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.