Best Nerds Forever
A solid, accessible entry point for kids who feel like they don't fit in, though it lacks the narrative punch of some other Patterson middle-grade titles.
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The Best At It
by Maulik Pancholy
Middle grade · ages 9–12 · 720L · 2019
A rare middle-grade that centers a gender-nonconforming protagonist without apology or after-school-special tone—Rahul's voice is funny, honest, and genuinely moving.
Let Them Stare
by Jonathan Van Ness and Julie Murphy
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · 720L · 2025
Jonathan Van Ness's first middle-grade novel is a vital, joyful affirmation of gender-nonconforming kids—not preachy, genuinely funny, and unafraid to show both the cost and the reward of being yourself.
Frizzy
by Claribel A. Ortega
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · 730L · 2022
Claribel A. Ortega nails the specificity of Afro-Latina girlhood—hair shame, family love, school isolation—in prose that feels honest without being preachy; kids with natural texture hair see themselves, and all kids learn something real about beauty myths.