Picture Books
by Andrea Wang
While driving our old Pontiac around rural Ohio one day, my parents saw a crop of watercress growing in the ditch. We all piled out and gathered fistfuls of the plant, putting them in discarded paper bags. We took them home and added them to our meals.
But I'm tired of eating scavenged food, wearing hand-me-down clothes, and filling our house with trash-heap furniture. I want to eat food from the grocery store. I want to look and dress like the other girls in my class. I don't want to be embarrassed to invite people to our home anymore. Mom sees my frustration, brings me a photo of her childhood family, and tells me about her life in China.
Based on the true story of the author's experience as an Asian American, this multiple award-winning book is about perspective and learning to be grateful for what you have, even if it feels like very little.
by Caroline Starr Rose
In the 1880s, only two percent of the world's journalists were women. With the immense popularity of Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days readers were fascinated with the idea of global travel. Technological advancements like the telegraph and steamboat were changing the landscape of the entire world, making it feel faster and smaller. In this age of discovery, two relatively unknown female reporters attempted to do something no woman, nor man, for that matter, had ever done before: travel all the way around the world in less than 75 days. It was a race to the finish line that only one of them could win. Which woman would it be?
Against all odds, Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland made the voyage of a lifetime. This is their story.
by Emma Bland Smith
It all started when a British pig wandered onto the fields of an American potato farmer. The year was 1859, nearly fifty years after the two countries had signed the Treaty of Ghent. And yet, because of the still-looming bad blood between the Brits and his fellow Yanks, farmer Lyman killed the pig and had him for dinner. This porcine feast put the two countries at odds once again. Troops were gathered, guns were loaded, and battle plans were drawn up. On one hot September day off the coast of the small island of San Juan, the two frienemies faced a choice: Do we fight to the death, or can we lower our weapons and agree to share the hotly-contested land?
This is a true story that gives new meaning to the words "That escalated quickly!"
by Caron Levis
When kind-hearted Charlie arrives at the animal rescue center, he's nearly blind. He must learn new ways to see. Jack, on the other hand, has two healthy eyes but struggles to see the good in others because of some past trauma at the hands of his previous owner. In time, the pair develop an unlikely friendship. Jack becomes Charlie's eyes, and Charlie helps Jack learn to trust again.
Inspired by the real relationship between Charlie, a blind horse, and Jack, a socially awkward goat--two animals at Wild Heart Ranch Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Claremore, Oklahoma--this is a story of love, patience, recovery, and unexpected friendship.
Leveled Readers
by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
Baby Bear needs a hug. She first turns to Mom, then to Dad. Both of them give such wonderful hugs. Sometimes they're big; sometimes they're small. Sometimes they're wet; sometimes they're dry. She likes all the hugs. But the most special hug of all, she discovers, is one given by them both--a hug for three!
This Level 1 rhyming reader contains a mix of declarative, exclamatory, and interrogative sentences, each with three to five words.
Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie
by Peter and Connie Roop
Mother has fallen ill. Father embarks on a perilous journey to the mainland for medicine, food, and supplies, leaving his young daughter Abbie in charge of tending the lighthouse. Shortly after he sets sail in their small skiff, a ferocious storm batters their island. Waves pound the shore for four weeks. Despite the overwhelming circumstances, Abbie dutifully lights the lamps each night, a testament to the vital role of lighthouse keeping in maritime history.
This book, based on the true story of Abbie Burgess, tells of a young girl's heroism during the devastating 1856 storm off the coast of Maine.
Illustrated Chapter Books
by Laura James
A small dachshund hound named Gizmo moves to the village of Puddle. Here, he meets Jilly, an Irish wolfhound, and her four puppies, who are soon to be adopted and sent to homes all across the country. Distraught over the possibility of never seeing her pups again, Jilly begs Gizmo for help. The "sausage dog," as he's affectionately called, determines to keep the pups nearby and launches The Daily Bark, a newspaper just for dogs. Will his efforts to spread the word to other pooches and their owners work? Will he be able to find new local homes for Jilly’s brood?
by Jean Fritz
Ann Hamilton wants her old life back. She and her family have just settled in the western part of Pennsylvania, a frontier country. Hamilton Hill is so different from her bustling hometown of Gettysburg. She misses her friends, going to school, and the conveniences of the East. But as the days quietly pass, an unexpected visitor—a soldier named George Washington—arrives. He helps Ann realize that adventure can be found anywhere.
This historical fiction will encourage readers to choose family first and to endure hardships with hope.
Parents, Be Aware
by Daniel Pinkwater
While looking out the window of their high-rise apartment one day, siblings Nick and Maxine notice a tiny cottage nestled in the heart of the city. “Who lives there?” they wonder. They learn that it’s none other than Mrs. Noodlekugel, a wonderfully eccentric old woman with a magical, talking cat. Though their parents explicitly instruct them not to go to the cottage, the children disobey. At first, they wonder if she is a witch. As it turns out, however, she’s just a grandmotherly type who tells fantastical stories and bakes tasty treats. Fans of Miss Piggle Wiggle will enjoy the magical realism of this story, the first in a series of 3 books. I have not read the sequels.
Things to know: When trying to gather more information about their mysterious neighbor, the children consult the apartment janitor, who tells them all about Mrs. N. but cautions them not to tell their parents about his conversation with them. Additionally, when their mom and dad learn that the children have directly disobeyed them, the parents rejoice. They reveal that since Mrs. Noodlekugel is to be the new babysitter for the siblings, they want the kids to get to know and begin to like her. Essentially, they prohibited Nick and Maxine from going to the cottage, knowing full well that the pair would disobey them.
Just for you, Mom
by Stacey Lee
By day, Chinese American Jo Kuan works as a maid to the privileged and temperamental daughter of a southern aristocrat. At night and in her free time, she writes an anonymous advice column for the town newspaper under the pseudonym Miss Sweetie.
As her column gains traction and starts to make a real difference, Jo's security is put in jeopardy. She has helped, challenged, and offended the women of Atlanta's high society, and they naturally want to meet and/or confront her. Little do they know, she is a destitute Asian American squatting in the basement of the newspaper office, taking care of her aging uncle, yet her words are shaking the foundations of their world.
This compelling YA novel delves into the universal themes of racial and gender inequality, shedding light on the struggles of Chinese Americans during the post-Reconstruction era of the Deep South.