Families who loved Bad Girls in Love by Cynthia Voigt often look for books with a similar feel. These 20 recommendations were selected for their similarity in style, theme, and reading level.
Reach for this book when your middle schooler is navigating the dizzying, often embarrassing highs and lows of a first big crush or when friendship dynamics are shifting as everyone starts 'growing up' at different speeds. It is an honest and humorous look at the social hierarchy of middle school through the eyes of two fiercely independent best friends. Mikey and Margalo are the self-titled 'Bad Girls' who usually do not care about being popular, but everything changes when Mikey falls head over heels for a handsome classmate. As Mikey tries on new identities and Margalo navigates her own secret feelings, the story explores themes of self-confidence, loyalty, and the fear of being left behind. Parents will appreciate the realistic, secular approach to the pre-teen experience that avoids being overly preachy or saccharine.