Published: 2014
Theme: Resilience and family
Best for: ages 10 and up
“We don’t look much like brother and sister. Sometimes I reckon that might even be part of the problem. Maybe if we looked a little bit like each other, it might help” This book is transformative; we start out in despair, and end up in acceptance and love.
Published: 2017
Theme: Knights
Best for: 9 and up
“They may be young, but Sir Odo found me and awoke me. The mighty quest is his,” said Biter the sword. “By the same token, your daughter is small but seems valiant and my knight must have a squire.” A great fantasy adventure about two young children and their enchanted sword on a quest…
Published: 2018
Theme: Truth and Lies
Best for: 11 and up
A lie is just a wall round the truth. Could be that it’s built strong like a wall, or it could be built out of something that’ll collapse. But no matter what it’s made of, the truth is always going to want to get out. A compelling and dramatic children’s book about truth and lies. Who do you trust?
Published: 2017
Theme: Integrity, Time-travel
Best for: 8 and up
“Try keeping your eyes on the ball when you swing,” suggested Miss Ellington. She had a habit of sneaking up on him and giving him batting tips.” This children’s book has a little bit of everything, including profound lessons and lightheartedness.
Published: 2018
Theme: Overcoming Discrimination
Best for: 9 and up
“It wasn’t surprising that Siobhan Washington became a librarian. She grew up surrounded by books, spending just as much time in her school library as she did on the tennis courts. ” This authentic peek back in time to the struggles of African-Americans to be accepted is well-done, written in the form of a puzzle-solving adventure.
Published: 2018
Theme: Humor
Best for: 6 and up
“Now, under normal circumstances, Poo-Poo’s request to lick Karen’s nose would be quite bizarre. But these were not normal circumstances…” Humor is humor, silliness is silliness, and Tom Watson delivers both, regardless of whether it’s about dogs or cats…
Published: 2017
Theme: Courage, Fantasy
Best for: girls 11 and up
“We will rise. We will not, cannot, be controlled through fear or hatred, for we have hope. Those who greedily hoard their power will find it slips through their fingers like sand. We are free.” This is a very dramatic fantasy, with two fabulous heroines leading us to right some wrongs…
Published: 2005
Themes: Mythology, Courage, Loyalty
Best for: 10 and up
“The next few days I settled into a routine that felt almost normal, if you don’t count the fact that I was getting lessons from satyrs, nymphs, and a centaur.” This wildly popular children’s book series, based on Greek mythology is non-stop action, not for the faint of heart…
Published: 2018
Theme: Indian Mythology, Courage
Best for: 9 to 11
People are a lot like magical pockets. They’re far bigger on the inside than they appear on the outside. And it was like that with Aru. She found a place deep within her that had been hidden until now… The first in a series on Indian mythology, similar to Percy Jackson, but much funnier and much lighter, and much more girl-friendly…
Published: 2004
Theme: Indian culture, Dealing with Divorce
Best for: Girls 10 and up
“Lakshmi Auntie drops Sumai off with us a couple of days later, and scurries a protesting Ashwin away for a haircut…The day promises to turn from plain hot to furnace hot.” In this multicultural children’s book set in India, a young girl grapples with the divorce of her parents, and memory loss of a family friend.
Published: 2017
Theme: Wildlife
Best for: 10 and up
“I’m a coward. There, I’ve said said it now. I’m a coward. It’s true. Dad never actually said it out loud but it was always in his eyes.” This is a wonderful children’s book, that combines growing up with standing up for your own values.
Published: 2018
Theme: Courage, Overcoming Differences
Best for: 11 and up
“Her father had a phrase for the way the sun catches things out against the darkness of a coming storm: the clear light of trouble, he called it.” This excellent historical fiction is a timely addition to educating children about the dangers of xenophobism…
Published: 2018
Theme: Unglorious War
Best for: 11-13
“He wasn’t sure why Ella had lied about texting her mom. All he knew was that she wasn’t the girl he’d thought she was. She was the girl who did magic tricks and listened to Mozart.” Great historical fiction children’s book, featuring two very likeable 7th graders, who end up liking each other…
Published: 2016
Theme: Community Activism
Best for: 7 to 9
“I know, I know. I’m giving away the ending. But here’s the thing. The point of a story is not the ending. The point is, What does it mean?” It’s time to educate the young people about the power of community activism, in a gentle way. This book does that…
Published: 2017
Theme: Cats and Kindness
Best for: 7 and up
“Edith sat back on her hind legs and licked her front left paw as she continued to speak. She stopped to examine the placement of each strand of fur every now and then.” A hilarious and profound look at cats, personalities, patience, and courage.
Published: 1997
Theme: Reality Check and Humor
Best for: Boys 9 to 11
“Now running away from home in the fourteenth century was by no means an easy thing to do. Everyone in the village would know exactly who you were… Nobody would be sitting inside watching television.” A funny book with a serious message- maybe knights are not all they appear to be on the surface, and war is war, never nice.
Published: 1977
Theme: Creating Home
Best for: 6 and up
“The cave was full of chattering animals who’d been lucky enough to find this haven. There were several mice that Abel and Amanda knew, and a family of toads they had once met at a carnival.” In this classic Steig children’s book, we meet a mouse who learns the value of home while being stranded on an island, and surviving very well.
Published: 2018
Theme: Bravery
Best for: 10 and up
“I’m terrified to see my mother being taken away. I want to pull her out of there, and hold her hand as we run back to our apartment. I don’t do any of that. I’m sacred and angry and sad.” From beginning to end, this adventure in New York City brings us to see the immense courage of immigrant families under threat.
Published: 2015
Theme: Fantasy, Inner Strengths
Best for: 9 to 11
“Many times we carry our magic within us, an inner magic that takes many forms, such as love, friendship, courage, and tolerance.” . In this lovely children’s book, fantasy has been crafted to suit younger children, without the violence and scare factors.
Published: 2107
Theme: Japanese Culture
Best for: 5 to 10
“I just had to be able to help make mochi! I need to think of a way to convince my parents. Good think I had the perfect thinking spot…” Breaking the gender barrier- again, and this time, against the cultural grain.
Published: 2017
Theme: Baseball and Gender-equality
Best for: 9 to 12
“If she didn’t try announcing the game, she knew she’d regret it… Everyone wanted to be the announcer. It was one of the most important jobs in baseball.” Gender equality knows no bounds, and Amy G calls on her real-life experience to prove it.
Published: 2000
Theme: Women Heroines
Best for: 5 to 10
“In the dark time of the year, when the days are short and a cold wind blows from the north, a serpent came to live in an old cave on the mountain of Yung Ling…” From time to time, it’s great to read about a young girl who takes on the challenge of slaying the perennial serpent. This children’s book is a lovely collection of such stories.
Published: 2017
Theme: Multicultural Stories
Best for: 9 – 12
“You plead with the guys standing on the sidelines. “You gotta let me play, man. I can ball. I swear.” But these outbursts of self-promotion will fall on deaf ears.” This collection of short stories is part of the mission for Diversity.org, where every child can see themselves in the pages of a book. A great mission…
Published: 2012
Theme: Genuine Kindness
Best for: Third Grade
“I couldn’t believe myself. All of a sudden it was like there was no door between my brain and my mouth. As for Gerald Willis, he was a fifth-grader, a troublemaker, and a bully.” In this well-written children’s book, we find out that being kind is a 24/7 occupation, not reserved for winning points.
Published: 2009
Theme: Humor
Best for: 8 to 10
“I think,” Clyde said to his friends, “that bird is special. He has powers. Maybe…he’s psychic.” By the end of the day the word was all over school. Need some humor to lighten the day? Here’s a quick and lighthearted read…
Published: 1999
Theme: Finding oneself
Best for: boys 11 and up
“It was so beautiful it took his breath and he stood, his arms full of wood, staring at the sky until the sun, the star, and the light were gone, wanting it all to mean more.” A worthy sequel to the best-seller Hatchet, we find out how challenging it is to adapt to civilization that has lost its soul.
Published: 2017
Theme: Being oneself
Best for: 5th grade and up
“Some people had comfort food, but Alec has comfort books–stories so familiar that they made reading feel like coasting downhill on a bike, or water-skiing on a smooth lake…” This is a fabulous children’s book about fitting in, without losing ones own sense of self, and a little bit about coming of age…
Published: 2017
Theme: Holding Loss
Best for: 9 and up
” I closed my eyes, feeling a point of infinite love and infinite grief, and comfort in knowing, for the first time, that I have infinite space inside for both.” This well-written and creative book takes on the grieving process with skill and courage, and shows the beauty of a life can include both joy and sorrow.
Published: 2016
Theme: Defending the Truth
Best for: 12 and up
“The year I turned twelve, I learned that what I said and what I did mattered. So much, sometimes, that I wasn’t sure I wanted such a burden. But I took it anyway…” A worthy piece of literature for young readers, somewhat a milder version of Kill a Mockingbird, but with less brutality and perhaps more heart.
Published: 2017
Theme: Speaking up
Best for: 8 and up
“All through math I sucked on my braids and imagined all the awful things that would happen if I was caught with all those books in my locker. Every parent…would like up to sue me.” This is a not-to-be-missed book about helping children understand how to speak up against injustices, small and large.