7 Middle Grade Books About Adoptive Families

A Sea of Stars, by Kate Maryon
Being the only child of two very doting, overprotective parents can be a bit stifling. Which is why Maya is more than happy when her parents decide to foster 11-year-old Cat. Finally, she’ll have a sister, and maybe her parents will ease up a little bit. But Cat comes with an attitude, secrets, and a heavy dose of resentment. She’s not interested in sisterly bonding, and when Maya’s parents make the decision to permanently adopt Cat, Maya realizes she may never get her idyllic family life.

Counting by 7s, by Holly Goldberg Sloan
12-year-old Willow has never quite fit in with her peers. She’s a walking encyclopedia on nature and medical diagnoses, but these are not exactly topics her classmates discuss on a regular basis. Fortunately, she finds a refuge in her adoptive parents, who encourage her pursuit of information, and love her for who she is. The day both her parents are tragically killed, Willow’s world drops out from underneath her and even counting by 7s, her normal self-soothing tactic, won’t put things back in order again. And yet, with the help of an unexpected and quirky cast of characters, Willow perseveres in a way only Willow can, gifting others along the way.

Half a World Away, by Cynthia Kadohata
Abandoned by his mother at age 4, Jaden spend 4 years in a Romanian orphanage before being adopted by his American parents. Three years later, he knows he’s being replaced again, this time by some unknown baby in a Kazakhstan orphanage. Who wants a lying, cheating, stealing, pyromaniac for a son when you can start over with a cute baby instead? But when Jaden and his parents arrive at the orphanage, they discover the baby they were to bring home with them has already been adopted. While his parents struggle with the decision of which other baby to bring home, Jaden is drawn to Dimash, a three-year-old toddler. It’s an unlikely pairing, but these two boys relate to and need each other in a way that only they can understand.

The Story of Tracy Beaker, by Jacqueline Wilson
This is the first book in a series of books featuring the mischievous spitfire, 10-year-old Tracy Beaker. Think of it as Annie meets Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The longer Tracy lives at the Children’s Home, the less she believes the stories she’s been telling herself.  When her social worker gives 10-year-old Tracy a notebook, she uses is it to document her life, filling it with her plans of either finding her mother (whom she’s sure is off living some fabulous life), or being fostered by a local author. In the meantime, there’s her ex-best friend to deal with, and the tag-along new kid who just won’t leave Tracy alone. Told with plenty of spunk and snark, this is an inside look at the foster/adoption process.

 The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher, by Dana Alison Levy
With two dads and four adopted sons, the Fletcher house is one crazy, loud, jumbled, joyful mess. 12-year-old Sam is your typical preteen, separated from his phone only when he’s playing soccer. 10-year-old Jax has serious misgivings about the new neighbor. Eli (also ten), is the smart one. And then there’s six-year-old Frog and his ever-present (invisible) pet cheetah. What makes this book so wonderful is that while the story features four adopted characters, the story is not about adoption, but about the family itself, and all its rollicking, disgusting, loving, normal adventures.

Kimchi and Calamari, by Rose Kent
It seems like a simple enough assignment: write an essay about your ancestors. But how do you write an essay about ancestors when all you know about your birth family is that your Korean mom abandoned you as an infant? Joseph Calderaro doesn’t remember anything other than his noisy, rambunctious, affectionate adopted Italian family. But he also doesn’t know anything about who he is, or what his life might have been like had he never been abandoned. Torn between two identities, and with his assignment deadline looming, Joseph makes a decision that leads to an even bigger mess and a look at the duality of foreign adoption.

 One for the Murphys, by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
12-year-old Carley Connors is tough. Her mother is fun-loving, if undependable, and she’s used to the hustle and bustle of living in Las Vegas. Besides, she’s old enough to take care of herself. But an unexpected turn of events lands Carley in foster care with the Murphy family. While the oldest son is wary and stand-offish, the rest of the Murphys are warm and welcoming, and entirely different from anything Carley has ever known. Despite her efforts to remain distant, Carley soon finds herself opening up to the family, and Mrs. Murphy’s unconditional love. So when Carley’s mother reaches out, wanting her daughter back, Carley is faced with the exact kind of painful decision she hoped to avoid.