Teaching Students About Resilience and Diversity with Middle Grade Books, a guest post by Megan Fink Brevard

As a librarian, I love reading middle grade books. Now that I am a mama, I further endorse why middle grade books are so important for kids. Middle grade books create a liminal space for kids to explore their world and ideas. This pre-adolescent/tween phase is essential for building life-long learning skills and resilience.  As I learned from reading Grit by Angela Duckworth, how a person handles resilience is a determining factor in their success.

Resilience is defined by the American Psychological Association as “the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands.”  I believe, as an educator and as a parent, that teaching strategies of resilience are one of the most important lessons for children. These middle-grade books listed below are excellent examples of resilient characters. Teaching students to learn about other people in the stories they read is a way to build empathy.

The Way by Joseph Bruchac

Joseph Bruchac’s writing depicts how young people struggle to make meaning and build relationships in their lives. The Way follows the story of a young boy Cody, who is searching for belonging and to have a mentor. Since Cody’s father is absent, Cody’s uncle Pat teaches him about a martial arts philosophy (“the way”) and shows him exercises to help him channel his anger. After he observes a threat to his school, Cody utilizes his mindfulness exercises and stands up for others.

Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams describes a young girl’s struggle with self-loathing, racism and her father’s alcoholism. With poignant and relatable longing, Genesis starts over every time her family has to move because of her father’s addiction. They end up at her grandmother’s house this time and Genesis discovers some family secrets. The way the text serves as a window into a young girl’s worries about how her dark skin is perceived by others is remarkable. The adolescent concerns about being pretty, being popular, and being loved are captured in Alicia D. Williams’ expert prose. I truly wanted to hug Genesis and tell her that she was a phenomenal young woman to survive such a harsh emotional landscape.

Camo Girl by Kekla Magoon is one of the most insightful middle-grade novels I have ever read. Magoon establishes the rocky landscape of school social hierarchies and examines how you can stay true to yourself amid changes. Ella and Z are both outcasts at their school, but they are friends, and they have each other’s back.  As a bi-racial child, Ella never feels like she fits in at school. Until the day Bailey starts attending their middle school and Ella finds herself developing feelings for him. Bailey is popular, athletic, and the only other black kid at her school. Z is worried Ella will leave him behind. Will she choose her friend or follow her heart?

Look Both Ways by the award-winning Jason Reynolds is a series of ten short stories with vignettes about middle school and all the kids whose lives intersect in the walks to and from school. The short stories about different characters reflect the hope and struggles of the kids as they learn how to see multiple perspectives of events and people in their lives. Reynolds uses an incredibly clever technique of a motif about “a school bus falling from the sky” and each chapter becomes a different story connected to that phrase. The reader does not understand the true meaning until the last chapter. Reynolds based the stories on his experiences walking to school. (Yes, this is the real fantastic human in a photo with me when I was lucky enough to meet him while on the Printz committee in 2018. Librarian dreams do come true!)

Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall This beautiful novel in verse describes a young Latina girl who must find her inner strength when her mother is diagnosed with cancer. McCall based the story on her experience losing her mother, when she was in high school. Lupita is the first generation of her family to apply to college. However, when Mami becomes sick, her college savings must be used to pay for medical treatments.  Lupita struggles to find her courage, like the mesquite tree in her front yard that refuses to be uprooted.

With All the Broken Pieces by Ann Burg  describes the experience of Matt, a Vietnamese boy who flees a war zone during the Vietnam War, and moves to the United States as a refugee. Using free verse poetry, Burg paints a poignant portrait of child seeking an adoptive family and fleeing a tragic past. I like the way Burg’s poems can communicate the intense racism of the time and the heart-wrenching reality of war.

Diamond Willow by Helen Frost  is written as a novel in verse, this collection of clever poems explores a young girl’s family secrets.  Using free verse poems, shaped into diamonds on the page, Frost discusses Willow’s feelings. When her sled dog, Roxy is hurt, Willow blames herself for the accident. Each poem has a hidden message in bold type that tells the reader Willow’s secret thoughts. Through unraveling the mystery, Willow develops a strength of spirit.

Measuring Up , written by Lily LaMotte and illustrated by Ann Xu, is an incredible graphic novel that explores how a young Taiwanese girl feels about coming to the United States.  Cici misses her grandmother immensely and devises to join a cooking competition for kids. The prize is enough money to buy her grandmother a plane ticket to visit! LaMotte shows Cici’s determination in her commitment to practicing the traditional recipes. Ultimately, Cici’s cooking talents are not the only victory when she realizes the importance of believing in herself.

Books build empathy and “the more effort we make trying to figure out a character’s intentions, emotions or thoughts, the greater the odds that our empathy muscles are stretched as well,” said Dr. Michelle Borba. The many pleasures of reading are a joy to those who enjoy losing yourself in a book and finding a window into another person’s life. As a librarian, I also see the wisdom of using books to teach empathy to children and teens. Reading about a perspective that is outside of your everyday life encourages you to be curious, ask questions and seek information about this new world.

Bio:

Megan Fink Brevard has a Masters in Library and Science and a passion for connecting fabulous books with fabulous students. She began her career in children’s book publishing but fell in love with libraries while working for the New York Public Library. She has served on the YALSA national award committees: the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature 2018 and the Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults 2012.   She has also served on the Teen Read Week and the Best Books for Young Adults committees.  Megan has written for VOYA, YALS and BOOKLINKS magazines and she has written TEEN SERVICES 101 (2015)  published by the American Library Association. Megan currently connects kids and families with fabulous books at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. Bookishkids (@megpfink_bookishkids) • Instagram photos and videos

Filed under: Middle Grade, Middle Grade Fiction, Mind the Middle, Mind the Middle Project