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| The Line Tender by Kate AllenStarring: Twelve-year-old Lucy, who inherited a fascination with sharks from her late mother, a marine biologist.
What happens: After a second tragic loss leaves Lucy devastated, her summer project -- an illustrated field guide to her coastal hometown -- becomes her lifeline.
Who it’s for: anyone looking for sensitive, honest stories about finding hope during tough times. |
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| Orange for the Sunsets by Tina AthaideWhat it’s about: It’s 1972 in Entebbe, Uganda, and the friendship between Yesofu, an African boy, and Asha, an Indian girl, is pushed to the breaking point after the president’s announcement that Indians will be forced to leave the country.
Why you might like it: Told in the voices of both Asha and Yesofu, this stirring tale offers a kid's-eye view of a turbulent moment in history.
Try this next: Veera Hiranandani’s The Night Diary.
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| The Next Great Paulie Fink by Ali BenjaminWelcome to: the tiny, tumbledown Mitchell School, where goats trim the soccer field and newcomer Caitlyn’s arrival is overshadowed by the unexplained absence of Paulie Fink, a legendary seventh-grade prankster.
What happens: Caitlyn becomes the judge in a contest to decide who will replace Paulie as the person who makes school memorable.
Why you might like it: This 2nd book from the author of The Thing About Jellyfish is deep, offbeat, and as funny as Paulie himself. |
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Sweep : the story of a girl and her monster
by Jonathan Auxier
In nineteenth-century England, after her father's disappearance Nan Sparrow, ten, works as a "climbing boy," aiding chimney sweeps, but when her most treasured possessions end up in a fireplace, she unwittingly creates a golem
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| Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World by Ashley Herring BlakeWhat it's about: Twelve-year-old Ivy is reeling after her family's home is destroyed by a tornado, her treasured private sketchbook goes missing, and she starts crushing on a girl in her class. Then someone begins anonymously returning her drawings -- along with notes encouraging her to come out.
You might also like: Lisa Jenn Bigelow's Drum Roll, Please, another authentic, relatable story about a girl finding the courage to be herself. |
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| Felix Yz by Lisa BunkerStarring: Felix Yz, a human middle-schooler fused with a fourth-dimensional alien called Zyx.
What it’s about: As he awaits the risky procedure that will separate him from Zyx, Felix pours his feelings into a blog, describing (with frequent interruptions from Zyx) his quirky family, his crush on classmate Hector, and his fears about the future.
Who it’s for: anyone looking for stories that are imaginative, inclusive, and unapologetically weird. |
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The stars beneath our feet
by David Barclay Moore
Unable to celebrate the holidays in the wake of his older brother's death in a gang-related shooting, Lolly Rachpaul struggles to avoid being forced into a gang himself while constructing a fantastically creative LEGO city at the Harlem community center
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Stonewall : a building. an uprising. a revolution.
by Rob Sanders
A 50th-anniversary tribute to the Stonewall Uprising discusses how in 1969, empowered members of the LGBTQ+ community began to protest and demand their equal rights as citizens of the United States, launching a movement that continues in today's world.
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| The Pants Project by Cat ClarkeWhat it's about: Liv knows he's transgender, but he hasn't told anyone yet -- a situation that's more difficult at his new middle school, where they see him as a girl and require him to wear a uniform with a skirt.
Why you might like it: You'll be rooting for the likable, determined Liv as he and his moms challenge the school dress code.
Try this next: Lisa Moore Ramée's A Good Kind of Trouble, another story about a brave kid shaking things up at school. |
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To Night Owl from Dogfish
by Holly Goldberg Sloan
A laugh-out-loud tale of friendship and family, told entirely in emails and letters, follows the experiences of two 12-year-old girls--one bookish and fearful, the other fearless and adventuresome--who are sent to camp to bond when their fathers fall in love.
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Contact your librarian for more great books for ages 10-13!
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