We Are Totally Normal
Middle grade · ages 9–12 · grades 4–7 · 820L · 2020
A genuinely funny, unsentimental book about two boys figuring out that 'normal' is a lie — reads like a conversation with a smart friend, not a after-school-special.
For a reader who just finished
Books like Anne of the Island
after Anne of the Island by Lucy Maud Montgomery · ages 9–13
Middle grade · grades 4–8 · 850L
A charming and witty sequel that captures the specific anxiety of leaving home for college, though it lacks the narrative drive of the first book.
Same style
Princess Academy
by Shannon Hale
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · grades 3–7 · 770L · 2015
A genuinely moving coming-of-age novel disguised as a fish-out-of-water story—Hale uses the academy setting to explore class, belonging, and the courage it takes to be yourself, and the prose is lovely without being flowery.
Brewster
by Mark Slouka
Middle grade · ages 10–14 · grades 5–9 · 820L · 2013
A genuinely funny, unsentimental novel about middle-school friendship and self-discovery; Slouka writes with real tenderness about awkward kids finding their people.
Stretch them up
Sylvie and Bruno
Middle grade · ages 10–14 · grades 5–9 · 1050L · 2018
Carroll's most structurally ambitious work and genuinely strange—the dual-timeline narrative and philosophical digressions demand real attention, but kids who love language puzzles and moral fables will find it rewarding.
Complementing on courage
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Nonfiction · ages 9–12 · grades 4–7 · 820L · 1990
Freedman's accessible, photo-rich biography makes FDR's disability and determination feel immediate without sentimentality; kids grasp both the man and the era.
The Lions' Run
Middle grade · ages 10–14 · grades 5–9 · 820L
Pennypacker writes a protagonist who is disabled without apology or inspiration-porn—the lions matter as much as the girl, and both demand respect.
The Trumpeter of Krakow
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · grades 3–7 · 800L · 1992
A Newbery winner that feels genuinely historical without being a slog — the mystery of the trumpet and the boy's quiet bravery make it memorable for kids who can handle older prose.
We'd skip — for now
The rest of the story
by Sarah Dessen
A step up — ages 14–18 · grades 9–12
Skip it if your teen finds adoption-narrative tropes exhausting or if they prefer faster plot momentum (this is character-and-relationship driven, not event-driven).