Kids
For black girls like me
Mariama Lockington
jFICTION Lockingt Mariama
Kids
Eleven-year-old Makeda dreams of meeting her African American mother, while coping with serious problems in her white adopted family, a cross-country move, and being homeschooled.
The only black girls in town
Brandy Colbert
jFICTION Colbert Brandy
Kids
In a predominately white California beach town, the only two black seventh-graders, Alberta and Edie, find hidden journals that uncover family secrets and speak to race relations in the past.
Added by Anne W
Indian no more
Charlene Willing McManis
jFICTION McManis, Charlene
Kids
When Regina's Umpqua tribe is legally terminated and her family must relocate from Oregon to Los Angeles, she goes on a quest to understand her identity as an Indian despite being so far from home.
In this moving middle-grade novel drawing upon Umpqua author Charlene Willing McManis's own tribal history, Regina must find out: Who is Regina Petit? Is she Indian, American, or both? And will she and her family ever be okay? -Angie
Cog
Greg Van Eekhout
jFICTION Vaneekho Greg
Kids
"Cog looks like a normal twelve-year-old boy. But his name is short for 'cognitive development,' and he was built to learn. But after an accident leaves him damaged, Cog wakes up in an unknown lab--and Gina, the scientist who created and cared for him, is nowhere to be found. Surrounded by scientists who want to study him and remove his brain, Cog recruits four robot accomplices for a mission to find her. Cog, ADA, Proto, Trashbot, and Car's journey will likely involve much cognitive development in the form of mistakes, but Cog is willing to risk everything to find his way back to Gina."--Goodreads.
This is a great, fast-paced, funny story about five robots trying to run from the sinister and evil uniMIND. Fans of the Wild Robot by Peter Brown will love this book! -Angie
Flush
Carl Hiaasen
eBOOK
Kids
Noah’s dad is in jail for sinking a local gambling boat, which he believes has been emptying its onboard toilets straight into the waters around their Florida Keys home. The trouble is, so far there’s no proof. Noah needs to solve this environmental mystery so his dad can be released from jail. Also, this isn’t the first time his dad has taken the law into his own hands when it comes to stopping local polluters, and his mom is fed up and talking about divorce. Noah hatches a plan to expose the environmental crime with the help of some eccentric local characters.
Added by Anne W
The Penderwicks : a summer tale of four sisters, two rabbits, and a very interesting boy
Jeanne Birdsall
eBOOK
Kids
While vacationing with their widowed father in the Berkshire Mountains, four lovable sisters, ages four through twelve, share adventures with a local boy, much to the dismay of his snobbish mother.
The perfect book for the whole family to enjoy together, either as a family read-aloud or audiobook. Everything turns out all right in the end, with good, wholesome messages about courage, loyalty, creativity, and girls unapologetically claiming their intelligence. This is also a National Book Award winner. -Anne W
Al Capone does my shirts
Gennifer Choldenko
eBOOK
Kids
A twelve-year-old boy named Moose moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935 when guards' families were housed there, and has to contend with his extraordinary new environment in addition to life with his autistic sister.
Set in 1935, this book tells the story of Moose Flanagan and his family. His father gets a job as a prison guard on Alcatraz, so his family goes to live on the prison island alongside the other workers. Moose cares for his teenage sister Natalie, who nowadays would be diagnosed with autism, and deals with the warden’s shady daughter, who tries to involve Moose in her schemes. Notorious gangster Al Capone is imprisoned there, and is the target of much speculation and lore. -Anne W
A long walk to water : based on a true story
Linda Sue Park
eAUDIO
Kids
When the Sudanese civil war reaches his village in 1985, eleven-year-old Salva becomes separated from his family and must walk with other Dinka tribe members through southern Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya in search of safe haven. Based on the life of Salva Dut, who, after emigrating to America in 1996, began a project to dig water wells in Sudan.
Linda Sue Park was inspired by historical documents and an interview with Salva in the creation of this short novel. I highly recommend the audiobook for young, mature audiences. It’s only about 3 hours long, extremely powerful, and features the voices of the author and Salva at the conclusion. -Becky
Upside-down magic
Sarah Mlynowski
With their magic being unpredictable, Nory, Elliott, Andres, and Bax are sent to the upside-down magic room at Dunwiddle Magic School.
Fantasy isn’t usually my genre, but I listened to this with my kids as an audiobook in the car, and it was super cute and fun. This series is very popular with kids, and I can see why. Also I love the protagonist’s first name, Nory. So cute! Anyway, Nory can do magic, but it never goes how it’s supposed to and she ends up messing things up a lot. So she is sent by her high-achieving magic family to a special school for kids whose magic is “upside down.” There, she is finally accepted, makes loyal friends, and learns to accept herself and value her special talents. -Anne W
Ghost
Jason Reynolds
eAUDIO
Kids
"Ghost, a naturally talented runner and troublemaker, is recruited for an elite middle school track team. He must stay on track, literally and figuratively, to reach his full potential"--
This is a story that will have you thinking about circumstance, opportunity and the value of mentoring influences. -Becky
Added by Anne W