Children's Book Suggestions | Disability Pride Month Chapter Books

A diverse selection of chapter books, graphic novels, and nonfiction books for readers in Grades 2-7 that celebrates a variety of disabilities, including neurodivergence. While most of the books center children with disabilities, there are also a couple of books including the experiences of children who have a sibling or parent with a disability.

Looking for more children's books about the disability experience? Try our Disability Pride Month Picture Books list for younger readers and the American Library Association's Schneider Family Book Award winners & honor books.

Updated May 17, 2024
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County) Oregon City Public Library
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The absent alpacas
Whaley, Kayla
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! Another thrilling domestic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door "The most addictive book I've read in ages--so slick and disquieting and clever. Just brilliant." -...

Disability in KidLit founder Kayla Whaley is at the helm for this reboot of the classic A to Z mysteries for newly independent readers. (Bridging Fiction Grades 2-4)

Marshmallow & Jordan
Chau, Alina
Paper Book
Alina Chau's Marshmallow & Jordan is a middle-grade graphic novel about a disabled, sports-loving Jordan, and the magical elephant named Marshmallow who she befriends. Jordan's days as star player for her school's basketball team ended when an accident left her...

A mysterious white elephant helps an Indonesian girl navigate friendship and disability when she takes up a new sport after a life-changing injury. (Children's Graphic Novel Grades 3-5)

Show me a sign
LeZotte, Ann Clare
Paper Book
Don't miss the companion book, Set Me Free CRITICS ARE RAVING ABOUT SHOW ME A SIGN Winner of the 2021 Schneider Family Book Award * NPR Best Books of 2020 * Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2020 * School Library Journal Best Books of 2020 *...

Deaf author/educator LeZotte crafts a suspenseful historical fiction tale set on Martha's Vineyard in 1805, in a real-life community where many residents were Deaf and everyone communicated using a unique form of sign language. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

Roll with it
Sumner, Jamie
Paper Book
A Kirkus Reviews Best Middle Grade Book of 2019 "A big-hearted story that's as sweet as it is awesome." --R.J. Palacio, author of Wonder In the tradition of Wonder and Out of My Mind, this big-hearted middle grade debut tells the...

A middle school girl with cerebral palsy and a passion for baking blossoms when she and her single mom relocate to Oklahoma to care for her grandmother, who has Alzheimer's. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

The storm runner
Cervantes, Jennifer
Paper Book
Zane would much rather explore the dormant volcano near his home in New Mexico than go to school with kids who bully him for his limp. But what Zane doesn't know is that the volcano is a gateway to another world, a world he's thrust into with his dog, Rosie, and the new girl at school, Brooks -...

A teen boy discovers that his disability is linked to his Mayan heritage as son of a deity and central figure in a powerful prophecy related to a war between the gods. From the Rick Riordan Presents imprint featuring stories from world mythology that appeal to fans of the Percy Jackson series. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

Get a grip, Vivy Cohen!
Kapit, Sarah
Paper Book
In this perfectly pitched novel-in-letters, autistic eleven-year-old Vivy Cohen won't let anything stop her from playing baseball--not when she has a major-league star as her pen pal. Vivy Cohen is determined. She's had enough of playing catch in the park. She's ready to pitch...

A baseball-loving middle school girl with autism begins writing letters to her MLB idol in social skills class, while also navigating sexism and ableism when she becomes the first girl to join her school baseball team. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

Song for a whale
Kelly, Lynne
Paper Book
The award-winning and USA Today bestselling story of a deaf girl's connection to a whale whose song can't be heard by his species, and the journey she takes to help him. "Fascinating, brave, and tender...a triumph." --Katherine Applegate, Newbery Award-winning author of...

When she learns of a whale whose song can't be heard by other whales, an empathetic Deaf girl sets out to help him find a way to communicate. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

The war that saved my life
Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker
Audiobook
Winner of the 2016 Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production An exceptionally moving story of triumph against all odds set during World War 2, from the acclaimed author of Jefferson's Sons and for fans of Number the Stars.   Nine-year-old...
An award winner with lots of kid appeal, this historical fiction novel about a girl from London who finds freedom when she's evacuated to the English countryside during WWII. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)
Will on the inside
Eliopulos, Andrew
Paper Book
"An honest, sophisticated look at the myriad emotions surrounding chronic illness and growing up 'not straight' in a religious Georgia town." --Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Relatable, real, and utterly engrossing." --School Library Journal (starred review) ***<...

One of several books for middle schoolers about Crohn's/IBD that have been published in the last year! For more representations of this experience, try The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet by Jake Maia Arlow or Gut Reaction by Kirby Larson & Quinn Wyatt.

El deafo
Bell, Cece
Paper Book
Cece Bell's #1 New York Times Bestseller graphic novel El Deafo is the origin story of a student with hearing loss and a hearing aid becoming a superhero. A John Newbery Medal Winner Now an Apple+ Animated TV Series! ...
Author/artist Cece Bell explores her experiences growing up as a D/deaf child in the 70s in this award-winning graphic novel. It's also an animated series on AppleTV! (Children's Graphic Novel Grades 3-5)
Rules
Lord, Cynthia.
Paper Book
This Newbery Honor Book is a heartfelt and witty story about feeling different and finding acceptance -- beyond the rules. Rules joins the Scholastic Gold line, which features award-winning and beloved novels. Includes exclusive bonus content! Twelve-year-old...
Siblings of kids with disabilities often struggle to find stories that mirror the complexities of their family life! This award-winning novel explores the experiences of a non-disabled sibling of a kid with autism. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)
Buzzing
Sattin, Samuel
Paper Book
ALA 2025 Rainbow Book List Pick * 2024 Eisner-Nominated for Best Publication for Kids * A 2024 ALA Notable Children's Book * New York Public Library Best Book of 2023  ★ "Heartwarming [and] authentic" --Shelf Awareness,...

A middle schooler with OCD finds solace in a role-playing games group, one of several graphic novels on this topic for tween readers in recent years. For more perspectives on this experience, try Just Roll With It! by Veronica Agarwal & Lee Durfey-Lavoie, Growing Pangs by Kathryn Ormsbee, and Puzzled by Pan Cooke.


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