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  Teen Books Set in Middle School  
Not If You Break Up with Me First

G.F. Miller - Simon & Schuster Audio
Format: Audiobook

Two friends who have unhappily found themselves in an accidental relationship try to drive the other one to call things off in this tongue-in-cheek middle grade romance. Childhood friends Eve and Andrew are destined to be together - everyone says so, especially their friends and classmates...
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A-Okay

Jarad Greene - HarperAlley
Format: Paperback

A-Okay by Jarad Greene is a vulnerable and heartfelt semi-autobiographical middle grade graphic novel about acne, identity, and finding your place. When Jay starts eighth grade with a few pimples he doesn't think much of it at first ... except to wonder if the embarrassing acne will...
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Twin cities

Cecil Castellucci - Random House Graphic
Format: Hardcover

Being twins means having a best friend forever . . . But when one twin goes to school in Mexico and the other goes to school across the border in Calexico, can that bond withstand the distance? A contemporary middle grade graphic novel about discovering who you are.Luis Fernando and Luisa...
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After Tupac and D Foster

Jacqueline Woodson - Nancy Paulsen Books
Format: Paperback

A Newbery Honor BookThe day D Foster enters Neeka and her best friends lives, the world opens up for them. Suddenly theyre keenly aware of things beyond their block in Queens, things that are happening in the world - like the shooting of Tupac Shakur - and in search of their Big Purpose...
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All Summer Long

Hope Larson - Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Format: Hardcover

Thirteen-year-old Bina has a long summer ahead of her. She and her best friend, Austin, usually do everything together, but he's off to soccer camp for a month, and he's been acting kind of weird lately anyway. So it's up to Bina to see how much fun she can have on her own. At first it's...
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Piece by Piece: The Story of Nisrin's Hijab

Priya Huq - Amulet Books
Format: Hardcover

Nisrin is a 13-year-old Bangladeshi-American girl living in Milwaukie, Oregon, in 2002. As she nears the end of eighth grade, she gives a presentation for World Culture Day about Bangladesh while wearing a traditional cultural dress. On her way home, she is the victim of a hate crime when...
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Oh My Gods!

Stephanie Cooke
Format: Hardcover

Karen is just an average thirteen-year-old from New Jersey who loves to play video games with her friends and watch movies with her mom. But when she moves to Greece to live with her eccentric, mysterious father, Zed, suddenly everything she thought about herself - about life - is up in the air....
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The Only Black Girls in Town

Brandy Colbert - Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover

Award-winning YA author Brandy Colbert's debut middle-grade novel about the only two black girls in town who discover a collection of hidden journals revealing shocking secrets of the past. Beach-loving surfer Alberta has been the only black girl in town for years. Alberta's best...
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The Best at It

Maulik Pancholy - Balzer + Bray
Format: Hardcover

From award-winning actor Maulik Pancholy comes a hilarious and heartfelt middle grade debut about a gay Indian American boy coming into his own. Perfect for fans of Tim Federle's Nate series.Rahul Kapoor is heading into seventh grade in a small town in Indiana. The start of middle school...
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Zenobia July

Lisa Bunker - Viking Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover

The critically acclaimed author of Felix Yz crafts a bold, heartfelt story about a trans girl solving a cyber mystery and coming into her own.Zenobia July is starting a new life. She used to live in Arizona with her father; now she's in Maine with her aunts. She used to spend most...
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Fish in a Tree

Lynda Mullaly Hunt - Nancy Paulsen Books
Format: Hardcover

A New York Times Bestseller!The author of the beloved One for the Murphys gives readers an emotionally-charged, uplifting novel that will speak to anyone who's ever thought there was something wrong with them because they didn't fit in. "Everybody is smart in different...
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Drums, Girls, And Dangerous Pie

Jordan Sonnenblick - Scholastic Press
Format: Hardcover

Thirteen-year-old Steven has a totally normal life: he plays drums in the All-Star Jazz band, has a crush on the hottest girl in the school, and is constantly annoyed by his five-year-old brother, Jeffrey. But when Jeffrey is diagnosed with leukemia, Steven's world is turned upside down....
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Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks

Jason Reynolds - Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
Format: Hardcover

A National Book Award Finalist! From National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds comes a novel told in ten blocks, showing all the different directions a walk home can take.This story was going to begin like all the best stories. With a school...
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If I Ever Get Out of Here

Eric Gansworth - Arthur A. Levine Books; 7.2.2013 edition
Format: Hardcover

"A heart-healing, mocs-on-the-ground story of music, family and friendship." -- Cynthia Leitich Smith, author of TANTALIZE and RAIN IS NOT MY INDIAN NAMELewis "Shoe" Blake is used to the joys and difficulties of life on the Tuscarora Indian reservation in 1975: the joking,...
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Redwood and Ponytail

K. A. Holt - Chronicle Books
Format: Hardcover

Kate and Tam meet, and both of their worlds tip sideways. At first, Tam figures Kate is your stereotypical cheerleader; Kate sees Tam as another tall jock. And the more they keep running into each other, the more they surprise each other. Beneath Kate's sleek ponytail and perfect faade,...
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Awkward

Svetlana Chmakova - JY
Format: Paperback

Cardinal rule #1 for surviving school: Don't get noticed by the mean kids.Cardinal rule #2 for surviving school: Seek out groups with similar interests and join them.On her first day at her new school, Penelope--Peppi--Torres reminds herself of these basics. But when she trips into a quiet...
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Countdown

Deborah Wiles - Scholastic Press
Format: Paperback

The story of a formative year in 12-year-old Franny Chapman's life, and the life of a nation facing the threat of nuclear war.It's 1962, and it seems everyone is living in fear. Twelve-year-old Franny Chapman lives with her family in Washington, DC, during the days surrounding the Cuban...
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Class Act

Jerry Craft - Quill Tree Books
Format: Paperback

New York Times bestselling author Jerry Craft returns with a companion book to New Kid, winner of the 2020 Newbery Medal, the Coretta Scott King Author Award, and the Kirkus Prize. This time, it's Jordan's friend Drew who takes center stage in another laugh-out-loud funny, powerful,...
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Lily and Dunkin

Donna Gephart - Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover

"Gephart has written a story that will speak not just to one specific community, but to humanity as a whole." --VOYAFor readers who enjoyed Wonder and Counting by 7's, award-winning author Donna Gephart crafts a compelling dual narrative about two remarkable...
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Akata Witch

Nnedi Okorafor - Viking Juvenile
Format: Hardcover

Read Nnedi Okorafor's blogs and other content on the Penguin Community. Twelve-year-old Sunny lives in Nigeria, but she was born American. Her features are African, but she's albino. She's a terrific athlete, but can't go out into the sun to play soccer. There seems to be no place...
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Falling Over Sideways

Jordan Sonnenblick - Scholastic (Us)
Format: Print book

It's not easy being Claire. (Really.) Claire's life is a joke . . . but she's not laughing. While her friends seem to be leaping forward, she's dancing in the same place. The mean girls at school are living up to their mean name, and there's a boy, Ryder, who's just as bad, if not worse....
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It Wasn't Me

Dana Alison Levy

A twisty mystery with quirky, unforgettable characters and a positive message to boot." - , the critically acclaimed author of Ms. Bixby's Last Day and PostedThe Breakfast Club meets middle school with a prank twist in this hilarious and heartwarming
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Goodbye Stranger

Rebecca Stead - Wendy Lamb Books
Format: Hardcover

This brilliant, New York Times bestselling novel from the author of the Newbery Medal winner When You Reach Me explores multiple perspectives on the bonds and limits of friendship. Long ago, best friends Bridge, Emily, and Tab made a pact: no fighting. But it's the start of seventh...
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Gracefully Grayson

Ami Polonsky - Disney-Hyperion
Format: Hardcover

"Tenderly and courageously told, Gracefully Grayson is a small miracle of a book. Its story is so compelling I found myself holding my breath as I read it and so intimate I felt as if what was happening to Grayson was happening to me. Thank you, Ami Polonsky, for creating this memorable...
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The Line Tender

Kate Allen - Dutton Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover

Heartbreaking but also filled with wit and hope, The Line Tender is the story of Lucy, the daughter of a marine biologist and a rescue diver, and the summer that changes her life. If she ever wants to lift the cloud of grief over her family and community, she must complete the research...
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Fake Blood

Whitney Gardner - Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover

A middle schooler comes head-to-head with his vampire slayer crush in this laugh-out-loud funny graphic novel that's a perfect coming-of-age story for anyone who's ever felt too young, too small, or too average.It's the beginning of the new school year and AJ feels like everyone is changing...
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The Pack

Lisi Harrison - Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of THE CLIQUE invites us into a new middle school - this time for girls with animal powers. The newest student Sadie might become the next Queen of the jungle after she is invited to join The Pack!Don't be fooled. . . . Charm House isn't...
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No Slam Dunk

Mike Lupica - Philomel Books
Format: Hardcover

A fast-paced, heartfelt story for basketball fans that proves being a good teammate remains the most important quality in basketball--and in life, from New York Times bestselling author Mike Lupica.Wes' father always told him that there was only one ball in basketball. That you had to know...
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Down the Rabbit Hole: An Echo Falls Mystery

Peter Abrahams - HarperCollins
Format: Audio CD

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. When the director of her school play suddenly has an accident, her shoes go missing, and things in town start becoming more strange with every passing moment, Ingrid must find a way to get to the bottom of the matter in order to set things right in her small...
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Free Lunch

Rex Ogle - Norton Young Readers
Format: Hardcover

A distinctive new voice: Rex Ogle's story of starting middle school on the free lunch program is timely, heartbreaking, and true.Free Lunch is the story of Rex Ogle's first semester in sixth grade. Rex and his baby brother often went hungry, wore secondhand clothes, and were short of school...
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