Grandparents in Middle-grade Books

I recently met someone who described her grandmother as “her person,” holding a hand against her heart as she spoke the words. Grandparents are often great characters in books, providing insight and knowledge with a little more distance than a parent might be able to muster. Below are some excellent middle-grade books that have a grandparents as a key component.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly (2009)

Calpurnia is a budding scientist who finds kinship with her like-minded grandfather in this book set at the turn of the 20th century. Calpurnia lives on her family’s pecan plantation in Texas. She and her grandfather reach out to the Smithsonian when they discover what may be a new kind of plant on their land. But her parents pressure her to learn more “feminine” skills.

Bayou Magic by Jewell Parker Rhodes (2013)

Maddy is spending the summer with her grandmother in the Bayou. She falls in love with the place, but an oil spill threatens its existence. An environmental powerhouse with touches of magic and merfolk.

Sunny Side Up by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm (2015)

Instead of getting to vacation as usual with her family, Sunny is sent to spend the summer with her grandfather in Florida. Sunny knows that this has something to do with her brother and the trouble he’s been in lately, whose substance abuse she doesn’t really understand. She and her grandfather find ways to connect in his heartfelt and funny graphic novel.

Dragons in a Bag series by Zetta Elliot (started in 2018)

Jax’s mother dumps him with a weird old lady, who is a witch, and has dragons! Set in Brooklyn, this series is charming, suspenseful, and full of mischievous dragons.

Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina (2018)

Merci, a sixth grader, wants to save up for a bike, avoid the mean girls at school, and be a good mentor to her “Sunshine Buddy” at school. Then her life is further complicated when her beloved grandfather is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Medina handles the realities of a loved one with memory loss gracefully.

Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly (2019)

Iris’s grandparents are deaf, but her immediate family is hearing and sign at varied levels. She’s the only deaf kid in her school and has an interpreter there. Being isolated in these ways, it’s not surprising that she is struck by the story of a whale who sings at a different frequency than other whales and therefore can’t join a pod. She determines to write a song for the whale to let him know he is not alone.

Six Feet Below Zero by Ena Jones (2021)

This book’s premise is weird, I’ll admit, but if you can suspend your disbelief, it is a delightful read. Siblings Rosie and Baker live with their elderly great-grandmother after their parents die in a car accident. When the great-grandmother dies, she leaves specific directions for the kids to pretend she is still alive until their loving but eccentric aunt can arrive so they can escape the care of their unpleasant grandmother. Dear readers, they hide body her in a freezer. The book maintains a lighthearted tone while still touching on grief and family bonds.

Nowhere Better Than Here by Sarah Guillory (2022)

Jillian’s Louisiana town is smaller than it used to be because of the erosion of the coastline. She’s devastated when the state shuts down the school and encourages townspeople to move. She works with her friends on a project to preserve the photographs of the town — in the past and now — and records residents telling stories about their memories for an exhibit in a museum. Jillian lives with her mother and grandmother and relies on her elder’s friends for their stories about the town’s history.