Kids
Genesis begins again
Alicia Williams
jFICTION Williams Alicia
Fiction, Kids
Thirteen-year-old Genesis tries again and again to lighten her black skin, thinking it is the root of her family's troubles, before discovering reasons to love herself as is.
New kid
Jerry Craft
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Craft
Fiction, Kids, Graphic Novels
Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade. As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds--and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?
Funny graphic novel with something important to say about systemic racism, microaggressions, and school segregation. -Anne W
My life as an ice cream sandwich
Ibi Aanu Zoboi
jFICTION Zoboi Ibi
Fiction, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Kids
Twelve-year-old Ebony-Grace Norfleet has lived with her beloved grandfather Jeremiah in Huntsville, Alabama ever since she was little. As one of the first black engineers to integrate NASA, Jeremiah has nurtured Ebony-Grace's love for all things outer space and science fiction--especially Star Wars and Star Trek. But in the summer of 1984, when trouble arises with Jeremiah, it's decided she'll spend a few weeks with her father in Harlem. Harlem is an exciting and terrifying place for a sheltered girl from Hunstville, and Ebony-Grace's first instinct is to retreat into her imagination. But soon 126th Street begins to reveal that it has more in common with her beloved sci-fi adventures than she ever thought possible, and by summer's end, Ebony-Grace discovers that Harlem has a place for a girl whose eyes are always on the stars.
This book is sad and funny, with issues of race and class and growing up navigated via Old New York and Star Trek fandom. The best! -Anne W
Other words for home
Jasmine Warga
jFICTION Warga Jasmine
Fiction, Kids
Sent with her mother to the safety of a relative's home in Cincinnati when her Syrian hometown is overshadowed by violence, Jude worries for the family members who were left behind as she adjusts to a new life with unexpected surprises.
A beautiful, timely book in verse that will help you understand the Syrian refugee crisis. -Anne W
Who wet my pants?
Bob Shea
jE Shea
Kids, Picture Books
When Reuben the bear brings doughnuts to his forest friends, they discover that his pants are wet and he angrily accuses them of the dirty deed.
Try not to wet your pants as you make your way through this hilarious take on a common childhood mishap. Reuben the bear has a problem. His pants are wet. In, you know, the front and center zone. Reuben is seemingly dumbfounded. Who wet his pants? Let the wild accusations begin. Reuben throws everyone under the bus before coming to terms with the true identity of the culprit. Who Wet My Pants? is a book for us all. It’s sure to be one of the funniest of 2019. -Angie
Freedom fire
Daniel José Older
jFICTION Older Daniel
Kids, Fiction, Fantasy, Early Chapter Books
Magdalys Roca and her friends from the Colored Orphan Asylum are heading southwest on the back of Stella, the giant pteranodon, to find Montez, her brother, wounded during the siege of Vicksburg; now they are heading into the heart of the fighting, depending on Magdalys' ability to communicate telepathically with dinosaurs--but one of the companions is not quite what she seems, and Magdalys's talent could make her a target for both sides.
Fans of the acclaimed first Dactyl Hill chapter book will rejoice for the thrilling second book in the series! Background notes elaborate on the story’s elements. Intelligent, rousing, and abundantly diverse, this is every bit as satisfying as the first installment. Ages 8–12. -Angie
Ramona and her father
Beverly Cleary
jFICTION Cleary, Beverly
Kids, Fiction
The family routine is upset during Ramona's year in second grade when her father unexpectedly loses his job.
This whole series is my favorite, but this one edges just slightly above the others in enjoyment. No one captures the spirit and feeling of childhood like Beverly Cleary, and Ramona is a funny, spunky, heroine dealing with school and family stuff. -Anne W
The miscalculations of Lightning Girl
Stacy McAnulty
jFICTION Mcanulty Stacy
Fiction, Kids
A lightning strike made Lucy, twelve, a math genius but, after years of homeschooling, her grandmother enrolls her in middle school and she learns that life is more than numbers.
A lightning strike makes 12-year-old Lucy a math genius but when she is forced to go to public middle school after years of home schooling, she learns life is more than numbers. Socially awkward adolescent unwittingly bonds with other misfits and helps dogs at an animal shelter! -Anne W
A case in any case
Ulf Nilsson
jFICTION Nilsson Ulf
Kids, Early Chapter Books, Mystery, Fiction
When Detective Gordon retires and Buffy is left alone at the police station, she hears strange noises and decides to call on Gordon to help her with the mystery.
Sweet, gentle, yet hilariously funny Swedish frog detective and his deputy mouse solve sweet, gentle mysteries in the forest. -Anne W
The Westing game
Ellen Raskin
jFICTION Raskin, Ellen
Mystery, Fiction, Kids
The mysterious death of an eccentric millionaire brings together an unlikely assortment of heirs who must uncover the circumstances of his death before they can claim their inheritance.
Mystery classic that centers on the death of an eccentric millionaire and the unlikely assortment of wacky characters all competing to solve the puzzle of his death to claim their inheritance. Funny, offbeat, weird, creepy! -Anne W
Heartbreaking, gritty story of a girl who struggles to feel at home in skin society and her own family tells her is too black (in ways both subtle and not) and find a place to belong when her family is frequently forced to move. -Anne W