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Books for Adoption & Foster Care for Ages 8–11 – Wonderlit | Wonderlit

Browse → Ages 8–11 → Life Moments → Adoption & Foster Care → Ages 8–11

Books for Adoption & Foster Care for Ages 8–11

At chapter book age, adopted and foster children begin to grapple with their story in more complex ways. Identity, belonging, the relationship between the family you were born into and the family you're growing up in. These 590 books explore those questions through characters who are working out the same things.

590 books

Cover of Rodzina

A twelve-year-old Polish American girl boards an orphan train in Chicago, facing her fears as she travels toward an unce

Cover of Where I'd Like To Be

Where I'd Like To Be

Frances O'Roark Dowell

Maddie keeps a book of dream houses while moving through foster homes, but a new friend with wild stories might finally

Cover of Fast Break

After a devastating loss, twelve-year-old Jayson must adjust to a new foster family and find the courage to face his old

Cover of Tumble

1 2 3...25

Tumble

Celia C. Pérez

Twelve-year-old Adela seeks out her estranged father, a professional luchador, to learn what it truly means to belong to

Ages 8–12

Cover of Riding the Tiger

Riding the Tiger

Davey worries a new baby brother from Korea might change everything, but he soon learns that a parent’s heart has plenty

Cover of Unsinkable: From Russian Orphan to Paralympic Swimming World Champion

Unsinkable: From Russian Orphan to Paralympic Swimming World Champion

Jessica Long, Hannah Long

Jessica Long shares her incredible journey from a Russian orphanage to the Paralympic podium, showing how she overcame e

Cover of Beats Me, Claude

Beats Me, Claude

Joan Lowery Nixon

Shirley's attempts to bake the perfect apple pie keep going awry until a young orphan arrives with a recipe that might c

Cover of Starring Tracy Beaker

Tracy Beaker #3

Starring Tracy Beaker

Jacqueline Wilson

Tracy Beaker finally lands the lead in the school play, but she’s mostly hoping her glamorous mother will actually show

Cover of You're Dead, David Borelli

You're Dead, David Borelli

For the child grappling with a sudden family crisis or feeling like an outsider in a new environment after their world h

Cover of Train to Somewhere

Train to Somewhere

Marianne boards the Orphan Train in the late 1800s, traveling westward across the country in search of a place to call h

Cover of Playing with Fire

School for S.P.I.E.S. #1

Playing with Fire

For the child who feels like a bit of a misfit or is searching for where they truly belong while navigating complicated

Cover of The Trouble with Donovan Croft

The Trouble with Donovan Croft

For a child struggling with big changes or emotional silence. A sensitive look at a boy who stops speaking after being p

Cover of All the Impossible Things

All the Impossible Things

For the child navigating the stormy emotions of the foster care system or waiting for a parent's recovery, this story of

Cover of Betti on the High Wire

Betti on the High Wire

For the child adjusting to a new family or home, this story explores the complicated feelings of leaving one life behind

Cover of Desperate Measures

Desperate Measures

Thirteen-year-old Vicky leads her siblings on a daring escape to ensure their family stays together despite the threats

Cover of Mysterious Traveler

Mysterious Traveler

Mal Peet, Elspeth Graham

For children processing what it means to belong, this evocative tale explores how love and family are built through choi

Cover of White Sands, Red Menace

The Green Glass Sea #2

White Sands, Red Menace

For the child grappling with what it means to belong, this story explores the tension between the family we are born int

Cover of My Mei Mei

For the child adjusting to a new sibling and learning that a growing family means more love, not less attention.

Cover of The Cat that was Left Behind

The Cat that was Left Behind

A summer at the Cape takes an unexpected turn for foster child Chad when he bonds with a wary stray cat and begins to tr

Cover of The Door by the Staircase

The Door by the Staircase

Katherine Marsh

For children who long for a home of their own but fear the unknown, this spooky tale explores the courage it takes to tr

Cover of Bird in a Box

Andrea Davis Pinkney

For children navigating the heavy weight of loss or finding their way in a new place without family, this story offers a

Cover of Tumbleweed Baby

Tumbleweed Baby

For the child adjusting to a new sibling or a non-traditional family structure, this tall-tale explores how love can mak

Cover of Families: A Celebration of Diversity, Commitment, and Love

Families: A Celebration of Diversity, Commitment, and Love

Aylette Jenness

For any child curious about the many shapes families take, or for those whose own family feels unique. This book beautif

Cover of Counting By 7s

Holly Goldberg Sloan

For the child who feels like an outsider and is navigating the heavy weight of loss, this story shows how a family can b

More Ages 8–11 Books

Books for Food Allergies for Ages 8–11(22)Books for Going to the Dentist for Ages 8–11(24)Books for Wearing Glasses for Ages 8–11(66)Books for LGBTQ+ Families for Ages 8–11(72)Books for Learning to Swim for Ages 8–11(90)Books for Incarcerated Parent for Ages 8–11(102)Books for Queer Joy & Queer Love for Ages 8–11(104)Books for Riding a Bike for Ages 8–11(107)

Adoption & Foster Care for Other Ages

Books for Adoption & Foster Care for Ages 0–3(98)Books for Adoption & Foster Care for Ages 12–18(502)Books for Adoption & Foster Care for Ages 4–7(298)

Also by Format

Chapter Books(322)Young Adult(37)Middle Grade(22)Graphic Novels(16)Picture Books(7)Poetry(3)