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In this first of a series fantasy, two children (children are possessions until their 12th birthday), Lily and Mark, cross paths when they both find themselves in the service of an astrologer, but they each have other plans: Mark outsmarts his master and learns how to thrive in barter system; Lily chooses to strike out on her own in an unheard of direction-she starts a charity.

Deza is the smartest girl in her class in Gary, Indiana, singled out by teachers for a special path in life. But it’s 1936 and the Great Depression has hit Gary hard, and there are no jobs for black men. When her beloved father leaves to find work, Deza, Mother, and her older brother, Jimmie, go in search of him, and end up in a Hooverville outside Flint, Michigan. Jimmie’s beautiful voice inspires him to leave the camp to be a performer, while Deza and Mother find a new home, and cling to the hope that they will find Father. The twists and turns of their story reveal the devastation of the Depression and prove that Deza truly is the Mighty Miss Malone.

Edward Tulane is a vain and selfish china rabbit whose memorable journey teaches him what love is as well as the pain it can cause. This sparsely told tale is evocative and comes full circle bringing Edward and his story to a satisfying resolution.

Fourteen-year-old Meilin is just trying to get through high school with all the problems that go along with it: boys, boring teachers, and too much homework. As if that wasn’t enough, Meilin finds out that she is the daughter of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King from Asian mythology. Now how’s she going to survive high school?

Rainsford, an accomplished hunter, is shipwrecked on an island inhabited by another hunter, General Zaroff. Zaroff has become bored with hunting animals and decides he needs a greater challenge: humans. Will Zaroff get his new trophy or will Rainsford prove to be more dangerous than Zaroff anticipates?

Homer Figg’s tales of his adventures are only mostly true as sometimes he tends to exaggerate. But an awfully lot of interesting and unusual things do happen to him as he sets off to find his brother Harold who has been handed over to the Union Army by their rotten Uncle Squint.

Amedeo has a secret, a dream: More than anything in the world, he wants to discover something — a place, a process, even a fossil — some treasure that no one realizes is there until he finds it. And he would also like to discover a true friend to share these things with. When Amedeo and William find themselves working together on a house sale for Amedeo’s eccentric neighbor, Mrs. Zender, Amedeo has an inkling that both his wishes may come true. For Mrs. Zender’s mansion is crammed with memorabilia of her long life, and there is a story to go with every piece. Soon the boys find themselves caught up in one particular story — a story that links a sketch, a young boy’s life, an old man’s reminiscence, and a painful secret dating back to the outrages of Nazi Germany.

When her father begins a long-distance romance with a Washington, D.C. zookeeper, twelve-year-old Frankie sends fabricated e-mail letters to the zookeeper in an attempt to end the relationship in this story about family, friendship, and growing up.

Langston Hughes famous poem, The Negro Speaks of Rivers, speaks to his life and the broader African-American experience. Illustrator E.B. Lewis pays tribute to his words using beautiful watercolor images.

Corey Brooks has fallen hard for the new girl, lovely, pale Anna Corwin. But while Corey can think of nothing but Anna, most of his friends have never even heard of her, much less seen her themselves. When Anna disappears abruptly, Corey goes to her house on the infamous Fear Street, determined to find out her secret, whatever the cost.

When J.J.’s mother says time’s what she really wants for her birthday, J.J. decides to find her some. He’s set himself up for an impossible task … until a neighbor reveals a secret. There’s a place where time stands still—at least, it’s supposed to. J.J. can make the journey there, but he’ll have to vanish from his own life to do so. Can J.J. find the leak between the two worlds? Will a shocking rumor about his family’s past come back to haunt him? And what does it all have to do with the village’s new policeman … ?

Pocket Change Collective is a series of small books with big ideas from today’s leading activists and artists. In this installment, The New Queer Conscience, Voices4 Founder and LGBTQIA+ activist Adam Eli offers a candid and compassionate introduction to queer responsibility. Eli calls on his Jewish faith to underline how kindness and support within the queer community can lead to a stronger global consciousness. More importantly, he reassures us that we’re not alone. In fact, we never were. Because if you mess with one queer, you mess with us all. 

Three generations of settlers and native Dakota weave a dark tale of family secrets and brutal injustice in Civil War era America.

It’s 1947, and India, newly independent of British rule, has been separated into two countries: Pakistan and India. The divide has created much tension between Hindus and Muslims, and hundreds of thousands are killed crossing borders. Half-Muslim, half-Hindu twelve-year-old Nisha doesn’t know where she belongs, or what her country is anymore. But even if her country has been ripped apart, Nisha still believes in the possibility of putting herself back together. 2019 Newbery Honor Book and Walter Honor Book, Younger Readers Category.

The real-life diaries of four New York teens read like episodes of Gossip Girl or The Hills and show that teen lit is more realistic than many adults want to imagine. The girls write candidly about their vulnerabilities and their mistakes.

Odysseus just wants to get home to his wife and son after being away for more than ten years fighting in the Trojan War. On his journey (odyssey) back, he encounters all manner of obstacles including a cyclops, temptresses, ghostly spirates, pirates, and a six-headed monster.Looking for companion text? Waiting for Odysseus by Clemence McLaren traces Odysseus’s journey through the eyes of the women in his life: his wife Penelope, the seductive Circe, the goddess Pallas Athene, and his childhood nurse Eurycleia.

How much would you allow someone else to suffer so that you could be happy? When the residents of Omelas, a place with no sadness, come of age, they are forced to make the decision: live happily but with the knowledge of someone’s extreme suffering or leave their beloved city.

This collection includes a variety of myths and lore from regions in West Africa. The title story features Chika and her evil stepmother, who forces Chika to get water from the river on the most ghostly day of the year.

One-half Guatemalan, one-half American: When Quijana’s Guatemalan cousins move to town, her dad seems ashamed that she doesn’t know more about her family’s heritage. One-half crush, one-half buddy: When Quijana meets Zuri and Jayden, she knows she’s found true friends. But she can’t help the growing feelings she has for Jayden. One-half kid, one-half grown-up: Quijana spends her nights Skyping with her ailing grandma and trying to figure out what’s going on with her increasingly hard-to-reach brother. In this coming of age novel, Quijana must figure out which parts of herself are most important, and which pieces come together to make her whole.

Sometimes the hardest thing about teaching isn’t the students—it’s the other teachers

Even educators who love what they do may find that their colleagues add stress to their already demanding jobs. Workplace bullying, cliques, fear-based leadership, and collective burnout are just some of the workplace dynamics that can make our jobs harder and diminish our ability to support students.

Psychological safety is the belief that you will not be humiliated, punished, or retaliated against for asking questions, expressing concerns, or trying new strategies—and it is essential for building teacher self and collective efficacy. The Other Teachers provides strategies to nurture psychologically safe relationships at work and create a more inclusive, supportive environment for all. 

The Jews were not the only people persecuted under Hitler’s orders. A series of personal stories from some of the non-Jews, including gypsies, political and religious activists, the physically challenged, and other “undesirables,” who were persecuted but escaped the fate of the five million Gentiles murdered by the Nazis.

Margaret Rose Kane loves her uncles, their house and their garden, but holds especially dear the magnificent artistic towers that they’ve built and added to over the past forty years. After her Uncle Alex rescues her from summer camp, Margaret Rose discovers the city council has ordered the demolition of the towers. Growing used to the idea of standing up for herself and what she believes in, Margaret Rose launches a plan to save the towers and art for art’s sake.

Interviews with artists provide insight into their work while building an appreciation for it. Rich language is used to describe its impact on viewers.