In this delightful, readable children's book, with a small amount of graphic content that creates a change of pace, 9-year-old Sarah gets her voice...
Every Home Needs an Elephant
Nothing Stopped Sophie
Published: 2018
Theme: Women in Math
Best for: 7 and up
"Sophie discovered that mathematicians use numbers as poets use letters-as a language to question, explore, and solve the secrets of the universe." Wonderful and inspiring illustrated biography of a woman mathematician from the 18th century.
Spark
Published: 2019
Theme: Speaking Up
Best for: 9 to 12
"Different isn't wrong," Pixit said with such utter certainty that Mina couldn't help but believe him...Mina said, "I just need to find a different way, a way that works for me." To get to the point, this is a must-read, about the power of children to change the world, finding their own voice along the way. Very inspiring fantasy that's not so fantastical in the end!
Daughters of Steel
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.
The Lacemaker and the Princess
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...
Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World
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...
Sisters of Glass
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...
Aru Shah and The End of Time
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...
Naming Maya
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.
Book Uncle and Me
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...
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