Here are selected middle-grade books about immigrants, refugees and human migration recommended by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the School of Education/UW-Madison:
Muzoon: A Syrian Refugee Speaks Out by Muzoon Almellehan; Wendy Perlman (Syrian)
Somos como las nubes = We Are Like the Clouds by Jorge Tetl Argueta (Central American)
Hear My Voice: The Testimonies of Children Detained at the Southern Border of the United States = Escucha mi voz: Los testimonios de los jovenes detenidos en la frontera surena de los Estados Unidos (Central and South American) by Warren Binford, Compiler (Central American)
I Am an American: The Wong Kim Ark Story by Martha Brockenbrough; Grace Lin (Chinese)
Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers (general)
The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande (Mexican)
Almost American Girl by Robin Ha (Korean)
Tales of a Seventh Grade Lizard Boy by Jonathan Hill (Vietnamese)
In Search of Safety: Voices of Refugees by Susan Kuklin (general)
We Are Here to Stay: Voices of Undocumented Young Adults by Susan Kuklin (general)
Made in Asian America: A History for Young People by Erika Lee; Christina Soontornvat (Asian)
Chinese Menu: The History, Myths, and Legends Behind Your Favorite Foods by Grace Lin (Chinese)
Everything Sad Is Untrue (A True Story) by Daniel Nayeri (Iranian)
This Land Is Our Land: A History of American Immigration by Linda Barrett Osborne (general)
On the Move: Home Is Where You Find It by Michael Rosen (Jewish)
The Missing: The True Story of My Family in World War II by Michael Rosen (Jewish)
Why Is Everybody Yelling? Growing Up in My Immigrant Family by Marisabina Russo (Jewish)
The Inker’s Shadow by Allen Say (Japanese)
Chance: Escape from the Holocaust by Uri Shulevitz (Jewish)
The Other Side: Stories of Central American Teen Refugees Who Dream of Crossing the Border by Juan Pablo Villalobos (Mexican)
Across So Many Seas by Ruth Behar (Jewish)
Love, Love by Victoria Chang (Chinese)
Boy, Everywhere by A. M. Dassu (Syrian)
Us, In Progress: Short Stories about Young Latinos by Lulu Delacre (Latin American)
Santiago’s Road Home by Alexandra Diaz (Mexican)
The Only Road by Alexandra Diaz (Guatemalan)
It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas (Iranian)
A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqi; Laura Shovan (Pakistani and Jewish)
The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon
The Bluest Sky by Christina by Diaz Gonzalez (Cuban)
The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani (Indian and Pakistani)
The Land of Forgotten Girls by Erin Entrada Kelly (Phillipino)
Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh by Uma Krishnaswami (Indian and Mexican)
Land of Broken Promises by Jane Kuo (Taiwanese)
In the Beautiful Country by Jane Kuo (Taiwanese)
Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai (Chinese)
Tethered to Other Stars by Elisa Stone Leahy (Latin American)
Brother’s Keeper by Julie Lee (Korean)
A Handful of Stars by Cynthia Lord (Mexican)
Coming Up Cuban by Sonia Manzano (Cuban)
A Glasshouse of Stars by Shirley Marr (Chinese)
Nowhere Boy by Katherine Marsh (Syrian)
The Orphan Band of Springdale by Anne Nesbet (German)
The Cricket War by Tho Pham; Sandra McTavish (Vietnamese)
We’re Not From Here by Geoff Rodkey (general)
Mananaland by Pam Munoz Ryan (Latino)
Yara’s Spring by Jamal Saeed; Sharon E. McKay (Syrian)
Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar (Mexican)
Dawn Raid by Pauline Vaeluaga Smith (Pacific Islanders)
Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga (Syrian)
Three Keys (Front Desk, #2) by Kelly Yang (Chinese)
Front Desk by Kelly Yang (Chinese)
When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson; Omar Mohamed (African)
The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen (Vietnamese)
Parachute Kids by Betty C. Tang (Taiwan)
Two White Rabbits
Author: Jairo Buitrago, Illustrator: Rafael Yockteng
(Latin American)
Overground Railroad
Author: Lesa ClineRansome, Illustrator: James E. Ransome
(African American)
Mama’s Nightingale: A Story of Immigration and Separation
Author: Edwidge Danticat, Illustrator: Leslie Staub
(Haitian)
Mexique: A Refugee Story from the Spanish Civil War
Author: Maria Jose Ferrada, Illustrator: Ana Penyas
(Spanish)
My Mother’s Tongues: A Weaving of Languages
Author: Uma Menon, Illustrator: Rahele Jomepour Bell
(Indian)
La Frontera: El viaje con papa / My Journey with Papa
Author: Deborah Mills; Alfredo Alva
(Mexican)
The Banana Leaf Ball: How Play Can Change the World
Author: Katie Smith Milway, Illustrator: Shane W. Evans
(African)
Dreamers
Author and Illustrator: Yuyi Morales
(Mexican)
A Different Pond
Author: Bao Phi, Illustrator: Thi Bui
(Vietnamese)
The Journey
Author and Illustrator: Francesca Sanna
(general)
Wishes
Author: Muon Thi Van, Illustrator: Victo Ngai
(Vietnamese)
Watercress
Author: Andrea Wang, Illustrator: Jason Chin
(Chinese)
The Words We Share
Author and Illustrator: Jack Wong
(Chinese)
Yang Warriors
Author: Kao Kalia Yang, Illustrator: Billy Thao
(Hmong)