Crash

Blubber by Judy Blume (1974)

Judy Blume’s 1974 middle-grade novel Blubber focuses on the complex social dynamics of a fifth-grade class as they begin to mercilessly bully one of the girls among them. The story is told through first-person narrator Jill Brenner, as she joins in on the bullying and gets wrapped up in the drama that results from it, learning valuable lessons about people getting what they deserve and about the harm she’s helped to facilitate.

• Blubber on SuperSummary

Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick (1993)

Freak the Mighty tells the story of two boys—a giant with learning disabilities and a genius with physical disabilities—who become friends, share adventures, and defend themselves against bullies and social rejection. The novel explores themes of bullying, friendship, and loss.

• Freak the Mighty on SuperSummary

Firegirl by Tony Abbott (2006)

In Firegirl, Abbott explores the growing empathy of a seventh-grade boy when he forms a friendship with a girl whose face has been disfigured by burn scars. Written for middle grade readers, Firegirl realistically conveys what effect an encounter with profound difference would have on adolescents. Addressing issues like bullying, social standing, and the nature of friendship, the novel paints a portrait of a middle school boy forever changed by a short-lived but meaningful connection.

• Firegirl on SuperSummary

Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper (2010)

Sharon M. Draper’s Out of My Mind, based on her own experiences parenting a child with disabilities, is a New York Times Bestselling novel told from the first-person perspective of 10-year-old Melody Brooks. Melody is a fifth-grade girl who, due to cerebral palsy, is unable to communicate verbally and uses a wheelchair. The struggles and prejudice that Melody encounters provide an intimate and personal view of one person’s life with physical disabilities.

• Out of My Mind on SuperSummary

Wonder by R.J. Palacio (2012)

Wonder is a middle-grade novel written by R.J. Palacio. Though multiple narrators tell the tale, the plot centers around August “Auggie” Pullman, a 10-year-old boy who has a genetic condition called mandibulofacial dysostosis that has left his face misshapen. Auggie’s life of relative isolation is upended when he transitions from homeschooling to attending Beecher Prep Middle School. He faces bullying and discrimination because of his appearance, as well as the routine trials of growing up.

• Wonder on SuperSummary

Auggie & Me by R.J. Palacio (2015)

Auggie & Me is a collection of three short stories written as a companion to Palacio’s famous novel, Wonder. Auggie & Me illustrates the complexities of navigating friendship, specifically as children change over time. All three stories show how the yearning to do right and form meaningful connections is often challenged with the pressures of growing up and wanting to fit in with their peers.

• Auggie & Me on SuperSummary

Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt (2015)

Fish in a Tree follows the story of a middle-school girl named Ally, who is artistically and mathematically talented, but unable to read due to her dyslexia. Throughout Ally’s school career, she uses humor, misbehavior, and feigned sickness to distract from her learning difficulty, doing everything in her power to avoid writing and reading tasks. Ally’s struggles are magnified by the fact that she has transferred schools many times over the past few years, as her family moves around for her father’s work in the military.

• Fish in a Tree on SuperSummary

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling (2017)

Born without arms, 13-year-old Aven Green approaches her unique life with humor, grace, and unflagging positivity—until her parents take a job managing a worn-out Western theme park in Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus. Suddenly the new kid at school, Aven discovers that others have trouble seeing past her disability to the creative, funny person she is. Aven’s life changes when she meets Connor, who struggles with Tourette Syndrome. Author Dusti Bowling’s debut middle-grade novel is an exploration of self-acceptance, belonging, and the power of friendship.

• Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus on SuperSummary

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (2000)

Stargirl is a young adult fiction novel published in 2000 by Jerry Spinelli. In a coming-of-age narrative, shy eleventh-grader Leo falls in love with Stargirl, a free-spirited newcomer at Mica High. When his fellow students turn against Stargirl—and Leo—he pressures her to become ordinary like everyone else. Over the course of the novel, Leo learns the importance of staying true to yourself. Spinelli explores themes of individuality, kindness, and the painful consequences of nonconformity.

• Stargirl on SuperSummary

Loser by Jerry Spinelli (2002)

The author of Crash writes a book about a goofball kid with eccentric interests who has more enthusiasm than talent, and who doesn’t understand when other kids bully him. The middle-grade novel serves as a peek into the life of someone with a lot of similarities to Penn Webb. Loser i’s also semi-autobiographical, in that author Spinelli was himself an oddball at school.

• Loser on SuperSummary