| The Year I Flew Away by Marie ArnoldWhat it's about: Tired of dealing with confusing English and mean kids, 10-year-old Haitian immigrant Gabrielle strikes a deal with a witch who promises to help her fit in as a perfect American -- but at what cost?
Read it for: a vivid setting (New York City in 1985) and an enchanting blend of fantasy and reality.
You might also like: Kelly Yang's Front Desk, another historical fiction book about an immigrant girl adjusting to her new home. |
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| One Jar of Magic by Corey Ann HayduWelcome to: Belling Bright, where 12-year-old Rose can finally join her family in the town's annual magic-capturing day, when they collect the magic they use all year.
What happens: Although Rose expects to be a natural, just like her famously skilled dad, she captures only one tiny jar of magic -- along with her dad's scorn.
Why you might like it: You'll feel for Rose as she reconsiders the importance of magic and realizes some tough truths about her family. |
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| Super Turbo Saves the Day! by Edgar J. PowersWhat it's about: By day, Turbo the hamster is a classroom pet. But by night, he's a cape-wearing member of the Superpet Superhero League.
Who it's for: fans of Ben Clanton's Narwhal and Jelly series, as well as anyone who prefers superheroes who are small, furry, and laugh-out-loud funny.
Series alert: Based on the chapter books by Kirby Lee, this colorful graphic novel is the 1st in a series. |
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| Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids by Cynthia Leitich Smith, editorWhat it's about: at the Dance for Mother Earth Powwow, Native kids from different nations across North America come together to connect, dance, laugh, and remember.
How it's told: each chapter is a new story from a different Native author, with a shared setting and overlapping characters to link them all together.
What happens: cousins unite, frenemies clash, a kid meets his biological brother, another kid survives a wild road trip with his elders, and a rez dog observes the humans. |
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Rescue by Jennifer A. NielsenWhat it is: a thrilling World War II story of espionage and intrigue, as one girl races to save her father and aid the French resistance. What happens: rescuing an injured British spy found hiding in her grandmother’s barn, Meg agrees to guide a family of German refugees across occupied France to Spain in exchange for her father’s freedom from a Nazi prison. Read it for: Whom should Meg trust? Has she interpreted her father's recent coded letter correctly? Is she leading her group into or away from danger?
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Wild river : a novel by W. R. PhilbrickWhat it's about: awakened by a scream on the first night of a whitewater rafting trip, Daniel discovers that a nearby dam has failed and that his camp is on the brink of flooding, forcing him and his young teammates to escape and make their way to safety without adult help. Why you'll like it: readers are sent rushing down a raging river on a life-or-death adventure when a white water rafting trip goes terribly wrong! It's filled with adrenaline-pumping adventure and moments of true bravery.
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| Stepping Stones by Lucy KnisleyWhat it’s about: as if it wasn’t bad enough that Jen and her mom moved from the city to Peapod Farm (where Jen is stuck with a whole mess of new chores), Jen also has to put up with her mom’s insensitive boyfriend and his too-perfect daughter Andy. Don’t miss: the scribbly pages from Jen’s notebook, where she pours out her feelings as they change.
For fans of: the realistic graphic novels of Victoria Jamieson, Svetlana Chmakova, and Vera Brosgol. |
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Blended
by Sharon M. Draper
What it's about: even though her divorced parents still love her, 11-year-old piano player Isabella feels torn between her wealthy Black dad and her working-class white mom.
Read it for: a true-to-life character dealing with relatable problems at home and at school.
Why fans of New Kid might like it: the main characters in both books face down racism (in big and small ways) while figuring out who they are apart from how other people see them.
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New kid by Jerry CraftStarring: seventh grader Jordan Banks - he loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. What it's about: enrolled in a prestigious private school where he is one of only a few students of color, Jordan finds himself torn between the worlds of his Washington Heights apartment home and the upscale circles of Riverdale Academy. Awards: Winner of the Newbery Medal, Coretta Scott King Author Award, and Kirkus Prize for Young Readers Literature
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| The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca SteadWhat it's about: Twelve-year-old Bea looks back on the last few years of her life, describing her parents’ divorce, her dad’s marriage to his boyfriend Jesse, her hope of bonding with new stepsister Sonia, and some stuff she’s not proud of.
Why you might like it: Bea’s messy feelings -- excitement, anger, embarrassment, stress -- are so believable that you’ll feel like she’s a real person you know. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books for ages 8-11!
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