Summary
Navigating new schools and unfamiliar spaces is hard for anyone, but especially for kids of color who find themselves in the minority (or being “the only”). These five middle grade books offer honest, hopeful stories about finding belonging when everything feels new.
Unlike most kids I knew, my family moved almost every year. New town. New school. New hallways to navigate. And nearly every time, I was the only kid of color in the room. This not only left me feeling unsure about who I’d sit with at lunch, but unsure about who I would have to become in order to fit in.
Why it Matters: During the summer months, many kids are bracing for that intense kind of transition. Some are moving across town. Some across states. Some across oceans. They won’t just be starting over. They’ll be rebuilding their sense of identity and belonging from scratch. A process that can be uncomfortable, disorienting, and at times, deeply lonely.
Go Deeper: These five middle grade books are for readers going through that kind of change. Kids of color, kids from other countries, kids navigating new spaces that don’t quite feel like home yet. These stories reflect their journey and remind them that “home” is a place within themselves.
Read Time: 4 minutes
Bounce Back by Misako Rocks! (2021)
Lilico doesn’t want to leave Japan, but when her family moves to Brooklyn, she’s forced to start all over. New school, new language, new everything. Basketball becomes her anchor, and a magical guardian spirit cat named Nico helps her find strength when she’s overwhelmed by change.
Perfect for: readers navigating culture shock or who are adjusting to a brand new country or school.
The Only Black Girls in Town by Brandy Colbert (2020)
Alberta has always been the only Black girl in her small California beach town, until Edie moves in. The two form a bond over their shared identity, but also uncover hidden secrets in old journals found in Edie’s attic. Together, they find their place in a town that rarely made space for them.
Perfect for: readers navigating the complexity of being “the only one” and wondering what it means to share space with someone who gets it.
Hazel’s Theory of Evolution by Lisa Jenn Bigelow (2019)
Hazel’s family moves her to a new school district the same year her moms are expecting a baby after several heartbreaking losses. Hazel isn’t sure how to make new friends, how to support her family, or how to deal with the emotional swirl she’s carrying inside. Slowly, she learns that change doesn’t mean losing everything. It just means evolving.
Perfect for: introverted readers who feel overwhelmed by transitions, or for kids whose family lives are shifting too.
New Kid by Jerry Craft (2019)
Jordan Banks just wants to go to art school, but instead, his parents send him to a prestigious private academy where he’s one of the only kids of color. Through graphic novel panels, we follow Jordan’s inner world as he navigates code-switching, microaggressions, and the tension between two different worlds.
Perfect for: readers entering unfamiliar cultural territory and learning how to stay true to themselves.
The Many Meanings of Meilan by Andrea Wang (2021)
When Meilan’s family leaves Boston’s Chinatown for a mostly white town in Ohio, she loses more than her home. At her new school, her principal even changes her name to “Melanie” without asking. Meilan splits herself into pieces just to survive, but ultimately must decide which version of herself is true.
Perfect for: readers who’ve been renamed, mispronounced, or asked to shrink themselves to fit in.
In Closing
You know I love to highlight books that aren’t afraid of the hard stuff. And at the heart of every move is a kid asking tough questions like: Who will I be in this new space? Will anyone see me for me? Will I ever feel like myself here?
It can make kids feel like the ground is slipping beneath them. I hope these stories help them find home again, not in a specific place, but in who they are.
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