Literature Review 2025: Love and Friendship Books for TweensLike this list

20 items

• As You Wish

  Jones, Nashae,

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  Gr. 4-6, After feelings for her best friend Deve become complicated, thirteen-year-old African American Birdie makes a wish with a West African trickster god that goes awry.

• Bye Forever, I Guess

  Meadows, Jodi,

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  Gr. 5-8, Ingrid’s online persona is more popular than she is. IRL, she’s the quiet one—until a wrong-number text message offers her a chance at connection. Can this guarded gamer girl lower her shield for a new friend… or more-than-friend?

• Fortune Tellers

  Greenwald, Lisa,

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  Gr. 5-7, When the long-ago fortune tellers they created in third grade start popping up in the most unexpected places during the summer before seventh grade, three former best friends -- Millie, Nora and Bea -- see this as a sign to finally…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Summer of the Fortune Tellers

  Greenwald, Lisa,

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  Gr. 5-7, The magic continues in this sequel about summertime fun, crushes, babysitting and friendship.

• Just Be Cool, Jenna Sakai

  Florence, Debbi Michiko,

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  Gr. 5-7, When boyfriend Elliott breaks up with Jenna Sakai before Christmas break, she just about convinces herself that relationships are for suckers and she is better off without them; but unfortunately she finds herself in competition with…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Wish Switch

  Painter, Lynn,

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  Gr. 5 -7, From the author of Better Than the Movies. This middle grade tale is about magic wishes, chaos and the infuriating new boy.

• Listen to This

  Blecher, Jennifer,

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  Gr. 5-7, Told from two perspectives, Lily and Will deal with the tumult of seventh grade including secrets, rumors, shifting friendships, overbearing parents, and a first dance.

• Kickturn

  Spangler, Brie,

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  Gr. 5-7, Lindy has gotten used to life on the road in her parents refurbished school bus. But when the bus breaks down in San Jose, will she finally get to meet her skateboarding idol—and maybe the chance to put down roots, too? This illustrated…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• So Over Sharing

  Weissman, Elissa Brent,

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  Gr. 5-9, Two very different twelve-year-old girls, Hadley and Willow, bond over Instagram as they both struggle with oversharing influencer moms and grapple with how long their lives will stay public

• Not If You Break Up With Me First

  Miller, G. F., 1977-

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  Gr. 5-8, Best friends Eve and Andrew go to their first eight grade dance together, and suddenly everybody assumes they are dating, so they each try and arrange a break-up--except they are both beginning to feel a different kind of attraction.

• What If You Fall for Me First?

  Miller, G. F., 1977-

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  Gr. 5-9. Thirteen-year-old Sofia's plans to impress her crush and ditch her goody-two-shoes image by dating cool guy classmate, Holden, takes an unexpected turn.

• Worst Love Spell Ever!

  Coven, Wanda,

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  Gr. 4- 7, A first crush and a love spell collide to hilarious and awkward results.

• Rolling on

  Sumner, Jamie,

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  Gr. 5-7, Thirteen-year-old Ellie finds herself faced with first love and learning to let go as her friendship with best friend Bert starts to turn into something more, and her beloved grandfather loses his battle with Alzheimer's disease.

• Noah Frye Gets Crushed

  Horne, Maggie,

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  Gr. 4-7, In this cute and queer contemporary middle grade comedy about friendship, first crushes, and first kisses, twelve-year-old Noah Frye comes up with a foolproof plan to teach herself how to have a crush on a boy to fit in better with her…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Shannon in the Spotlight

  Miller, Kalena,

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  Gr. 5-7, After Shannon accidentally lands a lead role in the summer musical, she realizes she has bigger things to worry about than stage fright in this contemporary middle-school novel about strained friendships, first crushes, the positive power…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Jojo Vs. Middle School

  McCullough, Joy,

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  Gr. 4-6, Despite her careful planning, eleven-year-old Jojo's first day of middle school unravels after an outfit mishap, caused by her cat-fluencer stepdad's new kitten, but as she tries hiding her embarrassment, she finds solace in new friends.

• Taking Up Space

  Gerber, Alyson,

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  Gr. 5-7, Basketball, puberty, friendships vs crushes, and body image are dealt with in this compelling story about a girl dealing with food issues and physical changes. For fans of Judy Blume.

• True to Your Selfie

  McCafferty, Megan,

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  Gr. 5-8, Online sensations, Morgan and Ella, navigate fame and friendship.

• Keeping Pace

  Morrison, Laurie,

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  Gr. 5-9, Determined to regain her sense of accomplishment after losing her top-class ranking to Jonah, Grace decides to compete against him in a Labor Day half-marathon, but as they train together, she learns valuable lessons about what truly…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Best at It

  Pancholy, Maulik, 1974-

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  Gr. 4-7, Twelve-year-old Rahul Kapoor, an Indian-American boy growing up in small-town Indiana, struggles to come to terms with his identity, including that he may be gay.