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Books About Sadness & Grief for Ages 8–11 – Wonderlit | Wonderlit

Browse → Ages 8–11 → Themes → Sadness & Grief → Ages 8–11

Books About Sadness & Grief for Ages 8–11

Grief and sadness at chapter book age become more private and more complex. Children this age may not want to talk about what's wrong, but they will read about a character going through something similar. These 3,120 books offer that indirect path into the hardest feelings.

3,120 books

Cover of Bring Back Yesterday

Bring Back Yesterday

Grieving the loss of her parents, thirteen-year-old Lisa retreats into the safety of the past and the company of an imag

Cover of A Sea So Far

United by grief and a love for stories, two girls from very different worlds flee the wreckage of the 1906 San Francisco

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

Cover of Robot Dreams

1 2 3...130

Robot Dreams

Sara Varon

For the child learning to navigate the bittersweet reality of friendships that change, end, or evolve. A wordless guide

Ages 8–12

Cover of Getting Near to Baby

Getting Near to Baby

Audrey Couloumbis

For the child grappling with the heavy silence of loss or a parent's withdrawal. A tender look at how two sisters find h

Cover of An Early Winter

An Early Winter

Marion Dane Bauer

Eleven-year-old Tim hopes a fishing trip will help his grandfather remember who he is, but a difficult day at the pond b

Cover of Crazy Lady!

Jane Leslie Conly

Vernon navigates the pain of his mother's death by forming an unlikely bond with two neighborhood outcasts who understan

Cover of The First Horse I See

The First Horse I See

Determined to reach her grieving father, Willojean pours her heart into training an abused horse that no one else believ

Cover of Addy's Cup of Sugar

Addy's Cup of Sugar

For the child grappling with the heavy heart of losing a pet and needing to understand that they are not alone in their

Cover of Sal and Gabi Break the Universe

Sal and Gabi #1

Sal and Gabi Break the Universe

Carlos Hernandez

Cuban mythology meets high-stakes science fiction in this award-winning tale of a boy whose unique talents might just un

Cover of Red-Dirt Jessie

Red-Dirt Jessie #1

Red-Dirt Jessie

Amidst the dust and despair of the Depression, young Jessie finds hope as she attempts to tame a wild dog and help her f

Cover of The Willoughby Spit Wonder

The Willoughby Spit Wonder

Jonathon Scott Fuqua

In 1950s Virginia, Carter channels the spirit of a comic book superhero to help his father find the strength to keep fig

Cover of The Day I Saw My Father Cry

Little Bill #11

The Day I Saw My Father Cry

Little Bill learns that even in the sadness of losing a family friend, a simple holiday message can bring people togethe

Cover of The Way Home Looks Now

The Way Home Looks Now

Wendy Wan Long Shang

For the child navigating a family changed by loss. This moving story shows how sharing a passion like baseball can help

Cover of The Invisible Leash

The Invisible String #2

The Invisible Leash

For children processing the loss of a beloved pet, this gentle story offers a way to visualize an unbreakable, spiritual

Cover of The Wall

A father and son take a quiet, meaningful journey to the Vietnam War Memorial to touch the engraved name of the grandfat

Cover of Flying Solo

When their teacher doesn't show up, a sixth-grade class tries to run the school day themselves, but old secrets and tens

Cover of My Friend, Loonie

My Friend, Loonie

For the child learning to navigate the bittersweet waves of loss, whether it is a beloved toy or a first experience with

Cover of Cape

For the child who uses play and imagination to shield themselves while processing the deep sadness of losing a loved one

Cover of Broken Song

The Night Journey

Reuven Bloom’s dreams of the violin end when he must flee for his life. In 1897 Russia, he faces a perilous journey to l

Cover of The Rabbi's Girls

The Rabbi's Girls

Johanna Hurwitz

Eleven-year-old Carrie faces a year of massive change in 1923 as she moves house, welcomes a new sister, and says a fina

Cover of A Box of Bones

For the child grappling with the heavy weight of loss and the tempting, dangerous urge to change the past through any me

Cover of Growin'

After the loss of her father, a young poet named Pump finds an unexpected spark of hope and friendship when she meets Ji

Cover of Attempting Connection

Attempting Connection

For the child grappling with the loss of a grandparent or the lonely ache of feeling like an outsider in their own time.

Sadness & Grief for Other Ages

Books About Sadness & Grief for Ages 0–3(344)