Best Books for Kids 2023

18 Books Found

Filtered by 'Family', 'Middle Grade'
  • Aniana del Mar Jumps In

    Recently diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, Aniana must navigate the dual obstacles of chronic pain and the familial trauma that keeps her mother stubbornly opposed to the young athlete’s dreams of life as a professional swimmer.

    Cover of Aniana del Mar Jumps In
  • Calling the Moon: 16 Period Stories from BIPOC Authors

    This empowering collection of short stories written by authors of diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds shares the joy, gravity, and humor of menstruation from an array of perspectives.

    Cover of Calling the Moon: 16 Period Stories from BIPOC Authors
  • The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn

    Neurodivergent Maudie settles into a small California town after wildfires force her to evacuate her dad's. As she learns to express herself through surfing, Maudie struggles with whether to confide in her dad about the physical and emotional abuse she experiences at her mom's house.

    Cover of The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn
  • Greenwild

    Before Daisy’s mother disappeared, she instructed her daughter to seek help in Kew Gardens should something go wrong. Now that everything has fallen apart and Daisy is on her own, she must travel to a magical world to find her mother, herself, and the many meanings of family.

    Cover of Greenwild
  • Hands

    Twelve-year-old Trev just wants to protect his family. When he learns his violent stepfather is scheduled to be released from jail, Trev feels torn between using his hands to fight or to make art. Compelling prose and complex characters create a story that hits hard.

    Cover of Hands
  • The House That Whispers

    Between growing family tension, an increasingly forgetful grandma, and being called a name that feels all wrong, Simon is miserable on a would-be fun trip to Nanaleen's. When a ghost hunting game gets too real, Simon must fix everything before his life completely falls apart.

    Cover of The House That Whispers
  • Lasagna Means I Love You

    Feeling disconnected from her roots when she finds herself in the New York City foster care system, Mo begins writing letters to her late grandmother. Inspired by a stolen cookbook, Mo builds a website and connects with others to share recipes and find her relatives.

    Cover of Lasagna Means I Love You
  • The Lost Year

    During the Covid-19 pandemic, Matthew's Ukrainian American great-grandmother moves in. When Matthew discovers letters exchanged between cousins during the famine in 1930s Ukraine, his relationship with GG and understanding of her life and true identity are permanently altered.

    Cover of The Lost Year
  • The Many Masks of Andy Zhou

    Andy has a lot on his plate: middle school, changing friendships, complicated family, and his own anxiety. Through a budding passion for art, Andy finds ways to help others in his life and discovers who he wants to be in this contemporary slice-of-life story.

    Cover of The Many Masks of Andy Zhou
  • Nothing Else but Miracles

    Pop has gone off to fight in World War II. With no mother to keep them in line, Dory and her brothers rely upon the kindness of their Lower East Side community and their own ingenuity to outsmart a nosy landlord, solve a mystery, and hold things together until Pop comes home.

    Cover of Nothing Else but Miracles
  • Remember Us

    It's summer in "The Matchbox" Bushwick, and seventh-grader Sage just wants to play basketball. But outside the game, there's a world of changing friendships, sudden deaths, and homes lost and found. A gritty but lyrical look at what "once was" in 1970s Brooklyn.

    Cover of Remember Us
  • Ruby Lost and Found

    It's the worst punishment 13-year-old Ruby could imagine: being forced to spend the summer at her grandmother's senior center. As Ruby delves deeper into her Chinese American community, she grapples with her grandfather's death and concern for Nai-Nai's fading memory.

    Cover of Ruby Lost and Found
  • Sisters of the Lost Marsh

    Six sisters beset by one curse. Young Willa isn't about to let superstition dictate her family's fate, nor her cruel father, the mysterious Full Moon Fayre, or even the Shadow Man.

    Cover of Sisters of the Lost Marsh
  • The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels

    Art by Claire Powell | The Swift family reunion gives young Shenanigan an opportunity to hunt for Grand Uncle Vile's hidden treasure. But when someone shoves Arch-Aunt Schadenfreude down the stairs, things take a dark and deadly turn, and Shenanigan employs her relatives' help to track down the killer.

    Cover of The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels
  • The Umbrella Maker's Son

    In a city of unending rain, Oliver Buckle is expected to follow in his father's footsteps of umbrella-making. Fate, however, has different plans that will plunge Oliver and his best friend into a wild adventure on their way to the heart of a weather conspiracy.

    Cover of The Umbrella Maker's Son
  • The Unlovable Alina Butt

    Alina is a misfit: an awkward tween from Pakistan with frizzy hair, a nose she hasn't quite grown into, and a last name that is the "butt" of every joke. As Alina navigates new friendships and stands up to bullies, her confidence and self-understanding begin to take shape.

    Cover of The Unlovable Alina Butt
  • Where the Lockwood Grows

    In this skillfully spun futuristic story, two sisters set out to uncover the sinister truth behind the vines that keep their town in never-ending darkness.

    Cover of Where the Lockwood Grows
  • You Are Here: Connecting Flights

    In this series of interwoven short stories by AAPI authors, Asian American families find themselves stranded in an airport during a storm. While they wait it out, these characters resist, resolve, and find solidarity against racism to show the world that they belong.

    Cover of You Are Here: Connecting Flights