There was a post on Twitter this week asking for Middle Grade novels that made readers cry - realistic not fantasy - driven by a character. Of course the first books I thought of were the classic Bridge to Terabithia and my personal favourite Sarah, Plain and Tall. I also thought of a very old novel from 1996 called Secret Friends by Elizabeth Laird. I re-read this book today and I found it still so powerful and sad. I used to recommend Secret Friends to mature readers in my school library when someone asked for a sad book.
Not all of the books on the list below made me cry (and I do cry fairly easily) but they all certainly packed an emotional punch.
Here are some of the suggestions mentioned on Twitter with links to my past blog posts:
Wishtree by Katherine Applegate
Lenny's Book of everything by Karen Foxlee
The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman
The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart
Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
One for the Murphy's by Lyn Mullay Hunt
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart
Cloud Boy by Marcia Williams
The Line Tender by Kate Allen
Sweep by Jonathan Auxier
Nest by Esther Ehrlich
The War that saved my Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Pax by Sara Pennypacker
Julia and the shark by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
The Wednesday Wars by Gary D Schmidt
October October by Katya Balen
Raymie Nightingale, Louisiana's way home, Beverly Right Here by Kate DiCamillo
The Thing about Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin
When the sky falls by Phil Earle
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Mrs Bixby's Last Day by John David Anderson
No Ballet Shoes in Syria by Catherine Bruton
The truth as told to Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor
A game of Fox and Squirrels by Jenn Reese
Where the red fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Patterson
All Rise for the Honorable Perry T Cook by Leslie Connor
Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief by Katrina Nannestad
The Heart and Mind of Frances Pauley by April Stevens
The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani
Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk
So. B. It. by Sarah Weeks
Caterpillar Summer by Gillian McDunn
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
A dog called Homeless by Sarah Lean
Sun and Spoon by Kevin Henkes
Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor
The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo
Wonder by RJ Palacio
The Star outside my Window by Onjali Q Rauf
Because of Mr Terupt by Rob Buyea
And here are some books suggested on Twitter that I need to look for (it's a long list):
The Shape of Thunder by Jasmine Warga
Starfish by Lisa Flipps
Where the Heart is by Jo Knowles (Young Adult title)
Lemon Drop Falls by Heather Clark
One by Sarah Crossman (Young Adult Verse Novel)
My Jasper June by Laurel Snyder
Dear Student by Elly Swartz
Seven Clues to Home by Gae Polisner
A kind of spark by Elle McNicoll
Lolo's Light by Liz Garton Scanlon
Train I ride by Paul Mosier
The Unforgettable Guinevere St Claire by Amy Makechnie
Sorry for your Loss by Joanne Levy
Jennifer Chan is not alone by Tae Keller
Swing Sideways by Nancy Turner Steveson
Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D Schmidt (Young Adult title)
Forever, or a long time by Caela Carter
Fighting Words by Kim Bradley
Carry me home by Janet Fox
Zia erases the World by Bree Barton
A street dog named Pup by Gill Lewis
Maxi's Secrets by Lynn Plourde
The Space we're in by Katya Balen
The Bluest Sky by Christina Diaz Gonzalez
The Soup Movement by Ben Davis
Speechless by Adam P Schmitt
The Lonely heart of Maybelle Lane by Kate O'Chaughnessy
See you at Harry's by Jo Knowles
Manatee Summer by Evan Griffith
I can make this promise by Christine Day
The Deepest Breath by Meg Grehan
Breathing underwater by Sarah Allen
A many feathered thing by Lisa Gerlits
The Valley of lost secrets by Lesley Parr
Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea by Ashley Herring Blake
Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World by Ashley Herring Blake
Okay for now by Gary D. Schmidt
My sister Lives on the Mantle Piece by Annabel Pitcher (Young Adult title)
Planet Earth is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos
Ethan I was before by Ali Standish
Saving Marty by Paul Griffin
Maybe a Fox by Kathi Appelt
Red White and Whole by Rajani LaRocca
The Moon within by Aida Salazar (Verse Novel)
Mary Underwater by Shannon Doleski
Gabe in the after by Shannon Doleski
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