Kirsten Anderson
Who Is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez?
A solid, accessible entry point for kids interested in modern politics and representation, though the 'Who Was' format can feel a bit dry compared to narrative nonfiction.
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by Lisbeth Kaiser
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · 650L · 2023
A solid, accessible entry point for kids to understand how one person can challenge the political status quo without getting bogged down in complex policy details.
Money-Hungry
by Sharon G. Flake
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · 750L · 2003
A sharp, unflinching look at a kid building a school-supply monopoly and discovering that hustle culture and friendship don't automatically go together—Flake writes dialect-forward and doesn't soften the girl's ambition or the mess she makes.
Donorboy
by Brendan Halpin
Middle grade · ages 10–14 · 750L · 2004
A genuinely thoughtful middle-grade novel that takes a kid's moral choice seriously without sentimentality — Halpin trusts readers to sit with ambivalence and social discomfort.