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Camper rolls along a road above the book name
Sally J. Pla

The Someday Birds

Genre:
Fiction
Age Level:
Middle Grade

Charlie’s perfectly ordinary life has been unraveling ever since his war journalist father was injured in Afghanistan. When his father heads from California to Virginia for medical treatment, Charlie reluctantly travels cross-country with his boy-crazy sister, unruly brothers, and a mysterious new family friend. This story is equal parts madcap road trip, coming-of-age story for an autistic boy who feels he doesn’t understand the world, and an uplifting portrait of a family overcoming a crisis.

Cityscape under color sky and clouds
Alechia Dow

The Sound of Stars

Genre:
Fantasy, Science fiction / Dystopian
Age Level:
YA

Two years ago, a misunderstanding between the leaders of Earth and the invading Ilori resulted in the deaths of one-third of the world's population. Today, seventeen-year-old Ellie Baker survives in an Ilori-controlled center in New York City. With humans deemed dangerously volatile because of their initial reaction to the invasion, emotional expression can be grounds for execution. Music, art and books are illegal, but Ellie still keeps a secret library. When young Ilori commander M0Rr1S finds Ellie's library, he's duty-bound to deliver her for execution. The trouble is, he finds himself drawn to human music and in desperate need of more. Humanity's fate rests in the hands of an alien Ellie should fear, but M0Rr1S has a potential solution — thousands of miles away. The two embark on a wild and dangerous journey with a bag of books and their favorite albums, all the while creating a story and a song of their own that just might save them both.

Anne Fadiman

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down

Genre:
Nonfiction
Age Level:
YA

This non-fiction account of a medical crisis in the Hmong community is as compelling as any novel. When baby Lia is born to a Hmong family, she shows signs of possibly epilepsy. Conflicting medical opinions between the traditional Hmong and the American medical establishment show that neither side is completely right.

The Spread of Hate and Extremism
Robert M. Henderson

The Spread of Hate and Extremism

Genre:
Nonfiction
Age Level:
YA

“A measured, journalistic approach to a critical topic that affects our society. Henderson explores a variety of extremist groups, their origins, how they recruit, and the ways they communicate…The internet, especially the dark web, is examined for how it is used to spread hostility. The personal stories of those who turned away from their involvement in hate groups are compelling, giving insight into what attracted and then repelled them. Finally, suggestions for how to monitor, respond to, and confront groups and individuals are provided. This valuable narrative is enhanced by photographs and information sidebars. The book is well-sourced, providing an overall look at the topic while pointing to additional resources for more in-depth study.” — Kirkus Reviews

The Stars and the Blackness Between Them
Junauda Petrus

The Stars and the Blackness Between Them

Genre:
Fiction
Age Level:
YA

Told in two distinct and irresistible voices, Junauda Petrus’s bold and lyrical debut is the story of two black girls from very different backgrounds finding love and happiness in a world that seems determined to deny them both.

Port of Spain, Trinidad. Sixteen-year-old Audre is despondent, having just found out she’s going to be sent to live in America with her father because her strictly religious mother caught her with her secret girlfriend, the pastor’s daughter. Audre’s grandmother Queenie (who has a few secrets of her own) tries to reassure her granddaughter that she won’t lose her roots, not even in some place called Minneapolis. America have dey spirits too, she tells Audre.

Minneapolis, USA. Sixteen-year-old Mabel is lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling and trying to figure out why she feels the way she feels — about her ex Terrell, about her girl Jada and that moment they had in the woods, and about the vague feeling of illness that’s plagued her all summer. Mabel’s reverie is cut short when her father announces that his best friend and his just-arrived-from-Trinidad daughter are coming for dinner.

Mabel quickly falls hard for Audre and is determined to take care of her as she tries to navigate an American high school. But their romance takes a turn when test results reveal exactly why Mabel has been feeling low-key sick all summer. Suddenly it’s Audre who is caring for Mabel as she faces a deeply uncertain future.

The Stars Beneath Our Feet
David Barclay Moore

The Stars Beneath Our Feet

Genre:
Fiction
Age Level:
Middle Grade

West Indian Lolly Rachpaul, twelve, still reeling from the shooting death of his older brother, begins to find his own way—without gang alliances—when his mother’s girlfriend’s gift of Legos allows him to build a fantastical city at a Harlem community center.

Cambodian girl wearing bracelets holding a crystal orb
Minfong Ho

The Stone Goddess

Genre:
Historical Fiction
Age Level:
Middle Grade

Set during the Sixties during the Vietnam War, this story is about 12-year-old Nakri when the Khmer Rouge takes over Cambodia. She and her siblings are forced to work in a labor camp until the Vietnamese army liberates the camp, and two surviving family members go to a refugee camp on Thailand’s border. Eventually they immigrate to the U.S. and it is Nakri’s prowess in dancing that helps her survive the trauma.

The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone
Timothy Basil Ering

The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone

Genre:
Fiction
Age Level:
Middle Grade

Once upon a time, in a gray endless place called Cementland, a boy finds a treasure box. It’s filled with tiny specks and a wrinkled note that says, “Put these wondrous riches in the earth and enjoy.” But a special treasure requires a special guardian, so the boy conjures a creature to protect the specks: Frog Belly Rat Bone. 

Kate Chopin

The Story of an Hour

Genre:
Fiction, Short Stories
Age Level:
YA

This powerful story concerns a wife who learns that her overbearing husband has been killed. The short period of mourning turns to the hope of her new freedom - but then comes the very unexpected climax.