International Day of Families for Secondary Education

By Tina Parmar | May 12 2026 | Secondary Education

International Day of Families, celebrated on May 15th, is a great opportunity to connect middle and high school students with stories that celebrate the many ways their families influence their lives and shape their personalities. From heartfelt middle grade novels to more compelling YA reads these titles explore important themes like identity, culture, and belonging.

Whether refreshing library shelves or supporting your curriculum, family centered books invite students to engage in meaningful discussions about character and resilience.

See here for the complete title collection about families.

9798217042968
A stunning deluxe edition of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, featuring cover art by Anna Bond (Rifle Paper Co.), gold foil details, custom sprayed edges, full-color unique endpapers, and a ribbon bookmark!
$21.00 US
Mar 17, 2026
Hardcover
480 Pages
Puffin Books
World

9781524718954
Everyone will be rooting for a happy ending for Hank, a boy struggling to hold his family together when his mom doesn't come home, in this gripping story from Newbery Honor winner Gennifer Choldenko.
$8.99 US
Mar 03, 2026
Paperback
336 Pages
Yearling
US, Canada, Open Mkt

9780593566213
The Pura Belpré Honor winning novel in verse, in which a lost dog helps a lonely girl find a way home to her family . . . only for them to find family in each other along the way. From the Newbery Honor winning author of Iveliz Explains It All.“Trust me: this book will touch your heart." —Barbara O’Connor, New York Times bestselling author of Wish
$8.99 US
Jul 23, 2024
Paperback
272 Pages
Yearling
US, Canada, Open Mkt

9780593174371
The haunting and poignant story of a how a young Japanese girl's understanding of the historic and tragic bombing of Hiroshima is transformed by a memorial lantern-floating ceremony.
$8.99 US
Mar 15, 2022
Paperback
176 Pages
Yearling
World

9780147516770
From the author of the New York Times bestseller Fish in a Tree comes a compelling story about perspective and learning to love the family you have.
$9.99 US
May 05, 2020
Paperback
288 Pages
Nancy Paulsen Books
World

9780735231610
Heartbreaking but also filled with wit and hope, The Line Tender is the story of Lucy, the daughter of a marine biologist and a rescue diver, and the summer that changes her life. If she ever wants to lift the cloud of grief over her family and community, she must complete the research her late mother began. She must follow the sharks.
$9.99 US
Apr 21, 2020
Paperback
384 Pages
Puffin Books
World

9781524700515
The National Book Award Finalist and instant New York Times bestseller about losing a sister and finding yourself amid the pressures, expectations, and stereotypes of growing up in a Mexican American home.  “I fell in love with Erika L. Sánchez’ stunning novel....The depth, wit and searing intelligence of her writing, and her young Latina heroine, struck me to my core and left me wanting so much more." --America Ferrera
$14.99 US
Mar 05, 2019
Paperback
368 Pages
Ember
US, Canada, Open Mkt

9780399186387
In the tradition of Counting by 7s and Walk Two Moons comes a moving novel about a space-obsessed boy, his dog Carl Sagan, and a journey toward family, love, hope, and awe.
$9.99 US
May 15, 2018
Paperback
336 Pages
Dial Books
US, Canada, Open Mkt

9780142422861
A New York Times BestsellerIn the tradition of Out of My Mind, Wonder, and Mockingbird, this is an intensely moving middle grade novel about being an outsider, coping with loss, and discovering the true meaning of family. Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions, who finds it comforting to count by 7s. It has never been easy for her to connect with anyone other than her adoptive parents, but that hasn’t kept her from leading a quietly happy life . . . until now.   Suddenly Willow’s world is tragically changed when her parents both die in a car crash, leaving her alone in a baffling world. The triumph of this book is that it is not a tragedy. This extraordinarily odd, but extraordinarily endearing, girl manages to push through her grief. Her journey to find a fascinatingly diverse and fully believable surrogate family is a joy and a revelation to read.  * “Willow's story is one of renewal, and her journey of rebuilding the ties that unite people as a family will stay in readers' hearts long after the last page.”—School Library Journal starred review* “A graceful, meaningful tale featuring a cast of charming, well-rounded characters who learn sweet—but never cloying—lessons about resourcefulness, community, and true resilience in the face of loss.”—Booklist starred review* “What sets this novel apart from the average orphan-finds-a-home book is its lack of sentimentality, its truly multicultural cast (Willow describes herself as a “person of color”; Mai and Quang-ha are of mixed Vietnamese, African American, and Mexican ancestry), and its tone. . . . Poignant.”—The Horn Book starred review"In achingly beautiful prose, Holly Goldberg Sloan has written a delightful tale of transformation that’s a celebration of life in all its wondrous, hilarious and confounding glory. Counting by 7s is a triumph."—Maria Semple, author of Where’d You Go, Bernadette
$9.99 US
Sep 16, 2014
Paperback
416 Pages
Rocky Pond Books
US, Canada, Open Mkt

9780140385724
THE ICONIC INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER WITH OVER 25 MILLION COPIES SOLD • The inspiration for the Tony Award–winning Broadway musical! A heroic coming-of-age novel revolving around friendship, belonging, and brotherhood that has touched the hearts of readers for generations. “The Outsiders transformed young-adult fiction.”—The New York Times “This remarkable novel gives a moving, credible view of the outsiders from the inside. . . . A book with a powerful message.”—The Horn Book “Stay gold, Ponyboy.”No one ever said life was easy. But Ponyboy is pretty sure that he's got things figured out. He knows that he can count on his brothers, Darry and Sodapop. And he knows that he can count on his friends—true friends who would do anything for him, like Johnny and Two-Bit. But not on much else besides trouble with the Socs, a vicious gang of rich kids whose idea of a good time is beating up on “greasers” like Ponyboy. At least he knows what to expect—until the night someone takes things too far.The Outsiders is a dramatic and enduring work of young adult fiction that laid the groundwork for the genre. S. E. Hinton’s classic novel of a boy who finds himself on the outskirts of regular society remains as powerful today as it was the day it was first published.
$14.99 US
Sep 01, 1988
Mass Market Paperback
224 Pages
Speak
US, Canada, Open Mkt