Middle School Multicultural Bundle
Abyssinia
by Meseret Carver
The narrator reflects on the events in her tumultuous past that lead her to experience great loss and great fortune as she journeys from her homeland of Ethiopia to the U.S. as an adopted child.
- Reading Level: 4.4
- Interest Level: Middle School, Late Elementary, High School
Adesewa's Snake
by Kaeoli Sapp
Adesewa's never found the magic in life, nor herself. Not with that cursed scar on her face. When she discovers that a snake-shapeshifter is hiding in her Nigerian village, the hunt for peace begins.
- Reading Level: 3.8
- Interest Level: Middle School
Big Fish
by Annie Liu
In a mountaintop village, an unusual boy witnesses an accident. Will he get involved or watch from the sidelines?
- Reading Level: 3.9
- Interest Level: Middle School
Conch Tales
by Shanea Strachan
The mystery of disappearing conchs leads 12-year-old Corine on an undersea adventure.
- Reading Level: 4.8
- Interest Level: Middle School
Diary of a Not Normal Child
by YuBin Park
Twelve-year-old Itanya works in a Kenyan factory with her mother in order to scrape by. Her dream is to eat and learn and live like a "normal child," but that dream feels so far from reach.
- Reading Level: 3.3
- Interest Level: Middle School
Discos or Dumplings
by Emily Sun
Emma is already under pressure from her family to plan the perfect Chinese New Year party. What will they think when she wants to have a Chinese-American version of the holiday?
- Reading Level: 4.2
- Interest Level: Middle School, High School
Divided in Land but Together in Heart: A Tale of Cyprus
by Kugu Soykan
Living on opposite sides of a divided Cyprus, two teen girls—one of Turkish descent, one of Greek descent—become friends with a shared goal: to bring together old friends and new.
- Reading Level: 3.7
- Interest Level: All Ages
I Want to Be a Writer
by Anya Ivan
Alex knows he wants to be a writer but doesn't know how to write very well. With the help of his English teacher, Alex learns how to improve his writing and how to use it to cope with family issues.
- Reading Level: 3.1
- Interest Level: Middle School
Instructions for My 5th-Grade Self
by Lisa Zhang
Yijia's fifth-grade self has a knack for attracting attention from Mrs. Lou... but not the good kind of attention. One moment stands out in particular, one that she just can't ever forget.
- Reading Level: 4.4
- Interest Level: Middle School
Lesson Plans
by Joanna Szeto
Dylan hates doing homework. So when his mother makes a deal with him that she'll do his homework for a day if he does her job, he takes it. How hard can it be to teach the fourth grade?
- Reading Level: 3.1
- Interest Level: High School, Middle School, Late Elementary
Moo Pa Buddhas in a Cave
by Gajinder Kaur
Based on a true story of 12 football teammates and their coach surviving what could have been a terrible tragedy.
- Reading Level: 3.0
- Interest Level: Middle School
Poppies for Amelia
by Julie Harris
Nash is fourteen years old when he drives a car through Mr. Leiberman's fence. His choices now are to help rebuild what he has broken or face arrest.
- Reading Level: 3.6
- Interest Level: High School, Middle School
Shadow of Faith
by Sara Hashem
Samar struggles to fit in when she starts school in America after living in Egypt. Can she help her friend Mina put aside religious prejudices by being a friend herself to those different from her?
- Reading Level: 3.4
- Interest Level: High School
The Crossroads
by Grama Jayaram
Two beetle leaves, three beetle nuts, an unbroken coconut, and a five-paise coin. Will the forest goddess, Maramma, accept these offerings and heal the boy who delivers them to her?
- Reading Level: 3.9
- Interest Level: Middle School
The Lights of Diwali
by Cat Jenkins
Chandra is an exchange student missing her home in India as the time of Diwali, the Festival of Lights, approaches. But a friend shows her how Diwali's lights are tied to something much bigger.
- Reading Level: 4.8
- Interest Level: High School