Multicultural Education | Reading Guide: Middle School

Dress Coded by Carrie Firestone In this debut middle-grade girl-power friendship story, an eighth grader starts a podcast to protest the unfair dress code enforcement at her middle school and sparks a rebellion.

Changing the Equation by Tonya Bolden Presents biographies of fifty African American women who have contributed to and are working in STEM fields.

How to Be a Girl in the World by Caela Carter Twelve-year-old Lydia, feeling threatened by the attention her changing body is getting from boys and men, finds a way to take control of her own skin.

Maya Lin by Susan Goldman Rubin Presents the life and career of artist and architect Maya Lin focusing on her childhood, the creation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and her acclaimed work since then. Also discusses Lin's roles as an activist, a woman, and a minority.

Maybe He Just Likes You by Barbara Dee A group of male classmates begin inappropriately touching seventh-grader Mila, and while some argue that they are merely flirting, others encourage her to report them for bullying. Hesitant to lay her burdens on her overworked mother, Mila begins taking karate lessons and learns to stand up for herself.

My Seventh-Grade Life in Tights by Brooks Benjamin All Dillon wants is to be a real dancer. And if he wins a summer scholarship at Dance-Splosion, he’s on his way. The problem? His dad wants him to play football. And Dillon’s freestyle crew, the Dizzee Freekz, says that dance studios are for sellouts. His friends want Dillon to kill it at the audition—so he can turn around and tell the studio just how wrong their rules and creativity-strangling ways are.

Our Stories, Our Voices by Amy Reed (Editor) This collection of twenty-one essays from major YA authors—including award-winning and bestselling writers—touches on a powerful range of topics related to growing up female in today’s America, and the intersection with race, religion, and ethnicity.

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang Prince Sebastian has a secret--he loves to wear women's dresses and go out at night in Paris. His best friend and dressmaker, Frances is his secret weapon, but while she keeps Sebastian's secret, she puts off pursuing her own dreams.

Path to the Stars by Sylvia Acevedo After tragedy strikes during a meningitis outbreak in her underprivileged neighborhood, Sylvia Acevedo turns to the Girl Scouts, which gave her the fortitude to become a rocket scientist and eventually CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA.

Reaching for the Moon by Katherine Johnson Mathematician Katherine Johnson describes her life as a girl of color in a time of racial violence and gender discrimination and discusses her pivotal work with NASA's Apollo 11 program.

Revenge of the Red Club by Kim Harrington When middle school journalist Riley Dunne learns that an important and beloved club is being shut down, she uses the power of the pen to instigate much-needed social change.

The Witch Boy: a Graphic Novel (the Witch Boy Trilogy #1) by Molly Knox Ostertag Everyone in Aster's family is born with magic, the boys growing up to be shapeshifters and girls witches. Unfortunately, Aster doesn't know how to change shape, but he seems pretty good at witchery. Hiding his clandestine witch studies, Aster reaches out to Charlie, a girl from the non-magical side of town, for companionship. Then one of the boys goes missing during shapeshifting practice, and only Aster and Charlie can find him.