5 Middle Grade Books About Parents Dating and Remarriage

A Smidgen of Sky, by Dianna Dorisi Winget
Piper Lee’s mom is getting remarried four years after her father’s plane disappeared over the Atlantic, and Piper isn’t exactly happy about the change. Piper believes her father may still be out there, and she doesn’t like the idea of a stepdad (or a stepsister, for that matter). So Piper hatches a plan to ruin the wedding in order to seek out her missing father. Piper’s sense of betrayal and loss is so truthful you can’t help but relate, and her unique voice makes this book hard to put down.

The Thing About Leftovers, by C.C. Payne
Twelve-year-old Fizzy is an aspiring chef whose life has been sort of tumultuous since her parents’ divorce. But things become particularly hard for her when she receives the simultaneous news that her dad’s new wife is expecting a baby and that her mom plans to marry her boyfriend. Fizzy feels hurt and alone—maybe even like she’s a leftover from a marriage everyone would like to forget—but she has to keep it all inside in order to appear completely fine. The book is full of emotion and complexities, and Fizzy’s voice is pitch-perfect.

Two Naomis, by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich and Audrey Vernick
A tale of two Naomis, both very different and both unbeknownst to each other, who are thrust together when their parents get serious about dating each other. As the families get closer, the parents enroll the two girls in an all-girl coding class together. The pair must figure out how to navigate their increasingly complex family lives, and they learn that the best way to do it is together. The story is written in alternating perspectives by two different authors, giving each Naomi her own unique voice.

We Are All Made of Molecules, by Susin Nielsen
What happens when two kids are thrust together after their parents move in with each other? That’s what this book attempts to answer when socially awkward but brilliant Stewart and his dad move in with popular Ashley and her mom. An insightful look at what it means to do the best you can in a world you didn’t create, this story deals with pretty serious themes and is best suited for older middle grade readers.

The It Girl, by Katy Birchall
In this hilarious book, Anna is thrust into the spotlight when her dad starts dating a famous actress. The story takes what could be about family drama (with the new engagement and a potential stepsister), and throws it on its head, instead creating a happy, even if unconventional family, with everyone included and welcome. Because of her dad’s famous fiancé, Anna’s natural awkwardness is displayed for everyone, and she wants a change. It’s with the help from her growing family and friends that Anna learns to embrace her awkward persona.