In a world with so many things to be happy and sad about, kids can really benefit from books that embody empathy and encourage acceptance and understanding. The book called Wonder, a true story about a young boy with a facial disfigurement, inspired a movie and a movement toward kindness and awareness for people that look or act differently from us.
We all have characteristics that make us special and unique, so here are 25 incredible books that celebrate all the ways we humans can relate to one another and overcome adversities.
1. Auggie & Me: Three Wonder Stories
For readers that fell in love with Auggie's story in the book Wonder, here is a follow-up novel that continues his story through the eyes of 3 other kids in his life. This book provides multiple perspectives on how children react to differences and how their actions affect those around them.
Learn More: Amazon
2. The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl
A charming story of a young girl who gets struck by lightning and becomes a math genius. Lucy is a wiz for equations, is almost ready for college, and she's only 12 years old! Before she takes the leap into adult academia, her grandmother encourages her to try and make one friend in middle school. Can she do it?
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3. My Bindi
Gita Varadarajan tells a heartfelt story about a young girl Divya who is afraid kids at school are going to make fun of her bindi. This beautiful picture book shows readers that embracing what makes them special is the greatest gift you can give yourself.
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4. Save Me a Seat
A moving story of an unlikely middle school friendship between two boys from drastically different upbringings. Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan collaborate to bring us this relatable tale of how having a friend can be all the courage someone needs to stand up for themselves and overcome difficulties at school.
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5. The Running Dream
An award-winning and inspiring novel about a girl who loves to run getting in a car accident that results in her losing her leg. Jessica's whole reality shifts as she has to relearn how to walk, and meets her new math tutor Rosa who has cerebral palsy. As Jessica regains her mobility and freedom, she learns how it feels to be different, and wants to not only change her future but Rosa's as well.
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6. El Deafo
Cece Bell shares a compelling and honest story about a young deaf girl changing schools. On her first day at a regular school, she is afraid everyone is going to stare at her phonic ear. Cece soon discovers her phonic ear can pick up voices all over the school. Who can she tell about this, and will they want to be her friend after they know?
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7. Home of the Brave
Bestselling author Katherine Applegate brings us an engrossing story of Kek, a young immigrant boy from Africa who has lost most of his family and must start over in rural Minnesota. While he waits for word from his missing mother, he makes friends with a foster girl, an old farmer woman, and a cow. His positive outlook and desire to embrace the beauty of life make for an inspiring read.
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8. Firegirl
When Jessica arrives at his school, wrapped in a body cast from a terrible fire accident, Tom doesn't know how to act. This heartwarming story takes the reader on a journey with Tom as he learns to look past Jessica's burns and scares, and form a friendship with the girl beyond the fire.
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9. Short
This middle-grade novel by Holly Goldberg Sloan reminds us that what really matters is not the size of our bodies but the size of our dreams. Julia is a young girl who gets cast as a munchkin in the local production of The Wizard of Oz. Here she meets other actors the same size as her with aspirations as high as the sky, and Julia realizes she doesn't have to be a munchkin, she can be the star!
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10. Measuring Up
An inspiring graphic novel about a young immigrant from Taiwan named Cici. She wants to celebrate her grandma's 70th birthday together, so she needs to find money to buy her a plane ticket. Cici decides to enter a kid's cooking contest to try and win the prize money. Will she be able to make the perfect dish that wins the contest and demonstrates who she is and where she came from?
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11. A Mango-Shaped Space
A coming-of-age story about Mia, a young girl with synesthesia that doesn't want to embrace her unique abilities. Not only can she smell colors, but she can taste shapes and other amazing things! Will she be able to accept who she is and share her gifts with the world around her?
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12. Every Soul a Star
A book told from 3 perspectives of the childhood experience, and what it means to love who you are and take risks in the pursuit of life and friendship! Ally, Bree, and Jack are 3 strangers who have found themselves at Moon Shadow campground waiting to catch sight of a total solar eclipse. They couldn't be more different, but end up forming unbreakable bonds underneath the starry skies.
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13. Starfish
Ellie is a young girl who has always felt too big in the fat-obsessed world. Her mother ridicules her, and other girls can be mean at school, but Ellie finds escape in the pool where she can float in peace and take up all the space she wants. Slowly, her self-perception begins to shift with the support of allies like her dad, her therapist, and her friend Catalina who love Ellie just the way she is.
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14. Unsettled
Young immigrant Nurah is a brightly colored fish in a new and unfamiliar pond when her family moves from Pakistan to Georgia, U.S.A. Nurah loves to swim and finds the pool as her place to let her strength and speed speak for themselves. Here she meets a new friend Stahr she can relate to and enters into a sibling rivalry with her brother Owais that ends up changing both of their lives and teaching Nurah some unsettling lessons.
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15. Forget Me Not
This debut middle-grade novel by Ellie Terry tells the compelling story of Calliope, a young girl with Tourette syndrome. She and her mom just moved to a new city and Calliope has to go through the steps of people at her school realizing she's different all over again. Will this time be the same as always, or will Calliope finally find true friendship and acceptance?
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16. When Stars Are Scattered
An important graphic novel that tells the relevant story of two displaced brothers living in a refugee camp in Kenya. When Omar discovers he can go to school, he has to choose between staying with his younger, nonverbal brother Hassan to keep him safe, or go study and try to learn how to get them out of this camp and into a better future.
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17. Mockingbird
If Caitlin already thought the world was complicated and hard to maneuver when her brother was alive, it got even messier after he was killed in a shooting at his school. Caitlin, who has Asperger's syndrome, now needs to find a new way to see the world through her own eyes and discover the beauty that lies between black and white.
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18. The Someday Birds
A story about how young Charlie's life changed after his dad was injured reporting on the war in Afghanistan. The family struggles to move across the country for medical treatment, and Charlie must grapple with the reality that their lives may never be the same.
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19. The Boy at the Back of the Class
There is a new student in the class, and he has had quite a difficult journey getting to his seat. Ahmet is 9, and has just escaped the war in Syria but has lost his family along the way. When his fellow classmates hear Ahmet's story, they decide to do what they can to find his family and reunite them!
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20. Counting by 7's
There are all types of geniuses out there and 12-year-old Willow can definitely be described as one. Not only is she a wiz at nature facts and medical jargon, but she also loves counting, especially by 7s. She has lived a private but happy life with her parents until one day they die in a car crash. Will Willow be able to find a new family to make her feel loved and safe enough to use her gifts?
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21. The Science of Unbreakable Things
When we are young we think our parents are indestructible. This reality is shattered when young Natalie learns about her mother's depression. So Natalie decides she wants to help by winning her school's egg-dropping contest and using the prize money to take her mom on a trip. During her scientific process, Natalie learns that breaking open and letting things out is sometimes the solution.
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22. Ugly
A story of overcoming bullying and basing self-worth on what is inside instead of what is on the outside. Robert was born with significant birth defects that caused his face to be deformed. He has had to deal with mean looks and words used about him his whole life, but despite it all, he is determined to follow his dreams.
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23. Find the Good
This book has some advanced concepts, but the main idea is simple, find the good in everything. Author Heather Lende gives examples and stories of how we can see every event and change in our lives as an opportunity to grow and be thankful. A great read to instill positive thinking habits for any age reader!
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24. The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh
Little Billy has always had a brain full of jokes to share. What he is working on is his delivery, because he has a stutter. When he moves to his new school, Billy is nervous the kids will make fun of his speech so he keeps his mouth shut. Will his true love of comedy push him to overcome his insecurities and do what he does best? Make everyone laugh!
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25. Unstuck
Not all problems benefit from pushing through. Sometimes we need to step back, slow down, or pause in order to get things straight in our heads. This encouraging story illustrates how things stop or get stuck around us, and that it is okay to not flow smoothly all the time.
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33 Interesting Educational Movies for Middle Schoolers