Book Finder

Naomi and her younger brother Owen have lived with their grandmother in a small trailer for many years, ever since they were abandoned by their mother. When Mom Terri Lynn suddenly returns, does she really have the kids’ best interests at heart?

Experience the explosion of color and movement of jazz as you pulsate with its beat in a vibrant series of poems and paintings. This father-and-son team explores a variety of jazz forms in an unforgettable book.

In 2008, the first Odyssey Award for distinguished children’s/young adult audiobook was presented to this read-along title. This package brings together the illustrations of the book with the featured Jazz music.

How did a poor boy named Ehrich Weiss became the famous escape artist, Harry Houdini? The author, best known for his original tall tales and novels, demonstrates his ability to tell a spellbinding true story and shares his appreciation for the mystery of magic.

Dramatic full color illustrations (which won a Caldecott Honor) and splendid, poetic language depict the bravery of Harriet Tubman, who escaped slavery on a Maryland plantation only to return again and again to help other slaves escape. Deeply religious, Harriet became known as the Moses of her people and a conductor on the Underground Railroad.

Writer, storyteller and musician Joseph Bruchac grew up in the Adirondack Mountains of New York state. He recalls his childhood, life with his grandparents, and the way his Abenaki background came to be known. His sometimes painful memoir is sprinkled with photographs and contextualizes this time in history.

A collection of poems from an array of seasoned poets and young Latino authors describing their experiences in the United States. These poems depict the reality and hardships some young Latinos have experienced in their search for identity, as well as the joy of family gatherings surrounded by food, customs, and culture. Introduction by Oscar Hijuelos.

The Aleuts were dramatically affected by both Japanese and the American forces during World War II. How they were relocated from their small island in the Pacific and relocated to the coast of Alaska is hauntingly told by Vera, a young Aleutian/Caucasian girl.

Three storylines — contemporary and mythic — intersect in this tale of a boy who is not comfortable with his culture or himself. This fresh, sometimes surprising, revealing novel is told in image and text. This graphic novel was the first of its format to win the Printz Award for best work of Young Adult Literature.

Moon Shadow joins his father, traveling from China to San Francisco in the early 20th century. Together father and son confront harsh prejudice as well as kindness, and ultimately follow a dream to build a flying machine in this Newbery Honor novel.

Life for 14-year old Tomi Nakaji and other Japanese-Americans living on the Hawaiian island of Oahu has changed radically since the bombing of Pearl Harbor the previous year. He confronts violence, despair but ultimately finds hope in this gripping sequel to Under the Blood-Red Sun (1994).

Young Yu is only four years old when she takes an airplane from Korea to California, feeling she is only “a step from Heaven.” Her narration subtly matures as she grows into a capable young woman, ready to go off to college in this sophisticated, moving first novel. Winner of the “Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature” in 2002.

Jenna is happy with her job at Gladstone Shoes, although she doesn’t understand why Mrs. Gladstone hires a man that she caught shoplifting to help around the store. This is a sequel to Bauer’s earlier Rules of the Road (1998), but readers need not read the books in order.

Jane was just enjoying a day at the beach when a shark attacked her and she lost her arm. Now, she must face not only a physical recovery, but the psychological trauma of being known as the “shark girl.” This story is written in a free verse, a poetic style that propels the reader through the story.

Jack’s best friends decide that the best way to get him a prom date is to put an ad in the paper. Now Jack has to evaluate all the prospects. If there were a “Romance for Guys” genre, this would be included! But the humor and male perspective make it an intriguing read for male readers and their female counterparts!

Brit’s parents go on vacation, leaving her with her 85-year old grandmother. But Nannie has vacation plans of her own — she is going to her 65th college reunion, and she’s taking her classmates with her. As the “girls” head up Interstate 95, the plot expands to include everything from kidnapping to the rights of the elderly. This is a fast-paced and fun intergenerational adventure.

In the tiny Welsh town at the foot of a mountain, nothing much happens — until one day, several strange cars stop by Dylan’s family’s service station on their way to the abandoned mine.

Annabel is a beautiful teen model, but she’s over it. Her sister has become anorexic, and the family isn’t dealing with it very well. When she forms a special connection with iPod-wearing Owen, Annabel learns some new ways to deal with her issues and learns a lot about herself at the same time.

Friends grow apart while chasing guys and popularity during high school. Chloe is afraid to tell her friends about her budding romance with a nerd, while Mackenzie realizes that the most popular guy in school may not be worth it.

Joey’s dad is back in the picture after winning the lottery. He’s a man with a mission—to remake himself and his family. But, Joey wonders as his mother takes his father back into their life, is it really possible? Readers will cheer Joey on as his journey ranges from the heartbreaking to the comical.

Bret is a high school junior who has problems with his father and the “jockarchy” at his school. When girl problems are added to the mix, Bret’s anger rages, until he learns something important from an unexpected source. Teens will recognize Bret’s struggles with the pressure to fit in and his frustrations with the world around him.

Starting With Alice is the first book in the trilogy of prequels of the Alice series. Eight-year-old Alice McKinley is the new girl in third grade. Desperate to meet people, Alice learns that making friends is harder than it seems. As Alice navigates the ins and outs of third grade, there are plenty of bumps, giggles, and surprises along the way. Every girl should grow up with Alice, and with this irresistible new look, a whole new generation will want to.

Pete plays bass in his high school band and lives a fairly uneventful life until he gets a chance to join the local garage band that’s just getting ready to hit the big time. As Pete explores rock stardom, he finds that he still pines for the girl back home despite the temptations of life on the road.

Phineas, a railroad construction foreman, was blasting rock near Cavendish, Vermont, in 1848 when a thirteen-pound iron rod was shot through his brain. Miraculously, he survived to live another eleven years and become a textbook case in brain science. At the time, Phineas Gage seemed to completely recover from his accident. But he was changed.

His case astonished doctors in his day and still fascinates doctors today. What happened and what didn’t happen inside the brain of Phineas Gage will tell you a lot about how your brain works and how you act human.