5 Middle Grade Books That Celebrate Strong Girls

Stella by Starlight, by Sharon M. Draper
“Red fire. Black cross. White hoods. They’re here. Now.” Eleven-year-old Stella and her little brother, Jojo, are stunned and frightened when they see members of the Ku Klux Klan gathering in the woods one night in their rural North Carolina town. It’s 1932 in the segregated South, and the unwelcome reappearance of the KKK sends shock waves through Stella’s family and community. But Stella still manages to maintain her courage, hope and resilience in the face of adversity, which will resonate with readers of all ages.

The Watcher, by Joan Hiatt Harlow
In this touching piece of historical fiction, 15-year-old Wendy Taylor ends up on the wrong side of enemy lines during World War II after she’s kidnapped by her Aunt Adrie, who actually turns out to be her mother and a Nazi spy. Taken away from her family in New York to live in Germany, Wendy is expected to abide by her mother’s strict rules, speak a language she doesn’t know and—worst of all—support the Third Reich. As Wendy discovers the truth about who she really is and what the Nazi government is doing, she plans to escape. But how? And where are the hidden allies who can possibly help her?

Rain Reign, by Ann M. Martin
Fifth grader Rose Howard likes homonyms—a lot. “And I like words,” she narrates. “Words and numbers too … (especially prime numbers).” She loves homonyms so much that she names her dog Rain, which Rose notes is special because it has two homonyms (rein and reign). Rose struggles with her obsessions with patterns, and with controlling her outbursts at school—markers of her high-functioning form of autism, a condition the other students, as well as her single father, don’t always understand. But when her beloved Rain goes missing during a storm, Rose must leave her comfortable routines behind as she and her uncle set out to find her dog. Though she must deal with an immense amount of heartbreak throughout the book, Rose demonstrates great courage and spirit in this powerful story told from her perspective.

Out of the Dust, by Karen Hesse
Through first-person, free-verse poems, Hesse tells the story of 14-year-old Billie Jo as she survives the Dust Bowl years of the 1930s in Oklahoma. Billie Jo loses her mother in a horrific accident that also leaves her own piano-playing hands permanently maimed, and is then forced to watch as her grief-stricken father essentially wastes away. Billie Jo’s tale is tragic, but her bravery and hope burn brightly.

Caddie Woodlawn, by Carol Ryrie Brink
Much to her mother’s chagrin, 11-year-old Caddie Woodlawn is a tomboy through and through. Redheaded Caddie, who is based on the author’s own grandmother, is an adventurer whose indomitable spirit and fearlessness have inspired readers ever since the book was first published in 1935. Set in the pioneer days of the 1860s, the novel follows Caddie on her many exciting exploits, including a prairie fire that threatens the schoolhouse, a dangerous fall through a frozen lake, and a midnight ride to warn her Native American friend that the settlers are planning a massacre.