R. J. Palacio
Pony
A quiet, emotionally precise companion to Wonder that handles the specific grief of losing an animal with more nuance than most middle-grade books.
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Hurry Home, Candy
by Meindert De Jong
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · 720L · 1971
A quiet, genuinely moving dog-finds-her-way story that treats loss and belonging seriously without melodrama—De Jong's prose is spare and observant, and it sticks with kids who've felt displaced or homeless themselves.
Because of Winn-Dixie
by Kate DiCamillo
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · 680L · 2009
A genuine emotional education disguised as a dog story; kids discover that loneliness is universal and that showing up for someone is how you make a friend.
Missing May
by Cynthia Rylant
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · 720L
A small, luminous book about grief that never condescends—Rylant's prose is exact and Ob's eccentricity makes the family feel real, not sentimental.