Try these fiction and nonfiction titles for middle-grade (3rd-6th grade readers) by and about real people who are differently-abled, or featuring characters who are differently-abled.
I am not a label : 34 disabled artists, thinkers, athletes and activists from past and present
Cerrie Burnell
j305.9080922 Burnell
Biographies
This book brings together 34 disabled artists, thinkers, athletes and activists from past and present. Find out how these iconic figures have overcome obstacles, owned their differences and paved the way for others by making their bodies and minds work for them. These short biographies tell the stories of people who have faced unique challenges which have not stopped them from becoming trailblazers, innovators, advocates and makers. Each person is a leading figure in their field, be it sport, science, maths, art, breakdance or the world of pop. Challenge your preconceptions of disability and mental health with the eye-opening stories of these remarkable people.
Not so different : what you really want to ask about having a disability
Shane Burcaw
j617.482 Burcaw
Memoir
A picture book answering the questions young children ask Shane Burcaw about his wheelchair and life with Spinal Muscular Atrophy with equal parts optimism, humor, and empathy.
Born just right
Jordan Reeves
j617.574 Reeves
Memoir
When Jordan Reeves was born without the bottom half of her left arm, the doctors reassured her parents that she was "born just right." And she has been proving that doctor right ever since! With candor, humor, and heart, Jordan's mother, Jen Lee Reeves, helps Jordan tell her story about growing up in an able-bodied world and family, where she was treated like all of her siblings and classmates--and where she never felt limited. Whether it was changing people's minds about her capabilities, trying all kinds of sports, or mentoring other kids, Jordan has channeled any negativity into a positive, and is determined to create more innovations for people just like her. -- publisher's web site.
The war that saved my life
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
jFICTION Bradley Kimberly
Historical Fiction
A young disabled girl and her brother are evacuated from London to the English countryside during World War II, where they find life to be much sweeter away from their abusive mother.
El deafo
Cece Bell
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Bell
Graphic Novels
The author recounts in graphic novel format her experiences with hearing loss at a young age, including using a bulky hearing aid, learning how to lip read, and determining her "superpower."
Wink : a novel
Rob Harrell
jFICTION Harrell Rob
Fiction
After being diagnosed with a rare eye cancer, twelve-year-old Ross discovers how music, art, and true friends can push him through treatment and survive middle school.
All the way to the top : how one girl's fight for Americans with disabilities changed everything
Annette Bay Pimentel
j323.37092 Keelan
Nonfiction
"Diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth, Jennifer Keelan grew up battling--and overcoming--the limitations others set for her. From a lack of cutaway curbs and bus lifts to being denied enrollment at her neighborhood school, Jennifer was continually blocked from living the life she wanted. But after discovering the world of disability rights activism, she knew she had to use her voice to change things. When Jennifer was just eight years old, she participated in the Capitol Crawl. The deeply affecting image of Jennifer crawling up the steps of Capitol Hill went viral and helped pressure Congress into passing the Americans with Disabilities Act. A powerfully illustrated biography of Jennifer's life and a celebration of youth activism, All the Way to the Top will teach all children that they have the power to make a difference"--
Roll with it
Jamie Sumner
jFICTION Sumner Jamie
Fiction
Twelve-year-old Ellie, who has cerebral palsy, finds her life transformed when she moves with her mother to small-town Oklahoma to help care for her grandfather, who has Alzheimer's Disease.
Out of my mind
Sharon M. (Sharon Mills) Draper
jFICTION Draper, Sharon M.
Fiction
Considered by many to be mentally retarded, a brilliant, impatient fifth-grader with cerebral palsy discovers a technological device that will allow her to speak for the first time.
Wonder
R. J Palacio
jFICTION Palacio, R. J.
Fiction
Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not expected to survive, goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan, which entails enduring the taunting and fear of his classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.
Fish in a tree
Lynda Mullaly Hunt
jFICTION Hunt Lynda
Fiction
"Ally's greatest fear is that everyone will find out she is as dumb as they think she is because she still doesn't know how to read"--
Insignificant events in the life of a cactus
Dusti Bowling
jFICTION Bowling Dusti
Fiction
New friends and a mystery help Aven, thirteen, adjust to middle school and life at a dying western theme park in a new state, where her being born armless presents many challenges.
Warrior dog
Will Chesney
j636.7088 Chesney
Memoir
"The powerful true story of a SEAL Team Six member and military dog handler, and the dog that saved his life. Two dozen Navy SEALs descended on Osama bin Laden's compound in May 2011. After the mission, only one name was made public: Cairo, a Belgian Malinois and military working dog. This is Cairo's story, and that of his handler, Will Chesney, a member of SEAL Team Six whose life would be irrevocably tied to Cairo's. Starting in 2008, when Will was introduced to the DEVGRU canine program, he and Cairo worked side by side, depending on each other for survival on hundreds of critical operations in the war on terrorism. But their bond transcended their service. Then, in 2011, the call came: Pick up your dog and get back to Virginia. Now. What followed were several weeks of training for a secret mission. It soon became clear that this was no ordinary operation. Cairo was among the first members of the U.S. military on the ground in Pakistan as part of Operation Neptune Spear, which resulted in the successful elimination of bin Laden. As Cairo settled into a role as a reliable "spare dog," Will went back to his job as a DEVGRU operator, until a grenade blast in 2013 left him with a brain injury and PTSD. Unable to participate in further missions, he suffered from crippling migraines, chronic pain, memory issues, and depression. Modern medicine provided only modest relief. Instead, it was up to Cairo to save Will's life once more-and then up to Will to be there when Cairo needed him the most"--
Focused
Alyson Gerber
jFICTION Gerber Alyson
Fiction
"Twelve-year-old Clea wants to do her homework, follow instructions, pay attention in school, and play chess on the school team, but somehow she cannot focus on whatever is in front of her, and the other kids at school are starting to notice and make fun of her; when her worried parents take her to be tested she finds out that she has ADHD (only without the hyperactivity)--and with help from the psychiatrist who seems to really understand her, she is determined to learn how to focus." --
Save me a seat
Sarah Weeks
jFICTION Weeks Sarah
Fiction
Ravi has just moved to the United States from India and has always been at the top of his class; Joe has lived in the same town his whole life and has learning problems--but when their lives intersect in the first week of fifth grade they are brought together by a common enemy (the biggest bully in their class) and the need to take control of their lives.
A dog like Daisy
Kristin O'Donnell Tubb
jFICTION Tubb Kristin
Fiction
Daisy has only ten weeks to prove her usefulness or else be sent back to the pound. Yet if she goes back, who will protect Colonel Victor from his PTSD attacks? Or save the littler human, Micah, from those infernal ear muzzles he calls earphones? What if no one ever adopts her again? Determined to become the elite protector the colonel needs, Daisy vows to ace the service dog test. She'll accept the ridiculous leash and learn to sit, heel, shake, even do your business, Daisy when told to. But Daisy must first learn how to face her own fears from the past or risk losing the family she's so desperate to guard -- again.
Marcus Vega doesn't speak Spanish
Pablo Cartaya
jFICTION Cartaya Pablo
Fiction
After a fight at school leaves Marcus facing suspension, Marcus's mother takes him and his younger brother, who has Down syndrome, to Puerto Rico to visit relatives they do not remember or have never met, and while there Marcus starts searching for his father, who left their family ten years ago and is somewhere on the island.
Sunnyside Plaza
Scott Simon
jFICTION Simon Scott
Mystery
While helping police officers Esther and Lon investigate a suspicious death at her group home, nineteen-year-old Sal Miyake, who is mentally challenged, gains insights into herself and makes new friends.
Running on empty
S. E. Durrant
jFICTION Durrant S. E.
Fiction
After his grandfather dies, eleven-year-old JJ, a talented runner, assumes new responsibilities including taking care of his intellectually-challenged parents and figuring out how bills get paid.
Disability rights movement
Amy Hayes
j323.37 Hayes
History
Traces the history of people with disabilities from the discrimination they endured during much of history through the earliest efforts at change to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the current situation.
Railway Jack : the true story of an amazing baboon
KT Johnston
j599.865 Johnston
History
"Jim was a South African railway inspector in the late 1800s who lost his legs in an accident while at work. Unable to perform all his tasks with his disability but desperate to keep his job, Jim discovered a brilliant solution, a baboon named Jack. Jim trained Jack to help him both at home and at the depot. But when the railway authorities and the public discovered a monkey on the job, Jack and Jim had to work together to convince everyone that they made a great team. This inspiring true story celebrates the history of service animals and a devoted friendship"--
Silent days, silent dreams
Allen Say
jE Say
Biographies
A fictionalized biography of James Castle, a deaf, autistic artist whose drawings hang in major museums throughout the world.
I have cerebral palsy
Mary Beth Springer
j616.836 Springer
Nonfiction
Meet Sydney, a girl who likes the same things other kids doriding her bike, playing baseball, and hanging out with her friends. Sydney also has cerebral palsy, which makes walking, talking, and using her hands difficult. Sydney shares her first hand account of life with cerebral palsy in I Have Cerebral Palsy so that others can understand what her life is like. Most importantly, Sydney wants her story to help other kids feel more comfortable around people with disabilities. Readers can learn about the different items that make it easier for Sydney to be mobile, eat or write in the fact-filled section about adaptive technology. Information about the Miracle League, the volunteer-based program that makes it possible for children with a variety of disabilities play baseball is also included.
Emmanuel's dream : the true story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah
Laurie Ann Thompson
jE Thompson
Biographies
Born in Ghana, West Africa, with one deformed leg, he was dismissed by most people--but not by his mother, who taught him to reach for his dreams. As a boy, Emmanuel hopped to school more than two miles each way, learned to play soccer, left home at age thirteen to provide for his family, and, eventually, became a cyclist. He rode an astonishing four hundred miles across Ghana in 2001, spreading his powerful message: disability is not inability. Today, Emmanuel continues to work on behalf of the disabled.
That's like me! : stories about amazing people with learning differences
Jill Lauren
j371.9 Lauren
Nonfiction
What do a trapeze artist, an Arctic explorer, and a soccer player have in common? Meet the fifteen kids and adults profiled in "That's Like Me!," a collection of first-person accounts of successful people who learn differently. Whether it was reading, math, writing, or speech problems, each person shares his or her inspiring story of facing the challenge of school, while pursuing important goals.
Al Capone does my shirts
Gennifer Choldenko
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Choldenko, Gennifer
Historical Fiction
A twelve-year-old boy named Moose moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935 when guards' families were housed there, and has to contend with his extraordinary new environment in addition to life with his autistic sister.
Me and Sam-Sam handle the apocalypse
Susan Vaught
jFICTION Vaught Susan
Mystery
""I could see the big inside of my Sam-Sam. I had been training him for 252 days with mini tennis balls and pieces of bacon, just to prove to Dad and Mom and Aunt Gus and the whole world that a tiny, fluffy dog could do big things if he wanted to. I think my little dog always knew he could be a hero. I just wonder if he knew about me." When the cops show up at Jesse's house and arrest her dad, she figures out in a hurry that he's the #1 suspect in the missing library fund money case. With the help of her (first and only) friend Springer, she rounds up suspects (leading to a nasty confrontation with three notorious school bullies) and asks a lot of questions. But she can't shake the feeling that she isn't exactly cut out for being a crime-solving hero. Jesse has a neuro-processing disorder, which means that she's "on the spectrum or whatever." As she explains it, "I get stuck on lots of stuff, like words and phrases and numbers and smells and pictures and song lines and what time stuff is supposed to happen." But when a tornado strikes her small town, Jesse is given the opportunity to show what she's really made of -- and help her dad. Told with the true-as-life voice Susan Vaught is known for, this mystery will have you rooting for Jesse and her trusty Pomeranian, Sam-Sam."
Can you see me?
Libby Scott
jFICTION Scott Libby
Fiction
Eleven-year-old Tally is starting sixth grade at Kingswood Academy and she really wants to fit in, which means somehow hiding her autism, hypersensitivity to touch, and true self, and trying to act "normal" like her former best friend, Layla, who is distancing herself from Tally and her fourteen-year-old sister, Nell, who is always angry with Tally for being different; but as she records her thoughts and anxieties in her coping diary, Tally begins to wonder--what is "normal" anyway?
Get a grip, Vivy Cohen
Sarah Kapit
jFICTION Kapit Sarah
Fiction
Eleven-year-old knuckleball pitcher Vivy Cohen, who has autism, becomes pen pals with her favorite Major League baseball player after writing a letter to him as an assignment for her social skills class.
Each tiny spark
Pablo Cartaya
jFICTION Cartaya Pablo
Fiction
Sixth-grader Emilia Torres struggles with ADHD, her controlling abuela, her mother's work commitments, her father's distance after returning from deployment, evolving friendships, and a conflict over school redistricting.
The year we fell from space
A. S. (Amy Sarig) King
jFICTION King A. S.
Fiction
Middle schooler Liberty likes to make her own maps of the stars, in fact she is obsessed with them, especially since her family is falling apart; her parents are getting divorced, her nine-year-old sister will barely leave the house and carries a stuffed tiger at all times, her father is suffering from depression, but will not talk about it, and the brothers down the street, once friends, have turned into bullies--so when a tiny meteorite literally falls in her lap it is like a sign, but a sign of what?
Planet earth is blue
Nicole Panteleakos
jFICTION Panteleakos, Nicole
Historical Fiction
Autistic and nearly nonverbal, twelve-year-old Nova is happy in her new foster home and school, but eagerly anticipates the 1986 Challenger launch, for which her sister, Bridget, promised to return.
The storm runner
Jennifer Cervantes
jFICTION Cervantes, Jennifer
Fantasy
To prevent the Mayan gods from battling each other and destroying the world, thirteen-year-old Zane must unravel an ancient prophecy, stop an evil god, and discover how the physical disability that makes him reliant on a cane also connects him to his father and his ancestry.
Song for a whale
Lynne Kelly
jFICTION Kelly Lynne
Fiction
Twelve-year-old Iris and her grandmother, both deaf, drive from Texas to Alaska armed with Iris's plan to help Blue-55, a whale unable to communicate with other whales.
As brave as you
Jason Reynolds
jFICTION Reynolds Jason
Fiction
"When two brothers decide to prove how brave they are, everything backfires--literally"--
Sara and the search for normal
Wesley King
jFICTION King Wesley
Fiction
Seventh-grader Sara wants to be normal but her panic attacks and other episodes cause her to isolate herself until, in group therapy, she meets talkative and outgoing Erin, her first friend.
How to make friends with the sea
Tanya Guerrero
jFICTION Guerrero Tanya
Fiction
Moving to the Philippines with his zoologist mother, twelve-year-old Pablo struggles with anxiety while his mother fosters an orphaned child with a facial anomaly.