3 Books to Promote Self-Awareness and Personal Discovery for Middle School

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Counting By Sevens by Holly Goldberg Sloan 

Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old girl labeled as “gifted”. She obsessively likes to diagnose medical conditions and learn about nature. Willow finds counting by sevens comforting, and she enjoys her quiet life with her adoptive parents. She was finding it hard to connect with others. Tragedy strikes and her parents are killed in a dent, forcing Willow into an unknown world. However, this is a happy story. She learns to overcome her grief with the help of her surrogate family. Learning that family is about love and joy 

This book supports the young reader's personal growth of their emotional skills. Not only does this book show how tragedy can be overcome, but also how resilient a person can be. As well as showing what matters in a family. Willow learns relationship skills, and how to make connections to others.  

This book can also give insight into what a “non-typical" family could look like. Showing that families can look different, but the love and care are the same. Learning about who is different can help children learn to respect people who are different from them. 

This is a chapter book written for grades 6-9 and having good relatable books to continue to foster a love of reading is important at that age. A young reader going through the life, trials, and emotions of Willow, will also feel the accomplishment of finding connections to others.  

I first learned of this book from a co-worker who recommended it to students in our class. The kids had nothing but good things to say about it, and looking into it I can understand why. The students who came from non-typical family situations were excited to see another non-typical family work out and learn to experience joy even after tragedy. 

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Dragonwings by Lawrence Yep 

Dragonwings is a historical fiction book following the life of a young Chinese immigrant named Moon Shadow Lee. He grew up in China and had never met his father, who had gone to America for work. Once he is old enough, Moon Shadow is sent to join his father, Windrider, in San Francisco. Though they begin as strangers, their relationship grows with love and respect. They helped each other through an unwelcoming country that mocked its Chinese immigrants. Working together to help Windrider accomplish his lifelong dream of flight despite all the people who are against them. They manage one flight, that almost ends in tragedy, causing Windrider to realize that his family is more important to him than his dangerous dream. Though he only had a few once, he is satisfied with the memory, and the father and son move on to a brighter future, sending for Mom to join them in America as well.  

This historical fiction novel does have real-life inspiration in its story. It gives young readers a glimpse into Chinese culture and the history of how people were treated in the past. Learning about others gives young readers a chance to develop empathy and understanding. As well as allow them to understand the struggles that immigrants face in an unwelcoming environment.  

This book showcases how important it is to respect people who are different. People who are different have their struggles and trials that we cannot understand as we do not walk in their shoes. When we respect those who are different, we create a more peaceful and welcoming world.  

This book takes a young reader on a journey that is not unlike many immigrant tales we still see in the modern day. You feel the fear, you learn about generational struggles, and you celebrate the character overcoming it all to accomplish a dream. That accomplishment moves onto the reader as well. 

When doing research for this post, I came across this book on a list and was brought back to the fifth grade when I read this book. I don’t remember every book I read in school, but I did remember this one when I saw it again. That kind of lasting impact is my input on how lasting this book is on young readers.  

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Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt 

If you have been in education, you have probably heard the expression, “If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its life believing it is stupid.” This book follows a young girl named Ally, we begin as she starts at a new school. Ally cannot read and has gotten along with a variety of distractions and other tactics. She does not want to ask for help, she does not want to feel dumb. However, one teacher, Mr. Daniels, sees past the shenanigans to the bright girl underneath. He helps Ally learn that just because she has dyslexia, does not mean she is not smart. With her newfound confidence, she learned to open up and explore the possibilities of the world around her. Accepting that people are different is what makes the world a better place.  

This book helps develop a young reader's understanding of what it means to be smart. Perhaps they have dyslexia, perhaps now they understand the struggles of a classmate better. That social or self-awareness is important to learn and understand and make them better peers and students.  

Everyone learns differently and experiences hardships. Even if you feel like the only one, you are not alone. Learning and respecting the fact that people learn and process information in different ways teaches young readers to respect that difference and that seeking or offering help is the right thing to do. 

Overcoming obstacles is an ongoing struggle that everyone will face in life. Learning that it is okay to ask for help to succeed. This book gives the reader a sense of accomplishment because it shows what happens when you get the help that you need. It shows that everyone can succeed and that success might look different for every person. 

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