The Schneider Family Book Awards honor an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.

Schneider Family Middle School Award

2024

The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn by  Sally J Pla

Follows thirteen-year-old neurodivergent Maudie during an eventful summer in California with her father, where she struggles with whether to share a terrible secret about life with her mom and stepdad.

2024

Simon Sort of Says by  Erin Bow

Two years after a tragedy saddles him with viral fame, twelve-year-old Simon O'Keeffe and his family move to Grin And Bear It, Nebraska, where the internet and cell phones are banned so astrophysicists can scan the sky for signs of alien life, and where, with the help of two new friends, a puppy, and a giant radio telescope, Simon plans to restart the narrative of his life.

2023

Wildoak by  C. C Harrington Illustrated by  Diana Sudyka

Twelve-year-old Maggie's stutter causes her much heartache, and only her menagerie of pets, with whom she can speak fluidly, can provide her comfort. When she finds Rumpus, an abandoned snow leopard, in a forest in Cornwall, their chance encounter will change their lives forever.

2023

Honestly Elliott by  Gillian McDunn

Struggling with ADHD, loneliness, and connecting with his divorced father, who would rather see him embrace sports instead of cooking, sixth-grader Elliott finds an unlikely friend in popular, perfect Maribel when the two pair up in a school-wide contest.

2023

Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd

A heartwarming story infused with a dash of magic, Natalie Lloyd's tale of a girl searching for her best friend and a place to belong is sure to resonate with readers. When twelve-year-old homeschooler Olive, who suffers from brittle bone disease, finally attends in-person school, she soon discovers fitting in is not that easy. If she can find the magical wish-granting hummingbird that supposedly lives nearby and prove herself worthy, maybe it will grant her deepest wish.

2021

Show Me a Sign by  Ann Clare LeZotte

It is 1805 and Mary Lambert has always felt safe among the deaf community of Chilmark on Martha's Vineyard where practically everyone communicates in a shared sign language, but recent events have shattered her life; her brother George has died, land disputes between English settlers and the Wampanoag people are becoming increasingly bitter, and a scientist determined to discover the origins of the islands' widespread deafness has decided she makes the perfect live specimen--and kidnapped her.

2021

Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen by  Sarah Kapit

Eleven-year-old knuckleball pitcher Vivy Cohen, who has autism, becomes pen pals with her favorite Major League baseball player after writing a letter to him as an assignment for her social skills class.

2021

When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson

Omar and his younger brother Hassan live in a refugee camp, and when an opportunity for Omar to get an education comes along, he must decide between going to school every day or caring for his nonverbal brother in this intimate and touching portrayal of family and daily life in a refugee camp.

2020

Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly

Twelve-year-old Iris and her grandmother, both deaf, drive from Texas to Alaska armed with Iris's plan to help Blue-55, a whale unable to communicate with other whales.

2020

Each Tiny Spark by  Pablo Cartaya

Sixth-grader Emilia Torres struggles with ADHD, her controlling abuela, her mother's work commitments, her father's distance after returning from deployment, evolving friendships, and a conflict over school redistricting.

2019

The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor

As he grieves his best friend Benny's death, Mason and his friend Calvin, who are targeted by the neighborhood bullies, create an underground haven for themselves, but when Calvin goes missing Mason finds himself in trouble.

2018

Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess by  Shari Green

"Deaf sixth-grader Macy expects disaster when she is sent to help her elderly neighbor Iris, who doesn't know sign language, pack for a move to an assisted-living home. To her surprise, Iris soon becomes a firm friend who helps Macy face her own upcoming move, into the home of her mother's soon-to-be husband and two young stepsisters." - Publisher.

2017

As Brave as You by Jason Reynolds

Two born and bred Brooklynites are to spend a month with their grandparents in rural Virginia while their parents take a long overdue vacation and work out their marital problems. It is only after the boys are left in their grandfather's care that they realize that he is blind.

2016

Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Ally's greatest fear is that everyone will find out she is as dumb as they think she is because she still doesn't know how to read.

2016

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

A young disabled girl and her brother are evacuated from London to the English countryside during World War II, where they find life to be much sweeter away from their abusive mother.

2015

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin

Struggling with Asperger's, Rose shares a bond with her beloved dog, but when the dog goes missing during a storm, Rose is forced to confront the limits of her comfort levels, even if it means leaving her routines in order to search for her pet.

2014

Handbook for Dragon Slayers by Merrie Haskell

Yearning for life in a cloistered scriptorium, thirteen-year-old Princess Matilda, whose lame foot brings fear of the evil eye, escapes her scheming cousin Ivo and joins her servant Judith and an old friend, Parz, in hunting dragons and writing about them.

2013

A Dog Called Homeless by Sarah Lean

When Cally Fisher says she sees her dead mother, no one believes her. The only other living soul who sees Cally's mom is a mysterious wolfhound who always seems to be there when her mom appears.

2012

Close to Famous by Joan Bauer

Twelve-year-old Foster McFee and her mother escape from her mother's abusive boyfriend and end up in the small town of Culpepper, West Virginia, where they use their strengths and challenge themselves to build a new life, with the help of the friends they make there.

2012

Wonderstruck : a novel in words and pictures by Brian Selznick

Having lost his mother and his hearing in a short time, twelve-year-old Ben leaves his Minnesota home in 1977 to seek the father he never knew in New York City, and meets there Rose, who is also longing for something missing from her life. Ben's story is told in words; Rose's in pictures.

2011

After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick

Although Jeff and Tad, encouraged by a new friend, Lindsey, make a deal to help one another overcome aftereffects of their cancer treatments in preparation for eighth-grade graduation, Jeff still craves advice from his older brother Stephen, who is studying drums in Africa.

2010

Anything but Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin

Jason, a twelve-year-old autistic boy who wants to become a writer, relates what his life is like as he tries to make sense of his world.

2009

Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor

Twelve-year-old Addie tries to cope with her mother's erratic behavior and being separated from her beloved stepfather and half-sisters when she and her mother go to live in a small trailer by the railroad tracks on the outskirts of Schenectady, New York.

2008

Reaching for Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

Josie, who lives with her mother and grandmother and has cerebral palsy, befriends a boy who moves into one of the rich houses behind her old farmhouse.

2007

Rules by Cynthia Lord

Frustrated at life with an autistic brother, twelve-year-old Catherine longs for a normal existence but her world is further complicated by a friendship with an young paraplegic. Lexile Level: 780

2006

Tending to Grace by Kimberly Newton Fusco

When Cornelia's mother runs off with a boyfriend, leaving her with an eccentric aunt, Cornelia must finally confront the truth about herself and her mother.

2005

Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan

When Naomi's absent mother resurfaces to claim her, Naomi runs away to Mexico with her great-grandmother and younger brother in search of her father.

2004

A Mango Shaped Space by Wendy Mass

Afraid that she is crazy, thirteen-year-old Mia, who sees a special color with every letter, number, and sound, keeps this a secret until she becomes overwhelmed by school, changing relationships, and the loss of something important to her.n Tamaki