Rural Book List

The books are organized in large groups corresponding to the buttons below and then into subgroups by authors. Click a button to go to that particular list. The list is ever-growing, so please let me know if you have a suggestion for a book I should add to the list. If you would like to learn more about a book on this list, check the Book Lists & Reviews page to see if it has been reviewed or featured in a book talk series.

Just a Note

I recognize that there are multiple and various rural realities and experiences and just as many identities. The books on this list are grouped and curated in a way that will hopefully help you find stories and experiences that either reflect the students’ identities in your classrooms or provide an invitation for exploration of a rurality (or reality) different from theirs. Organization: First, major category or identity marker. Then by authors name (alpha order by last name). In the second column I have also provided the state (where possible) in which the stories take places as well as other themes/topics of note for a particular book. Wherever possible, links to authors’ pages have been provided. If you’re searching for a specific genre, theme, or state, you can search using CTRL + F.

New Update: I’ve started an affiliate account with Bookshop.org. I love the work they do to support indie booksellers, so if you’re thinking about purchasing any of the books on the list, it’d be wonderful if you would do so through my affiliate link. Each book that is available through Bookshop is linked in the list, and every book purchased will support Literacy In Place as well as indie booksellers.

YA Fiction

*Indicate Whippoorwill Award Winners
Alison Ames
To Break a Covenant
#Appalachia
#Rural Feminism
#Girl Friendships
#Ghosts
Christopher Barzak
The Gone Away Place*
#Ohio
#Natural Disaster
#Ghosts
Joan Bauer
Hope Was Here
#Wisconsin
#Food
#Cancer
Kendare Blake
All These Bodies
#Minnesota
#Thriller
#Historic Fiction
Nina Berkhout
The Mosaic
#Montana
#Mental Health #Veterans
Amy Jo Burns
Shiner
#West Virginia
#Mining
#Loss
Jimmy Cajoleas
The Good Demon*
#American South
#Speculative
#Religion
#Drug Addiction
#Loss
Nora Shalaway Carpenter
Rural Voices: 15 Authors Challenge Assumptions about Small-Town America*

The Edge of Anything




#Anthology
#Diverse Ruralities
#Diverse Genres

#North Carolina
#Grief
#Mental Health
#Friendship
Adam Cesare
Clown in a Cornfield
#Missouri
#Horror
#Slasher
#Political and Class Issues
Betty Culley
Three Things I Know Are True
#Maine
#Gun Violence
#Grief
Sandra Dallas
Someplace to Call Home*
#Dust Bowl
#Historical
#Great Depression
Rebecca Fjelland Davis
Slider’s Son
#North Dakota
#Historical Fiction
#Great Depression
#Mystery
Sarah Dessen
The Rest of the Story
#Lake
#Parent Loss
#Grief
#Class
Shannon Dittemore
Winter White and Wicked*
#Rural Island
#Ice Road Trucking
#Class
#Equity
#Fantasy
Ashley Elston
This Is Our Story
#Louisiana
#Hunting Accident
#Mystery
Shea Ernshaw
The Wicked Deep
Winterwood*
#Oregon
#Magic
#Fantasy
John Green
An Abundance of Katherines
#Tennessee
#Math
#Oral History
Jenny Han
The Summer I Turned Pretty
It’s Not Summer Without You
We’ll Always Have Summer
#North Carolina
#Series
#Love Stories
Michael Harmon
Last Exit to Normal
#Montana
#LGBTQIA+
#Relocation
Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock
Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town
#Alaska
#Colorado
#Sexual Abuse
Peter Brown Hoffmeister
Too Shattered For Mending
#Idaho
#Mystery
#Family
Silas House
Clay’s Quilt
#Kentucky
#Substance Abuse
#Loss
#Family
Kathleen M. Jacobs
Betsy Blossom Brown

Honeysuckle Holiday
#South Carolina
#Appalachia
#Neurodivergence
#Family Secrets

#Tennessee
#West Virginia
#Civil Rights
#Historic Fiction
E.K. Johnston
Exit, Pursued by a Bear
#Canada
#Cheerleading
#Rape
AS King
Me and Marvin Gardens
#Pennsylvania
#Farm Loss
#Friendship
#Magical Realism
Daniel Kraus
The Monster Variations

Rotters






Scowler
#A Small Town
#Murder Mystery
#Horror

#Iowa
#Relocation
#Parent Loss
#Horror

#Family Farm
#Horror
#Blood and Gore
Claire Legrand
Sawkill Girls
#Island Setting
#Horse Farms
#Speculative
Tim Lockette
Tell It True*
Cynthia Lord
Touch Blue
#Maine
#Island
#Foster Care
#Relocation
Jennifer Mathieu
Moxie
#Texas
#Zine
#Feminism
Mindy McGinnis
Not a Drop to Drink



The Female of the Species




Be Not Far From Me
#Ohio
#Post Apocalyptic
#Grit
#Survival


#Ohio
#Rape Culture
#Violence


#Tennessee
#Single father
#Wilderness Survival
Rhett McLaughlin & Link Neal
The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek
#North Carolina
#Speculative
#Illness
Kirsten Miller
Don’t Tell a Soul
#New York
#Social Class Issues
#Horror
#Ghosts
Emma Mills
Famous in a Small Town
#Midwest
#Band
#Family
#Secrets
Jean Mills
Larkin on the Shore*
#Nova Scotia
#Arson
#Belonging
Jake Mosher
The Last Buffalo Hunter
#Montana
#Wilderness
#Family
Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Dairy Queen
#Wisconsin
#Family Farming
#Football
Julie Murphy
Dumplin’


Puddin’


#Texas
#Beauty Pageant
#Body Positivity

#Texas
#Friendship
#Body Positivity
Rainbow Rowell
Pumpkinheads
#Nebraska
#Graphic Novel
#Divers Characters
Kristin Russell
A Sky For Us Alone
#Appalachia
#Drug Addiction
#Family
Ginny Myers Sain
Dark and Shallow Lies*
#Louisiana
#Cajun/Creole
#Island
#Psychics
#Mystery
#Speculative Fiction
Gary D. Schmidt
Orbiting Jupiter

Trouble


#Maine
#Foster Care
#Teen Parenthood

#Maine
#Car Accident
#Racial Tension
Angie Smibert
Bone’s Gift
Lingering Echoes
The Truce
#Appalachia
#Series
#Historical Fiction
#Speculative Elements
Tim Tharp
Knights of Hill Country
#Oklahoma
#Football
#Blended Family
Lillie Vale
Small Town Hearts
#Maine
#Tourism
#Friendship
#Love Story
Vince Vawter
Paperboy


Copyboy*
#Tennessee
#Historical Fiction
#Stutter

#Mississippi River
#Historical Fiction
Sandra Neil Wallace
Muckers
#Arizona
#Football
#Historical Fiction
Sara Walters
The Violent Season
#Vermont
#Thriller
#Murder
Suzanne Williams
Bull Rider
#Nevada
#Rodeo
#Impact of War
Alecia Whitaker
The Queen of Kentucky
#Kentucky
#Farming
#Identity
Darcy Woods
Smoke
#Michigan
#PTSD
#Marijuana
Melissa Wyatt
Funny How Things Change
#West Virginia
#Leaving for College
#Love Story
Jeff Zentner
Serpent King



In the Wild Light*





#Tennessee
#Class
#Religion

#Tennessee
#Class
#Grief
#Drug Abuse
Middle Grades Fiction
Ann Braden
The Benefits of Being an Octopus
#Vermont
#Class
#Gun Debate
Peggy Brooke
Jake’s Orphan
#North Dakota
#Farming
#Historical Fiction
Leslie Connor
The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle
#Apple Orchard
#Loss
#Learning Disability
Jean Craighead George
My Side of the Mountain


On the Far Side of the Mountain

Frightful’s Mountain
#New York
#Wilderness Survival
#Running Away

#Sequel
#Siblings

#Animal Conservation
#Human/Animal Relationships
Kate DiCamillo
Because of Winn Dixie
Raymie Nightengale
Beverly Right Here
Louisian’s Way Home*
#Florida
#Series
#Friendship
#Loneliness
#Loss
Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Shouting at the Rain
#Cape Cod
#Loss
#Family
Kathleen M. Jacobs
Marble Town

Sophie and the Bookmobile



Fireflies Dancing in the Night
#Appalachia
#Loss
#Mystery


#West Virginia
#Relocation
#Mobile Library

#Midwest
#Vacation
#Nature
Jennifer Jacobson
The Dollar Kids
#A Struggling Small Town
#Family
#Community
#Shooting Death
Kekla Magoon
The Season of Styx Malone
#Indiana
#Foster Care
#Entrepreneurship
Julie Murphy
Dear Sweet Pea
#Texas
#Divorce
#Friendship
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Blizzard’s Wake
#North Dakota
#Historical Fiction
#Parent Loss
Anne Nesbet
The Orphan Band of Springdale*
#Maine
#Relocation
#Historical Fiction
#WWII
Wilson Rawls
Where the Red Fern Grows
#Oklahoma
#Hunting
#Dogs
Jason Reynolds
as brave as you
#Virginia
#Disability
#Guns
#Courage
Chris Rylander
Codename Zero
#North Dakota
#Adventure
#Crime-Fighting
Gary D. Schmidt
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy
#Maine
#Race Relations
#Friendship
#Historical Fiction
Native/Indigenous Rural Experiences
Darcie Little Badger
Elatsoe*
#Texas
#Ancestors
#Speculative Elements
#Loss
#Mystery
#Middle Grades
Angeline Boulley
Firekeeper’s Daughter
#Michigan
#Anishinaabe
#Biracial
#Thriller
#Drug Addiction
Sharon Creech
Walk Two Moons


Chasing Redbird


#Ohio
#Loss
#Storytelling
#Relationships

#Kentucky
#Family
#Loss
Eric Gansworth
Give Me Some Truth*



Apple: Skin to the Core




If I Ever Get Out of Here


#New York
#Music
#Love Story

#New York
#Memoir
#Poetry

#New York
#Music
#Friendship
Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock
The Smell of Other People’s Houses
#Alaska
#Class
#Teen Pregnancy
Michael Hutchison
The Case of Windy Lake*
#Canada
#Environmental Issues
#Mystery
#Middle Grades
Witi Ihimaera 
The Whale Rider
#New Zealand
#Environment
#Conservation
Kent Meyers
The Work of Wolves
#South Dakota
#Horse Training
#Love Story
Dawn Quigley
Apple in the Middle
#North Dakota
#Race Relations
#Relocation
Marcie R. Rendon
Murder on the Red River
Girl Gone Missing
#NorthDakota
#Series
#Mystery
Black Rural Experiences
Kalynn Bayron
This Poison Heart*
This Wicked Fate
#New York
#Magic
#Queer
Kacen Callender
Hurricane Child* 




King and the Dragonflies*




#US Virgin Islands
#Queer
#Speculative
#Middle Grades

#Louisiana
#Loss
#Queer
#Abuse
Tami Charles
Muted
#New York
#Music
#Class
#Abuse
#Queer
Leah Johnson
You Should See Me in a Crown
#Midwest
#Queer
#Class
#Prom
Varian Johnson
The Parker Inheritance
#South Carolina
#Mystery
#History
#Middle Grades
T.R. Simon
Zora and Me
Zora and Me: The Cursed Ground*
Zora and Me: The Summoner
#Florida
#Series
#Mystery
#Historical Fiction
Latinx Rural Experiences
David Bowles
They Call Me Guero*





Clockwork Curandera: Volume 1 Witch Owl Parliament*

#Texas
#Queer
#Borderland Stories
#Lyric Novel

#Mexico
#Graphic Novel
#Fantasy
#Loss
#Latinx
#LGBTQ
Tehlor Kay Mejia & Anna-Marie McLemore
Miss Meteor
#Oregon
#Queer
#Magical Realism
#Beauty Pageant
Laura Taylor Namey
A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow
#England
#Relocation
#Food
Asian American Rural Experiences
Linda Sue Park
Prairie Lotus
#Dakota Territory
#Historical Fiction
#Middle Grades
Muslim American Experiences.
Tahereh Mafi
A Very Large Expanse of Sea
#A Small Town
#9/11
#Islamaphobia
Queer Rural Experiences
Becky Albertalli
Simon Vs. The Homo sapiens Agenda
#Georgia
#Blackmail
#Love Story
Jaye Robin Brown
The Key to You and Me
#North Carolina
#Horseback Riding
#Love Story
Emily Danforth
The Miseducation of Cameron Post
#Montana
#Gay Conversion
#Religion
#Parent Loss
Corinne Duyvis
The Art of Saving the World*
#Pennsylvania
#Sci-Fi
#Multiple Dimensions
#LGBTQ
#Hero’s Journey
Courtney Gould
The Dead and the Dark
#Oregon
#Ghost Hunters
#Horror
#Homophobia
Britta Lundin
Like Other Girls*
#Oregon
#LGBTQ
#Football
#Friendship
#Realistic Fiction
J.R. Jamison
Hillbilly Queer
#Indiana
#Missouri
#Family
#Relationships
#Memoir
Brian D. Kennedy
A Little Bit Country
#Tennessee
#Country Music
#Love Story
Jo Knowles
Where the Heart Is*
#Farming
#Class
#Middle Grade
Julie Murphy
Pumpkin*



Ramona Blue


#Texas
#Fat Phobia
#Drag

#Mississippi
#Hurricane Katrina
#Friendship
Julie Anne Peters
Far from Xanadu
#Kansas
#Unrequited Love
#Suicide
#Parent Loss
Amber Smith
Something like Gravity*
#Trans
#Loss
#Love Story
Phil Stamper
Golden Boys


Small Town Pride
#Ohio
#Friendship
#Big Dreams
#Leaving

#Ohio
#Pride
#Politics
Courtney Stevens
Dress Codes for Small Towns
#Kentucky
#Religion
#Love Story
Aiden Thomas
Lost in the Never Woods
#Oregon
#Mystery
#Fantasy
Nita Tyndall
Who I Was With Her
#A Small Town
#Loss and Grief
#Love Story
(Dis)Ability in Rural YA
Carly Heath
The Reckless Kind*
#Norwegian Island
#Historic Fiction
#Queer
#Amputee
#Waardenburg Syndrome
#Horses
Christina Henry
The Girl in Red
#A Small Town
#Retelling
#Postapocalyptic
#Pandemic
#Amputee
Monica Roe
Air
#South Carolina
#Latinx
#Wheelchair Motocross
#Independence
Courtney Summers
Sadie
#Colorado
#Class
#Sexual Abuse
#Stutter
The Global Rural
Regina M. Hansen
The Coming Storm
#Prince Edward Island
#Fishing Village
#Historic Fiction
#Speculative Elements
Jerry Mikorenda
The Whaler’s Daughter
#Australia
#Whaling
#Historic Fiction
#Speculative Elements
VE Schwab
Gallant
#England
#Speculative Elements
#Disability
#Mutism

Adult Fiction

Louise Erdrich
Love Medicine
The Beet Queen
Tracks
The Bingo Palace


The Night Watchmen






Plague of Doves
The Roundhouse



#North Dakota
#Series
#Indigenous
#Family



#North Dakota
#Historical Fiction
#Native Dispossession



#North Dakota
#Murder
#Family
#Crime

Jim Harrison
Dalva



The River Swimmer: Novellas



#Nebraska
#Adoption
#History

#Michigan
#Love Story
#Family
Barbara Kingsolver
Prodigal Summer








The Bean Trees
Pigs in Heaven



#Appalachia
#Farming
#Conservation
#Love
#Loss





#Kentucky
#Arizona
#Relocation
#Series

Delia Owens 
Where the Crawdads Sing
#North Carolina
#Historical Fiction
#Mystery
#Fishing
Jojo Moyes
The Giver of Stars
#Kentucky
#Historical Fiction
#Love Story
#Traveling Library
Kim Michele Richardson
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
#Kentucky
#Blue People
#Historical Fiction
#Traveling Library
Rainbow Rowell
Landline 
#Nebraska
#Magical Realism
#Marriage

Nonfiction

Tom Brokaw
A Long Way From Home
#South Dakota
#Ranching
#Memoir
#Journalism
Carl Hamilton
In No Time At All
#Iowa
#Autobiography
#Historical
Linda Hasselstrom
Going Over East: Reflections of a Woman Rancher
#South Dakota
#Ranching
#Essays
James Hearst
Time Like a Furrow
#Farming
#Essays
#History
Gary Kelley
Moon of the Snowblind
#Iowa
#Indigenous
#History
Haven Kimmel
A Girl Named Zippy
#Indiana
#Memoir
Joseph Marshall III
The Dance House: Stories from Rosebud
#Rosebud Sioux Reservation
#Indigenous
#Essays
Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics
#Tennessee
#Music
#Memoir
Sarah Smarsh
Heartland




She Come By It Natural



#Kansas
#Class
#Farming
#Memoir


#Kansas
#Tennessee
#Rural Feminism
#Dolly Parton
#Essay
Jeanette Walls 
The Glass Castle 





Half Broke Horses




#West Virginia
#Southwest Desert Towns
#Alcoholism
#Memoir


#Arizona
#Historical
#Ranching
#True-Life Novel
Tara Westover
Educated
#Idaho
#Survivalists
#Isolation
#Education
#Memoir
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