The New Kid’s Backpack: A Middle Grade Novel About Moving, Changing Schools, Friendship & Belonging, and Finding the Courage to Be Yourself (Finding our Way)

Marcus Lee has thirteen days to pack up his whole life.

His family is leaving Westbridge—the neighborhood basketball court, the school team, and Jamal, the best friend who knows every version of him—to move closer to Grandpa after a stroke.

At Alder Creek Middle School, Marcus decides the easiest way to survive being the new kid is to become someone people will immediately respect.

So he lets his classmates believe he was a starting point guard. He keeps his poetry hidden. And when a documentary project about an overlooked neighborhood basketball court finally gives him a place on a team, he uses words that are not entirely his.

At first, the new version of Marcus works.

He earns a seat at the table, finds people who value his ideas, and begins to feel useful again. But every secret adds weight—to his friendships, his family, and the backpack he refuses to unpack.

When the truth threatens the documentary, his oldest friendship, and the new life he is beginning to want, Marcus must decide what belonging really means.

Does he have to become someone different to fit in—or can he make room for every part of himself?

The New Kid’s Backpack is a warm, emotionally honest middle-grade novel about moving, changing friendships, family responsibility, confidence, and the courage to be known.

Perfect for readers who enjoy:

Realistic middle-school stories New-school and moving challenges Friendship, belonging, and identity themes Basketball and creative school projects Relatable family changes Gentle humor and hopeful endings A meaningful standalone story for readers ages 10–14—and Book 3 in the Finding Our Way series of heartfelt novels about young people navigating life’s biggest changes.

READING AGE AND GRADE

Core reader audience: Ages 10–14
Suggested grade range: Grades 5–8