First Chapter Books for Middle Grade Readers Featuring Diverse Protagonists

Laura Barnhill, Jo Dienst, and Emma Kagan

The purpose of this collection is to highlight chapter books for readers in the 7-10 age range that feature protagonists
of diverse identities. We specifically looked to include books where the identity of the character was not a central
part of the plot, unless it was a celebration of cultural heritage. We wanted to find books where the protagonist’s
identity was just a given, and the focus was on the adventures and relatable experiences that the children have.

Title Author/ ISBN 1-2 Sentence Summary

Illustrator

Arnold, Elana K. When Bat’s mother, a veterinarian, brings home a skunk to care
for, Bat makes an unlikely companion and must convince the
A Boy Called Bat Santoso, Charles 9780062445827 family to keep the new “pet”.
Berneger, Marcia Siblings Devorah and Benjamin receive an old dreidel as a
Hanukkah present - but when the dreidel transports them back to
A Dreidel in Time Castro, Beatriz 9781541546721 the time of the Maccabees, they must find their way home.
Seven-year-old Alfie hatches a plan to bring home a kitten from
Absolutely Alfie and the Warner, Sally her friend’s house even though it breaks a family rule, some careful
Furry Purry Secret (book planning allows her to sneak the kitten home, but is eventually
one of a series) Malone, Shearry 9781101999882 discovered by her older brother and parents.
Alvin Ho: Allergic to Dead
Bodies, Funerals, and Other Look, Lenore Following the death of his grandfather’s friend, second-grader
Fatal Circumstances (book Alvin expresses his anxiety and fear in a mix of heartfelt, relatable,
four of a series) Pham, Leuyen 9780375868313 and comical situations.
Beep and Bob: Too Much Bob is a new student at Astro Elementary School - but he hates
Space! (book one of a space! Bob must navigate a new school, friends, and the
series) Roth, Jonathan 9781481488532 strangeness of going to school on another planet.
After a disastrous haircut, J.D. decides to fix his hair himself.
Thanks to his artistic skills, he learns that he’s really good at
cutting hair, and starts cutting all his friends’ hair. When his
J.D. and the Great Barber Dillard, J. business takes off, the local barber feels threatened, and they
Battle Roberts, Akeem S. 9780593111543 arrange a competition to see who is the best barber in the city.
Lyons, Kelly After Jada’s best friend moves away, she learns how to connect
Starling with new people in her fourth grade class through her love of rock
Jada Jones Rock Star (book Newton, Vanessa collecting and a group project for the class rocks and minerals
one of a series) Brantley 9780448487519 science unit.
Florence, Debbi
Jasmine Toguchi: Mochi Michiko When Jasmine’s entire family gets together, Jasmine wants to
Queen (book five of a participate in the tradition of making mochi. Contrary to typical
series) Vuković, Elizabet 9780374304102 gender roles, she wants to hammer the mochi with the men.
JoJo Makoons: The JoJo Makoons is a seven-year-old living on an Ojibwe reservation.
Used-To-Be Best Friend Quigley, Dawn She is learning to navigate how to make friends other than her #1
(book one of a series) Audibert, Tara 9780063015388 best friend- her cat Mimi.
When Juana finds out she must learn English in school, she
consults every member of her extended family to try and convince
Juana and Lucas (series) Medina, Juana 9780763672089 them otherwise.
Lola is a spirited second grader who embraces her Peruvian and
Brown, Monica Jewish heritage as she spends time on the soccer field and
Lola Levine is Not Mean expresses herself through letter and diary writing that reveal her
(book one of a series) Dominguez, Angela 9780316258333 emotions.
 When Mia gets a letter inviting her to superhero training school,
Mia Mayhem is a Superhero West, Kara she learns that she’s part of a family of superheroes, and she starts
(book one of a series) Hernandez, Leeza 9781534432703 learning how to use her powers.
Mindy Kim is very excited to celebrate the Lunar New Year,
Mindy Kim and the Lunar although it will be different this year because she has recently
New Year Parade (book two Lee, Lyla moved to Orlando from California. Mindy misses California, but
of a series) Ho, Dung 9781534440111 she still has fun celebrating with lots of Korean traditions.
Nina Soni: Former Best
Friend (book one of a Sheth, Kashmira Nina must navigate the difficulties of maintaining a friendship
series) Kocsmiesky, Jenn 9781682630570 while balancing school and family.
Sam Wu is not afraid of a lot of things, including the dark. That
Tsang, Katie being said, when his friend announces that he’s going camping,
Sam Wu is Not Afraid of the Tsang, Kevin Sam is glad to not be a part of that trip. Unfortunately, he gets
Dark (book three of a series) Reed, Nathan 9781454933717 roped into going and has to face his fears of the great outdoors.
Sarai’s class is having an around the world fair, and she can’t
decide whether to present on Peru, where her mother is from, or
Sarai and the Around the Costa Rica, where her father is from. She does research on both
World Fair (book four of a Gonzalez, Sarai countries and has the opportunity to celebrate and learn more about
series) Brown, Monica 9781338260953 her cultural heritage.
Stella Diaz Never Gives Up When Stella goes on a trip to Oaxaca, Mexico to visit family, she
(book two of a series) Dominguez, Angela 9781250229113 develops a passion project to help save the oceans.
Elliott, Zetta Jaxon is tasked with returning baby dragons to the magical realm;
The Dragon Thief (book two however, when Kavita steals one to care for herself, she finds it
of a series) Bowers, Geneva 9781524770495 won’t stay secret for long.
As their city neighborhood gentrifies, a group of friends decide to
The Phoenix on Barkley Elliott, Zetta clean up an abandoned backyard to play in and discover the
Street (book one of the City presence of a phoenix bird who uses its power to help them stand
Kids series) Enroc Illustrations 9781500589400 up to a local gang.
Zoey and Sassafras: Citro, Asia Zoey’s family lives in a not-so-ordinary house - with a magic
Unicorns and Germs (book doorbell that rings when magical creatures need help! This time, a
six of a series) Lindsay, Marion 9781943147465 unicorn is ringing.

Representation in children’s literature is multi-faceted: there are several different considerations for diversity that
should be considered.
● Is the author’s identity authentic to the characters represented?
○ 16 of the 20 listed authors share the identity of the story’s protagonist
○ In contrast, only 11 of the 20 illustrators share identity with the characters depicted
■ It should be noted that while illustrators may not identify with their characters, they are
still ethnically diverse
Representation should, ideally, come from a creator who can bring insight to a marginalized community’s lived
experience - that is, diverse characters should be written by diverse authors.
● Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors
○ Reading stories provides a window into another immersive worldview and experience
○ Looking at this window, the story may reflect a child’s own identity - MIRROR
■ Some children have more opportunities to see themselves in stories than others
○ When done well, literature can also provide opportunities to experience and learn about other
cultures - SLIDING GLASS DOOR
These areas of diversity are explored in the following list of titles:
 ● Racial/ethnic diversity (Asian-American, Black, Latinx, Native American/Indigenous)
● Religious practices
● Neurological status or presence of a disability
● Gender identity or expression

New survey data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) published in November 2021 show
that the percentage of 9-year-olds who read for fun on a daily basis is dropping. Among 9-year-olds, 42% reported
reading for fun almost every day, the lowest level seen since the survey was first administered throughout the United
States in 1984. The study also reports that 35% of Black 9-year-olds read for fun almost every day compared with
44% of white nine-year olds. These findings emphasize the need for books that young readers can use for their
pleasure reading! In addition, they demonstrate that there is a need to highlight first chapter books that feature
diverse protagonists to engage children who come from different backgrounds. Our collection aims to fill these gaps
so that children can see themselves represented through mirrors, and give them a peek into other experiences via the
windows and sliding glass doors that books can provide.

As a caregiver, we encourage you to use this collection to help your children find books to read for fun that also
offer an opportunity to read about a character that either shares an identity with your child or exposes your child to
characters with an identity that is different from their own. We hope that the intersectionality present in this list
makes it so there is a book for everyone!

Schaeffer, Katherine. “Among many U.S. children, reading for fun has become less common, federal data shows.”
Pew Research Center, November 12, 2021.
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/11/12/among-many-u-s-children-reading-for-fun-has-become-less-com
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