Books like You Go First by Erin Entrada Kelly

A Newbery‑Medal‑winning juvenile epistolary novel by Beverly Cleary, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky, about a young writer who learns about family, friendship, and school life through letters.

A nine‑year‑old girl named Ada escapes her abusive home amid World War II, joining her brother in London’s evacuation; she learns to ride a pony, reads, and finds a new family with Susan Smith while watching for German spies.

When her adoptive parents die, twelve‑year‑old genius Willow Chance must navigate grief, diagnosis, and a new surrogate family while staying true to her obsessive love of nature and counting by sevens.

In Brian Selznick’s beautifully illustrated tale, two children — Rose in 1927, portrayed through pictures, and Ben in 1977, told in words — each search for a missing piece of their lives, intertwining loss, family and the mystery of the American Museum of Natural History.

After her mother leaves for five months, 11‑year‑old Floss must choose whether to stay with her dad or join her family abroad. The choice leads to new friendships and the trials of running a makeshift café.

A middle‑grade story about Ally, a girl who struggles with dyslexia, and her journey to find acceptance and help at school.

Amber Brown enters fourth grade while coping with her best friend moving away and her parents' divorce.

Tracy's romance with David is threatened when her mother refuses to accept him and forces her to go out with other boys.

A verse‑based story that follows Emerson Elementary’s graduating fifth‑grade class as they unite to save their school from demolition for a supermarket.

Amber Brown faces a new reality after her parents’ divorce: her father lives in France, her best friend has moved away, and her mother is contemplating remarriage. The story follows Amber as she navigates these family changes with honesty and humor.

Shep Templeton was alive! The award-winning journalist, the only man Emily Templeton had ever loved, hadn't died in the Pataguam jungle, but was coming home - only to learn his wife had divorced him. Eight months before, after a night of reckless passion, he had left for his next dangerous assignment. She'd vowed then it was the last time Shep would leave her. Love for Emily was all that had kept Shep going, had made him want to live through months of pain and recovery. Now he had to fight for a new start, had to prove he'd changed, but would Emily beleive he wanted a family and a future together more than he needed his freedom? She was seared by his kisses and ached to be cherished, but how could she trust a man who broke promises as easily as he made them? Sharing secrets and spending time with Shep filled Emily with hope, but so many doubts remained. Could he convince her that he'd always be her best friend, that he was home to stay?

On the first day at Unicorn School, nervous Willow quickly befriends her classmates, but when an older unicorn tricks Storm and lands him in trouble, Willow steps up to help her friend, proving that true friendship means risk and courage.

A fifth‑grade friendship turns into a gentle quest as Mikey and Margalo try to thwart their parents’ divorce, only to discover that a new girl's sudden arrival upends their plan.

Twelve‑year‑old orphan Emma Casey guides ghost‑tourists from the haunted graveyard beside her family bakery in Tennessee, until a prophetic dream reveals a mysterious key that forces her to solve a generational secret haunting her town.