Book Finder

Yolanda (aka Yoly) and her sister Cami live in a world that has been dramatically altered by climate change and run by an authoritarian government. Can they find the solution before it’s too late? A fast pace and smart characters will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the hopeful conclusion.

This handsome presentation for sophisticated readers about the Northern Mockingbird combines history and science along with traditional beliefs about the birds and their role with humans. Readable and fully sourced, this is sure to intrigue budding naturalists and historians. 

Chester likes his routines, but his new friend is the complete opposite. Nonetheless, the pair work together to solve the riddle behind the mysterious notes that Chester thinks are from his father — all while dealing with a bully and trying to prevent his mother from worrying. Likeable characters and an engaging mystery fill this satisfying novel.

When Mac opens his copy of a book by Jane Yolen, he discovers that there are words that have been blacked out with a permanent marker. When he and his friends set out to find out what and who don’t want them to read these words, it begins a journey of true self-discovery and activism. Based on actual events experienced by the author’s son, this remarkable novel is sure to generate important discussion.

Instead of a puppy, Jacob was stuck with the three baby sisters. The impact of triplets on the 9-year-old, his friends, and his family is told in spare but elegant language for a relatable and engaging novel. Black and white sketches appear throughout.

A collection of stories, comics and poems that celebrate Black boyhood from critically acclaimed Black authors including Jason Reynolds, Jerry Craft and Kwame Mbalia.

Tristan, in mourning for his best friend Eddie, attempts to recover Eddie’s story journal and finds himself on a mission to save a world populated with people he knows from stories — African American folk heroes and West African gods. Also available as a graphic novel (opens in a new window).

When bright and spirited Norvia moves from the country to the city, she has to live by one new rule: Never let anyone know you’re Ojibwe. This tender coming-of-age story thoughtfully addresses assimilation, racism, and divorce, as well as everygirl problems like first crushes, making friends, and the joys and pains of a blended family. Often funny, often heartbreaking, the story is directly inspired by the author’s family history.

This chapter book is an action-packed adaptation of India’s great epic, The Ramayana. Follow Rama, the Prince of Fire, and his friends as they defeat the demon king of Lanka and return light to the world. Full-color illustrations throughout vividly bring the story of Diwali to life, while courageous heroes and dastardly villains will engage young readers who loves talesof adventure.

As a young student, Mayor wondered: Is the mythical griffin based on ancient people’s interpretations of dinosaur bones? This biography shares her fascinating efforts to prove her theory correct and reveals other connections between science and human myth as well. (School Library Journal)

Aref flies with his mother from Oman to rejoin his father in Michigan so his parents can attend graduate school. While the boy misses his much-loved grandfather, Sidi, he gradually adjusts to his life and enjoys several surprises. Aref and Sidi were first introduced in The Turtle of Oman, though this book stands alone. The hallmark of both novels is the lyrical language and loving relationships.

Three animals did indeed go up in a hot-air balloon in the 18th century, but not quite the talented sheep, rooster, and duck who propel this funny and clever tale forward. Fact and fiction, cameo appearances by historical figures, and lots of illustrations are used. An author’s note reveals the history, effectively separating real from imagined.

Is hiding who you are worth staying invisible? That’s what Jillian confronts as she navigates 5th grade. Can Jillian break out of her shell as fast as her chick in the classroom experiment? Readers will relate to the plausible characters in a realistic setting in this debut novel.

Two boys, best friends, live next-door to each other. Marco is academically talented and short; Isaac is a basketball whiz but struggles with his studies. How the boys help each other cope with school, parents, and more is realistic, plausible, and totally engaging.

What makes an activist? The assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in Tennessee in 1968 so effected young Kathlyn, she started tirelessly working to improve the lives of African Americans and make MLK’s birthday a national holiday. She tells her own story in verse, contextualized by the time in which she lived

Plum is one of the Athensville Zoo’s feathered ambassadors though a jealous, wily rodent thinks it would be better than Plum, a mere peacock. Lively language and jaunty illustrations combine to make a funny, memorable tale with enough tension to keep readers going to the very end.

Anna Hibiscus lives in Africa, beautiful Africa, with her large and happy family. The sparkling language echoes the Nigerian author’s storytelling background and reads well independently but also makes a good read aloud. This is the first in a series of realistic stories about Anna and her marvelous family.

With war looming on the horizon and winter setting in, can two children escape North Korea on their own? The story of a determined and brave twelve-year-old Sora as she leadsher eight-year-old brother on a dangerous journey to freedom. Inspired by the author’s mother and her own experiences, this story is about an ordinary family facing great hardship, and the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters, brothers and sisters, fathers and sons.

A joyful and thoughtful celebration of family, identity and inclusivity. Things aren’t going great for Archie Albright. His dad’s acting weird, his mum too, and all he wants is for everything to go back to normal, to three months before when his parents were happy and still lived together. When Archie sees a colorful, crumpled flyer fall out of Dad’s pocket, he thinks he may have found the answer. Only problem? The answer might just lie at the end of the rainbow, an adventure away. 

Meet the Fletchers. Their year will be filled with new schools, old friends, a grouchy neighbor, hungry skunks, leaking ice rinks, school plays, wet cats, and scary tales told in the dark! This is a funny and compassionate middle-grade family story featuring gay parents and interracial families that is never about either issue. See the second book in the series, The Family Fletcher Takes Rock Island (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.

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.”

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.