12 Middle Grade Friendships for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is around the corner and today I’m sharing 12 of my favorite middle grade friendships for Valentine’s Day. I love reading middle grade books as kids are figuring out who they are, where they fit in with friends and family, and managing life at school and outside their homes.

I wanted to share more than romantic love for Valentine’s Day. There is all sorts of ways you can love someone and I think in middle school one of the strongest loves is friendship. It’s the time when kids start navigating growing up, hormones, interests start really changing and friendships change. But, there are also those friendships that stand the test of time and get kids through these crazy years.

Here are some of my favorite 12 Middle Grade Friendships for Valentine’s Day.

• The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman
• Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
• The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez

• Ghost by Jason Reynolds
• The Last Last-Day-of-Summer by Lamar Giles
• Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart

• Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess by Shari Green
• The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
• Orange for the Sunsets by Tina Athaide

• Real Friends by Shannon Hale
• The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart
• Silver Meadows Summer by Emma Otheguy

If you’re looking for more great middle grade reads, check out my extensive book list page. Brightly has even more great books on this list – 12 Books About Friendship for Middle Grade Readers.