Children’s books for the early teen years, not yet young adults, but no longer little ones
Published: 2019 Theme: Holocaust and Family Memories Best for: 9 and up "When Charlie asked how many of the people in the photo album had survived the Holocaust, Mom simply looked away." A down-to-earth children's book about the importance of sharing and remembering the past.
Published: 2018 Theme: Fantasy; Courage Best for: Girls age 11 and up "I've been looking for a way to find out more about my powers, about my destiny. This is the sign I've been waiting for, I'm sure of it. This is where I need to go." She pointed at her rough drawing of the shrine..." A sequel to Sisters of Glass, and every bit as dramatic and compelling. Fantasy genre.
Published: 2018 Best for: mature 12 and up Theme: Mixed-race Love "My mother, the pacifist, would kill me dead if she knew what I'd just done. I rescheduled my interview. For a girl. Not even a Korean girl, a black girl. A black girl I don't really know., ...who might not even like me." Get ready for a ride on the hormones of a couple of teens who fall in love...
Published: 2007 Theme: Historical Fiction; French Revolution Best for: 11 and up "I know how to make needle lace and sew and hem and build a fire and tend it and clean the ashes out. I can make tea and toast and cook a chicken if I have to. I can empty chamber post and scrub floors..." This very well-written historical fiction about the French Revolution is based on a true incident...
Published: 2018 Theme: Historical Fiction, India's Partition Best for: 11 and up "We would go somewhere fresh and new where people were happy. All kinds of people practicing all kinds of religions..[where] nobody would mind that you were Muslim and Papa was Hindu...." This is a no-holds-barred experience of the tragedy that ensued from the Partition in 1947 into India and Pakistan. For 11 and up.
Published: 2018 Theme: Sexual Preferences Best for: Girls 11 and up "In the end, this was about me, not them," Robin said, tapping her chest. "And the people in my life could either accept that or they could live without me." Ivy swallowed hard. "Did anyone choose to...well..." "Live without me?" An excellent peek in the confusion that a young gay teen experiences as her preferences begin to emerge...
Published: 2013 Theme: Biography Best for: 10 and up "We must melt the hearts of the Government with love... Remember, we can only win the opponent over by love, never by hate. Hate is the subtlest form of violence. Hatred injures the hater, never the hated." This very thorough biography of Gandhi in graphic novel form is a pleasure to read.
Published: 2018 Theme: Moral Courage; Refugees Best for: 10 and up "Ahmed--he had a name, Max reminded himself--was just a boy, a boy who liked soccer and comic book heroes. He had lost his parents, he was alone, and he seemed far more frightened than dangerous." All I can say is - read this to crack open your heart with compassion for the plight of refugees.
Published: 2018 Theme: Immigration and Survival Best for: 14 and up "Behind every one of the headlines on deportation there is a family. Innocent children. True stories that are rarely told. At last, I found the courage to tell you mine." This is best for parents and children to discuss how to deal with the current inhumane immigration policies, and realize the impact on children.
Published: 2019 Theme: Adventure in Rural Kenya Best for: 12 to 14 "Yeah, no one here has food allergies." Hannah's eyes shifted and narrowed. How is that possible? We're worried about what food to let in our schools and here they're worried about having food at all." In this semi-fictional children's book, we are inspired to extend ourselves to other cultures, to learn more about them, and to help when we can
Litkidz 