Children's Book Suggestions | Young Teen Romance

A selection of age-appropriate romance stories focused on first crushes, first kisses, and first dates for readers age 10-14.

Updated January 21, 2026
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Danny Constantino's first (and maybe last?) date
Acampora, Paul
Paper Book
Between going out with his celebrity crush and his mom's campaign to be the next town mayor, Danny's got a lot to learn about life in the spotlight. When Danny Constantino asks his old-friend-turned-Hollywood-movie-star, Natalie Flores Griffin, to his local school dance and...
Breaking the ice
Blitt, Natalie
Paper Book
One girl. One boy. A small-town ice rink. This sweet story of hockey, friendships, and crushes is perfect for tween readers in search of a hockey rom-com that's just right for them. Harper was born to play hockey. She was captain of her school's hockey team...but after she causes an...
The love report. 1
Béka
Paper Book
BFFs Grace and Lola try to unravel the mystery of romance with a plan to observe, study, and analyze the ways of love at their middle school in the first book in this addictive graphic novel series. BFFs Grace and Lola talk about everything related to romance-and have lots of...
Star-crossed
Dee, Barbara
Paper Book
"Star-Crossed delighted me! Barbara Dee has a light touch and a pitch-perfect middle school voice. This book will have you laughing and groaning in sympathy with crush-addled Mattie and eagerly turning pages. Mattie and her classmates charmed me with their kindness, their humor, their...
Meet me at Wonderland
DeVillers, Julia
Paper Book
A girl with a summer job at her family's amusement park crushes on a coworker who'd rather be working anywhere else in this fun and flirty middle grade rom-com. Fourteen-year-old Coco is Morty the Moose for the summer--the official mascot for her family's business, Wonderland...
Keep it together, Keiko Carter
Florence, Debbi Michiko
Paper Book
Fans of Wendy Mass and Lisa Greenwald are sure to fall head-over-heels for this sweet story about first crushes, friendship drama, and finding the courage to stand up for yourself.Seventh grade is supposed to be a game changer. And Keiko thinks she's got it covered, especially with Audrey and Jenna...
This is how I roll
Florence, Debbi Michiko
Paper Book
Let the good times roll with this rom-com about sushi rolls, secret crushes, and chasing your dreams! Susannah Mikami dreams of becoming a famous sushi chef like her dad. And this summer, she plans to learn everything about his traditional kitchen. Only he refuses to teach her, and won't...
The love pug
Howard, J. J.
Paper Book
J.J. Howard, author of Pugs and Kisses and Pugs in a Blanket, delivers more puppy love and friendship mix-ups. Emma's pug, Cupid, has a hidden talent: He is a master at matchmaking! Her pet seems to have a nose for spotting which two people belong together. With the...
Courtesy of Cupid
Jones, Nashae
Paper Book
In this "sweetly romantic coming-of-age story with fun, magical touches" (Kirkus Reviews), a girl uses her newfound ability to make people fall in love to sabotage her rival. Erin Johnson's thirteenth birthday unfolds like any other day, from her mom's quirky and...
Taco Tuesdays
Mancillas, Mónica
Paper Book
Nacho average foodie WISH book! Mónica Mancillas explores themes of family, food, and identity wrapped up in a sweet, commercial title. Dulce doesn't want to spend the summer helping at her family's restaurant, but with the business needing all the help it can get, she doesn't have a choice. ...
Confessions from the Group Chat
Meadows, Jodi
Paper Book
What happens in the group chat stays in the group chat... until it doesn't. Virginia Vaughn just wants to fit in with her super-popular friend group. That means she doesn't let them know how much she loves the library, she never speaks a word about her massive crush on tragically...
All my bests
Meiser, Britnee
Paper Book
In the tradition of Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between, this smart and emotional romance told through playlists and memories follows two young teens struggling to hold onto each other as their friendship changes. Starting high school brings big changes for Immie and...
Not if you break up with me first
Miller, G. F.
Paper Book
Two friends who have unhappily found themselves accidentally dating try to drive the other one to call things off in this witty and heartfelt middle school romance. Childhood friends Eve and Andrew are destined to be together--everyone says so, especially their friends and...
Sundae my prince will come
Nelson, Suzanne
Paper Book
Suzanne Nelson delivers another sweet, "foodie" tween romance for our WISH line, this time with ice cream, ballet, friends, and happily-ever-after.Malie's mom manages an ice cream parlor, but Malie's real love is ballet. She dreams of landing the lead in an upcoming production of Cinderella...
A song for you and I
O'Neill, Kay (Cartoonist)
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * Being a ranger means adventure, action, and protecting the weak. But who protects the ranger when they lose their way? From the bestselling author of The Moth Keeper and the Tea Dragon Society comes a must read MG graphic novel for fans of soft sweeping fantasy...
Spin with me
Polonsky, Ami
Paper Book
From the author of the critically acclaimed Gracefully Grayson comes a thoughtful and sensitive middle-grade novel about non-binary identity and first love, Ami Polonsky's Spin with Me. In this elegant dual narrative, Essie is a thirteen-year-old girl feeling...
Pizza my heart
Richardson, Rhiannon
Paper Book
A slice-of-life rom-com about pizza and first crushes that readers will gobble up! Maya Reynolds has practically grown up in her family's Brooklyn pizza shop, Soul Slice, and is a true city girl. When her family moves to a small town in Pennsylvania to open another pizza place,...
I'm with Cupid
Staniszewski, Anna
Paper Book
Marcus is a Cupid. Lena is a Reaper. Opposites attract in the exciting new Switched At First Kiss series by the acclaimed author of The Dirt Diary. Dared to kiss the adorkable Marcus Torelli at a party, Lena thinks it's the perfect opportunity to cross First Kiss off her list of "Things to...
Rolling on
Sumner, Jamie
Paper Book
In this "equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming" (Kirkus Reviews) companion to Jamie Sumner's acclaimed and beloved novels Roll with It and Time to Roll, Ellie finds herself faced with first love and learning to let go. It's the very end of eighth grade...
Meow or never
Taylor, Jazz
Paper Book
A heartwarming story of secret pets and secret crushes... and learning to take center stage! Avery Williams can sing, but that doesn't mean she can sing in front of people. She likes to stay backstage at her new school, which is where, to her surprise, she finds a cat tucked away into a...
The language of seabirds
Taylor, Will (Children's literature author)
Paper Book
A sweet, tender middle-grade story of two boys finding first love with each other over a seaside summer. Jeremy is not excited about the prospect of spending the summer with his dad and his uncle in a seaside cabin in Oregon. It's the first summer after his parents' divorce, and he hasn't...
Well, that was awkward
Vail, Rachel
Paper Book
Gracie has never felt like this before. One day, she suddenly can't breathe, can't walk,can't anything-and the reason is standing right there in front of her, all tall and weirdly good-looking- A.J. But it turns out A.J. likes not Gracie but Gracie's beautiful best friend, Sienna...

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