5 Novels on the Middle School Crush: Does He/She Really Like Me?

Alan Cole Is Not a Coward, by Eric Bell
I met Eric Bell virtually when we were both 2015 Pitch Wars mentees, and I watched him edit his manuscript for months. I was so thrilled to see his story garner so much interest, especially when I read the news about his book deal. Yes! a new contemporary middle grade novel about 12-year-old boy crushing on another boy. In Alan Cole Is Not a Coward, if Alan he can’t beat his big brother at a game of “Cole vs. Cole,” Nathan will tell everyone his secret. The bullying depicted is not always easy to read because it’s so real: both Alan’s brother and his father constantly berate him. Nathan, who compares Alan to a spineless “goldfish,” threatens to out his brother at Evergreen Middle School about his crush on Connor Garcia, unless he can accomplish seven assignments within the week. (Um, having his first kiss?!) Bell, who says he grew up as “a closeted gay kid in the 90s,” hopes his story might evoke more empathy in our society. This novel will inspire readers to stand up for themselves; it’s such a great read for LGBTQ kids, their parents, and their allies.

Shug, by Jenny Han
Twelve-year old Annemarie Wilcox, known to her family as Shug, has a huge crush on her best friend, Mark, and I have a huge crush on Shug. This is one of my favorite first-love novels because it goes so much deeper than boy-girl-romance. “The sun is turning that fiery pink I love, and I turn to Mark the way I always do. I look at him, really look at him…. today, at this very moment, he is different, and it’s not even something I can explain. But I feel it. Boy, do I feel it.” Shug also has to cope with her beautiful, popular older sister, her alcoholic mom, and her absent father. This is such a beautiful story about facing pain and surviving.

Small as an Elephant, by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
When 11-year-old Jack wakes up alone in his tent in Acadia National Park and realizes his mom is gone, this isn’t the first time. His mother suffers from bipolar disorder and she’s unpredictable, although she has never left him all alone in the woods. Jack wishes “he could be that boy, a kid who had nothing more to worry about than where his Frisbee landed.” He doesn’t want to tell anyone he’s all alone because he’s afraid they’ll make him go back and live with his “evil” grandma. Instead, he sets off on a solo adventure for his home in Boston. Along the way, Jack meets a girl named Sylvie, who wants to help him. Although this isn’t necessarily a straightforward crush, in a heart lifting scene that made me cry, Jack and Sylvie get stuck in a vault together where they bond.

The Truth About Twinkie Pie, by Kat Yeh
When 12-year-old Galileo Galilei (GiGi) and big sister Delta Dawn (DiDi) leave their trailer park in South Carolina and move to the North Shore of Long Island, they hope life will get better. Thanks to the prize money DiDi won in a cooking contest, this feels like this might be possible. At her new ritzy school. GiGi tries to make a fresh start, including changing her name and literally falling over a boy named Trip…. but does he like her back? Cheers for another contemporary middle grade novel with poignant LGBT themes.

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume
I couldn’t resist including this classic crush-novel. Twelve-year-old Margaret Simon forms a secret club (the Pre-Teens Sensations, aka PTS) at her new school with her new friends to talk about private stuff like boys, bras, and getting their first periods. One of the rules is: you have to keep a Boy Book and write down the name of the boys you like. Margaret doesn’t like the rule but she plays along, until it’s her turn, and she can’t bring herself to write the truth, that she likes Moose Freed, who is a few years older. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret was first published in 1970, but with its real longing and fears, I believe this story is timeless.