YOUNGER CHILDREN
Just Right Family: An Adoption Story by Silvia Lopez
Meili, who is six years old and adopted from China, learns that her parents are going to adopt a baby from Haiti. Meili isn’t happy. Their family is just right as it is. But as Meili begins to accept the idea of a sibling, she realizes the importance of being a big sister and finds that a new addition can be just right for their family too.
Just Being Jackie by Margaret Cardillo
Jackie Kennedy was an American icon of style and grace—but there was steel under that style. Her poise under fire, intelligence, and tireless work as First Lady earned her the respect of leaders worldwide and made her beloved by generations.
Jackie’s legacy also extended beyond her time in public life. She was a talented journalist, a preservationist who secured the legacy of national landmarks, and an editor of award-winning books.
Peaceful Fights for Equal Rights by Rob Sanders
Protesting. Standing up for what’s right. Uniting around the common good—kids have questions about all of these things they see and hear about each day. Through sparse and lyrical writing, Rob Sanders introduces abstract concepts like “fighting for what you believe in” and turns them into something actionable. Jared Schorr’s bold, bright illustrations brings the resistance to life making it clear that one person can make a difference. And together, we can accomplish anything.
OLDER CHILDREN
Charlie Hernandez and the League of Shadows by Ryan Calejo
Charlie Hernández has always been proud of his Latin American heritage. He loves the culture, the art, and especially the myths. Thanks to his abuela’s stories, Charlie possesses an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the monsters and ghouls who have spent the last five hundred years haunting the imaginations of children all across the Iberian Peninsula, as well as Central and South America. And even though his grandmother sometimes hinted that the tales might be more than mere myth, Charlie’s always been a pragmatist. Even barely out of diapers, he knew the stories were just make-believe—nothing more than intricately woven fables meant to keep little kids from misbehaving.
But when Charlie begins to experience freaky bodily manifestations—ones all too similar to those described by his grandma in his favorite legend—he is suddenly swept up in a world where the mythical beings he’s spent his entire life hearing about seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Hispanic folklore and into his life. And even stranger, they seem to know more about him than he knows about himself.
Astronaut-Aquanaut: How Space Science and Sea Science Interact by Jennifer Swanson
Space and the ocean. If you don’t think they go together, think again! Both deep-sea and space explorers have to worry about pressure, temperature, climate, and most importantly, how to survive in a remote and hostile environment. Join us on an amazing journey as we go up in space with astronauts and dive deep down in the ocean with aquanauts to explore the far-off places of our planet and the solar system.
With a strong tie into STEM topics—such as making connections, making comparisons, and recognizing patterns across content areas—readers will discover the amazing science and incredible innovations that allow humans (and sometimes only machines) to survive in these harsh environments.
YOUNG ADULT
My Real Name Is Hanna by Tara Lynn Masih
Hanna Slivka is on the cusp of fourteen when Hitler’s army crosses the border into Soviet-occupied Ukraine. Soon, the Gestapo closes in, determined to make the shtetele she lives in “free of Jews.” Until the German occupation, Hanna spent her time exploring Kwasova with her younger siblings, admiring the drawings of the handsome Leon Stadnick, and helping her neighbor dye decorative pysanky eggs. But now she, Leon, and their families are forced to flee and hide in the forest outside their shtetele—and then in the dark caves beneath the rolling meadows, rumored to harbor evil spirits. Underground, they battle sickness and starvation, while the hunt continues above. When Hanna’s father disappears, suddenly it’s up to Hanna to find him—and to find a way to keep the rest of her family, and friends, alive.
Sparse, resonant, and lyrical, weaving in tales of Jewish and Ukrainian folklore, My Real Name Is Hanna celebrates the sustaining bonds of family, the beauty of a helping hand, and the tenacity of the human spirit.
Knowing When to Leave by Kristina Neihouse
In January 2016 Josie McKenzie, a senior at Key West High School, decides to keep a journal. What follows is a chaotic year as South Florida and the United States are overcome by a mysterious virus and a destructive hurricane season. Almost fifteen years later Josie’s journal is discovered and read by one living in a drastically altered world. In this dystopian near-future novel, about a world coping with catastrophic climate change, Kristina Neihouse introduces us to a young person facing impossible choices with no way to foresee the consequences. We also meet representatives of a new race of beings uniquely equipped to inhabit a changed planet.
