Books About Blended Families for Children of All Ages

Ages 3-6: The Family Book, by Todd Parr
While not specifically about blended families, this fun and colorful book is a great introduction to the idea that no two families look alike. Parr, known for his child-like art style and positive messages, examines all the different types of families—ones with stepparents, step-siblings, two mothers, and more—with an underlying message of family’s love. Because despite how different these families may look from the outside, they all are families, and they all love each other.

Do You Sing Twinkle? A Story About Remarriage and New Family, by Sandra Levins and Bryan Langdo 
This touching story, told from the perspective of a young boy, addresses some of the fears and anxiety that arise in young children as their family environments change. Published by the American Psychological Association, the story is written to help young children understand the dynamics of re-marriage and joint custody. The colorful illustrations will keep young children engaged, as they relate to the young boys’ experience. A “Note to Parents” is included in the back of the book with advice for talking to children about the changes happening in their lives.

Ages 5-9: My Fairy Stepmother, by Marni Prince, Jason Prince, and Susan Tegelaar
It’s pretty easy to find books about wicked stepmothers (thanks, Cinderella), and much, much harder to find a book that treats a stepmother as a caring—even normal—member of the family. In this beautifully illustrated book, stepmother Maribel helps Amelia as she struggles to adjust to travel between two houses. Specifically, Amelia is scared of the dark, and Maribel helps her find some light in the darkness, which is a pretty great metaphor for the positive impact stepparents can have on children’s lives when families work together.

Ages 8-12: The Headless Cupid, by Zilpha Keatley Snyder and Alton Raible
The Stanley children are still adjusting to their new stepmom and their new house, when all of the sudden their new stepsister Amanda shows up. It’s not just that they don’t want a stepsister: it’s that she acts like—and seems to believe—that she’s a witch; a real life purveyor of all things occult. She promises to teach David, Jamie, and the twins witchcraft too—even if she wishes she still lived with her dad. While this is a fascinating book with an interesting supernatural angle and black and white illustrations, at the heart of it is a girl who has to come to terms with her new family.

Ages 10-14: The Thing About Leftovers, by C.C. Payne
Fizzy moves between her dad’s home (with her too-perfect stepmom) and her mom’s home (with her mom’s boyfriend), never really feeling like she has a place of her own. She feels like the the “leftover” kid from a marriage both parties would be happier forgetting ever happened. And then it gets worse—her dad’s having a new baby, while her mom is getting re-married. The only things Fizzy seems to have are cooking and her cool Aunt Liz. So what’s a twelve-year-old girl to do? Well, Fizzy enters the Southern Living Cook-Off in hopes of winning over her family again.

Young Adult
Ages 12-18: Ink Is Thicker Than Water, by Amy Spalding
YA has been criticized for writing out teens’ families—but not this book. Here, the family is large and complicated and sometimes a bit chaotic. With an overachieving adopted sister, a hippie mom, a younger half brother, a tattoo artist step-dad, and a dad, Kellie Brooks often feels overlooked in her complicated family. When she meets Oliver, she feels like this may be just another too complicated and messy relationship. There are no evil stepparents or step-siblings here. Instead, this a story about a girl finding herself, and the girl just so happens to have a supportive blended family.