This story is told beautifully. Hollis, is a 12 year old foster child, who struggles with connecting and trust as she bounces from house to house. The story is told in a back and forth between chapters linking Hollis's life before and in the present.
Two teenage cousins, that are raised as sisters, survive the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The girls find themselves in a refugee camp where life changes drastically. Nadine's father, who lives in Miami, sends for her. The story is about never forgetting and finding your true self.
I love this book! It shows how being different can be difficult but also how it can change those around you. Capricorn, or Cap, is 13 years old and suddenly finds himself in public school after his hippy grandmother is injured. As in any middle school, there is struggle to fit in, find yourself, bullies, and friendship.
The story follows Esperanza, a 12 year old girl, who lives a blessed life in Mexico where she is very close to her father. The story weaves listening to your heart and the love of family as Esperanza escapes to the United States where her life is very different.
This is an autobiographical book also done in verse. I can not rave enough about this book. It is set in the 60s and 70s, and follows Jacqueline's move from the north to the south and back again. It is about a family and the effects of the civil rights movement. Outstanding!
Told in verse, the story follows Nick, a 12 year old boy who love football and dislikes books. Nick finds himself using words in an unexpected way.
Bad Kitty is so bad...hilariously bad. Told through illustrations, these would be excellent for reluctant readers.
Charles and Lizzie love puppies and want one of their own. Their mother won't let them have one. Lizzie volunteers at a local pet shelter. The siblings work together to find loving forever homes for puppies.
Set in the Middle Ages in England, the story follows Crispin, a young boy who is declared a thief and sentenced to hang. Crispin is on the run followed by John, a cruel steward. A political action adventure ensues.
Amy and Dan, twins, discover their family's link to history after the death of their grandmother. They must solve clues in a mystery involving Benjamin Franklin to discover the truth.
Cole, a troubled 15 year old from Minnesota, gets in some trouble and is sent to remote Alaska for rehabilitation. He is accompanied by two Tlingit men who guide him. Cole's journey is a story of animal therapy and survival based in Native American culture.
This is a story about moving and starting over. Unhei, has just moved to America from Korea, and wants to be liked. Instead of saying her name, she challenges the class to give her a name. She tries different names on until she finds one just right.
A funny story about taco loving dragons and what happens when you get what you wanted. Spicy salsa and taco loving dragons is dangerously hilarious.
A time woven story centered about a harmonica. Otto, who is lost, meets 3 sisters and finds himself trying to solve a mystery. In a time in the future 3 other individuals in different places find themselves interwoven into a mystery as well. I loved this book and the interwoven storytelling.
Bone Gap is a town that is known for its gaps- metaphysically speaking. So it is not a surprise hen Roza goes missing. Finn knows the truth at sets out to find Roza in a fantasy full of intrigue.
A secret code mystery! Christopher Rowe, an apothecary's apprentice, is learning to solve puzzles and create medicines, potions, and even weapons. Until one day he gets a cryptic message that leads him on a dangerous adventure.
Set in the years before the Civil War, Nell Warne, an orphaned 11 year old, goes to live with her aunt who is a detective. Nell vows to help her aunt solve a mystery. This is a empowering story set in a historical time.
All the cats love Signora's pasta, but Pino who longs for something else. Throughout Pino's search for the perfect food, he keeps getting shooed away.
This is an alphabet book that cooks up a creative compost stew!
Three little bears wrap up and stomp through the snow to go to grandma's house for baking day. There is a recipe for hot chocolate included.
A story in which four families, in four different cities, over four centuries, make the same delicious dessert: blackberry fool.
Nacho only likes to eat one thing--gazpacho! That is, until he goes to the market and sees all the yummy foods. Spanish vocabulary.
A German born American patriot vows to help George Washington in an unexpected way- by baking gingerbread.
The is a Chinese American retelling of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears". Goldy Luck imposes upon a panda family. It's a story of friendship, responsibility, and a recipe of turnip cakes just in time for the Chinese New Year.
On market day, Mama Penya's son invites everyone he sees to a pancake dinner. The importance of sharing, even if you very little is modeled in this Kenyan village.
Based on a Yiddish folk song, this is a story of an American Immigrant who is a tailor and his life story is told as he sews a coat and as it wears out, he alters it into smaller and smaller items.
Two siblings cook up salsa using a recipe. This book is poetry and bilingual.
In a Kenyan school, the students are growing a vegetable garden. Kioni's herd of goats follow her to school one day and discover all those veggies! The children have to come up with a creative way to save the garden and the goats.
Grandpa wants to celebrate Grandma's birthday in a special way with a surprise. He wants to bake the world's biggest cake and creates a big, funny mess too!
A story about differences and acceptance following Auggie,a 5th grader, who starts mainstream school for the first time.