Right now, I’m truly excited about memoir in middle grade. Authors look back at their past and often focus on a particularly challenging event that greatly affected them during their elementary school or middle school years. This could be a move from one country to another or it could be dealing with a chronic disease. Other authors chronicle something more everyday, such as getting braces and feeling like an outcast. Whatever the focus, writers usually chronicle an area of great vulnerability. The memoirist Ayelet Waldman exhorts writers to express what feels raw and true. She calls them “ugly truths.” I’d call the following middle grade memoirs all beautiful because they tackle issues that will truly inspire young readers with their authenticity and empathy. Please note these are all traditional prose memoirs published in the past five years. There are also many wonderful middle grade novels-in-verse and graphic novels. However, that will need to be for another post.
1) Growing up Under a Red Flag: A Memoir of Surviving the Chinese Cultural Revolution by Ying Chang Compestine: Ying Chang Compestine chronicles her childhood during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. We see up close and personal the devastating effects of Mao’s policies on her middle class family. The memoir shows the fear and resilience experienced by Compestine as she tries to make sense of a harsh new world.
2) Someone Like Me by Julissa Arce: Julissa Arce recounts her journey in the United States, from undocumented immigrant to successful Wall Street executive. Arce candidly shares her family’s sacrifice. Her story is one of perseverance, identity, and seeking a better life despite difficult odds.
3) Free Lunch by Rex Ogle: Rex Ogle’s memoir guides readers through his middle school years, where he deals with the difficulties of poverty and the stigma of being one of the few kids to get free lunch at his school. Ogle explores the emotional and physical toll of living with food insecurity, an abusive family, and the pressures of being different from his middle school buddies. Despite Ogle’s challenges, his story is quite inspiring.
4) Normal by Magdalena Newman: Magdalena Newman’s memoir, written with her son Nathaniel, showcases his struggles and triumphs with Treacher Collins syndrome, a rare craniofacial condition. The story chronicles the countless surgeries and social stigma. Through it all, the Newmans highlight the importance of love and acceptance.
Hillary Homzie is the author of the Ellie May chapter book series (Charlesbridge, 2018), Apple Pie Promises (Sky Pony/Swirl, 2018), Pumpkin Spice Secrets (Sky Pony/Swirl, 2017), Queen of Likes (Simon & Schuster MIX 2016), The Hot List (Simon & Schuster MIX 2011) and Things Are Gonna Be Ugly (Simon & Schuster, 2009) as well as the Alien Clones From Outer Space (Simon & Schuster Aladdin 2002) chapter book series. She’s also a contributor to the Kate the Chemist middle grade series (Philomel Books/Penguin Random House). And her nonfiction picture book, If You Were a Princess: True Stories of Brave Leaders From Around the World is a look at historical and current princesses from many diverse lands who have made their mark (Simon & Schuster, August 2022). During the year, Hillary teaches at Sonoma State University. In the summer, she teaches in the graduate program in children’s literature, writing and illustration at Hollins University. She also is an instructor for the Children’s Book Academy.She can be found at hillaryhomzie.com and on Instagram, her Facebook page as well as on Twitter
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