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The Barren Grounds (The Misewa Saga #1)
By David A. Robertson. 2020
Narnia meets traditional Indigenous stories of the sky and constellations in an epic middle grade fantasy series from award-winning author…
David Robertson.Morgan and Eli, two Indigenous children forced away from their families and communities, are brought together in a foster home in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They each feel disconnected, from their culture and each other, and struggle to fit in at school and at their new home -- until they find a secret place, walled off in an unfinished attic bedroom. A portal opens to another reality, Askí, bringing them onto frozen, barren grounds, where they meet Ochek (Fisher). The only hunter supporting his starving community, Misewa, Ochek welcomes the human children, teaching them traditional ways to survive. But as the need for food becomes desperate, they embark on a dangerous mission. Accompanied by Arik, a sassy Squirrel they catch stealing from the trapline, they try to save Misewa before the icy grip of winter freezes everything -- including them.
Orange for the sunsets
By Tina Athaide. 2019
In alternating voices, friends Asha and Yesofu, one Indian and one African, find their world turned upside-down when Idi Amin…
decides to expel Asian Indians from Uganda in 1972. Winner of the 2020 Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People. Grades 3-6. 2019.
Malaika’s Costume (Malaika #1)
By Nadia L. Hohn. 2016
Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor (Zachary Ying)
By Xiran Jay Zhao. 2022
Percy Jackson meets Tristan Strong in this hilarious, action-packed middle grade contemporary fantasy that follows a young boy as he…
journeys across China to seal the underworld shut and save the mortal realm. Zachary Ying never had many opportunities to learn about his Chinese heritage. His single mom was busy enough making sure they got by, and his schools never taught anything except Western history and myths. So Zack is woefully unprepared when he discovers he was born to host the spirit of the First Emperor of China for a vital mission: sealing the leaking portal to the Chinese underworld before the upcoming Ghost Month blows it wide open. The mission takes an immediate wrong turn when the First Emperor botches his attempt to possess Zack’s body and binds to Zack’s AR gaming headset instead, leading to a battle where Zack’s mom’s soul gets taken by demons. Now, with one of history’s most infamous tyrants yapping in his headset, Zack must journey across China to heist magical artifacts and defeat figures from history and myth, all while learning to wield the emperor's incredible water dragon powers. And if Zack can’t finish the mission in time, the spirits of the underworld will flood into the mortal realm, and he could lose his mom forever. New York Times Bestseller
Front Desk: #1 (Front Desk)
By Kelly Yang. 2018
Mia Tang has a lot of secrets. Number 1: She lives in a motel, not a big house. Every…
day, while her immigrant parents clean the rooms, ten-year-old Mia manages the front desk of the Calivista Motel and tends to its guests. Number 2: Her parents hide immigrants. And if the mean motel owner, Mr. Yao, finds out they've been letting them stay in the empty rooms for free, the Tangs will be doomed. Number 3: She wants to be a writer. But how can she when her mom thinks she should stick to math because English is not her first language? It will take all of Mia's courage, kindness, and hard work to get through this year. Will she be able to hold on to her job, help the immigrants and guests, escape Mr. Yao, and go for her dreams?
Egg Marks the Spot: Skunk and Badger 2 (Skunk And Badger Ser.)
By Amy Timberlake. 2021
Roommates Skunk and Badger head out on a rock-finding expedition that becomes much more dangerous than they ever expected in…
this second book of the national bestselling and award-winning odd-couple series that has been compared to Wallace and Gromit and Winnie the Pooh Buried in the heart of every animal is a secret treasure. Badger’s is the Spider Eye Agate, stolen years ago by his crafty and treasure-trade-dealing cousin, Fisher. Skunk’s is Sundays with the New Yak Times Book Review. When Mr. G. Hedgehog threatens to take the Book Review as soon as it thumps on the doorstep, Skunk decides an adventure (“X marks the spot!”) will solve both their problems. Badger agrees, and together they set off for his favorite campsite on Endless Lake. But all is not as it seems at Campsite #5. Harrumphs in the night. Unexpected friends. Then Fisher appears, and Badger knows something is up. Something involving secrets, betrayals and lies. And a luminous, late-Jurassic prize. In a volume that includes full-colour plates and additional black-and-white illustrations by Caldecott medallist Jon Klassen, Newbery Honor author Amy Timberlake takes readers on a second adventure in the new series reviewers have called an instant classic, with comparisons to Frog and Toad, Winnie-the-Pooh and The Wind in the Willows.
How to Find What You're Not Looking For
By Veera Hiranandani. 2021
New historical fiction from a Newbery Honor–winning author about how middle schooler Ariel Goldberg's life changes when her big sister…
elopes following the 1967 Loving v. Virginia decision, and she's forced to grapple with both her family's prejudice and the antisemitism she experiences, as she defines her own beliefs. Twelve-year-old Ariel Goldberg's life feels like the moment after the final guest leaves the party. Her family's Jewish bakery runs into financial trouble, and her older sister has eloped with a young man from India following the Supreme Court decision that strikes down laws banning interracial marriage. As change becomes Ariel's only constant, she's left to hone something that will be with her always--her own voice.
Africville
By Shauntay Grant. 2018
Winner of the Lillian Shepherd Memorial Award for Excellence in IllustrationFinalist for a Governor General’s Literary Award, Young People’s Literature…
– Illustrated BooksFinalist for a Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Books AwardWhen a young girl visits the site of Africville, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the stories she’s heard from her family come to mind. She imagines what the community was once like —the brightly painted houses nestled into the hillside, the field where boys played football, the pond where all the kids went rafting, the bountiful fishing, the huge bonfires. Coming out of her reverie, she visits the present-day park and the sundial where her great- grandmother’s name is carved in stone, and celebrates a summer day at the annual Africville Reunion/Festival.Africville was a vibrant Black community for more than 150 years. But even though its residents paid municipal taxes, they lived without running water, sewers, paved roads and police, fire-truck and ambulance services. Over time, the city located a slaughterhouse, a hospital for infectious disease, and even the city garbage dump nearby. In the 1960s, city officials decided to demolish the community, moving people out in city dump trucks and relocating them in public housing.Today, Africville has been replaced by a park, where former residents and their families gather each summer to remember their community.Key Text Featureshistorical contextreferencesCorrelates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.6With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.
Tug: A Log Boom’s Journey
By Scot Ritchie. 2022
From award-winning author and illustrator Scot Ritchie comes this lively look at the journey of a West Coast tugboat towing…
a log boom, as seen through the eyes of a young boy. "I’m helping Dad on the tugboat. We’re going to tow a log boom to the sawmill on the river… I look out for ferries and other boats in the harbor… Then I see it — a deadhead!" Follow a child and his father through their workday on a tugboat on the West Coast as they watch a log boom being made, then tow it to a mill upriver. The pair must steer clear of other ships, race against the tide and weather a storm along the way. Told from a child's perspective, this fun, accessible picture book explores the key role of a tugboat in the logging process. As explained in the author's note, the story is inspired by Scot Ritchie’s childhood memories of seeing tugs and log booms off the coast of Vancouver, British Columbia, with additional information provided in the note about forestry on the West Coast today. Key Text Features author's note diagrams glossary illustrations facts map speech bubbles writing inspiration
The Blackbird Girls
By Anne Blankman. 2020
Like Ruta Sepetys for middle grade, Anne Blankman pens a poignant and timeless story of friendship that twines together moments…
in underexplored history. On a spring morning, neighbors Valentina Kaplan and Oksana Savchenko wake up to an angry red sky. A reactor at the nuclear power plant where their fathers work--Chernobyl--has exploded. Before they know it, the two girls, who've always been enemies, find themselves on a train bound for Leningrad to stay with Valentina's estranged grandmother, Rita Grigorievna. In their new lives in Leningrad, they begin to learn what it means to trust another person. Oksana must face the lies her parents told her all her life. Valentina must keep her grandmother's secret, one that could put all their lives in danger. And both of them discover something they've wished for: a best friend. But how far would you go to save your best friend's life? Would you risk your own? Told in alternating perspectives among three girls--Valentina and Oksana in 1986 and Rifka in 1941--this story shows that hatred, intolerance, and oppression are no match for the power of true friendship.
We Dream of Space
By Erin Entrada Kelly. 2020
Newbery Medalist and New York Times–bestselling author Erin Entrada Kelly transports readers to 1986 and introduces them to the unforgettable…
Cash, Fitch, and Bird Thomas in this pitch-perfect middle grade novel about family, friendship, science, and exploration. A great choice for readers of Kate DiCamillo, Rita Williams-Garcia, and Rebecca Stead. Cash, Fitch, and Bird Thomas are three siblings in seventh grade together in Park, Delaware. In 1986, as the country waits expectantly for the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger, they each struggle with their own personal anxieties.Cash, who loves basketball but has a newly broken wrist, is in danger of failing seventh grade for the second time. Fitch spends every afternoon playing Major Havoc at the arcade on Main and wrestles with an explosive temper that he doesn’t understand. And Bird, his twelve-year-old twin, dreams of being NASA’s first female shuttle commander, but feels like she’s disappearing. The Thomas children exist in their own orbits, circling a tense and unpredictable household, with little in common except an enthusiastic science teacher named Ms. Salonga. As the launch of the Challenger approaches, Ms. Salonga gives her students a project—they are separated into spacecraft crews and must create and complete a mission. When the fated day finally arrives, it changes all of their lives and brings them together in unexpected ways. Told in three alternating points of view, We Dream of Space is an unforgettable and thematically rich novel for middle grade readers. We Dream of Space is illustrated throughout by the author.
There Must Be More Than That!
By Shinsuke Yoshitake. 2020
From the creator of The Boring Book, a New York Times Best Illustrated Children's BookShinsuke Yoshitake is back with a…
witty, thought-provoking picture book for our times.There Must Be More Than That! is all about perspective, and wading past the bad to embrace the possibility of good.• A thoughtful and laugh-out-loud exploration into an uncertain ever after• Empowers readers to choose their own future• A powerful antidote to anxiety for kids unsure about current events and what comes nextWhat does the future hold? This question can be daunting—or delightfully promising!Readers of all ages will seek solace in this smart and spirited exploration of the good that might be right around the corner.• Perfect for fans of Shinsuke Yoshitake• Ideal for children ages 5 to 8 years old• A great pick for parents and grandparents, as well as librarians and teachers• You'll love this book if you love books like Sofia Valdez, Future Prez by Andrea Beaty; What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada; and Dream Big, Little One by Vashti Harrison.
The Lion of Mars
By Jennifer L. Holm. 2021
Blast off with New York Times bestselling and Newbery Honor-winning Jennifer L. Holm's out-of-this-world new novel about a kid raised…
on Mars who learns that he can't be held back by the fears of the grown-ups around him. Bell has spent his whole life - all eleven years of it - on Mars. But he's still just a regular kid - he loves cats, any kind of cake, and is curious about the secrets the adults in the US colony are keeping. Like, why don't have contact with anyone on the other Mars colonies? Why are they so isolated? When a virus breaks out and the grown-ups all fall ill, Bell and the other children are the only ones who can help. It's up to Bell - a regular kid in a very different world - to uncover the truth and save his family ... and possibly unite an entire planet. Mars may be a world far, far away, but in the hands of Jennifer L. Holm, beloved and bestselling author of The Fourteenth Goldfish, it can't help but feel like home.
Henry Heckelbeck and the Race Car Derby (Henry Heckelbeck #5)
By Wanda Coven. 2021
In this fifth Henry Heckelbeck adventure, Henry races to the finish in his first derby!Henry and his friends are going…
to race in a race car derby! The only problem is each racer has to build their own car. Can Henry magic together the perfect ride? Or will he crash and burn? With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Henry Heckelbeck chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.
Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids
By Cynthia Leitich Smith. 2021
Edited by award-winning and bestselling author Cynthia Leitich Smith, this collection of intersecting stories by both new and veteran Native…
writers bursts with hope, joy, resilience, the strength of community, and Native pride.Native families from Nations across the continent gather at the Dance for Mother Earth Powwow in Ann Arbor, Michigan.In a high school gym full of color and song, people dance, sell beadwork and books, and celebrate friendship and heritage. Young protagonists will meet relatives from faraway, mysterious strangers, and sometimes one another (plus one scrappy rez dog).They are the heroes of their own stories.Featuring stories and poems by:Joseph Bruchac Art CoulsonChristine DayEric GansworthCarole LindstromDawn QuigleyRebecca RoanhorseDavid A. RobertsonAndrea L. RogersKim RogersCynthia Leitich SmithMonique Gray SmithTraci Sorell, Tim TingleErika T. WurthBrian YoungIn partnership with We Need Diverse Books
The Rhino in Right Field
By Stacy DeKeyser. 2018
A boy who loves baseball must get past his hard-working immigrant parents—and the rhino in the outfield—to become a batboy…
in this laugh-out-loud middle grade novel in the tradition of The Sandlot. Nick wants to change his life. For twelve whole years, he’s done what his hard-working, immigrant parents want him to do. Now he’s looking for his own American dream and he thinks he’s found it. The local baseball team is having a batboy contest. Nick’s goal—to be a Mudpuppy for a day! But the contest is on a Saturday—the day Nick has to work in his father’s shop. There’s one other tiny—well, not so tiny—problem. A 2,000-pound rhinoceros named Tank. Nick and his friends play ball right in the city zoo—and Tank lives just beyond the right field fence. Nick’s experience getting the ball out of Tank’s pen has left him frozen with fear whenever a fly ball comes his way. How’s a lousy fielder going to win the contest? One thing Nick knows how to do is work hard, and he practices every day with his best friend, Ace, and a new girl named Penny, who has an impressive throwing arm! But that’s not enough—to get to the contest, Nick resorts to a plan that has him lying to his parents and blackmailing his uncle. All while dodging the school bully, who’s determined to win even by playing dirty. Nick will need to keep his eye on the ball and find the courage to face his fears—oh yeah, and stay one step ahead of Tank—in this fast, funny story about a game that can throw you some curveballs—just like life!
Clean Getaway
By Nic Stone. 2020
From New York Times bestselling author Nic Stone comes a middle-grade road-trip story through American race relations past and present,…
perfect for fans of Jacqueline Woodson and Jason Reynolds. How to Go on an Unplanned Road Trip with Your Grandma: • Grab a Suitcase: Prepacked from the big spring break trip that got CANCELLED. • Fasten Your Seatbelt: G'ma's never conventional, so this trip won't be either. • Use the Green Book: G'ma's most treasured possession. It holds history, memories, and most important, the way home. What Not to Bring: • A Cell Phone: Avoid contact with Dad at all costs. Even when G'ma starts acting stranger than usual. Set against the backdrop of the segregation history of the American South, take a trip with New York Times bestselling Nic Stone and an eleven-year-old boy who is about to discover that the world hasn't always been a welcoming place for kids like him, and things aren't always what they seem--his G'ma included. A New York Times Bestseller
The House That Lou Built
By Mae Respicio. 2018
A coming-of-age story that explores culture and family, forgiveness and friendship, and what makes a true home. Perfect for fans…
of Wendy Mass and Joan Bauer. Lou Bulosan-Nelson has the ultimate summer DIY project. She's going to build her own "tiny house," 100 square feet all her own. She shares a room with her mom in her grandmother's house, and longs for a place where she can escape her crazy but lovable extended Filipino family. Lou enjoys her woodshop class and creating projects, and she plans to build the house on land she inherited from her dad, who died before she was born. But then she finds out that the land may not be hers for much longer. Lou discovers it's not easy to save her land, or to build a house. But she won't give up; with the help of friends and relatives, her dream begins to take shape, and she learns the deeper meaning of home and family.
Dinosaur Boy
By Cory Putman Oakes. 2015
Everyone knows the dinosaur gene skips a generation. So it isn't a complete surprise when Sawyer sprouts spikes and a…
tail before the start of fifth grade. After all, his grandfather was part stegosaurus.Despite the Principal's Zero Tolerance Policy, Sawyer becomes a bully magnet, befriended only by Elliot aka "Gigantor" and the weird new girl. When the bullies start disappearing, Sawyer is relieved-until he discovers a secret about the principal that's more shocking than Dino DNA. The bullies are in for a galactically horrible fate...and it's up to Sawyer and his friends to rescue them. "With issues like bullying, not fitting in, and heroism, this is a book that kids and adults will share and treasure. It's Wonder with dinosaurs and is sure to touch your heart." -- P. J. Hoover, author of Tut: The Story of My Immortal Life"A wild and wacky adventure...with enough twists and turns to rival a roller coaster, DINOSAUR BOY is sure to appeal to wonderfully weird kids of every shape and size." --Kelly Milner Halls, award-winning author of Girl Meets Boy
I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980 (I Survived #14)
By Lauren Tarshis. 2016
The mountain exploded with the power of ten million tons of dynamite...Eleven-year-old Jessie Marlowe has grown up with the beautiful…
Mount St. Helens always in the background. She's hiked its winding trails, dived into its cold lakes, and fished for trout in its streams. Just looking at Mount St. Helens out her window made Jess feel calm, like it was watching over her somehow. Of course, she knew the mountain was a volcano...but not the active kind, not a volcano that could destroy and kill!Then Mount St. Helens explodes with unimaginable fury. Jess suddenly finds herself in the middle of the deadliest and most destructive volcanic event in U.S. history. Ash and rock are spewing everywhere. Can Jess escape in time?The newest book in the I Survived series will take readers into one of the most environmentally devastating events in recent U.S. history.