12 Middle Grade Series About Friendship for Girls

 

Friendships become more complex as girls enter late elementary school and middle school. The following twelve fictional series explore the many changes, joys, frustrations, and complications that occur in relationships between tween girls.

• The Snob Squad
  by Julie Anne Peters
  (Book 1: Revenge of the Snob Squad)
  Jenny, Maxine, and Prairie - all outsiders - form an unlikely bond when they take up against the principal's daughter and her friends. 
• Nerd Girls
  by Alan Lawrence Sitomer
  (Book 1: The Rise of the Dorkosaurus)
  Maureen, Allergy Alice and Beanpole Barbara make a pact to beat the popular girls, known as the ThreePees, in the school talent show.  
• Dork Diaries
  by Rachel Renee Russell
  (Book 1: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life)
  In her daily diary, Nikki Maxwell shares the dorky moments of her life, and comments on her friendship with best friends Chloe and Zoey.

• Camp Club Girls
  by Renae Brumbaugh, et. al.
  (Book 1: Camp Club Girls & the Mystery at Discovery Lake)
  A group of Christian girls who meet at camp solve mysteries at various American landmarks.  
• Pink Locker Society
  by Debra Moffitt
  (Book 1:  Only Girls Allowed)
  Jemma, Piper, Kate, and Bet are tapped for a secret organization designed to provide information about puberty to girls in their school.  
• The Baby-sitters Club
  by Ann M. Martin
  (Book 1: Kristy's Great Idea)
  Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, and Stacey form a babysitting club to help their neighbors find reliable babysitters.

• The Winnie Years
  by Lauren Myracle
  (Book 1: Eleven)
  Winnie's adolescence is marked by ups and downs, including the loss of her childhood best friend, Amanda, to the popular girls, and the discovery of new friends in outspoken Cinnamon and awkward Dinah.  
• Alice McKinley
  by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
  (Book 1: The Agony of Alice)
  *Note: Later books in this series are classified as Young Adult.
  Alice and her best friends Pamela and Elizabeth navigate adolescence in this series, where Alice grows up alongside the reader. 
• Annabelle Unleashed
  by Leslie Margolis
  (Book 1: Boys Are Dogs)
  Annabelle and her new middle school friends discover lots of truths about life and boys.

• The Secret Language of Girls
  by Frances O'Roark Dowell
  (Book 1: The Secret Language of Girls)
  Everything changes for childhood friends Marylin and Kate when middle school begins and they begin to drift apart. 
• Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls
  by Meg Cabot
  (Book 1: Moving Day)
  Allie Finkle collects rules for every situation, including saying goodbye to old friends and making new friends at a new school. 
• Summer Camp Secrets
  by Katy Grant
  (Book 1: Pranked)
  Different characters relate their experiences during the same summer at camp in this six-volume series.

Browse all my middle grade reviews here.