Only Children in Children's Fiction

Just Grace by Charise Mericle Harper

Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff

• Pub Date: 2014
• Grades 4-6 interest 
• I wrote about it: Mindy's Middle Grade Favorites 

The Theory of Hummingbirds by Michelle Kadarusman

• Pub Date: 2017
• Grades 4-6 interest
• See also: Nature, Only Children, Teachers/Librarians, Science
• Alba and her friend Levi are really into bird watching, especially hummingbirds. 

The Battle of Darcy Lane by Tara Altebrando

• Pub Date: 2014
• Grades 5-8 interest
• See also: BFF Trouble 
• I wrote about it: Reading Summer 

Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand

• Pub Date: 2016
• Grades 4-7 interest
• See also: Summer vacation, Intergenerational 
• Finlay is sent to her estranged grandparents house for the summer where she meets all sorts of family she never knew. 

The Way to Bea by Kat Yeh

• Pub Date: 2017
• Grades 5-8 interest
• See also: Words, In Verse, Starting Middle School
• As Bea has been an only child her entire life, and now her mother is expecting a baby.

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling

• Pub Date: 2017
• Grades 5-7 interest
• See also: Research, Moving/New Kid 
• Aven, who is adopted, moves with her family to Arizona.

The Exact Location of Home by Kate Messner 

• Pub Date: 2017
• Grades 5 to 7 interest
• See also: Searching 
• Zig is searching for his father through geocaches. 

Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani

• Pub Date: 2017
• Grades 4 to 8 interest
• Graphic novel 
• See also: Mothers & Daughters, Artists 
• Priyanka has so many questions about her mother's life in India, but her mother doesn't want to talk about it. 

The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson

• Pub Date: 2018
• Grades 5-8 interest
• See also: Searching, Summer vacation
• Candice spends her summer searching for a mysterious fortune that may or may not exist. 

The Science of Breakable Things by Tae Keller

• Pub Date: 2018
• Grades 4 to 6 interest
• See also: Mothers & Daughters 
• Natalie is determined to find the thing that will bring her mom back from her depressive state. 

You Go First by Erin Entrada Kelly

• Pub Date: 2018
• Grades 4-6 interest
• See also: Divorce 
• Ben's parents tell him they are getting divorced, and Charlotte's dad is in the hospital. 

Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring by Angela Cervantes

• Pub Date: 2018
• Grades 4-6 interest
• Paloma and her mom spend a month in Mexico, and Paloma solves a mystery. 

Everything Else in the Universe by Tracy Holczer

• Pub Date: 2018
• Grades 4-6 interest
• See also: Summer Vacation, Only Children, Searching, Military/Veteran, Historical Fiction
• Lucy's dad is home from Vietnam, but that doesn't mean everything is back to normal. 

The Collectors by Jacqueline West

• Pub Date: 2018
• Grades 4-6 interest
• See also: Wishes, Disabilities, New Kid
• Van, who is hard of hearing, is always the new kid because his mom moves them for her work as an opera singer.

Forest of Wonders by Linda Sue Park

• Pub Date: 2016
• Grades 4-6 interest
• See also: Animals, Extended Family 
• Raffa accidentally gives a bat the ability to talk and the two of them become friends. 

Unidentified Suburban Object by Mike Jung

• Pub Date: 2016
• Grades 4-6 interest
• Chloe Cho wants to learn more about her family's heritage, but her parents don't want to talk about it. 

Dear Sweet Pea by Julie Murphy

• Pub Date: 2019
• Grades 4-6 interest
• See also: Divorce 
• Sweet Pea is adjusting to her parents' divorce and also having BFF trouble. 

Most Perfect Thing in the Universe by Tricia Springstubb

• Pub Date: 2021
• Grades 4-6 interest
• See also: Animals 
• Loah is an only child left on her own a lot by her ornithologist mom.