Take Five: Global Middle Grade

As part of our Mind the Middle project focusing on middle grade books, I’m going to try to do weekly Take Five lists, which is to say, five books on a certain theme. 

This list of global middle grade features books set around the world. I can’t tell you how many times I stop something we’re watching or interrupt something we hear to tell my husband how I know about x thing or place because of something I read about in a children’s, middle grade, or YA book. As a super duper homebody (I recently said, in all seriousness, if I never left the house except to go to Aldi, I think I’d be fine), reading is really the only way I “travel” and learn about the world. I mean, I like being places that are new to me, but I don’t actually like any part of getting their or the anxiety of being away from my routine (to say nothing of the tiny traumatized rescue dogs who live in our house and curtail much of our venturing out beyond a handful of hours). Books set around the globe allow readers to travel and learn about different people, places, and cultures all from their home. Also, and most importantly, books set around the world provide important representation to children who come from those places.

Remember, these are just a tiny handful of recommendations. We can’t travel the entire world in five books! But maybe the theme will be a jumping off point for finding more books that are set all around the world.

These Take Five lists can help you with collection development, displays, reading lists, and more. I have a pretty giant list of potential Take Five themes, but if there’s something you’re desperate for a list for, let me know! All descriptions come from the publishers.

Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai (ISBN-13: 9781250314093 Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) Publication date: 05/14/2019, Ages 8-11)

A poignant, laugh-out-loud illustrated middle-grade novel about an eleven-year-old boy’s immigration experience, his annoying little brother, and their cake-baking hijinks! Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Gene Luen Yang!

When Jingwen moves to a new country, he feels like he’s landed on Mars. School is torture, making friends is impossible since he doesn’t speak English, and he’s often stuck looking after his (extremely irritating) little brother, Yanghao.

To distract himself from the loneliness, Jingwen daydreams about making all the cakes on the menu of Pie in the Sky, the bakery his father had planned to open before he unexpectedly passed away. The only problem is his mother has laid down one major rule: the brothers are not to use the oven while she’s at work. As Jingwen and Yanghao bake elaborate cakes, they’ll have to cook up elaborate excuses to keep the cake making a secret from Mama.

In her hilarious, moving middle-grade debut, Remy Lai delivers a scrumptious combination of vibrant graphic art and pitch-perfect writing that will appeal to fans of Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham’s Real Friends, Kelly Yang’s Front Desk, and Jerry Craft’s New Kid.

When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson, Omar Mohamed (ISBN-13: 9780525553915 Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group Publication date: 04/14/2020, Ages 9-12)

A National Book Award Finalist, this remarkable graphic novel is about growing up in a refugee camp, as told by a former Somali refugee to the Newbery Honor-winning creator of Roller Girl.

Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to the medical care Omar knows his nonverbal brother needs. So when Omar has the opportunity to go to school, he knows it might be a chance to change their future . . . but it would also mean leaving his brother, the only family member he has left, every day.

Heartbreak, hope, and gentle humor exist together in this graphic novel about a childhood spent waiting, and a young man who is able to create a sense of family and home in the most difficult of settings. It’s an intimate, important, unforgettable look at the day-to-day life of a refugee, as told to New York Times Bestselling author/artist Victoria Jamieson by Omar Mohamed, the Somali man who lived the story.

A Thousand Questions by Saadia Faruqi (ISBN-13: 9780062943200 Publisher: HarperCollins Publication date: 10/06/2020, Ages 8-12)

Set against the backdrop of Karachi, Pakistan, Saadia Faruqi’s tender and honest middle grade novel tells the story of two girls navigating a summer of change and family upheaval with kind hearts, big dreams, and all the right questions.

Mimi is not thrilled to be spending her summer in Karachi, Pakistan, with grandparents she’s never met. Secretly, she wishes to find her long-absent father, and plans to write to him in her beautiful new journal.

The cook’s daughter, Sakina, still hasn’t told her parents that she’ll be accepted to school only if she can improve her English test score—but then, how could her family possibly afford to lose the money she earns working with her Abba in a rich family’s kitchen?

Although the girls seem totally incompatible at first, as the summer goes on, Sakina and Mimi realize that they have plenty in common—and that they each need the other to get what they want most. 

This relatable and empathetic story about two friends coming to understand each other will resonate with readers who loved Other Words for Home and Front Desk. 

The Not-So-Uniform Life of Holly-Mei by Christina Matula (ISBN-13: 9781335424884 Publisher: Inkyard Press Publication date: 04/05/2022 Series: A Holly-Mei Book #1, Ages 8-12)

“I can’t wait for readers to explore Hong Kong with Holly-Mei. I have no doubt they will love both as much as I did.” —Erin Entrada Kelly, 2018 Newbery Medalist and 2021 Newbery Honoree

Packed with humor and heart, this debut middle grade series follows a girl finding her place in a brand-new world of private school and frenemies when her family moves to Hong Kong.

Holly-Mei Jones couldn’t be more excited about moving to Hong Kong for her mother’s job. Her new school is right on the beach and her family’s apartment is beyond beautiful. Everything is going to be perfect . . . right?

Maybe not. It feels like everywhere she turns, there are new rules to follow and expectations to meet. On top of that, the most popular girl in her grade is quickly becoming a frenemy. And without the guidance of her loving Ah-ma, who stayed behind in Toronto, Holly-Mei just can’t seem to get it right.

It will take all of Holly-Mei’s determination and sparkle (and maybe even a tiny bit of stubbornness) to get through seventh grade and turn her life in Hong Kong into the ultimate adventure!

Thirst by Varsha Bajaj (ISBN-13: 9780593354391 Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group Publication date: 07/19/2022, Ages 10-12)

A New York Times Bestseller

The riveting story of a heroic girl who fights for her belief that water should be for everyone.

Minni lives in the poorest part of Mumbai, where access to water is limited to a few hours a day and the communal taps have long lines. Lately, though, even that access is threatened by severe water shortages and thieves who are stealing this precious commodity—an act that Minni accidentally witnesses one night. Meanwhile, in the high-rise building where she just started to work, she discovers that water streams out of every faucet and there’s even a rooftop swimming pool. What Minni also discovers there is one of the water mafia bosses. Now she must decide whether to expose him and risk her job and maybe her life. How did something as simple as access to water get so complicated?

Filed under: Take 5