25 Best Middle-Grade Books About Body Image and Body Positivity

In this book, two of the characters, Mo and Mila, are off at a ballet intensive where one has to face feelings of not “fitting in” with the mostly white, skinny ballet dancers. Chase tackles race, how different Black girls’ bodies can be, and the challenge of being accepted in predominantly white spaces like ballet. I adored this compulsively readable upper middle-grade book (more mature than the average but not quite YA) that explores a horde of important themes. For grades 7+

Starfish features Ellie, a fat girl who has been bullied for her weight since she wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash in the pool. Even her older brother and sister make fun of her weight. Her mom controls her diet, monitoring her portions and choosing lackluster “healthy” alternatives. Ellie is feeling more disheartened because her friend Viv, who is also plus-sized, is moving away. Thankfully, after Viv moves, Ellie finds a friend in her new neighbor Catalina and her family. At school, bullying intensifies when a chair breaks after Ellie sits on it. Her mom is also pushing for gastric bypass surgery for Ellie. Eventually, her father gets her mother to ease off by taking Ellie to a therapist who helps her accept her body and defend herself against bullies. This is a powerful, fat-positive middle grade verse novel about a girl who is learning that she deserves to take up space. For grades 6+

I liked this book about a girl in treatment for anorexia. The author does a fantastic job depicting the experience of struggling with an eating disorder and how non-linear the healing process can be. The story feels authentic and is highly insightful about the therapy process. I also liked the diary-style format. For grades 7+

Mason Buttle is the biggest kid in his grade whose problems are compounded by his learning disabilities. He’s also in the middle of an investigation because his best friend’s dead body was found in their family orchard. When he befriends a much smaller boy, Calvin, who is also bullied by their schoolmates, the two boys seem to have found some respite — until Calvin goes missing. This is a powerful, moving story about friendships, bullying, and self-acceptance. For grades 5+

In Genesis Begins Again, thirteen-year-old Genesis grapples with intense self-hate worsened by her father’s verbal abuse and her grandmother’s backward ideologies about skin color. Readers first meet Genesis when she brings her “friends” home for the first time. In an embarrassing turn of events, they arrive to meet all her belongings in the street. The landlord has put Genesis’s family out because her gambling, alcoholic father defaulted on the rent, again. Things seem to look up for their family when they move into a posh neighborhood. Genesis makes new friends, joins the school choir, and even gets a helpful math tutor. Yet, her self-hate follows her. Genesis Begins Again is a remarkable middle-grade debut with a strong message about colorism, self-love, and the power of music. For grades 6+

Karma Khullar is about to start middle school, and she is super nervous. Not just because it seems like her best friend has found a newer, blonder best friend. Or the fact that her home life is shaken up by the death of her dadima. Or even that her dad is the new stay-at-home parent, leading her mother to spend most of her time at work. But because she’s realized that she has seventeen hairs that have formed a mustache on her upper lip. With everyone around her focused on other things, Karma is left to figure out what to make of her terrifyingly hairy surprise all on her own. This book is funny and relatable, with plenty of friendship angst and a character who just wants to belong. For grades 5+

In her graphic memoir Smile, Raina is just trying to enjoy being a sixth grader when an accident severely injures her two front teeth. Thus begins an unending series of visits to dentists and different treatment options. Throughout this process, Raina still has middle school to tackle. Her friends are sometimes insensitive toward the things that matter to her and she’s finding herself newly developing crushes on boys, even as she’s too embarrassed to smile, thanks to the braces, head gear, retainer, and other contraptions she has to wear throughout the course of this book. Smile follows Telgemeier from sixth grade until high school as each attempt to rectify the situation with her teeth is stumped and doctors are forced to try a different route. Telgemeier’s Smile isn’t my favorite graphic novel/memoir from her, but it’s still one I enjoyed reading. For grades 4+

Garvey’s father has always wanted Garvey to be athletic, but Garvey is interested in astronomy, science fiction, reading—anything but sports. Feeling like a failure, he comforts himself with food. Garvey is kind, funny, smart, a loyal friend, and he is also overweight, teased by bullies, and lonely. When his only friend encourages him to join the school chorus, Garvey’s life changes. The chorus finds a new soloist in Garvey, and through chorus, Garvey finds a way to accept himself, and a way to finally reach his distant father—by speaking the language of music instead of the language of sports. For grades 5+

Alyson Gerber is one of my favorite middle grade authors (you can tell by the fact that I’ve read all of her books so far). She writes about impactful topics in a sincere, realistic, and immersive way. This title is about a girl whose mother’s issues with food are starting to affect her. Add puberty, friend drama, and disordered eating, and Sarah is finding it hard to take up space. For grades 6+

Seventh grade is not going well for Will Levine. Kids at school bully him because of his funny-looking chin. And for his bar mitzvah community service project, he’s forced to go to the hospital to visit RJ, an older boy struggling with an incurable disease. At first, the boys don’t get along, but then RJ shares his bucket list with Will. Among the things he wants to do: ride a roller coaster; go to a school dance; swim in the ocean. To Will, happiness is hanging out in his room, alone, preferably with the turtles he collects. But as RJ’s disease worsens, Will realizes he needs to tackle the bucket list on his new friend’s behalf before it’s too late. It seems like an impossible mission, way outside Will’s comfort zone. But as he completes each task with RJ’s guidance, Will learns that life is too short to live in a shell. For grades 5+

Ross Maloy just wants to be a normal seventh grader. He doesn’t want to lose his hair, or wear a weird hat, or deal with the disappearing friends who don’t know what to say to “the cancer kid.” But with his recent diagnosis of a rare eye cancer, blending in is off the table. Based on Rob Harrell’s real life experience, and packed with comic panels and spot art, this incredibly personal and poignant novel is an unforgettable, heartbreaking, hilarious, and uplifting story of survival and finding the music, magic, and laughter in life’s weirdness. For grades 6+

The Magical Imperfect is a middle grade verse novel about a boy named Etan. Etan develops selective mutism after his mom has to go to a treatment facility for a mental disorder in 1980’s San Francisco. Around that time, mini-earthquakes are frequent and Etan tries to keep up his daily schedule, which is basically school and then time with his grandfather. Sometimes, he helps an older shopkeeper in the neighborhood walk her dog and run errands. It is while he is on one of those errands that he meets Malia, a Filipina-American girl with severe eczema. Etan and Malia become fast friends and he gets a closer look at how debilitating her eczema is. This is an incredibly moving verse novel about friendship, family, body image, and community. For grades 5+

Julia is very short for her age, but by the end of the summer run of The Wizard of Oz, she’ll realize how big she is inside, where it counts. She hasn’t ever thought of herself as a performer, but when the wonderful director of Oz casts her as a Munchkin, she begins to see herself in a new way. As Julia becomes friendly with the poised and wise Olive—one of the adults with dwarfism who’ve joined the production’s motley crew of Munchkins—and with her deeply artistic neighbor, Mrs. Chang, Julia’s own sense of self as an artist grows. Soon, she doesn’t want to fade into the background—and it’s a good thing, because her director has more big plans for Julia! This book is so funny and heartwarming — short kids will relate hard to Julia. For grades 5+

Too Small Tola is a new chapter book from Atinuke featuring three stories about a girl living with her grandmother and siblings in Lagos, Nigeria. Everyone teases Tola — sometimes lovingly — for being so small. They think she can’t lift heavy loads or do other things because of her size. But Tola’s grandmother reassures her that you can be small, but mighty, and Tola proves that she is! The first story Too Small Tola shows what happens when Tola accompanies Grandmommy to the market. In the second story, Small but Mighty, Tola deals with a bully while trying to fetch water at a public tap. The last story, Easter and Eid shows how Tola comes to the rescue when their beloved tailor sustains an injury. Too Small Tola is a short, engaging collection of three stories about a young Nigerian girl, Tola. For grades 3+

E.L. Shen’s The Comeback follows 12-year-old figure skater, Maxine Chen. Maxine loves figure skating and is pretty good at it too. Her parents are extra supportive and make financial sacrifices so that Maxine can pursue her passion. But things start to get complicated when a new skater named Holly shows up. Holly is better trained and more experienced on the ice and Maxine begins to feel jealousy and other negative emotions. Maxine is also struggling with a bully at school who makes racial jokes about Maxine, such as about her monolid. As she prepares for and competes, Maxine learns a lot about standing up for herself and the value of true friendships. The Comeback is a fun, insightful middle-grade book about ice skating, friendship, and bullying that is perfect for fans of books about sports. For grades 5+

Eve, Sophie, and Nessa are three different girls in Ford middle-school whose lives are changed when their names appear on “The Prettiest” list posted online. Sophie is the Queen Bee of middle-school who loves makeup and has a legion of female followers. However, she’s also hiding the fact that she lives on the poorer side of town and mostly shops at thrift stores and Goodwill. Sophie is distraught to be placed at the number two position on the list. Eve is the bookworm and poetry aficionado who’s started wearing her brother’s sports jerseys to hide her changing body. Her life suddenly changes when she’s thrust into the spotlight as number one and everyone suddenly notices that she has a “body.” Her best friend, Nessa is a theater geek with a melodious voice. Nessa who’s a bigger girl, experiences a slew of emotions — indifference, annoyance, disgust at beauty standards — when she realizes her name didn’t even make the list. The three girls band together in an unlikely friendship to find the person who made the list and make him face the consequences of his actions. The Prettiest is a powerful look at female objectification and sexual harassment in middle school. For grades 7+

Winston’s newest novel is about Sharkita, whose alcoholic mom is on her last chance to mother Kita, Lamar, and Lily. Kita is anxious a lot about whether her mother’s well-being streak will end and when they’ll be shipped off again to foster homes, separated from each other. After having been teased for years about her hyperdontia, the arrival of a new assistant school principal brings light into Kita’s life until her mother goes off the rails again. This felt like Lasagna Means I Love You but more intense at times, with plenty going on for Kita, including a crush, baton twirling, writing poetry, and dealing with anxiety and panic attacks. It does have a slower start, and I only got into it about 30% of the way, but when I did was invested. A superb new release about sibling bonds, mother wounds, body image issues, and breaking generational trauma, this is Winston’s best work yet. For grades 6+

In John Schu’s debut middle-grade verse novel, he pulls back the curtain to let readers into a fictionalized depiction of his struggle with an eating disorder and life in a facility fighting against the condition. This book is truly a gut punch and flies by so quickly for such a thick novel with a tough subject matter — a testament to Schu’s great writing. Perfect for readers looking for more body image books and fans of Lerner’s A Work in Progress. For grades 6+

Greer, Joya, and Kiki are three best friends born just after Hurricane Katrina. Now, 12 years after the catastrophe, they’re dealing with personal life struggles. Greer feels responsible for an accident that left her sister paralyzed from the waist down and has stopped running track–something she loved dearly before the accident, Kiki is grappling with an absentee father and body image issues, and Joya is trying to help her financially strained family. Kiki decides that the three girls will sign up for a triathlon to get Greer back into running, but the plan ends up changing all three girls’ lives. The Hurricane Girls is a warm, stirring, and sparkling middle grade book about female friendships, body image, sports, and self-forgiveness. For grades 6+

Will feels like the only chubby kid in his class and feels insecure about his weight. Add to that the bullying he faces and his observations of his mother’s attitude toward food, and he falls into a pattern of disordered eating and over-exercising. Thankfully, a budding friendship with a new classmate changes his view. This is a great book about body image issues, and it’s done in an illustrated verse format that I think kids will love. For grades 5+

13-year-old Rain is dealing with several issues. First, her best friend has been acting like a frenemy lately. Then, she’s just so sad all the time and can’t stop feeling negative about her body — thinking she’s ugly and too big. Her single source of solace is her family. When the thoughts become too tough to handle, her mother and brother Xander, especially, bring light to her day, even without knowing her challenges. But when Xander gets beaten up in a racially motivated attack during a potential college visit, Rain feels the walls closing in on her. Can she and her family find their way back to normalcy? Rain Rising is a powerful debut middle grade verse novel about mental health, body image, family, and healing. For grades 6+

In Frizzy, young Marlene hates the salon where her mom takes her to get her natural curls straightened weekly. Marlene’s mom and some in their circle/family believe that “good hair” is straight hair. Marlene’s mom wants her to focus on school and look “tidy” by having her hair straight and slick. But Marlene isn’t so sure. She sees an internet influencer and her favorite aunt, Tia Ruby rocking their curls and is eager to try. But her first attempt fails woefully. With Tia Ruby’s hair, Marlene learns to care for her natural hair better and embrace her curls. Frizzy is a delightful, thought-provoking graphic novel about natural hair, self-acceptance, and body image. For grades 4+

Chunky is a new graphic memoir in which Yehudi (Hudi) conjures an imaginary friend/mascot, Chunky to support him through a challenging time in his life. Hudi is a funny kid with a serious interest in comedy Because of childhood illness, Hudi has had one lung removed. He is also chubby with zero athletic prowess, in a family of athletic people. His dad won so many sports trophies in school and encourages Hudi to pick a sport. His mother thinks sports will also help Hudi regulate his weight. And so Hudi begins to try sport after sport — with hilarious results, and Chunky cheering him all the way. Chunky is an entertaining, funny, and poignant graphic memoir about body image, sports, family, comedy and being Jewish. For grades 5+

After his broken arm heals, Ty feels embarrassed to return to his school’s swim team because of all the weight he’s gained. He even starts avoiding his friends and sinking into depressive feelings. Unfortunately, he can’t avoid them because he’d already planned a summer camp trip together. There, things keep deteriorating until Ty gets the help he needs to bounce back and recover his friendships. This is a touching graphic novel that examines how body image issues can affect boys. For grades 5+

Max Plink’s life is rough. She has a Class II malocclusion and has to wear braces, but now her dentist is saying she’ll also need headgear if she wants to avoid dental surgery and fix her teeth for good. To add to the trauma, her sister is being really mean to her, teaming up with school bullies to make fun of her. Her mom won’t stop smoking and her dad keeps drinking, which means the two keep fighting. Through it all, Max learns the power of her voice and manages to make the best of life’s lemons. This is one the most moving, relatable books I’ve ever read. Kids who like stories with writer protagonists and realistic family dynamics will enjoy this. For grades 6+