For a reader who just finished
after Who Is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez? by Kirsten Anderson · ages 8–12
Middle grade · grades 3–7 · 720L
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.
Same style
by Lisbeth Kaiser
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · grades 3–7 · 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.
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · grades 3–7 · 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.
Middle grade · ages 10–14 · grades 5–9 · 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.
Stretch them up
Middle grade · ages 10–14 · grades 5–9 · 820L · 2009
A Newbery winner that actually deserves it—Paterson writes sibling resentment and reconciliation with such honesty that kids recognize their own families, and the 1941 Chesapeake setting carries real historical weight without preaching.
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · grades 3–7 · 780L · 1983
A luminous, unflinching story about difference and belonging—Thomas's lyrical prose and Auri's quiet dignity make this a memorable introduction to how communities can choose love, and how a girl learns her own worth.
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.
Complementing on biography civics
Nonfiction · ages 8–12 · grades 3–7 · 820L · 2008
A beautifully illustrated biography that makes Earhart's daring and determination feel personally present—not a distant icon, but a woman who chose her own path and paid a price for it.
Nonfiction · ages 8–12 · grades 3–7 · 800L · 1998
Rourke's 1934 biography captures the real person beneath the legend—scrappy, ambitious, sometimes fallible—with the kind of narrative drive that makes frontier history actually stick.
Nonfiction · ages 8–12 · grades 3–7 · 750L · 1996
An unflinching portrait of a heroic figure most kids have never heard of—Haskins makes Rustin's strategic mind visible alongside his moral witness, though the 1996 language around his sexuality feels dated.
We'd skip — for now
by Malinda Lo
A step up — ages 12–16 · grades 7–11
Skip it if your child is not ready to process same-sex attraction and coming-out narratives, or if 1950s-era homophobia and surveillance (police raids, family rejection) will be destabilizing rather than enlightening.