Stars Beneath our Feet by David Barclay Moore
Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan
Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds
Front Desk by Kelly Yang
Everlasting Nora by Marie Miranda Cruz
The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman *
Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams Garcia
Stef Soto Taco Queen by Jennifer Torres
Stand Up! Yumi Chung by Jessica Kim
Clean Getaway by Nic Stone
The Only Black Girls in Town by Brandy Colbert
Lexile 810-1000
Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga *
The Crossroads by Alexandra Diaz *
American as Paneer Pie by Supriya Kelkar
Lexile 1010-1200
Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender *
More mature themes
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender*
Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson
Escape from Aleppo by N.H. Senzai *
Blended by Sharon Draper
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas
Dear Martin by Nic Stone
*Level of inferencing required for understanding is higher than lexile might suggest.
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