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Click below to see the other books in each age band.
BIRTH TO 4
GRADES K TO 2
GRADES 3 TO 5
GRADES 6 TO 8
GRADES 9 TO 12
ADULT
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Siblings Con and Sofie’s mom promised that nothing would ever come between them–but when she disappears without any warning, she becomes the one who’s tearing them apart. With no one else to rely on, inseparable siblings Con and Sofie must decide who they can trust, and whether or not it’s safe to share their hearts with family members who have the power to hurt them. Sofie has always turned to Con–and to books–during times of upheaval in their unstable lives. But as their mother is arrested and their guardianship becomes uncertain, Sofie will have to find hope in the most important story of all: her own. Moranville’s captivating and vulnerable prose explores the ways in which addiction’s ripple effects pass through generations and how familial bonds can remain unbreakable through the most difficult circumstances. Expertly grappling with difficult topics at an age-appropriate level, this novel is a sensitive, nuanced exploration of children’s enduring resilience and optimism.
I Felt Myself Slipping
by Ray Nadine
When level-ten gymnast Riley Glass joins the team at Station Six Gymnastics, she finds unexpected friendship in fellow gymnast Kota Iwamoto as the pair strive toward their Olympian dreams together. After losing her dad in a car accident, Riley moves to Stephon, Illinois, where she struggles to fit in with the other gymnasts. She misses her friends back home and is cautious of making new friendships at Station Six, which is made all the more difficult as she's hard of hearing and none of her new teammates know ASL. When she meets Kota, Riley is surprised by Kota’s effort in learning ASL in order to communicate with her. Kota is determined to make Riley feel more at home, even though she struggles with her own fears and anxieties. Kota wants to be the best gymnast and make it all the way to the Olympics, but her fears of getting injured could stand in the way of achieving her goals. As they make their way to the prestigious U.S. Classic gymnastics event, their future as friends and as gymnasts will be put to the test.
Kareem Between
by Shifa Saltagi Safadi
Seventh grade begins, and Kareem’s already fumbled it. His best friend moved away, he messed up his tryout for the football team, and because of his heritage, he was voluntold to show the new kid—a Syrian refugee with a thick and embarrassing accent—around school. Just when Kareem thinks his middle school life has imploded, the hotshot QB promises to get Kareem another tryout for the squad. There’s a catch: to secure that chance, Kareem must do something he knows is wrong. Then, like a surprise blitz, Kareem’s mom returns to Syria to help her family but can’t make it back home. If Kareem could throw a penalty flag on the fouls of his school and home life, it would be for unnecessary roughness. Kareem is stuck between. Between countries. Between friends, between football, between parents—and between right and wrong. It’s up to him to step up, find his confidence, and navigate the beauty and hope found somewhere in the middle.
Rare Birds
by Jeff Miller
Twelve-year-old Graham Dodds is no stranger to hospital waiting rooms. Sometimes, he feels like his entire life is one big waiting room. Waiting for the next doctor to tell them what’s wrong with his mom. Waiting to find out what city they’re moving to next. Waiting to see if they will finally get their miracle—a heart transplant to save his mom’s life. When Graham gets stuck in Florida for the summer, he meets a girl named Lou at the hospital, and he finds a friend who needs a distraction as much as he does. She tells him about a contest to find the endangered Snail Kite, which resides in the local gator-filled swamps. Together they embark on an adventure, searching for the rare bird . . . and along the way, Graham might just find something else—himself.
Stage Fright
by Wendy Parris
When Avery returns to her hometown after moving away a year earlier, she is hoping to jump back into her friend group as if nothing’s changed. Unfortunately, new interests, secret crushes, and changing dynamics get in her way. To reunite her BFFs, she suggests they host a séance at an abandoned theater that was the site of a horrible tragedy. What starts as a fun outing, soon becomes a fight for survival after the group gets locked in…and discovers they’re not alone.
The Labors of Hercules Beal
by Gary D. Schmidt
Herc Beal knows who he's named after—a mythical hero—but he's no superhero. He's the smallest kid in his class. So when his homeroom teacher at his new middle school gives him the assignment of duplicating the mythical Hercules's amazing feats in real life, he's skeptical. After all, there are no Nemean Lions on Cape Cod—and not a single Hydra in sight. Missing his parents terribly and wishing his older brother wasn't working all the time, Herc figures out how to take his first steps along the road that the great Hercules himself once walked. Soon, new friends, human and animal, are helping him. And though his mythical role model performed his twelve labors by himself, Herc begins to see that he may not have to go it alone.