Middle Grade Fiction is for readers between nine and twelve. The following are middle grade novels I have read that feature protagonists of color. This list is part of my on-going book list project, in response to the Cooperative Book Center’s statistics regarding the lack of diversity in children’s books. Books marked with a * are #ownvoices books, meaning that the author belongs to the same community as the protagonist. I will be adding to this list as I read more books. Please leave suggestions in the comments!
African-American
- One Crazy Summer* by Rita Williams-Garcia (2011 Newbery Honor Book, 2011 Scott O’Dell Award, 2011 Judy Lopez Memorial Award Honor Book)
- P.S. Be Eleven *by Rita Williams-Garcia (2014 Coretta Scott King Award)
- After Tupac and D Foster* by Jacqueline Woodson (2009 Newbery Honor Book, 2009 Bank Street College of Education Josette Frank Award )
- Money Hungry* by Sharon G. Flake (2002 Coretta Scott King Author Honor)
- Locomotion* by Jacueline Woodson (2004 Coretta Scott King Author Honor)
- The House of Dies* Drear by Virginia Hamilton
- Toning the Sweep* by Angela Johnson (1994 Coretta Scott King Award)
- Crossover* by Kwame Alexander (2015 Newbery Medal, 2015 Coretta Scott King Author honor book)
- Ninth Ward* by Jewell Parker Rhodes (Coretta Scott King Author Award 2011)
- As Brave as You* by Jason Reynolds (Schnieder Family Book Award 2017, Coretta Scott King Author Honor 2017)
- Oddity by Sarah Cannon
Native American
- The Birchbark House* by Louise Eldrich (2006 American Indian Youth Literature Award for Best Middle School Book)
Indian-American
- Same Sun Here* by Silas House and Neela Vaswani
Latino/a
- The Circuit: Stories From the Life of a Migrant Child* by Francisco Jiménez
- Look Both Ways in the Barrio Blanco by Judith Robbins Rose
- The First Rule of Punk* by Celia C. Perez
Middle Eastern
- Whichwood* by Tahereh Mafi (fantasy story with elements of Middle Eastern culture)
Asian-American
- Spirit Hunters* by Ellen Oh
You may also be interested in my Picture Books with Protagonists of Color, Picture Books with Racial or Ethnic Diversity, and International Picture Book lists.
The Many Hats of Celeste Bocchicchio-Chaudhri 