The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James by Ashley Herring Blake

Twelve year old Sunny St. James doesn't feel very sunny - she just survived critical heart surgery and her adoptive mom is clearly hiding something about her birth mother. Now that it's summer, Sunny only wants to get lost in first kisses and reoccurring dreams about a mermaid that looks just like herself. But her world only tumbles further upside-down when she not only meets this dreamy mermaid for real, but her old best friend who remains emotionally and physically distant, and new best friend Quinn who throws a serious monkey wrench into her "first kiss" plans. The themes Sunny explores in this first person narrative - loss, family, and even LGBTQIA issues and discovery - are not unique even in the Middle Grade space, but Sunny's voice and Herring Blake's masterful utilization of this beach setting transcends mere exploration, delivering a coming of age story ambitiously beautiful for peer readers and heartrendingly nostalgic for older fans. Herring Blake uses Sunny's voice to not simply talk about LGBTQIA issues or family, but illustrate that heartache, new and old love and self-discovery are wondrous and enriching for everyone. Herring Blake pens a heady love letter to emerging adulthood and emotions that will satisfy fans from Louis Sachar to John Green to Erin Morgenstern.

The Porcupine of Truth by Bill Konigsberg

This is a wonderful novel that fans of All the Bright Places and Adam Silvera, John Green or Becky Albertalli will very much enjoy. Much like those stories, this story is set against the backdrop of a roadtrip, which Kongisberg uses to great effect to build up poignant character moments through a combination of quiet moments and interaction with new people and locales the main characters encounter for the first time. And again, as with those other stories, these characters discover not only who they are with each other, but with themselves and how to deal with the problems they are running away from, figuratively and quite literally. At a page count of just over 300, it’s not an overly long read either. For new fans, people who are already fans of Konigsberg or of other YA staples, this is an excellent book to pick up!