Top 16 Books About Belonging Updated 04 /2024

It might be difficult to fit in when everyone and everything around you is changing in middle school. While the pressures of adolescence might be daunting, reading can be a great source of consolation. A list of 21 books about identity and belonging for children ages 8 and up has been compiled to help them feel less isolated.

Coo by Kaela Noel

In order to save her beloved pigeon Burr from being put down, a young girl must make a risky journey down to the ground from an abandoned rooftop where she has spent her whole life. Burr's damaged wing is repaired thanks to a retired postal worker, and Coo begins to emerge from her solitary existence and experience warmth, safety, and human interactions for the first time.. Sadly, just as Coo is beginning to grow, she discovers that the human world is cruel and incredibly difficult.

That’s What Friends Do by Cathleen Barnhart

After meeting on their town's Little League baseball team, Samantha Goldstein and David Fisher have been best friends ever since. What was formerly a twosome becomes a threesome when Luke joins them. Even though Sammie is offended by Luke's remarks, David notices how effortlessly Luke flirts with Sammie, and so he chooses to approach his longtime obsession. Both Sammie and David are devastated by the events that transpire and have no one they can confide in about what transpired.

A Home For Goddesses and Dogs by Leslie Connor

After her mother's death, Lydia, thirteen, must move in with her aunt and uncle on their Connecticut farm for the New Year. It's a pleasure to stay with Aunt Brat and her cheerful wife Eileen, as well as their venerable in-house landlord Elloroy. Lydia tries to fit in with her new family after they adopt a large yellow dog just days after she arrives, all the while concealing secrets of her own.

How to Disappear Completely by Ali Standish

In the years when her grandma was still alive, Emma lived in a magical world. But Gram is no longer here, and Emma's skin has begun to show weird lesions. It's just a matter of time before she's diagnosed with vitiligo, a skin ailment that causes patches of her skin to lose their color.

Here in the Real World by Sara Pennypacker

He meets Jolene, a tough and secretive girl working in the wreckage of an abandoned church near the camp on his first day of summer recreation. Soon, he begins to skip classes and create a castle-like place in the church parking lot. A sneering Jolene dismisses him, labeling him a "dreamer" who doesn't live in the "real world." Even though Ware and Jolene are diametrically opposed, they share a belief that the lot is a safe haven, and that it must be protected at all costs.

I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day

Edie's mother was adopted by a white couple when she was a baby. Edie, on the other hand, is confident that her family does not have any answers to her questions concerning her Native American origins. Edith had no idea she had a twin sister until she and her friends unearthed a hidden box in the attic with letters and images of a woman who looked like her. Edie's curiosity about the woman with the same name as her has suddenly been piqued. But how can she put her faith in her parents to tell her the truth now if they've lied to her for her entire life?

Eventown by Corey Ann Haydu

Elodee's life shifted this year, and she can no longer be the same person she was before. It's not going to happen when her emotions are so powerful. That's especially true now that she and her identical twin sister, Naomi, appear to be growing more and more distant. So when Elodee's mother is offered a position in Eventown, it appears as if the move will be the answer to all of her problems. As Elodee quickly discovers, there is a price to be paid for perfection—and for faking.

Cog by Greg van Eekhout

Cog appears to be a regular 12-year-old boy, despite his unusual appearance. The abbreviation "CD" stands for "cognitive development," and he was designed to acquire new knowledge. When Cog wakes up in a strange facility following an accident, Gina, the scientist who developed and cared for him, is missing. Cog, surrounded by scientists who want to research him and remove his brain, assembles a team of four robots to help him locate his missing girlfriend.

The Best At It by Maulik Pancholy

Seventh grade is about to begin for Rahul Kapoor, who lives in a small Indiana town. As the start of middle school looms, Bhai, his favorite person in the world, gives him some sensible advice: Find one thing you're very good at and become the best at it. Is it possible for Rahul to be the best at something and then learn that it isn't?

Tangled in Time series by Kathryn Lasky

In the past, Rose's life had been idyllic: she had a supportive group of friends, a doting mother, and a successful fashion blog. A tragic car accident leaves Rose without a mother and thrust into a new school where she is bullied mercilessly by the other students. Rose's grandmother's greenhouse is the only place she feels safe. A peculiar light appears from within it one night, however. While doing research, she ends up in the 16th century, where she meets a young Queen Elizabeth and learns about her own family's dark history.

Just Jaime by Terri Libenson

Jaime and Maya are left wondering on the final day of seventh school who their true pals are. Jaime has a suspicion that something is amiss in her social circle. Because of the way she wears and what she likes, they've started to exclude her. At the very least, she knows she can rely on her best friend Maya to have her back. Jaime's babyish demeanor irritates Maya more and more when she compares her to the other popular girls in the group. Is there anything left in common between her and Jai? Is their time together as BFFs over?

Remember to follow Emmie & Friends on their many travels!

Endling: The Last by Katherine Applegate

Byx is the dairne pack's newest member. To the point of extinction, her mythological dog-like species has being hunted in the war-torn realm of Nedarra. Byx is afraid she may be the last of her kind after her pack is tracked down and slaughtered. The Last One. And so her quest begins to discover whether the stories she's heard about other lost dairnes — and the legends that go along with them — are true.

Make sure you don't miss out on the remainder of the Endling series if you enjoy this one!

Posted by John David Anderson

There are several ways to use them. With a few simple words, you can either make friends or foes. Those people can come back to haunt you. They can have a profound impact on a person's life. Frost and his classmates come up with a novel technique to communicate when cell phones are prohibited at Branton Middle School: leaving sticky notes for each other throughout the school. All of the students in the school begin to leave notes, but there is also an equal number of sarcastic and mean-spirited ones.

A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry

Wolf pup Swift lives in the mountains with his pack, fighting for leadership and protecting a fresh litter of cubs from his older siblings. After that, a rival pack strikes, and Swift and his family are forced to flee the area. Swift has no choice but to depart in order to find a new place to call home.

The Spinner of Dreams by K.A. Reynolds

Despite being compassionate, intelligent, and curious, Annalise Meriwether feels lonely. Annalise was born with a curse from the wicked Fate Spinner that has kept her isolated from the rest of the world. It's hard for her to ignore the harsh residents of her bleak town, but the black mark on her palm won't go away. It's not going to happen if the monster that lives inside of it is becoming more and more unpredictable. Annalise can only be freed by entering the Labyrinth of Fate and Dreams and defeating the person who cursed her in the first place.

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