AbstractYoung adult literature that features respectful representations of fictional characters with reading difficulties can play a role in building classroom communities and helping readers understand more about themselves and their worlds. Furthermore, language arts teachers and special education teachers can use texts that feature positive portrayals of characters with reading difficulties to build students’ competencies for critically reading and participating in discussions on topics such as challenging the usefulness of disability labels. In this article, the authors highlight the positive and dynamic portrayals of main characters with reading difficulties featured in 14 realistic fiction books for readers in grades 6–8. The processes for locating and analyzing texts are shared so they can be replicated by middle school teachers and students who seek to analyze the portrayal of characters with reading difficulties in other texts or genres.