8 Great Middle Grade Coming of Age Novels

No Fixed Address, by Susin Nielsen
Felix lives with his mom Astrid. They lived in several homes before moving into a van. Felix’s mom refuses to let Felix tell anyone that they are homeless, even as the winter months grow colder and their situation more and more dire. Felix is in a bind. He loves his mother, but he’s tired of hiding things from his friends at his new school and stressing about where he lives. The only thing keeping him going is his determination to get a spot on a game show, Who, What, Where, When. Felix is sure if he can win the prize money, he can save himself and his mom. But things are never quite what they seem, and Felix may have to learn to rely on others despite his mother’s insistence that they don’t need any help. Poignant and written with a sensitivity that adds nuance to its heavy topics, No Fixed Address is a bittersweet coming of age novel with will pull in middle grade readers from start to finish.

Love to Everyone, by Hilary McKay
If your middle grade readers loves classic tales like The Little Princess or Anne of Green Gables, they will adore Love to Everyone.  It’s the early twentieth century and despite her father’s disapproval, Plucky Clarissa “Clarry” Penrose wants to live her own life. She wants to go to school and play with her older brother Peter and cousin Rupert.  But when Rupert enlists to fight in a war and is soon declared missing, Clarry realizes that nothing is permanent. Scared for Rupert and herself, will Clarry ever step out of her sheltered life? Can she be her own person despite the restrictions placed on her by her family and the world? Writer McKay uses multiple points of views to show the relationships between Clarry and others to great effect, which add variety to a fascinating coming of age story.

Friday Night Stage Lights, by Rachele Alpine
Brooklyn loves to dance more than anything in the whole world. When her mom gets married again, Brooklyn is uprooted from everything she knows to go live in Texas. Brooklyn just wants to feel like she belongs, so when she gets an opportunity to audition for the Texas School of the Arts, she knows she has to take it. She just needs to do her best at the big dance showcase so that she can win a spot at the school. When her dancing partner gets hurt, Brooklyn is sure all is lost. Helps comes from an unexpected place when Logan, a football player like her new stepbrother, decides to help her with her dance. Alpine brings a likable and talented protagonist to life in Brooklyn. Middle grade readers will recognize the conflict Brooklyn faces as she navigates all of the new changes in her life and strives for her dreams.

Ella Unleashed, by Alison Cherry, Angela Li
Sweet and funny, Ella Unleashed tells the tale of Ella Cohen, who lives with her mom and stepdad. Ella loves her stepdad and when he lets her show his prize dog, Elvis at a junior dog show, Ella falls in love with the excitement of dog shows. The only problem? Ella’s dad hates her new stepdad and won’t come to Ella’s dog shows if her stepdad will be there. Ella is pretty bummed about this – until she stumbles upon the perfect idea. Ella decides to sign her dad up for an online dating site. After all, if she can find him the perfect match, he won’t hate her new stepdad anymore and will come to the dog shows.  But people, like championship dogs, aren’t always predictable and don’t always behave the way you want them to.

Tight, by Torrey Maldonado
Quiet and introspective, Bryan likes to draw superheroes and read comics. His mother encourages this, but his father tells him he has to be tougher, especially living in the neighborhood that they live in. Bryan is torn. When his dad is sent back to prison, Bryan starts to think that maybe nothing matters and starts letting his friend Mike push him into doing dangerous things that aren’t so “tight,” like skipping school and riding the subway all day. Then Mike pushes him too far and Bryan realizes he may have gotten involved in something he can’t handle. Torrey Maldonado’s does an amazing job of drawing out the life of a young boy of color – Bryan is Afro-Puerto Rican – and the sometimes damaging way that people respond to emotional pain.

The Benefits of Being an Octopus, by Ann Braden
Sweet, hard-working Zoey is tired.  Balancing seventh grade and taking care of her siblings after school every day is too much.  But her mom has to work at the pizza parlor, so Zoey does what she has to do. It helps that her mom’s boyfriend Lenny lets them all live together in his trailer. As exhausted as Zoey is, things are going okay – until a teacher makes her join the debate club.  Debate club is an eye-opener for Zoey, forcing her to examine aspects of her life, like her mom’s relationship with Lenny, in a way that brings to light potentially uncomfortable issues. It can be hard to stand up for yourself and for the things you believe in. In The Benefits of Being an Octopus, Braden illustrates Zoey’s struggles with a deft hand that brings to light the joys and sorrows of becoming your own person.

Zora and Me: The Cursed Ground, by T.R. Simon
The  sequel to Zora and Me, Cursed Ground centers the adventures of Carrie Brown, best friend to a young Zora Neale Hurston, who will later grow up to become a luminary in the world of African American literature. Blending tragedy and triumph, the book follows Carrie and Zora as they discover that Mr. Polk, the town mute, can actually talk, and that his muteness is tied to the town’s cursed history.  Intimately connected to the town’s history is the life of of Lucia, an African child who sailed from Europe to America with her guardian, only to end up enslaved. Lucia’s perspective blends well with that of Carrie and Zora’s and helps to drive home the interconnection between the slavery era  and the Jim Crow era, a point the author makes throughout the novel as our two heroines unravel the town’s history in this touching coming of age story and mystery.

The Magic of Melwick Orchard, by Rebecca Caprara
Filled with charm and plenty of heart, The Magic of Melwick Orchard tells the story of Isabel aka Isa, who has moved a lot in her life while her parents take care of her little sister Junie, who is six-years-old and battling kidney cancer.  Isa feels pretty alone. Her parents are  focused on Junie, and with so many moves, she is afraid to make friends for fear she will have to leave them again. But this time, the family has moved to a home with a beautiful orchard. Melwick Orchard doesn’t produce fruit anymore, but something strange is going on. When Isa buries her too small shoes underneath a sapling, the next day, brand new shoes appear! Isa can’t believe it, but maybe the orchard is magic! And maybe, just maybe, that magic can help her bring her family together and make friends.