ALIA WAKING by Laura Williams McCaffrey (Clarion, 2003). In this debut novel, Alia, 12, hopes to be chosen as a keenteen, or warrior woman, when she turns thirteen. But then Alia and her best friend, Kay, capture two of the enemy, a boy and girl about their age, and are assigned to care for them in prison. As she gets to know the prisoners, Alia is forced to question her own assumptions and prejudices. A fast-paced adventure for fantasy fans. Ages 9-up. Recommendation by Frances Hill.
ALL OF THE ABOVE by Shelley Pearsall (Little Brown, 2006). Most of the teachers at Washington Middle School are ready to give up, including math teacher Mr. Collins. In desperation, he proposes that his students build the world's largest tetrahedron. Told in alternating points of view of four students, Mr. Collins, and one or two other adults, this is a fun and heartwarming look at a group and community coming together for a cause. Plus, how can you not love a book that has barbecue recipes? Ages 9-up. Recommendation by Greg Leitich Smith. Read The Story Behind the Story from Shelley Pearsall.
ANGELS ON THE ROOF by Martha Moore (Delacorte, 1997). Shelby tries to unravel the mystery of her father's identity and figure out why her mom, obsessed with Georgia O'Keefe, can't stay in one place. Ages 8-up.
ASK ME NO QUESTIONS by Marina Budhos (Atheneum, 2006). Nadira, 14, has always been the plump one, the less-bright one, the dim light behind the shining star of her older sister Aisha, 18. After September 11, their family of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh seeks asylum in Canada. They are turned away at the border, and Abba (father) is arrested. As time passes and hope grows dim, it's Nadira who must find her voice and make people see her, believe in her--and accept. Ages 10-up. Read The Story Behind The Story from Marina Budhos.
THE BIRCHBARK HOUSE by Louise Erdrich (Ojibway)
(Hyperion, 1999). Touching on the same era as the Little House Books
by Laura Ingalls Wilder, this first book in a planned triology is in
some ways Erdrich's answer to the imbalance in the way Native-white
relations have historically been portrayed in children's literature.
Readers will be engaged by appealing protagonist, Omakayas, educated
by this glimpse at Ojibway daily life, and perhaps inspired to look
at history with an eye to different points of view. Elegant writing.
Ages 8-12. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Don’t miss the sequel, THE GAME OF SILENCE (HarperCollins, 2005).
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF A THIRD-WORLD KIND by Jennifer J. Stewart (Holiday House, 2004). Annie Ferris is hauled off, along with her mother and younger sister, to a remote Himalayan country by her father, to spend two months on a medical mission. There she meets Nirmala, a local girl, and experiences (first-hand) yak cheese and why you should never take a shortcut. A funny story of family, friendship, and culture shock. Ages 8-up. Recommendation by Greg Leitich Smith.
DANCING IN CADILLAC LIGHT by Kimberly Willis Holt (Putnam, 2001). It's the summer of 1968, and the street in front of Racine and Jaynell's house in Moon, Texas, is just about to be paved. Their grandpap leaves his "homeplace" and moves in with the family because they're afraid he's losing it. Grandpap likes to plant sugar cane, is civil to the Pickenses, and likes to visit the cemetery and talk with the occupants. Then he buys a '62 emerald green Cadillac, turns on the headlights for Racine to dance, and teaches Jaynell how to drive.... Ages 8-12.
DOVE DREAM by Hendle Rumbaut (Chickasaw) (Houghton Mifflin, 1994). In the summer of 1963, Eleanor "Dove" Derrysaw, age 13, is sent to live with her aunt in Kansas. Eleanor comes of age with her first romance, her first job, and a greater appreciation of her Chickasaw heritage while looking to her aunt's life for inspiration. Ages 8-up.
DUST
FROM OLD BONES by Sandra Forrester (Morrow Junior Books, 1999). Simone
Racine at first envies her lighter cousin Claire-Marie. But then Claire-Marie's
Creole father leaves her and her mother in sudden poverty. This triggers
Simone's realization that their lighter coloring is at best a mixed blessing
as well as also the need to free the slaves they're intending to sell. Throughout,
Simone struggles with her heritage — black and white — and the contrary
rules for those living in between. A fascinating period in New Orleans history.
Ages 10-up.
EACH LITTLE BIRD THAT SINGS by Deborah Wiles (Harcourt, 2005). Comfort Snowberger, age 10, and her family "live to serve." As owners of a small-town funeral home, they honor the dead and support those left behind. Comfort has grown-up sensitive but matter-of-fact about death, even when it strikes those she loves most. Her cousin Peach, on the other hand, is a messy, mortifying disaster, a burden and an embarrassment, and her best friend Declaration at times a prickly mystery. Not that Comfort is left to cope alone. She has a family, a whole community behind her, and the world's best funeral dog, Dismay. Ages 8-12. More on this title from Cynsations.
F IS FOR FABULOSO by Marie G. Lee (Avon, 1999). Jin-Ha's teachers assume she must be performing amazing well in math class because . . . well, don't all Asian Americans? But in this stereotype-busting story, they're wrong. Jin-Ha is smart, but it doesn't come naturally to her, and having an incompentent teacher just makes matters worse. But when she lies to her immigrant parents about the F on her test, will a bully turn friend? And will Jin-Ha ever manage to set things right? A sweet, fairly quiet, sometimes funny novel. Ages 10-up.
THE FLOATING CIRCUS by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer (Bloomsbury, 2008). Thirteen year old Owen and his eight year old brother Zachary are orphans in 1852 Pittsburgh. Not long after the pair are to be sent west on an orphan train (in the hopes that they will be adopted by farm families), Owen falls out of an elm tree and breaks his arm. Fearing he'll be crippled for life, and knowing that under such circumstances he'll be useless as a farm hand, Owen concludes that the only way for Zachary to be adopted is if he leaves. Owen absconds from the train as it's departing and ends up on a giant circus river boat. There, he's befriended by Solomon, a freedman who works as an animal keeper and general custodian/maintenance man. As the boat travels south to New Orleans, Owen is exposed to unexpected cruelties and kindnesses, and his eyes are ultimately opened to the realities of the itinerant circus life (as well as the horrors of slavery), as he comes to realize where he belongs in the world. In this superb and bittersweet novel, Zimmer gives readers an unvarnished and textured glimpse into the world of 1852, as Owen encounters yellow fever, storms at sea, freaks, slave catchers, and auctioneers. The friendship between Owen and Solomon feels real and the characters are developed with virtues and vices alike, as the story builds to a poignant, yet hopeful, conclusion. Ages 8-up. Recommendation by Greg Leitich Smith.
FLYING LESSONS by Kezi Matthews (Cricket, 2002). After LaMarr's showgirl mother literally flies away with a boyfriend, she finds herself living with her supportive uncle and his judgmental wife. Here, LaMarr makes new friends, including a boarder, George McClendon Tyler, who writes pulp westerns, and the enigmatic Truly. A wonderfully character driven southern story, much in the tradition of Matthews' other work. Ages 10-up.
FREE BASEBALL by Sue Corbett (Dutton, 2006). Felix loves baseball and longs for the day when his father, who's a baseball star in Cuba, will join him and his mother in Florida. When a team with a couple of players who might be Cuban comes to town, Felix takes advantage of being mistaken for the bat boy to stow away in the team bus. Exciting and heartfelt--a home run! Ages 8-up. More on this title from Cynsations.
HOLES by Louis Sachar (Farrar, 1998). The fourth generation Stanley Yelnats is unjustly sent to a bleak juvenile detention camp, in which residents are forced to dig five feet long by five feet deep holes every day in the hot Texas sun. Will the Yelnats family ever shake the curse that saddled them with so much bad luck? A sometimes dark, sometimes amusing contemporary tall tale with as much bite as energy. HOLES has been named a recipient of the National Book Award and the Newbery Award. Ages 9-up. Sachar's other books include DOGS DON'T TELL JOKES, SIDEWAYS STORIES FROM WAYSIDE SCHOOL, and the MARVIN REDPOST series.
HUGGING THE ROCK by Susan Taylor Brown (Tricycle Press, 2006). When Rachel's mom runs away from home, she's left to make sense of it with her best friend, the family dog, and her father ("the rock"). This novel in poems is a rare and powerful father-daughter book. It's also a whole-heart book. You feel your whole heart break and re-knit as you read. It's that good. Ages 9-up. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Read The Story Behind The Story from Susan Taylor Brown.
IN THE SHADE OF THE NISPERO TREE by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand (Orchard, 1999). Teresa, 9, is caught between the mother who wants her to attend an exclusive school as a member of high society, and her father, who doesn't want her to become a snob. Because of her own lies, she runs from her old life, following her mother's wishes, and losing the friend who is dearest to her. This poignant novel, set in 1960s Puerto Rico, is at once the story of one very realized girl and an exploration of the complexity of class and ethnicity. Ages 8-up.
A JAR OF DREAMS by Yoshiko Uchida (Atheneum, 1981). Rinko wishes that she didn’t stick out because of her Japanese-America heritage. She wants to be like everyone else. A visit from Aunt Waka and her Japanese lessons and ways changes Rinko’s mind about who she is. Set during the depression in California. Ages 8-up.
JULIA'S KITCHEN by Brenda A. Ferber (FSG, 2006). Cara was away, visiting her best friend on the night of the fire. That's why she wasn't at home, why she doesn't have all the answers. Why did her mom and little sister have to die? How could Dad have escaped when they didn't? Why won't he talk to her now? All these years, Cara thought she and God had an understanding. How could He have abandoned her family? As Cara struggles to understand, she realizes what she can do. She can save Julia's Kitchen, the baking business her mom left behind. An honest, heartfelt story of grief, healing, and wrestling with faith. Ages 9-up. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. More on this title from Cynsations.
JUST PEOPLE AND OTHER POEMS FOR YOUNG READERS & PAPER/PEN/POEM: A YOUNG WRITER'S WAY TO BEGIN WITH POEMS by Kathi Appelt, photographs by Kenneth Appelt (Absey, 1997). Great for teachers and writers of all ages. Kathi is recommended as a speaker and writing workshop leader. Ages 8-up.
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"I tell people I am an expert on yellow fever, but it is a shame there seems to be little demand for one."