Meaningful Middle Grade Stories

• Quagmire Tiarello Couldn't Be Better by MYLISA LARSEN. A fiercely independent nonconformist, Quagmire prides himself on not needing anything from anybody. Sure, his mom is skipping work again and showing signs of another full-out spin, but it's nothing he can't handle...until his mom disappears. Quag is then forced to find shelter with an uncle he didn't know he had. Should he come clean about his mother's unstable mental health? Or can he bluff long enough to find his mom and get back home?
• Every Story Ever Told by AMI POLONSKY. After a mass shooting at her town's festival, Stevie's sheltered suburban life is fragmented. She can't bring herself to visit her recovering mom in the hospital (who's under Stevie's dad's watchful eye) or be stuck in her grandparents' Manhattan apartment. To escape her own thoughts, she starts adventuring around NYC with her best friend Avi and a new therapy dog in training. They start chasing stories, and while they may not bring Stevie back to "normal," could they help her find a new version of herself?
• Off the Map by MEIKA HASHIMOTO. Amos and Marlo have always been best friends. They did everything together, until Amos stops talking to Marlo. Embarrased and angry, she distracts herself with the end-of-year canoe trip with her mom and their dog. But when they arrive at the trail-head in the Alaska wilderness, there's Amos! Their parents have surprised them with a trip together. While they do their best to avoid each other, they are paired in a canoe together. Amidst their arguing, their canoe takes a wrong turn straight for a waterfall. Lost in the wilderness with a storm brewing, can these two ex best friends stop fighting and find their way back to safety?