31 must-read middle grade books like Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone by Tae Keller

Cover of Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone by Tae Keller

Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

By: Tae Keller

4.17

Format: 277 pages, Hardcover

A story about a girl who is alienated by her friends . . . for believing in aliens. Sometimes m…

"I had to make her understand that this mattered--what people thought had everything to do with who she was. Because how do we know who we are without knowing our place in the world?"

-Tae Keller, Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

"I had to make her understand that this mattered--what people thought had everything to do with who she was. Because how do we know who we are without knowing our place in the world?"

-Tae Keller, Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

If you liked the middle grade plot in Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone by Tae Keller , here is a list of 31 books like this:

Cover of Attack of the Black Rectangles by Amy Sarig King

1. Attack of the Black Rectangles

By: Amy Sarig King

4.21

Format: 258 pages, Hardcover

When Mac first opens his classroom copy of Jane Yolen's The Devil's Arithmetic and finds some words… read more

Similar categories in Amy Sarig King's Attack of the Black Rectangles book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • audiobook
"Why do they treat kids like we don't mean anything?"

-Amy Sarig King, Attack of the Black Rectangles

"If you're comfortable learning history, it's the wrong history."

-Amy Sarig King, Attack of the Black Rectangles

"I love banned books. I used to read as many to you as I could when you were little, Mac."

-Amy Sarig King, Attack of the Black Rectangles

"But if we want to change the world so it's good for everyone, it's important to talk about the truth."

-Amy Sarig King, Attack of the Black Rectangles

Cover of The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat

2. The Last Mapmaker

By: Christina Soontornvat

4.15

Format: 368 pages, Hardcover

A high-seas adventure set in a Thai-inspired fantasy world. As assistant to Mangkon’s most celeb… read more

Similar categories in Christina Soontornvat's The Last Mapmaker book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • childrens
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • audiobook
"I couldn't see it then, but I could see it now. I opened my eyes, releasing another stream of tears. I had been trying so hard to run from my past. But the past was like mottlefish ink. Even if it fa…"

-Christina Soontornvat, The Last Mapmaker

Cover of Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson

3. Freewater

By: Amina Luqman-Dawson

4.18

Format: 416 pages, Hardcover

A middle-grade novel about two enslaved children’s escape from a plantation and the many ways they … read more

Similar categories in Amina Luqman-Dawson's Freewater book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • childrens
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • audiobook
"Lord only knows how many of us they keep from running. How many of us stay in these hateful places out of love. I used to think it was from scaring us - beating, cutting, or whipping us that did it. …"

-Amina Luqman-Dawson, Freewater

Cover of Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas

4. Swim Team

By: Johnnie Christmas

4.28

Format: 248 pages, Paperback

Bree can't wait for her first day at her new middle school, Enith Brigitha, home to the Mighty Mana… read more

Similar categories in Johnnie Christmas's Swim Team book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • contemporary
Cover of The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh

5. The Lost Year

By: Katherine Marsh

4.50

Format: 368 pages, Hardcover

A middle-grade survival story that traces a family secret back to the Holodomor, a terrible famine … read more

Similar categories in Katherine Marsh's The Lost Year book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • audiobook
Cover of A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat

6. A First Time for Everything

By: Dan Santat

4.39

Format: 320 pages, Hardcover

A middle grade graphic memoir based on bestselling author and Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat's awkwa… read more

Similar categories in Dan Santat's A First Time for Everything book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • middle grade
  • childrens
Cover of A Rover's Story by Jasmine Warga

7. A Rover's Story

By: Jasmine Warga

4.28

Format: 320 pages, Hardcover

A middle grade novel about the journey of a fictional Mars rover. Meet Resilience, a Mars rover… read more

Similar categories in Jasmine Warga's A Rover's Story book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • childrens
  • middle grade
  • fiction
  • science fiction
  • audiobook
Cover of The Probability of Everything by Sarah Everett

8. The Probability of Everything

By: Sarah Everett

4.33

Format: 336 pages, Hardcover

A heart-wrenching middle grade debut about Kemi, an aspiring scientist who loves statistics and fac… read more

Similar categories in Sarah Everett's The Probability of Everything book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • audiobook
Cover of Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow

9. Simon Sort of Says

By: Erin Bow

4.31

Format: 320 pages, Hardcover

Simon O’Keeffe’s biggest claim to fame should be the time his dad accidentally gave a squirrel a ho… read more

Similar categories in Erin Bow's Simon Sort of Says book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • audiobook
"Dad picks Denver [to get his rabies shots], and he's totally fine, but he's going to be away for three days. "Just like Jesus," Mom says. I can hear the phone say, "Isobel!"

-Erin Bow, Simon Sort of Says

"In the tabernacle did the [squirrel]--" "Eat the Host?" says Dad. "Yes he did." "And was it--" "Consecrated?" says Dad. "Yes it was." ... "What, uh, happened to the squirrel?" "That squirrel is now 3…"

-Erin Bow, Simon Sort of Says

"The dog- Todd?- looks up from its leaking beer, puffs a sigh, then crosses the room to head-butt the fridge door closed. "Ummm" I manage "Did you see he got a--" "It's okay," she says. "He only has o…"

-Erin Bow, Simon Sort of Says

Cover of The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly

10. The First State of Being

By: Erin Entrada Kelly

4.14

Format: 272 pages, Hardcover

When twelve-year-old Michael Rosario meets a mysterious boy from the future, his life is changed fo… read more

Similar categories in Erin Entrada Kelly's The First State of Being book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • childrens
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • science fiction
  • audiobook
Cover of The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt

11. The Labors of Hercules Beal

By: Gary D. Schmidt

4.53

Format: 352 pages, Hardcover

From award-winning author Gary D. Schmidt, a warm and witty novel in the tradition of The Wednesday… read more

Similar categories in Gary D. Schmidt's The Labors of Hercules Beal book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • audiobook
"And when Achilles went inside the Vampire said to me, "You all right?" I nodded. "I'm okay." "Okay is good enough for now," she said."

-Gary D. Schmidt, The Labors of Hercules Beal

"Most people don't think we even look like brothers," I said. "You do when you're asleep," she said. "Your face relaxes, and you stop worrying, and all that grit you two carry around falls away, and y…"

-Gary D. Schmidt, The Labors of Hercules Beal

Cover of Tumble by Celia C. Pérez

12. Tumble

By: Celia C. Pérez

4.16

Format: 368 pages, Hardcover

From the award-winning author of The First Rule of Punk, a dazzling novel about a young girl who co… read more

Similar categories in Celia C. Pérez's Tumble book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • audiobook
Cover of The Midnight Children by Dan Gemeinhart

13. The Midnight Children

By: Dan Gemeinhart

4.16

Format: 342 pages, Hardcover

An extraordinary story about a family of runaways who take up residence in a small town, and the ou… read more

Similar categories in Dan Gemeinhart's The Midnight Children book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • mystery
  • audiobook
"Stories, after all, are about choices."

-Dan Gemeinhart, The Midnight Children

"And determined is nearly always a very good thing to be."

-Dan Gemeinhart, The Midnight Children

"I’ll be your creep, Ravani Foster, if you’ll be my freak."

-Dan Gemeinhart, The Midnight Children

"But the truth, sometimes, can be the cruelest thing of all."

-Dan Gemeinhart, The Midnight Children

Cover of The Door of No Return (The Door of No Return, #1) by Kwame Alexander

14. The Door of No Return (The Door of No Return, #1)

By: Kwame Alexander

4.32

Format: 432 pages, Hardcover

An instant #1 New York Times Bestseller! From the Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award win… read more

Similar categories in Kwame Alexander's The Door of No Return (The Door of No Return, #1) book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • childrens
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • audiobook
"A family tie is like the river. It can bend, but it cannot break."

-Kwame Alexander, The Door of No Return (The Door of No Return, #1)

Cover of And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps

15. And Then, Boom!

By: Lisa Fipps

4.69

Format: 256 pages, Hardcover

A gripping new novel-in-verse by the author of the Printz Honor-winning Starfish , featuring a pove… read more

Similar categories in Lisa Fipps's And Then, Boom! book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • audiobook
"Friendship is being there to notice someone's about to fall, to try to keep them from falling, to catch them when they fall or to cushion the blow when they do, to feel what they're feeling, and to u…"

-Lisa Fipps, And Then, Boom!

Cover of Maizy Chen's Last Chance by Lisa Yee

16. Maizy Chen's Last Chance

By: Lisa Yee

4.29

Format: 277 pages, Hardcover

Welcome to The Golden Palace! Maizy has never been to Last Chance, Minnesota. . . until now. Her… read more

Similar categories in Lisa Yee's Maizy Chen's Last Chance book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • audiobook
"When you're in a position to help, that means you're in a good place in your own life."

-Lisa Yee, Maizy Chen's Last Chance

"Sometimes people don't know their dreams until they're in it. Other times, their dreams escape them because they are too busy being busy."

-Lisa Yee, Maizy Chen's Last Chance

Cover of You Are Here: Connecting Flights by Ellen Oh

17. You Are Here: Connecting Flights

By: Ellen Oh

4.26

Format: 272 pages, Hardcover

An incident at a TSA security check point sows chaos and rumors, creating a chain of events that im… read more

Similar categories in Ellen Oh's You Are Here: Connecting Flights book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • audiobook
"Being good was slippery. It didn't stay still; it moved around, and not only that, sometimes it meant exactly opposite things. Like, there were times when being good meant speaking up, but other time…"

-Ellen Oh, You Are Here: Connecting Flights

Cover of Thirst by Varsha Bajaj

18. Thirst

By: Varsha Bajaj

4.14

Format: 192 pages, Hardcover

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

Similar categories in Varsha Bajaj's Thirst book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • audiobook
Cover of Those Kids from Fawn Creek by Erin Entrada Kelly

19. Those Kids from Fawn Creek

By: Erin Entrada Kelly

4.11

Format: 336 pages, Hardcover

Every day in Fawn Creek, Louisiana, is exactly the same--until Orchid Mason arrives. This contempor… read more

Similar categories in Erin Entrada Kelly's Those Kids from Fawn Creek book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • audiobook
Cover of Iveliz Explains It All by Andrea Beatriz Arango

20. Iveliz Explains It All

By: Andrea Beatriz Arango

4.19

Format: 272 pages, Library Binding

How do you speak up when it feels like no one is listening? One girl takes on seventh grade while f… read more

Similar categories in Andrea Beatriz Arango's Iveliz Explains It All book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • audiobook
"and it's important to stop, be kind to ourselves, and ask for help- ask for love."

-Andrea Beatriz Arango, Iveliz Explains It All

"But you have to be somewhere I can find. You understand? Somewhere I can find. I nod, because I know what he is saying and what he is not saying. He can't find me if I'm not here. (p. 113 of the hard…"

-Andrea Beatriz Arango, Iveliz Explains It All

"I am not okay, and sometimes I wish people wouldn't believe me when I say I am. I wish they would ask, just one more time, and I wish they wouldn't tiptoe around me like I'm a poem, so I could show t…"

-Andrea Beatriz Arango, Iveliz Explains It All

Cover of What Happened to Rachel Riley? by Claire Swinarski

21. What Happened to Rachel Riley?

By: Claire Swinarski

4.23

Format: 352 pages, Hardcover

An eighth grader uses social media posts, passed notes, and other clues to find out why a formerly … read more

Similar categories in Claire Swinarski's What Happened to Rachel Riley? book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • mystery
  • audiobook
Cover of Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd

22. Hummingbird

By: Natalie Lloyd

4.37

Format: 368 pages, Hardcover

Bestselling author Natalie Lloyd returns with her most personal book to date, a story about a girl … read more

Similar categories in Natalie Lloyd's Hummingbird book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • audiobook
Cover of A Duet for Home by Karina Yan Glaser

23. A Duet for Home

By: Karina Yan Glaser

4.24

Format: 368 pages, Hardcover

Told from the perspective of biracial sixth-graders June and Tyrell, two children living in a homel… read more

Similar categories in Karina Yan Glaser's A Duet for Home book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • audiobook
Cover of Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone by Tae Keller

24. Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

By: Tae Keller

4.17

Format: 277 pages, Hardcover

A story about a girl who is alienated by her friends . . . for believing in aliens. Sometimes m… read more

Similar categories in Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • audiobook
  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • mystery
  • aliens
  • science fiction
"I had to make her understand that this mattered--what people thought had everything to do with who she was. Because how do we know who we are without knowing our place in the world?"

-Tae Keller, Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

Cover of Falling Short by Ernesto Cisneros

25. Falling Short

By: Ernesto Cisneros

4.08

Format: 304 pages, Hardcover

A novel about two best friends who must rely on each other in unexpected ways. Isaac and Marco a… read more

Similar categories in Ernesto Cisneros's Falling Short book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • audiobook
Cover of Louisa June and the Nazis in the Waves by L.M. Elliott

26. Louisa June and the Nazis in the Waves

By: L.M. Elliott

3.95

Format: 320 pages, Hardcover

Author L. M. Elliott captures life on the U.S. home front during World War II, weaving a portrait o… read more

Similar categories in L.M. Elliott's Louisa June and the Nazis in the Waves book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • middle grade
  • childrens
  • fiction
  • audiobook
Cover of Anybody Here Seen Frenchie? by Leslie Connor

27. Anybody Here Seen Frenchie?

By: Leslie Connor

4.16

Format: 336 pages, Hardcover

A big-hearted, beautiful, and funny novel told from multiple viewpoints about neurodiversity, frien… read more

Similar categories in Leslie Connor's Anybody Here Seen Frenchie? book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • mystery
  • audiobook
Cover of We Were the Fire: Birmingham 1963 by Shelia P. Moses

28. We Were the Fire: Birmingham 1963

By: Shelia P. Moses

4.19

Format: 176 pages, Hardcover

The powerful story of an eleven-year-old Black boy determined to stand up for his rights, who's pul… read more

Similar categories in Shelia P. Moses's We Were the Fire: Birmingham 1963 book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • middle grade
  • childrens
  • fiction
  • audiobook
Cover of Troublemaker by John  Cho

29. Troublemaker

By: John Cho

4.03

Format: 214 pages, Hardcover

An instant New York Times bestselller!An Indiebound bestseller!Troublemaker follows the events of t… read more

Similar categories in John Cho's Troublemaker book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • audiobook
Cover of Black Bird, Blue Road by Sofiya Pasternack

30. Black Bird, Blue Road

By: Sofiya Pasternack

4.15

Format: 320 pages, Hardcover

In this historical fantasy novel from Sydney Taylor Honor winner and National Jewish Book Award fin… read more

Similar categories in Sofiya Pasternack's Black Bird, Blue Road book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • middle grade
  • childrens
  • fiction
  • audiobook
Cover of We Own the Sky by Rodman Philbrick

31. We Own the Sky

By: Rodman Philbrick

3.82

Format: 208 pages, Hardcover

A thrilling historical adventure by the master of adventure himself, Rodman Philbrick. It's Maine, … read more

Similar categories in Rodman Philbrick's We Own the Sky book and Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

  • fiction
  • middle grade
  • childrens
  • young adult
"It was a time of astonishing courage, a time of betrayal and disaster […] when girls and boys thought nothing of stepping into the clear blue sky."

-Rodman Philbrick, We Own the Sky

30 Top fiction books like Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone by Tae Keller

Transform Your Habits

Attack of the Black Rectangles

Amy Sarig King

4.21

Transform Your Habits

The Last Mapmaker

Christina Soontornvat

4.15

Transform Your Habits

Freewater

Amina Luqman-Dawson

4.18

Transform Your Habits

Swim Team

Johnnie Christmas

4.28

View all the books

20 Top fiction books like The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly

Transform Your Habits

Ferris

Kate DiCamillo

4.30

Transform Your Habits

A Royal Conundrum (The Misfits #1)

Lisa Yee

3.82

Transform Your Habits

The First State of Being

Erin Entrada Kelly

4.14

Transform Your Habits

Coyote Lost and Found (Coyote Sunrise #2)

Dan Gemeinhart

4.54

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