Adoption from another culture: When Heaven Fell by Carolyn Marsden (Vietnam) and Kimchi and Calamari by Rose Kent (Korea).

Appreciating and defending one’s cultural heritage in a sometimes hostile world: Celeste’s Harlem Renaissance by Eleanora E. Tate (African-American), Penina Levine Is a Hard-Boiled Egg by Rebecca O’Connell (Jewish-American), Bearwalker by Joseph Bruchac (Native American), Kimchi and Calamari by Rose Kent (Korean American).

Aspiring actor/actress: Leap of Faith by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley and Clarice Bean, Don’t Look Now by Lauren Child.

Aspiring pianists: A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban and The Rising Star of Rusty Nail by Lesley M.M. Blume.

Aspiring writers: The Wild Girls by Pat Murphy and The Qwikpick Adventure Society by Sam Riddleburger.

Baseball: Edward’s Eyes by Patricia Maclachlan and The Aurora County All-Stars by Deborah Wiles.

Best friends break up (boys): The Aurora County All-Stars by Deborah Wiles and The Thing About Georgie by Lisa Graff.

Best friends break-up (girls): Emma-Jean Lazurus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis, A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban, The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney by Lauren Barnholdt and If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko.

Best friend moves away: My Last Best Friend by Julie Bowes, Clarice Bean, Don’t Look Now by Lauren Child, and Tall Tales by Karen Day.

Boy/friend mentored by girl’s dad: The Queen of 33rd Street and the Broken Bike Boy by Sharon Flake and A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban.

Boys against girls: The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies and No Talking by Andrew Clements.

Cross-cultural understanding: Camel Rider by Prue Mason, Kimchi and Calamari by Rose Kent, Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate, When Heaven Fell by Carolyn Marsden.

Dad has mental health issues: Letters from Rapunzel by Sara Lewis Holmes (clinical depression), Louisiana’s Song by Kerry Madden (brain damage), and A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban (agoraphobia?).

Dad is abusive or borderline abusive: Tall Tales by Karen Day and The Wild Girls by Pat Murphy.

Dad skips out or is missing: The Friskative Dog by Susan Straight, Leepike Ridge by N.D. Wilson, and Bird Springs by Carolyn Marsden.

Dad/daughter relationship is particularly loving and strong: A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban, The Queen of 33rd Street and the Broken Bike Boy by Sharon Flake, The Wild Girls by Pat Murphy, Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Perkins, Isle of Swords by Thomas Wayne Batson, Seeing Sky Blue Pink by Candice Ransom.

Diary/journal form (there should be a word for this form of fiction): Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney, Lucy Rose: Working Myself to Bits and Pieces by Katy Kelley, Dear Jo by Christina Kilbourne, Bearwalker by Joseph Bruchac, Ms. Zephyr’s Notebook by K.C. Dyer, Ellie McDoodle: Have Pen, Will Travel by Ruth Barshaw.

Dog stories: Cracker: The Best Dog in Vietnam by Cynthia Kadohata and The Friskative Dog by Susan Straight.

Elderly caretaker relative has a stroke: Reaching for Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer and Celeste’s Harlem Renaissance by Eleanora E. Tate.

Elderly, eccentric friend: The Queen of 33rd Street and the Broken Bike Boy by Sharon Flake and Perch, Mrs. Sackets, and Crow’s Nest by Karen Pavlicin.

Epistolary novels: Letters from Rapunzel by Sara Lewis Holmes and Regarding the Bees by Kate Klise.

Girl goes to a psychiatrist: Dear Jo by Christian Kilbourne and Leap of Faith by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.

Girl living in poverty in Southeast Asia: Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Perkins and When Heaven Fell by Carolyn Marsden.

Girls with somewhat limited social skills: The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies, Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis, and The Queen of 33rd Street and the Broken Bike Boy by Sharon Flake.

Girls pursuing popularity: The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney by Lauren Barnholdt, The Social Experiments of Dorie Dilts: Dumped by Popular Demand by P.G. Kain, Freak by Marcella Pixley.

Guy and girl develop an ambiguously platonic friendship: The Social Experiments of Dorie Dilts: Dumped by Popular Demand by P.G. Kain, The Queen of 33rd Street and the Broken Bike Boy by Sharon Flake, Perch, Mrs. Sackets, and Crow’s Nest by Karen Pavlicin, The Wild Girls by Pat Murphy, Reaching for Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, Ms. Zephyr’s Notebook by K.C. Dyer, Leap of Faith by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate, Lucy Rose: Working Myself to Bits and Pieces by Katy Kelley, Qwikpick Adventure Society by Sam Riddleburger, The Middle of Somewhere by J.B. Cheaney, Way Down Deep by Ruth White, A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban, Celeste’s Harlem Renaissance by Eleanora Tate, Isle of Swords by Wayne Thomas Batson. (Is this a required element in middle school/middle grade fiction?)

Horse stories: Paint the Wind by Pam Munoz Ryan and Annie, The Morgan Horse by Ellen F. Feld.

Imaginary friends: Annie’s War by Jacqueline Levering Sullivan, Cassie Was Here by Caroline Hickey, and Bird Springs by Carolyn Marsden.

Kids try to find a way to earn (beg, borrow or steal) a lot of money for a good purpose: The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies, How To Steal a Dog by Barbara O’Connor, Lucy Rose: Working Myself to Bits and Pieces by Katy Kelley, and Letters from Rapunzel by Sara Lewis Holmes, Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Perkins.

Large families: Louisiana’s Song by Kerry Madden and Edward’s Eyes by Patricia Maclachlan.

Mean boy (bully) at school: Clarice Bean, Don’t Look Now by Lauren Childs, The Social Experiments of Dorrie Dilts: Dumped by Popular Demand by P.G. Kain,

Mean girl (usually popular) at school: The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney by Lauren Barnholdt, If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko, The Friskative Dog by Susan Straight, The Rising Star of Rusty Nail by Lesley M.M. Blume, Lucy Rose: Working Myself to Bits and Pieces by Katy Kelley, Freak by Marcella Pixley.

New kid in town/school must make new friends: Tall Tales by Karen Day, The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney by Lauren Barnholdt, Cassie Was Here by Caroline Hickey, The Social Experiments of Dorie Dilts: Dumped by Popular Demand by P.G. Kain and Wild Girls by Pat Murphy.

Older brother headed for serious trouble/in rebellion: Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf by Jennifer Holm, The Wild Girls by Pat Murphy, Tall Tales by Karen Day, Louisiana’s Song by Kerry Madden.

Orphans: Paint the Wind by Pam Munoz Ryan, The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart, Miss Spitfire by Sarah Miller, Way Down Deep by Ruth White.

Overcoming and living with physical challenges: The Thing about Georgie by Lisa Graff and Reaching for Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer.

Parents in marital counseling: The Wild Girls by Pat Murphy and The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney by Lauren Barnholdt.

Poetic novels: Reaching for Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate, Chess Rumble by G. Neri, The Cat on the Mat Is Flat by Andy Griffiths.

Protagonist is a spoiled, selfish brat: Camel Rider by Prue Mason and The Broken Bike Boy and the Queen of 33rd Street by Sharon Flake.

Protagonist must stay with an eccentric relative while his/her single parent recovers from illness or accident: “>The Middle of Somewhere by J.B. Cheaney and Celeste’s Harlem Renaissance by Eleanora E. Tate.

Single parent, only child: Celeste’s Harlem Renaissance by Eleanora E. Tate, The Wild Girls by Pat Murphy, Annie’s War by Jacqueline Levering Sullivan, Isle of Swords by Thomas Wayne Batson, Reaching for Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, Bearwalker by Joseph Bruchac, Perch, Mrs. Sackets, and Crow’s Nest by Karen Pavlicin, The Friskative Dog by Susan Straight, Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis, Leepike Ridge by N.D. Wilson.

Spies: Clarice Bean, Don’t Look Now by Lauren Child, The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart, and Kiki Strike: The Empress’s Tomb by Kirsten Miller.

Stuffed animal is a girl’s best friend: The Friskative Dog by Susan Straight and Seeing Sky Blue Pink by Candice Ransom.

Telling lies/deception: Tall Tales by Karen Day, The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney by Lauren Barnholdt, The Broken Bike Boy and the Queen of 33rd Street by Sharon Flake, Lucy Rose: Working Myself to Bits and Pieces by Katy Kelley, and Kimchi and Calamari by Rose Kent, Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis.