Middle School to Young Adult Books

Theme: Grandparents

Alida's Song - (ISBN: 978-0440414742)

by Gary Paulsen

A teen-aged boy accepts his grandmother's offer to help her cook in a summer camp after his home situation deteriorates. As a grown man, he remembers and reflects on the lessons and love he learned that summer he spent with his grandmother. Have your grandparents ever helped you out of a sticky situation?

Belle Prater's Boy - (ISBN: 978-0440413721)

by Ruth White

When his aunt disappears, a young Appalachian boy must find a home with his grandmother in a small remote town in the mountains. He and his new friend and cousin Gypsy set out to solve the mysteries of the aunt’s disappearance and of Gypsy's father death a few years before. Enjoy this dip into the culture and beauty of the rural Virginia Appalachians.

Ticklebelly Hill: Grandparents Raising Grandchildren - (ISBN: 978-1403390776)

by Hilda Osborne

This non-fiction, anecdotal account of grandparents with their grandchildren offers a view of this increasingly common role that grandparents play. Its short, simple prose will appeal to grandparents and grandchildren in similar situations.

Toning the Sweep - (ISBN: 978-0590481427)

by Angela Johnson

In this tale of three powerful African-American women: a grandmother, mother, and granddaughter, the young woman hears many "legends" about her grandmother life as the two younger generations await the end of the grandmother's long sickness. Despite tough times, the grandmother endured and made a meaningful life; her granddaughter learns about respect, honor, and using grief to find meaning in life. Have you ever experienced the death of a grandparent? What lessons did you learn from it?

Yellow Raft in Blue Water - (ISBN: 978-0312421854)

by Michael Dorris

This narrative, told successively by three female members of a Native American family, paints a portrait of their challenges and culture, often lived without men around. Despite great generational differences, Ramona, the youngest, finds peace amid all the events that threatened to divide her family. What is the significance of the title in this book?

Grandfather - (ISBN: 978-0425181744)

by Tom Brown

Marisol and Magdalena: The Sound of our Sisterhood - (ISBN: 978-0786823857)

by Veronica Chambers

Rules of the Road - (ISBN: 978-0142404256)

by Joan Bauer

Walk Two Moons - (ISBN: B001JFPUBY)

by Sharon Creech

Activities for this Theme

Make a card for your grandparents and to send on Grandparents Day in September. Or declare your own special grandparent day. Write some of your favorite memories about them in the card and include a photo of you together.


Keep an online journal (you can keep it private if you want). If multiple generations of your family all use the Internet, invite them to read and comment, if you wish.