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| Clean Getaway by Nic StoneStarring: Scoob Lamar, who’s ready for a spring break adventure (especially if it means getting away from his strict dad); and G’ma, who invites Scoob on a mysterious road trip.
What happens: As they drive through the American South, Scoob realizes that G’ma might be re-creating a vacation she took with his grandfather in 1963, when travel was risky for interracial couples.
Try this next: Rita Williams-Garcia’s One Crazy Summer, another book about a trip that reveals hidden family history. |
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Casper Tock and the Everdark wings
by Abi Elphinstone
A boy who prefers peace and quiet over adventure is unwittingly transported to the sky kingdom of Rumblestar, where his efforts to return home are hampered by an evil harpy, whose thieving plot threatens the magical and human worlds. 50,000 first printing. Simultaneous eBook.
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The Mystwick School of Musicraft
by Jessica Khoury
Twelve-year-old Amelia gets the opportunity to attend a boarding school and learn how to use music to create magic, hoping to become a Maestro like her deceased mother
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Marvel-verse : Black Panther
by Jeff Parker
T'Challa, the Black Panther, is one of the most skilled fighters and brilliant minds in the Marvel-Verse...and these are some of his most thrilling adventures! When the Fantastic Four venture deep into the jungles of Africa, they find Wakanda - the world's most technologically advanced nation - hidden within! And just wait until they meet its warrior king! But when T'Challa reveals his country to the world, he must join the Avengers in battle with his old nemesis, Klaw! Plus, Iron Man helps the Panther protect his country's precious Vibranium from Erik Killmonger! And when T'Challa is lost in space, his sister Shuri must step up! All of Wakanda looks to Shuri to lead - but is she ready to take the mantle?
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| What the Eagle Sees: Indigenous Stories of Rebellion and Renewal by Eldon Yellowhorn and Kathy LowingerWhat it is: a short but wide-ranging look at how Native North Americans have resisted and survived, from the earlier European invasions to the present day.
What’s inside: personal stories paired with potentially eye-opening facts, as well as photos, illustrations, and sidebars that invite you to imagine what life was like for Indigenous people during different moments in history.
You might also like: Turtle Island, another absorbing book about Indigenous nations, written by the same authors. |
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| My Diary from the Edge of the World by Jodi Lynn AndersonWhat it's about: In Gracie's world, migrating dragons attack strip malls, ghosts linger in backyards, sasquatches lurk in the woods, and Dark Clouds appear before people die. After a Dark Cloud arrives for Gracie's brother, their parents take the family on a wild road trip in search of a safe haven from the supernatural.
Is it for you? If you prefer fantasy stories rooted in reality, you'll love the eccentric characters and bittersweet plot in this imaginative read, written in the form of Gracie's diary. |
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The Watsons go to Birmingham--1963 : a novel
by Christopher Paul Curtis
When his parents decide it is time to visit Grandma, ten-year-old Kenny and his siblings, including the "juvenile delinquent" Byron, journey to Alabama during a dark period in American history. Reprint. Newbery Honor. Coretta Scott King Honor.
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Ashes to Asheville
by Sarah Dooley
Fiction. After Mama Lacy dies, 12-year-old Fella's grandmother takes her away from her older sister Zany and their Mama Shannon, but that doesn't stop the sisters from running off together to scatter Mama Lacy's ashes in their former hometown of Asheville, N.C. If you like quirky, bittersweet family stories, you'll want to ride along on this road trip (and you might also want to try Sally Pla's The Someday Birds).
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| Counting to Perfect by Suzanne LaFleurWhat it’s about: Swimmer Cassie misses the way things used to be before her teenage sister Julia had a baby. So when Julia decides to take off with baby Addie, Cassie goes along for the ride.
Why you might like it: Lots of small details and moving moments bring a lived-in feel to this story about two sisters re-connecting on the road.
You might also like: Jen Petro-Roy’s P.S. I Miss You, about a very different family in a similar situation. |
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| Drive Me Crazy by Terra Elan McVoyFeaturing: talkative, friendly Lana, who’s worried about her sick mom; popularity-obsessed Cassie, who thinks Lana is immature and annoying; and the week-long road trip with their newlywed grandparents that traps the two step-cousins together in the backseat of a car.
Series alert: If you enjoy the realistically imperfect characters and messy friendships in Drive Me Crazy, don’t miss the follow-up, This Is All Your Fault, Cassie Parker. |
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| The Someday Birds by Sally J. PlaWhat it’s about: Twelve-year-old Charlie likes order and rituals, so as he and his siblings -- along with pink-haired family friend Ludmila -- drive across America to join their injured war reporter father, Charlie carefully tries to complete his and his dad's birdwatching bucket list.
Why you might like it: Charlie's voice is both thoughtful and authentic as he describes the national landmarks, family drama, and desperate hope of this offbeat road trip. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books for ages 10-13!
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Central Arkansas Library System 100 Rock St. Little Rock, Arkansas 72201 501-918-3000www.cals.org/ |
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