25+ Books for 11 Year Old Girls

11-year-old Mo is facing a hard life moment. Her Nan (and sole guardian) has died, and her uncle (and only surviving relative) has decided to pass on caring for her in favor of enlisting in the military. So, Mo’s entering the foster care system. Her Nan’s last wish for Mo was that she find a hobby, but Mo isn’t sure about that — until she finds a book with family recipes. After one failed homing, she ends up in the home of a very well-to-do white couple who seem delighted to have her. There, Mo feels safe to try her hands out at recipes and even start a website to house all the family recipes she’s been collecting. But then, Mo’s world is turned upside down again. Will Mo ever find her own family? This is an achingly tender portrait of a girl searching — through food and recipes — for a family to belong to.

Sara has moved from her smaller Islamic school to the larger neighborhood middle school. Unfortunately for her, her Pakistani mother has also started teaching after-school cooking classes (in addition to her catering business) at the school. Sara is forced to attend those since her mother won’t let her stay home alone — despite the fact that she’s in sixth grade. Many of the kids in the class are rude and make fun of her mother’s dishes while pretending not to understand her accent. But one student, Elizabeth seems to enjoy learning to cook. Sara and Elizabeth form an unlikely friendship when they discover that both their mothers are studying to pass the American citizenship test. This book was so good! The dual-perspective narration in this story helps you get into the girls’ minds and see their individual struggles even before they eventually confide in each other.  

June is tired of having anxiety rule her life and has made a plan to kick it to the curb this summer. She’s going to put herself out there—she and her fierce single mom who works at the library. Fortunately, June meets Homer, a middle school boy who loves reciting poetry and believes in June! But there are a few bumps in the road for June. Will she win this summer? If you’re looking for a book about anxiety (June is so anxious she pulls her hair out—LITERALLY), summer, and friendship set in the library (June’s mom works there!), don’t miss this one!

After a memorable birthday sleepover with her two best friends, Elise wakes up to realize that time has jumped by six months and her best friends no longer speak to her. With the help of an old friend, she works to figure out what happened and how to undo it. This is more fantasy time travel than sci-fi and has a slightly spooky feel for kids who like books about magic with a touch of mystery. I love that it’s short, highly accessible, and written from two points of view, while tackling hugely relatable themes like friendship and being brave.

On her 12th half birthday, her parents surprisingly gift her their approval to post on social networks. Thrilled, Harper starts posting TikTok videos like her idol, Blake Riley. Her first video goes viral and brings her closer to the popular crew in her school who only befriend her so she can teach them her edits. Their interest in her creates a rift between Harper and her best friend Ava. In the midst of the chaos, Harper tries a TikTok filter, which, combined with a wish to be 22, suddenly makes her 22! This is a seriously fun book! It’s pegged as 13 Going on 30 for middle graders and it’s fairly spot on, although many middle graders who read this may not have even seen the movie. Still, the feeling is the same. 

Sophia has been hanging out in Aqualand, the marine theme park her late father and uncle started. Her uncle is doing his best to finish Sophia’s late father’s marine project, and Sophia seems to have little or no zest for school work. Imagine her shock when a diving suit controlled by sea creatures appears in Aqualand. It turns out the suit is controlled by sea creatures who’ve come to Aqualand looking for a place to call home. Unfortunately, they discover that Aqualand doesn’t treat sea creatures in the best way. I’m not a fantasy reader, but this one drew me in — and I have to say, I’ve never read anything so inventive and poignant. I felt like this could easily be an animated movie. Santat explores a ton of important themes in the story without being preachy or in the readers’ faces.

Kate McAllister’s life is in need of a refresh. So when a bunch of popular kids seems to welcome Kate into their clique, she is torn about ditching her longtime best friend, Haddie. Things get complicated, however, when Kate is a passive participant in a bullying incident that leads to Haddie sinking on thin ice. Then, Kate is captured on camera, saving Haddie, and the video goes viral. While news outlets hail “Kate the Great” as a shining example for tweens who should not be bullying other kids, Kate continues to oscillate between craving acceptance from the popular kids and trying to keep her friendship with Haddie, all the while maintaining her public image by appearing in newspapers and on popular YouTube channels. But how long can she keep up the charade? And, is Kate great? Or is she a bad person? This is a timely, complex, and engaging middle grade book about identity, popularity, bullying culture, and going viral.

Ava loves nature and wishes she could spend more time in the woods instead of her family’s Manhattan apartment. Fortune seems to smile on her when her auntie Raven, who is estranged from her mom, allows her to come spend the summer in the Adirondacks with her. A summer stay turns into a year-long stay with Ava’s parent’s permission. However, a miscommunication leads to Ava being stuck at the cottage in the winter and having to survive on her own before help comes. This is a riveting survival story with major appeal for upper elementary and younger middle schoolers who love survival stories like Hatchet and Alone.

Valentina and Oksana are classmates and neighbors living in Pryapta near Chernobyl, Ukraine, when the nuclear explosion occurs. Valentina is Jewish, and Oksana is Ukrainian. Oksana’s father is abusive and dies in the explosion. Her mother isn’t allowed to leave because of her high radiation exposure, so Oksana is forced to leave with Valentina and her mother. Valentina’s mother decides that they will go to Leningrad to stay with her estranged mother. Unfortunately, at the station, they learn that only two tickets are available, and she sends the two young girls to live with her mother. The Blackbird Girls is a riveting work of historical fiction detailing the Chernobyl disaster and the events after in a gripping, accessible way for middle schoolers.

Valentina and Oksana are classmates and neighbors living in Pryapta near Chernobyl, Ukraine, when the nuclear explosion occurs. Valentina is Jewish, and Oksana is Ukrainian. Oksana’s father is abusive and dies in the explosion. Her mother isn’t allowed to leave because of her high radiation exposure, so Oksana is forced to leave with Valentina and her mother. Valentina’s mother decides that they will go to Leningrad to stay with her estranged mother. Unfortunately, at the station, they learn that only two tickets are available, and she sends the two young girls to live with her mother. The Blackbird Girls is a riveting work of historical fiction detailing the Chernobyl disaster and the events after in a gripping, accessible way for middle schoolers.

With a last name like Sherlock, siblings Alex and Zoe decide that the best summer job for them is starting a detective agency. With the help of their best friends, Yadi and Lina, and their former investigative journalist grandfather, the kids are set to find Al Capone’s treasure and learn more about Miami, a sunny city with shady people. But things do not quite go to plan, and instead, they find themselves thrust into an unexpected mystery. This is a clever mystery — strongly reminiscent of Nancy Drew — with a surprising environmental bent. Ages 9+

The Amelia Six is the story of six clever girls who are invited to spend a night in Amelia Earhart’s home because of their achievements in STEM (specifically flying and aeronautics). Although all big-time Earhart fans, each of the girls are different. The girls are hosted by Birdie, one of the Ninety-Niners who is the museum’s caretaker. Also in the house are Edna, the housekeeper; Collin, Birdie’s nephew; and Perry, the chef. Things are going smoothly until the girls realize that Birdie has been drugged and Amelia Earhart’s famous aviator goggles — which must be retrieved by the Smithsonian the next day(!) — have gone missing. Everyone’s a suspect and suddenly these girls have to band together if they want to get out alive. The Amelia Six is a clever, girl-powered mystery that is perfect for Amelia Earhart fans (and non fans alike).

Maizy and her best friend Izzy are working on a film Maizy has named Shellfish Holmes, about a lobster detective. But Izzy seems bored with the project and even thinks it’s a bit childish. Maizy’s life gets more interesting when a box of Nancy Drew books with an inscription to a girl with the same name as her grandmother (Susie, aka Jacuzzi). There’s also a picture of what appears to be a young Susie. When Jacuzzi denies sending over the box, Maizy reunites with a former neighborhood friend, Nell, to get to the bottom of the mystery. In the process, the girls learn a lot about Jacuzzi and the Nancy Drew books. Sisterhood of Sleuths is a fantastic middle grade mystery about friendship, history, intellectual property, and film-making.

In this gorgeous graphic novel, tweens Myunghee and Yunho’s paths intersect the day before they both escape the communist regime and converge again in China, where Yunho’s mother takes Myunghee in and along on their arduous, perilous escape plan.The Other Side of Tomorrow is a breathtaking, suspenseful, and gorgeously illustrated graphic novel about two kids escaping North Korea. 

This book is about two best friends, Grace and Lola, who begin a project to study love. Their research (if you can call it that) opens their eyes to how fickle romantic love can be (especially among infatuated teens), the negative effects of stereotypes (a goth has more to her personality than the way she dresses, an assumed “bimbo” is more than just a pretty face). But it also forces them to examine their own friendship and how well they show up for each other. It covers many (maybe too many) themes, from parental separation to sexual harassment, but I think what it does best is extol the value of female friendships through the ups and downs of life.

Lia moves from Romania to Canada just as she’s getting her first (very painful) period. In Montreal, she struggles at first in her French immersion school. I love the progression as she begins to understand French more and more. This is a great one if you’re looking for a slice-of-life graphic novel tackling periods and puberty, featuring crushes, and exploring the struggles and wins of immigrating. Readers should know that a girl crushes on another girl in this story but doesn’t reveal it.

Rosie’s dad wants her to play racquetball even though she says she wants no part and has no interest. He used to love it when he was a kid and he pushes Rosie to improve by constantly critiquing her game. But Rosie has a bad attitude about the sport because of the pressure he puts on her.Blair is a new student with a warm family who are all into racquetball and Rosie wants her to compete in her behalf. But as Rosie hangs out with Blair’s family away from her father’s harsh supervision, she realizes what it means to play for fun. Match Point is a delightful graphic novel about racquetball, female friendship, and the value of true sportsmanship.

Mia Tang is a ten-year-old Chinese immigrant who lives in a motel with her parents in the 1980s. They run the motel for its crooked owner, Mr Yao. Mia runs the front desk, and soon she realizes that her parents use the motel to protect undocumented immigrants. I highly recommend this debut by Kelly Yang. It deals with heavier topics like racism, class prejudice, the value of diligence, and the struggles of immigrants in a dignified, relatable way for kids.

Averil’s mom and several parents of kids in her school and neighborhood use an app called Ruby Slippers to track their kids’ location, request video and photos from them on demand, and generally monitor their behavior and actions all day and Averil and her classmate Max are sick of it. Especially when they find out that the app will be updated soon to let parents remotely turn on their kids’ cameras at will. Both kids make a plot to ditch a camping trip and find the original app developer, Rider Wollybeck, in hopes of asking him to rescind the update. This hijinks-filled story is reminiscent of classic stories where kids run away to save the day as Max and Averil stay on their town’s college campus, eating at the cafeteria and sleeping in the library for the 2-3 days needed to accomplish their plan. I love the gentle mystery, STEM angle, and theme of childhood autonomy this book explores. I think it has major kid appeal!

Eleven-year-old Amara lives in Oregon with her parents. Her dad works for Nike which scores her literally everything from their collection as soon as it drops. Her mom designs clothes for her boutique store — and she’s expecting a second child after multiple miscarriages. But Amara’s nervous about welcoming a new baby. She’s also dying to visit Harlem, New York where her dad is from. Unfortunately, neither of her parents are particularly thrilled about her desire. Amara’s desire to go is heightened when she discovers that her father hasn’t spoken to his father since the day she was born — and her grandmother died. But when a school assignment requires that she share family relics, stories, and basically where she comes from, her parents allow her to visit with her dad. I ADORED THIS BOOK.

After years of dealing with opioid addiction, Franny’s mom is finally sober and on the right track with a cleaning job and a cozy apartment upstairs from a laundromat. But then she gets in an accident and has to be prescribed opioids again, sending Franny into a frenzy. Franny starts doing her mom’s cleaning jobs behind her back — even blackmailing a school rival into working with her — to ensure they don’t run out of money. But she soon learns that worrying about adult problems isn’t her job. This is an informative, gripping, and accessible middle grade book about living with a parent recovering from addiction. This one is a page-turner — I read it in one sitting! (240 pages)

I ADORED this story of two friends making their way back after a massive falling out. We go back in time with alternating past and present chapters, following the girls through the last 5 summers and the present one to see how their relationship fell apart. Swinarski’s writing brings summer camp — and a musical theater one, no less — to life so vividly. You can feel the mosquitoes, see the lake, hear the warm-up drills, and the kid’s laughter in this sun-drenched summer camp book. Yet this book tackles so many issues like wealth, privilege, class, grief, friendship, and jealousy in friendship. The mystery element as we slowly peel back the layers behind Jules and Eowyn’s friendship with WICKED as a parallel event in their lives is just gorgeously done. There’s also plenty going on in the side characters’ lives that they all come to life brilliantly.

Thirteen-year-old Nat Beacon has the chance to fly when she stumbles upon a group of kids putting on a production of Wicked, the musical. Nat has been paralyzed from the waist down since an accident when she was two. She’s also a wheelchair athlete whose parents have moved from California to New Jersey for her mother’s new job. Nat is obsessed with Broadway and Hamilton although she has never actually been in a musical. Upon auditioning, she scores a role in the play and begins to bond with The Boulders, which is what the group calls themselves. The group is diverse, including Malik, an African-American boy and Reya whose Indian American. There’s also Hudson, Fig, Jacklyn, and Savannah. Nat faces several challenges because of the way some people treat her during the musical, but when the show has to be canceled after a fire in the theater, the kids have to find a way to get things up and running again.