Book Guide:
Books all about love, kindness, and courage. . . and some awkward first crushes.
February, 2026
February always feels like a season of love. The sweet kind. The inspiring kind. The friendships we’ll treasure forever. . . and the wonderfully awkward middle school moments we’ve all had (or are still surviving).
This collection brings together some of my favorite reads for Valentine’s season. Stories about love of all kinds, deep friendships, brave vulnerability, and the many ways love shows up in our lives. A few are written for young readers, but every one of them is perfect for the young at heart.
10 Stories of Love
Love Is by Diane Adams
Love doesn’t always arrive loudly. . . Sometimes it waddles in quietly beside you.
This short and sweet rhyming story follows a little girl and her duckling as their bond grows in tender, unexpected ways. With gentle repetition and a unique emotional arc, it captures the quiet work of caring for something small and watching it grow.
Readers who delight in finding joy in all beings, in muddy ponds, tiny feathers, and everyday moments will feel especially at home here.
At its heart, this story is about friendship, growth, and the power of kindness to shape both the giver and the receiver. It’s a soft reminder, perfect for February’s reflective stillness, that love often asks us to nurture, release, and trust the unfolding.
Ages: All Ages
How We Say I Love You by Nicole Chen
Not every “I love you” is spoken. Some are packed into lunchboxes and folded into freshly washed pajamas.
This multigenerational picture book follows an Asian American girl through her daily life, gently showing how love is expressed through cooking, helping with chores, and bedtime rituals. It beautifully honors acts of service as a powerful love language, especially within family traditions.
This would be a meaningful classroom read-aloud, especially for conversations about culture, family traditions, and the many ways we show care beyond words.
The overarching message is simple but profound: love can be shown in many ways. In a month that often centers romantic gestures, this story widens the lens and reminds us that steady, everyday devotion is its own quiet kind of poetry.
Ages: All Ages
Love In The Library by Maggie Tokuda-Hall
Even in places built to hold people back, love finds a way to slip between the shelves.
This true story tells of the author’s grandparents, who met and fell in love while incarcerated in a Japanese American internment camp during World War II. Through stolen glances in the camp library and quiet courage in the face of injustice, it becomes a testament to resilience and to the radical act of choosing love when hate surrounds you.
Readers interested in U.S. history and deeply personal historical narratives will especially connect with this one. It offers a doorway into conversations about civil liberties, racism, and the lived realities behind wartime policies.
At its heart, this book is about being human when systems try to strip that humanity away. It honors resilience, the sustaining power of books and libraries, and the truth that even in the bleakest circumstances, love can endure — and sometimes, even bloom.
Ages: 7 and up
Love Letters By Arnold Adoff
Who says love notes have to be serious?
This playful 1997 children’s poetry collection features short, unrhymed poems written as anonymous notes from a wide cast of characters. Each one bursting with personality and charm. The format feels like peeking into a stack of valentines passed across desks and tucked into coat pockets.
Silly, humorous readers (and teachers!) will adore this one. It’s the perfect spark for crafting your own Valentine’s notes at home or in the classroom, a gentle invitation to play with voice, perspective, and a little bit of mischief.
At its core, this book celebrates joy. The kind that shows up in shared laughter, in folded paper hearts, and in the small brave act of telling someone they matter. February doesn’t always have to be serious; sometimes it’s meant for glitter, giggles, and handwritten notes.
Ages: All Ages
This is NOT a Valentine’s by Carter Higgins
What if the best kind of Valentine doesn’t look like one at all?
This definitely-not-a-valentine is a long, hilarious list of things that are not hearts, not glitter, not candy — but instead a collection of wonderfully specific things the narrator knows their friend will truly love. It’s clever, surprising, and far more meaningful than any store-bought card.
Readers who love to laugh and for those who roll their eyes at stereotypical Valentine’s Day traditions will feel completely seen in this one. It’s perfect for kids (and adults) who prefer inside jokes over pink paper hearts.
At its core, this story celebrates friendship. The kind rooted in knowing someone deeply, paying attention, and loving them in ways that actually fit. In a month that can feel overly sparkly, this book gently reminds us that real connection is thoughtful, personal, and sometimes wonderfully unconventional.
Ages: All Ages
A Crankenstein Valentine by Samantha Berge
Not everyone wakes up feeling the love in February… Some of us wake up feeling like Crankenstein.
In this seasonal installment, a boy transforms into his grumpy alter-ego, “Crankenstein,” when faced with all the extra fuss of Valentine’s Day, cards, candy, expectations, and pink overload. With exaggerated humor and relatable frustrations, the story captures that oh-so-human moment of wanting to stomp instead of swoon.
Anyone already devoted to Samantha Berger’s Crankenstein books will adore this silly seasonal spin. It’s especially perfect for kids who don’t always feel sparkly about holidays and for the adults who see themselves in that early-morning grumble.
At its heart, this one is about emotional honesty. Beneath the growls and groans is a reminder that even cranky feelings deserve space and that friendship (and maybe a little understanding) can soften even the fiercest February mood.
Ages: All Ages
Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli
What if one small sentence could change the entire rhythm of your life?
This tender story follows a lonely man whose world shifts the day he receives a Valentine with a simple note: “Somebody loves you.” The mysterious gift transforms him into someone lighter, kinder, more open and even though he doubts the gift was for him, his community steps in to show him that love had been there all along.
This book is especially meaningful for readers who cherish gentle stories about belonging. Great story for classrooms or families wanting to talk about how our words and actions shape the people around us. It’s a beautiful read-aloud for sparking conversations about noticing others. This is personally one of my favorite books.
At its core, this story celebrates the power of a single act of kindness and the ripple effect it creates. In a month that often focuses on grand gestures, it quietly reminds us that sometimes the most powerful love is simply letting someone know they matter.
Ages: All Ages
My Zombie Valentine by Dian Curtis Regan.
Who needs roses and chocolate when you might be falling for a zombie?
In this light-hearted, slightly spooky story (think The Addams Family energy with middle-school drama), sixth-grader Joey Ocean becomes convinced the new girl, Xia Dedd, is undead. Between mysterious clues and their strange “mind-talking” connection, what unfolds is equal parts comedy, friendship, and quirky suspense.
Middle-grade readers who love classic humor with just a dash of creepy will devour this one. It’s perfect for kids who prefer goosebumps to glitter and mysteries over mushy romance.
At its heart, this story explores how we see one another. Beneath the jokes and zombie suspicions is a reminder that friendship often begins when we look past assumptions and dare to connect, even when someone feels wonderfully, weirdly different.
Ages 10 and up
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney.
If middle school had a holiday dedicated to embarrassment, it would definitely be Valentine’s Day.
In this installment of the beloved series, Greg Heffley’s life spirals into chaos as he navigates a Valentine’s Day dance, desperately tries to secure a date, manages the ever-loyal Rowley, and contends with his freeloading Uncle Gary. As always, Greg’s schemes rarely go as planned, which makes every page painfully hilarious.
Readers who love laugh-out-loud middle grade humor, doodle-style illustrations, and painfully relatable social disasters will be right at home here. It’s especially perfect for kids who enjoy seeing someone else survive the awkwardness of growing up.
At its core, this story leans into the universal experience of wanting to belong and the messy, funny, sometimes cringey ways we try to make that happen. In the swirl of February expectations, it reminds us that growing up is rarely graceful… but it’s almost always entertaining.
Ages: 8 and up
Crush by Svetlana Chmakova
Middle school crushes are complicated enough; now add a reputation you never asked for.
In the third Berrybrook Middle School graphic novel, Jorge is known as the “big guy,” a label that shapes how everyone sees him. As he navigates shifting friendships, bullying, and his growing feelings for a girl, he begins to question what strength really looks like and how consent, kindness, and vulnerability fit into the picture.
Readers who love graphic novels packed with emotional depth, especially those interested in realistic middle school social dynamics, will be drawn to this one. It’s a thoughtful pick for kids who appreciate stories that take feelings seriously without losing humor or heart.
At its core, this story explores identity, consent, and the courage it takes to be gentle in a world that expects toughness. In a month centered on love, it offers a powerful reminder: real connection begins with respect, for others and for yourself.
Ages 10 and up