Book Finder

A powerful true story that introduces young readers to the history of the Stonewall Inn and its role in the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement. The 1969 raid of the inn empowered members of the LGBTQ+ community to protest and demand their equal rights as citizens of the United States. 

If you plant bulbs and seeds and nurture their growth, you can grow a rainbow! Bright collage illustrations of flowers introduce young children to nature’s cycle and the colors of the rainbow.

Discover how 40 influential Latinas became the women we celebrate today in this collection of short biographies from all over Latin America and the U.S. From Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to singer Selena Quintanilla to NASA’s first virtual reality engineer, Evelyn Miralles, this is a book for aspiring artists, scientists, activists, and more. 

Zaha Hadid grew up in Baghdad, Iraq, and dreamed of designing her own cities. After studying architecture in London, she opened her own studio and started designing buildings. But as a Muslim woman, Hadid faced many obstacles. Determined to succeed, she worked hard for many years, and achieved her goals — and now you can see the buildings Hadid has designed all over the world.

Ida B. Wells was an educator, journalist, feminist, businesswoman, newspaper owner, public speaker, suffragist, civil rights activist, and women’s club leader. She was a founder of the NAACP, the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs, the Alpha Suffrage Club, and the Negro Fellowship League. She wrote, spoke, and traveled, challenging the racist and sexist norms of her time.

A guide to the science behind reading and its practical implications for classroom teaching in primary schools. The book explores the key technical and practical aspects of how children read with strong links to theory and how to translate this into the classroom. Bite-size chapters offer accessible research-informed ideas across all major key topics including phonics, comprehension, teaching children with reading difficulties and strategies for the classroom.

This is the story of 17-time Paralympic medalist Tatyana McFadden. Born with spina bifida in Russia, Tatyana was raised in an orphanage where she walked on her hands for the first six years of her life. In 1994, she was adopted and moved to the .S., where she started racing and breaking records; and is now considered the best female wheelchair racer of all time, and the fastest woman on Earth. This is the first book in the non-fiction Paralympians picture book series about 4 champions who do things their own way and are reinventing sport.

This child and their parent are almost ready for story time – but first, they must find the perfect seat! This cozy picture book takes readers through various opposites (“Too rough! Too slippery!”) as characters search for just the right spot.

Indian American middle schooler Reha navigates growth and loss in this 1980s coming-of-age novel in verse. Thirteen-year-old Reha deals with ordinary concerns; she tries to stay true to her Indian culture while growing up with in the United States, and she grapples with a crush on a classmate. When her mother suddenly gets sick with leukemia, Reha’s ordinary everyday concerns fade away and are replaced with the belief that if she is as virtuous as possible, she will save her mother’s life. 

The loving story of a boy’s life on the U.S.-Mexico border, visiting his favorite places on The Other Side / El Otro Lado with his father, spending time with family and friends, and sharing in the responsibility of community care. Also see the book in Spanish: Mis dos pueblos fronterizos (opens in a new window).

Jez and Jay have always been fascinated by the African American folk magic that has been the legacy of their family for generations — especially the curious potions and powders Doc and Gran would make for the people on their island. But Jez soon finds out that her family’s true power goes far beyond small charms and elixirs. The bookblends mystical elements with historical ones for a novel that explores Gullah culture as well as the social upheavals of the 1960s.

A fascinating bilingual picture book biography of Peruvian archaeologist and national icon Julio C. Tello, who unearthed Peru’s ancient cultures and fostered pride in the country’s Indigenous history.

What do you do when an octopus captures Grandma? Put on your superhero cape and rescue her! This clever picture book tells two stories in one.

When a deadly plague reaches the small fish camp where he lives, an orphan named Leif is forced to take to the water in a cedar canoe. He flees northward, following a wild, fjord-riven shore, navigating from one danger to the next, unsure of his destination. Yet the deeper into his journey he paddles, the closer he comes to his truest self as he connects to “the heartbeat of the ocean … the pulse of the sea.”

When 13-year-old Tai Pham inherits his grandmother’s jade ring, he soon finds out it’s more than it appears. Suddenly he’s being inducted into a group of space cops known as the Green Lanterns, his neighborhood is being overrun by some racist bullies, and every time he puts pen to paper, he’s forced to confront that he might not be creative enough or strong enough to uphold his ba’s legacy.

The sheer bliss of settling into a good book without being interrupted by spoilers! A boy is so excited and filled with anticipation to read a good book, yet each time he begins a new one, lively animals share their favorite parts and ruin the story for him. From birds to bears to giraffes, everyone has an opinion they want to share with him about the book he is reading.

Iris loves to push the elevator buttons in her apartment building, except when it’s time to share the fun with her baby brother. That is, until the sudden appearance of a mysterious new button that opens up imaginary places where she can escape and explore on her own. 

A young Black boy wrestles with conflicting notions of revolution and family loyalty as he becomes involved with the Black Panthers in 1968 Chicago. Thirteen-year-old Sam Childs finds himself caught between his father (a well-known civil rights leader) and his older brother, Stick, who joins the Black Panther Party. When escalating racial tensions throw Sam’s community into turmoil, he faces a difficult decision. Will Sam choose to follow his father, or his brother? His mind, or his heart? The rock, or the river? (For middle grade readers and older.)

Cowritten by Malcolm X’s daughter, this fictionalized biography follows the formative years of Malcolm X, from his childhood to his imprisonment for theft at age twenty, when he found the faith that would lead him to forge a new path and command a voice that still resonates today. 

When 16-year-old Tariq Johnson dies from two gunshot wounds, his community is thrown into an uproar. Tariq was black. The shooter, Jack Franklin, is white. In the aftermath of Tariq’s death, everyone has something to say, but no two accounts of the events line up. By the day, new twists and turns further obscure the truth. Tariq’s friends family and community struggle to make sense of the tragedy, and of the hole left behind when a life is cut short. In their own words, they grapple for a way to say with certainty: This is how it went down.

Set in the modern-day suburbs of Las Vegas, biracial sixth-grader Ella Cartwright finds herself caught between two worlds. She is drawn to the popular new boy, Bailey — the only other black student in the school — but also loyal to her best friend, Z, a geeky boy whose social status, like hers, is bottom-rung, and with whom she has shared an incomparable friendship. A relationship with Bailey means a chance at popularity for Ella, but Z is far too weird to ever be accepted by his classmates. When push comes to shove, where will Ella turn for real friendship?

The night her parents disappear, 12-year-old Robyn Loxley must learn to fend for herself. Her home, Nott City, has been taken over by a harsh governor, Ignomus Crown. After fleeing for her life, Robyn has no choice but to join a band of strangers — misfit kids, each with their own special talent for mischief. Setting out to right the wrongs of Crown’s merciless government, they take their outlaw status in stride. But Robyn can’t rest until she finds her parents. This is the first book in the Robyn Hoodlum Adventure series (see Rebellion of Thieves (opens in a new window) and Reign of Outlaws (opens in a new window)).

As a first grader, Ruby Bridges was the first Black student to integrate William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, Louisiana. This was no easy task, especially for a six-year-old. Ruby’s bravery and perseverance inspired children and adults alike to fight for equality and social justice. (From the She Persisted series)

Caleb Franklin and his big brother Bobby Gene are excited to have adventures in the woods behind their house. But Caleb dreams of venturing beyond their ordinary small town. Then Caleb and Bobby Gene meet new neighbor Styx Malone. Styx is sixteen and oozes cool — and he leads the brothers on a one-thing-leads-to-another adventure in which friendships are forged and loyalties are tested.