For a Good Cry, Try These Middle-grade Books
Sometimes you want something to make you laugh or feel cozily happy. And sometimes you want a good cathartic cry. If you are looking for something to give you “all the feels,” check out these books, from classic to contemporary.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1868)
The original weepy! This lovely story of four sisters in Civil War–era New England will have you feeling like you are part of the family in no time. Which will only cause bigger sobs when they face hardships and loss. If you haven’t seen the Friends episode where Joey reads Little Women for the first time, you must.
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Patterson (1977)
This was the first book I read as a kid that included sad things happening to kids that seemed like me, so it made a big impression. Jess and Leslie become friends in fifth grade, bonded by their love of running. The create an imaginary world called Terabithia together, housed in the woods behind Leslie’s house. But the woods also cause a tragedy, and Jess finds ways to cope.
The Night Diary by Vera Hiranandani (2018)
Set in 1947, this book tells the story of the partition between India and Pakistan through the lens of a 12-year-old who is half-Muslim and half-Hindu. Where does her family belong? Can they survive long enough to get there? Beautifully written; it won a 2019 Newbery Honor.
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart (2019)
Coyote and her dad, Rodeo, live in a old school bus outfitted like an RV and go wherever the spirit takes them. They have a shared grief, one that Rodeo won’t talk about. But when Coyote finds the courage, and the support, to tell Rodeo that she needs to face that pain, he is able to hear her and help her.
A Home for Goddesses and Dogs by Leslie Connor (2020)
Lydia moves to Connecticut to leave with her aunt and her aunt’s wife after Lydia’s mother dies. They take in a big yellow dog who causes nothing but trouble. Lydia doesn’t want to care for the dog, and she doesn’t want to talk about her grief. But her new family allow her the time and space to find her way home.
Just Like That by Gary D. Schmidt (2021)
Meryl Lee starts attending a boarding school after the death of a friend. She feels completely out of place amid her posh New England classmates. Matt is running away (from what is not immediately shared). He’s taken in by a old woman and given a chance to work alongside a lobster boat captain. The two find each other and work through their struggles together.
A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus (2021)
I loved this beautiful book about what makes family and home. It is focused on children evacuated to the English countryside during World War II. William, Edmund, and Anna are orphans whose wealthy grandmother — their unloving guardian — dies in 1940. They determine that they should stowaway with others being evacuated from London because of the war and hope to find a new home in the countryside. They meet a friendly librarian who shows them kindness and warmth but is judged as unfit to house evacuees because of her marriage to a German man.
Sunshine by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (2023)
In this graphic novel memoir, Krosoczka relates his high school summer job as a camp counselor. The campers are seriously ill kids and their parents and siblings. He discovers the great strength and hope that the families have and uses that to illuminate his own life.
Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow (2023)
Bow slowly reveals information about the school shooting that Simon survived. It’s not until about the halfway point of the book that you get all the details. Since that event, Simon and his parents have moved to Grin and Bear It, Nebraska, a place where no one can have internet because of the scientific observations looking for signs of alien life. Simon is thrilled that no one at his new school will be able to Google him. He can start over. When that doesn’t work out, he leans on the support of his parents and new friends to accept his past.
Olivetti by Allie Millington (2024)
The narrator of this book is a typewriter. Yes, you read that correctly. Olivetti has been with the Brindle family for years and has learned about their lives and struggles through what they type. But Olivetti can also type to communicate with the family, a skill he reveals when the family is in crisis.