Books featuring adopted children

In this blog, I share 4 reasons why reading books with adopted children can help with the attachment process, and recommend 7 brilliant books that feature adopted children as main characters.

My experience

As a mum to three adopted children, I know the power of books.

When children are adopted, they have often been through a turbulent time, lacked a steady and secure reliable adult, and missed out on the routines that many of us consider part and parcel of family life. Many are often in a state of high alert, wondering what will happen next.

Forging bonds at this time is crucial. It’s not always easy, but sharing books can help.

4 reasons why reading books with adopted children can help with the attachment process

1 Books help you to be present

Having a present adult is the key to all children’s well-being. And sharing books is a fantastic way to be present.

2 Books can help you to bond

Books are a fabulous source of fun, encouraging children to unwind. They can help you to establish a routine of snuggles and stories – a cosy and safe space where children can share feelings, giggle, ask questions, and relax.

They are a great tool to help your child form positive attachments with you.

3 Book characters can validate your child’s emotions

Fictional characters can provide a brilliant, non-intense way to explore emotions and normalise feelings. Plus, if you pretended to struggle on words, you can show your child that it’s okay to make mistakes.

4 Books with positive representation can help children to feel secure

Sharing stories that represent your child helps them to understand they are not alone in their experiences, and feel secure in their identity.

7 amazing books that feature adopted children as main characters

1. The Accidental Diary Of B.U.G. by Jen Carney

The Accidental Diary of BUG illustrated book cover by author Jen Carney. Books that feature adopted children.

In this brilliantly illustrated comedy diary-style series for readers 7+, a witty and observant 10-year-old (incidentally adopted as a baby) navigates the unique ups and downs of school and family life when a new girl joins her class.

Perfect for normalising adoption, and for children who love an immersive laugh-out-loud reading experience.

Find out more on this page of my website

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2. The Last Firefox by Lee Newbery, illustrated by Laura Catalan

In this fantasy book for readers 8+, the main character, Charlie Challinor (a boy who was adopted by his two dads) becomes the guardian of a furry firefox cub.

Perfect for young fans of fantasy.

Find out more on this website

3. The Day My School Got Famous by Jen Carney

Funny books that feature adopted children

In this adventure comedy for readers 8+, an unexploded WW2 bomb is discovered under the school playground as Nile awaits his kinship adoption.

Perfect for fans of comic strips and school-based comedies.

Find out more on this page of my website

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4. Nate Yu’s Blast From The Past by Maisie Chan

In this ghost story for readers 9+, Nate (transracially adopted by two mums) discovers Jirou – a man who has been trapped as a ghost within a dragon engraving since WW1.

Perfect for fans of historical fiction.

Find out more on Masie’s website

5. The Dad Trap by Ian Eagleton

A modern-day take on The Parent Trap (two dads dating) in which the adoption process is explored through Dad’s letters and memories.

Perfect for readers 10+

Find out more on this website

6. The Day My Brother Got Famous

The Day My Brother Got Famous by Jen Carney

In this comedy adventure for 8+, the main character (Ferris) supports his foster brother (Arthur) to achieve his dream of going into space whilst also preparing to find out if he is about to becoming a forever brother to his long-term foster sister via adoption.

Perfect for space fans and children who like books filled with comic strips

Find out more on this page of my website

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7. A Sister Like You by Sarah Hagger-Holt

In this heart-warming, dual-narrative, coming-of-age story, two sisters adopted by different families meet each other unexpectedly.

Perfect for readers 10+ who like stories set in schools

Find out more on Sarah’s website

A note about books that feature adopted children

As both a mum and an author, I know that when a child sees a version of themselves in an uplifting book, they feel validated and their self-confidence improves. It’s one of the main reasons I write comedies that reflect diverse family structures.

Plus, there’s robust evidence to prove that representation is the key to successful reading for pleasure – and, as you may know, reading for pleasure from an early age can have a massive impact on life-chances and wellbeing (something, as adopters, we always want to encourage).

Positive Representation of adopted children in books

It’s certainly not one size fits all when it comes to representing adopted children, and never under-estimate the value of sharing books that feature adopted children where a loving adoptive family is the setting for the story as opposed to the main focus of the plot. It’s a brilliant normaliser.

Children's books featuring foster families

CLICK HERE TO EXPLORE BOOKS THAT FEATURE ADOPTED CHILDREN ON AMAZON:

CLICK TO EXPLORE BOOKS THAT FEATURE ADOPTED CHILDREN ON AMAZON

I’m posting this blog just ahead of National Adoption week 2026.

There are children all over the country who need a lifelong family.

If you’re looking into becoming an adoptive parent, YOU CAN ADOPT (a nationwide adopter recruitment campaign which aims to raise awareness of adoption and bust eligibility myths) provide a search tool for finding an agency near where you live:

Click to visit YOU CAN ADOPT

Inspirations behind The Accidental Diary of BUG.

It was a complaint from my son when he was about eleven that drove me to write the first draft of what has since been published by Puffin as The Accidental Diary of B.U.G. series.

At the time, the only kinds of books he’d read independently were laugh-out-loud funny, highly accessible to even the most reluctant reader, and (more often than not) heavily illustrated. (I’ll blog about my experience of the power of funny books for reluctant readers in a subsequent post.)

His complaint: Why do the main characters in these types of books never have two mums or two dads?

After failing to source him such a book, I figured I’d write one.

In all honesty, my initial draft was for his eyes only. Avoiding his reading kryptonite of text-heavy paragraphs in favour of interactive pages, doodles aplenty and gags about spellings, I created a protagonist whose life vaguely represented his reality (adopted by two mums) and I was overjoyed when he told me he loved it.

Mission accomplished!

Or so I thought…

A couple of years later, I shared the manuscript with my then eight-year-old daughter and was thrilled to see her as engrossed as my son had been. It was when she expressed how much she’d love all children to have access to a mainstream ‘laugh about it in the playground’ book that illustrated how perfectly ‘normal’ ‘different’ families actually are, that I knew I needed to try my luck at finding a publisher!

Positive representation, I’ve learned, matters enormously to all children. At the time of my son’s complaint, our bookshelves were sagging under the weight of books featuring children who had been adopted and children with same sex parents. The problem was, they were all picture books we’d shared when our children were small, non-fiction books a little too earnest in their ‘you’re so special’ message, a bit depressing, or contained too many emotional triggers.

We also had plenty of books that featured families very similar to ours as a matter of fact – manic parents making questionable packed lunches, children recounting school mishaps, curious family anecdotes and so on. But none of the main characters ever had same sex parents.

It was the light-hearted humour, combined with the honest, matter-of-fact, ‘this is who I am’ nature of Billie, the protagonist of The Accidental Diary of B.U.G. series, that my children took to. Not only did it satisfy their hunger to see themselves in a book, it enabled them to verbalize how a book like mine could fill the gap they were both acutely aware was missing from their peers’ libraries – a funny ‘middle grade’ read that would incidentally expose all children to the normality of everyday life of our kind of family.

You can find out more about The Accidental Diary of BUG on this page of my website.

I really enjoyed reading the adventures of Billie Upton Green (not Bug!!)! Billie is a delightful and relatable character, and her escapades are both funny and heart-warming. I particularly enjoyed the inclusivity in the text, and it’s a real joy to see such positive LGBTQ+ representation in children’s books. Jen has written a real treat for younger readers, and the artwork is fabulous, too!
― L. D. Lapinski, author of The Strangeworlds Travel Agency

Readers will love Billie’s adventures, and her funny, doodle-filled way of sharing them, as much as they love the Dork Diaries or Wimpy Kid stories, and it’s great too to see such a warm celebration of diverse family life.
― LoveReading4Kids

Carney’s lively, upbeat Billie is a welcome inclusive addition to the world of illustrated diaries. Her two mums feel like people I know, her weariness at explaining their existence just as familiar – and Billie herself is a treat, from her passion for biscuits to her determined pursuit of the school thief. Fun, funny, and deceptively clever.
Susie Day, author of Max Kowalski Didn’t Mean It

A brilliant, hilarious and heartwarming book! I’m pretty sure if I’d read this as a child it wouldn’t have taken me quite so long to understand and accept my own queer identity. Amazing for normalising same-sex parenting and adoption, completely laugh-out-loud funny and a feast for the eyes with lots of fun and engaging doodles. I loved it!
Abigail Balfe, author of A Different Sort of Normal