Starting Middle School

New lockers, new classes, new friends—and a few big feelings along the way.

This booklist is full of stories about starting middle school, from first-day jitters and friendship shifts to finding your place and learning to believe in yourself. Whether you’re excited, nervous, or a little bit of both, these books remind readers that everyone’s figuring it out as they go.

Updated January 15, 2026
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County) Lake Oswego Public Library
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Starting Middle School

New lockers, new classes, new friends—and a few big feelings along the way.

This booklist is full of stories about starting middle school, from first-day jitters and friendship shifts to finding your place and learning to believe in yourself. Whether you’re excited, nervous, or a little bit of both, these books remind readers that everyone’s figuring it out as they go.

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All the small wonderful things
Foster, Kate
Paper Book
In an endearing story about an autistic boy and his steadfast furry pal, Alex is convinced that winning a trophy at the dog show will help him make a real friend at last. Eleven-year-old Alex knows that starting middle school will be a big change, and for an autistic person,...
Amy's big brother
Jeong, BonHyung
Paper Book
I'm not her babysitter...Having a little sister isn't easy - she takes my soda, follows me around, and wants to tag along with me and my friends. Worse, she always gets her way with our parents! Sometimes I wonder if I was adopted just to look after her. (I know, it doesn't make sense.) Going to...
The best friend bracelet
Collier, Nicole D.
Paper Book
A tender, funny story about making--and keeping--friends, perfect for fans of Sarah Mlynowski. At Hurston Middle School, best friendship is a big deal. And Zariah Brown makes the best best friendship bracelets in town. Business is booming; Zariah can hardly keep up with...
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...
The cool code
Langeland, Deirdre
Paper Book
In this funny and heartfelt slice-of-life graphic novel for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Kayla Miller, when coding whiz Zoey goes from homeschooled to new school, she develops an app to help her make friends. Will the Cool Code help Zoey fit in Or will it completely crash her social...
Crushed
Conklin, Melanie
Paper Book
A heartfelt middle grade story about changing friendships, peer pressure, and the courage to speak up when lines are crossed, perfect for fans of Starfish and Finally Heard.  Sophie Valentine would rather be at home, doing school virtually....
Dear Jackie
Bagley, Jessixa
A middle schooler's plan to fit in with her new friends by writing herself a fake love letter backfires spectacularly in this funny and all-too-relatable graphic novel perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and the Berrybrook Middle School series. Jackie and Milo have been best...
The extremely embarrassing life of Lottie Brooks
Kirby, Katie
Bestselling author Katie Kirby captures the humorous and heart-felt antics of Lottie Brooks, an 11-year-old who is in for one long--and embarrassing--year if she can't learn to laugh at life's little mistakes. A Warning to Future Readers: Hi, I'm Lottie...
The girls of Skylark Lane
Benway, Robin
Paper Book
"Slice-of-life tale about sisterly love" --ALA Booklist National Book Award winner Robin Benway debuts a coming-of-age middle grade novel about friendships, family, and discovering the person you're meant to be. The Baby-Sitters Club meets The Sandlot when twin sisters join...
Happy & sad & everything true
Thayer, Alex
Paper Book
With charm and sincerity reminiscent of Judy Blume and Rebecca Stead, this debut middle grade novel is a heartfelt, hopeful story about a girl finding herself through secretly giving out advice to classmates. Back when Dee and Juniper were still friends, Dee never hid in the...
Kareem between
Safadi, Shifa Saltagi
Paper Book
This award-winning, heartfelt coming-of-age novel in verse tells the powerful story of a seventh-grade Syrian American boy and his struggles, big and small, as he navigates middle school. "The exact type of book I would've loved, and needed, as a kid." -Jasmine Warga, New...
Listen to this
Blecher, Jennifer
Paper Book
Secrets, rumors, shifting friendships, overbearing parents, and, on top of all that, a first dance--how does anyone survive seventh grade? Told from dual points of view, this novel about two tweens finding their voices and standing up for themselves is for fans of Lisa Yee, Leslie Connor, and...
Merci Suárez changes gears
Medina, Meg
Paper Book
A Pura Belpre Award Winning Author Merci Suarez knew that sixth grade would be different, but she had no idea just how different. For starters, Merci has never been like the other kids at her private school in Florida, because she and her older brother, Roli, are scholarship students. They...
The Moon Without Stars
Miller, Chanel
The New York Times bestselling, Newbery Honor-winning author of Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All explores the way growing up, finding friends, and discovering who you are can be both awkward and empowering in this heartfelt middle school novel. ★ "Genuine and poignant;...
Not quite a ghost
Ursu, Anne
Paper Book
Named one of the Best Books of 2024 by the Chicago Public Library, New York Public Library, and NPR! From the award-winning author of The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy comes an unforgettable and deeply personal story of the ghosts that surround us--and the ones we carry inside. ...
Opal Watson : private eye
Thurman, Brittany
Opal Watson, Private Eye introduces an exciting new middle grade mystery series based on the popular original Pinna podcast that feels like a modern-day version of Harriet the Spy. Opal Watson loves being a detective. When her neighbor's cat goes missing or her grandmother...
Rainbow Fair
Ma, Diana
Set against the backdrop of a middle school cultural fair, this tenderhearted and funny novel from the author of The Unbeatable Lily Hong stars twelve-year-old Sophie Mu--who discovers the power of defining oneself as she navigates friendship drama, family expectations, and learning...
Talia's codebook for mathletes
Moss, Marissa
Paper Book
Can math-loving Talia crack the code of being cool in middle school? Marissa Moss, creator of the internationally best-selling Amelia's Notebook series, makes a welcome, STEM-oriented return to the comics diary form. Talia loves math puzzles and code-breaking, but the new social...
The Taylors
Calonita, Jen
The things we miss
Stecher, Leah
Paper Book
"Magical and heartbreaking! You will read this book in one gulp." - Jennifer L. Holm, New York Times-bestselling author of The Fourteenth Goldfish When You Reach Me meets Starfish in this heartfelt contemporary middle grade about a misfit girl who finds...
Wires crossed
Fantaskey, Beth
Paper Book
A smart and funny slice-of-life graphic novel for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Kayla Miller about navigating the ups and downs of middle school--from first crushes to crushing the school's science competition. Is this what middle school is all about Being stuck in the middle...
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https://librarian.syndetics.com/syndeticsunbound/lp/776.1139/list/7157

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