LibraryAware ONE WORLD: Exploring Our Differences

Books from our Easy collection

A Sky-Blue Bench
by Bahram Rahman

A young Afghani amputee matter-of-factly removes her own barrier to education, building a bench from discarded wood so that she and her "helper-leg" can sit through school in comfort.

Dancing with Daddy
by Anitra Rowe Schulte

Excited for her first father-daughter dance, Elsie, practicing swirling and swaying in her wheelchair as she prepares for her special night, wonders if she will still get to dance her way to a dream come true when a winter storm arrives.

Different: A Great Thing to Be!
by Heather Avis

Illustrations and rhyming text introduce Macy, whose conduct and bearing point to a kinder world where differences are celebrated and embraced.

Best Day Ever!
by Marilyn Singer

This playful puppy thinks she's having the best day ever! She's so happy to be out with her friend, she doesn't even realize that she's being a little naughty. But then he scolds her, and suddenly Worst. Day. Ever. Will puppy be able to make amends and turn their day back around? Join an exuberant, boundary-pushing pup and her exasperated boy in this reassuring story about unconditional love and the challenges of trying to always be on your best behavior.

Just Ask! Be Different, Be Brave, Be You
by Sonia Sotomayor

The boundary-breaking Supreme Court Justice and the award-winning author of Book Fiesta present a celebration of the world’s diversity that explains why different people make the world more vibrant and wonderful, just the way a variety of plants and flowers enhance a garden.

All the Way to the Top: How One Girl's Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything
by Annette Bay Pimentel

A picture book tribute to the achievements of activist Jennifer Keelan describes her diagnosis with cerebral palsy at birth, the limitations she overcame to pursue life on her own terms and her 8-year-old participation in the Capital Crawl on behalf of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This book can be found in the Easy Nonfiction section of the library.

Ninita's Big World: The True Story of a Deaf Pygmy Marmoset
by Sarah Glenn Marsh

Published in partnership with the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation, a picture-book account of the life of hearing-impaired pygmy marmoset and YouTube celebrity Ninita describes her rescue as an orphan and her friendship with fellow monkey, Mr. Big. This book can be found in the Easy Nonfiction section of the library.

Rescue & Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship
by Jessica Kensky

When he is paired with a girl who has lost her legs, Rescue worries that he isn't up to the task of being her service dog.

Look Up!
by Chin-ho Chong

When a girl in a wheelchair calls to people far below to look up and see her, one finds a way to brighten her day.

Hello Goodbye Dog
by Maria Gianferrari

A faithful dog who loves nothing more than to help his girl chews through tethers and makes daring escapes in order to follow her to locations where dogs are not allowed.

Books from our Juvenile collection

It All Begins with Jelly Beans
by Nova Weetman

When they are selected to read speeches at their elementary school graduation, an unlikely friendship develops between two sixth-graders, one popular and one a misfit, who are facing family problems and health issues.

Mr. Summerling's Secret Code
by Dori Hillestad Butler

Mr. Summerling, Marly's neighbor, talked about being a treasure hunter, and news of his death has brought Marly into a treasure hunt of her own. In his will, Mr. Summerling left a treasure for Marly and two classmates, Isla and Sai. They barely know each other, but they have to work together with a series of riddles, puzzles, and clues to find the treasure.

Aven Green, Sleuthing Machine
by Dusti Bowling

Third grader Aven Green, who was born without arms but believes that her missing arm cells went to her super-powered brain, tries to solve two cases involving her teacher's missing lunch and the disappearance of her great-grandmother's dog.

Lila and Hadley
by Kody Keplinger

Avoiding people and her fellow canines at a rescue shelter, an abandoned dog is fostered by a teen with failing eyesight who resists her cane and wonders if the dog is too broken to rehabilitate.

Lenny's Book of Everything
by Karen Foxlee

The older sister of a boy who is bullied for his rare gigantism harbors ambitions to study insects while her brother dreams of running away and living in a remote cabin, until the dangerous progression of his disease challenges their richly imagined escape worlds.

Out of My Mind
by Sharon M. Draper

Possessing a photographic memory in spite of an inability to walk or speak, Melody is mistaken as mentally challenged by those who cannot see beyond her cerebral palsy, impelling her to discover a way to communicate.

Can You See Me?
by Libby Scott

Hiding her struggles on the autism spectrum from her new classmates, sixth grader Tally questions her understanding of what normal means when her best friend begins to feel uncomfortable.

Me and Sam-Sam Handle the Apocalypse
by Susan Vaught

This story alternates between the detective work of middle-schooler Jesse and her new friend, Springer. A father accused of stealing, post-tornado rescues, and a Pomeranian named Sam-Sam make this novel a must read.

Wonderstruck: A Novel in Words and Pictures
by Brian Selznick

Having lost his mother and his hearing in a short time, twelve-year-old Ben leaves his Minnesota home in 1977 to seek the father he never knew in New York City but instead meets Rose, someone who is also longing for a piece that's missing from her life. Ben's story is told in words; Rose's in pictures.

Bookmarks Are People Too!
by Henry Winkler

Hoping to land the lead in the class play, Hank--who has a learning disability--freezes during his audition and is only able to buzz like a fly which inspires his teacher to create a special role for him as a silent bookmark that saves the show when a rival suffers an attack of stage fright. This series is published in Dyslexie font.

Books from our Teen collection

Breathing Underwater
by Sarah Elisabeth Allen

During a road trip, thirteen-year-old Olivia, a budding photographer, tries to recreate a Treasure Hunt she once shared with her sixteen-year-old sister, Ruth, while watching for signs that Ruth's depression is back.

Just Roll with It
by Lee Durfey-Lavoie

Having a tough time during her first year in middle school, Maggie needs some help from her twenty-sided dice but fears she may roll the wrong number, in this contemporary novel that explores the complexity of anxiety and OCD. This title can be found in the Teen Graphic Novel section of the library.

Breathe and Count Back from Ten
by Natalia Sylvester

Verónica has had many surgeries to manage her disability. The best form of rehabilitation is swimming, so she spends hours in the pool, but not just to strengthen her body. Her Florida town is home to Mermaid Cove, a kitschy underwater attraction where professional mermaids perform in giant tanks . . . and Verónica wants to audition. But her conservative Peruvian parents would never go for it. She decides it's time to seize control of her life, but her plans come crashing down when she learns her parents have been hiding the truth from her--the truth about her own body.

Wild Blues
by Beth Kephart

Thirteen-year-old Lizzie relates, through a victim statement, her harrowing journey through the Adirondacks seeking her disabled friend, Matias, who was kidnapped by escaped convicts.

Five Things About Ava Andrews
by Margaret Dilloway

Struggling with the dual challenges of an anxiety disorder and a heart condition, a nearly friendless girl hiding a secret creative inner life learns to manage her shyness through an improv class before discovering her voice as an activist.

Roll with It
by Jamie Sumner

Twelve-year-old Ellie, who has cerebral palsy, finds her life transformed when she moves with her mother to small-town Oklahoma to help care for her grandfather who has Alzheimer's Disease.

Up for Air
by Laurie Morrison

Learning disabilities make school painful for Annabelle, but a summer of swimming with the high school team is fantastic until a prank goes wrong, spoiling everything.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely
by Brigid Kemmerer

A lush retelling of Beauty and the Beast depicts a cursed prince in the form of a dangerous monster who is reliving the same autumn over and over in hopes of saving his kingdom and winning the heart of a girl from the real world.

Bluefish
by Pat Schmatz

Everything changes for thirteen-year-old Travis, a new student who is trying to hide a learning disability, when he meets a remarkable teacher and a sassy classmate with her own secrets.

Finding Audrey
by Sophie Kinsella

Energized by a friendship with her brother's gaming teammate, fourteen-year-old Audrey, a girl with an anxiety disorder, finds their subsequent romance challenging her progress.