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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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...
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...
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...
Four Eyes: a Graphic Novel
Ogle, Rex
Paper Book
A humorous and heartwarming middle-grade graphic memoir about fitting in, facing bullies, and finding the right pair of glasses. Sixth grade isn't as great as Rex thought it would be. He's the only kid who hasn't had a growth spurt, and the bullies won't let him forget it. His...
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 Suarez changes gears. [online electronic book]
Medina, Meg
Ebook
Winner of the 2019 Newbery Medal Thoughtful, strong-willed sixth-grader Merci Suarez navigates difficult changes with friends, family, and everyone in between in a resonant new novel from Meg Medina. Merci Suarez knew that sixth grade would be different,...
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. ...
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...
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https://librarian.syndetics.com/syndeticsunbound/lp/859.3788/list/7157

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