Grades 6 and 7
All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat (2021 Newbery Honor)
A unique account of the amazing Thai cave rescue told in a heart-racing, you-are-there style that blends suspense, science, and cultural insight. On June 23, 2018, twelve young players of the Wild Boars soccer team and their coach enter a cave in northern Thailand seeking an afternoon's adventure. But when they turn to leave, rising floodwaters block their path out. The boys are trapped! Before long, news of the missing team spreads, launching a seventeen-day rescue operation involving thousands of rescuers from around the globe. As the world sits vigil, people begin to wonder: how long can a group of ordinary kids survive in complete darkness, with no food or clean water? Luckily, the Wild Boars are a very extraordinary "ordinary" group.
Breaking the Mold: Changing the Face of Climate Science by Dana Alison Levy
Scientists who collect microbes from surfers' skin, who use radar sensors to gather data miles away, who combat inequality by pushing for cleaner air policies. Each with their own story, all working to make life better for future generations. Celebrated author Dana Alison Levy profiles 16 people, all studying different elements of the earth’s landscape, animals, and climate, who defy stereotypes of who can be a scientist. From analytical chemists to volcanologists, from global experts to recent graduates, these scientists share what they were like as young people, how they got where they are now, and what they—and the rest of us—can do to help the planet.
Better Connected: How Girls Are Using Social Media for Good by Tanya Lloyd Kyi and Julia Kyi with illustrations by Vivian Rosas
This illustrated book focuses on the less-recognized and positive aspects of the online experiences of girls around the world who are using social media to create positive change by showing up, teaming up, and speaking up.
Indigenous Ingenuity by Deidre Havrelock and Edward Kay with illustrations by Kalila J. Fuller
Corn. Cholage. Fishing hooks. Boats that float. Recorded history and folklore. Lifesaving disinfectant. Forest-fire management. Our lives would be unrecognizable without these and countless other scientific discoveries and technological inventions from Indigenous North Americans. From transportation to civil engineering, hunting technologies to astronomy, and architecture to agriculture, Indigenous Ingenuity is an unforgettable introduction to STEM fields, featuring interactive activities, recipes, and science experiments.
Killer Underwear Invasion: How to Spot Fake News, Disinformation, and Lies by Elise Gravel
In this hilarious, yet fact-filled book, Elise Gravel uses her kid-friendly wit and quirky illustration style to break down what fake news is, why people spread it, and how to tell what is real and what isn't. And that's the truth!
Uncomfortable Conversation with a Black Boy by Emmanuel Acho
For awkward questions white and non-black parents don't know how to answer, this is an essential guide to help support communication on how to dismantle racism amongst the youngest generation
You Can't Say That edited by Leonard S. Marcus
Sharing candid interviews with 13 top children's and young adult authors who discuss why their books have faced censorship, an historian and critic puts First Amendment challenges into historical context and examines the support network that protects and defends young people's rights.
Grades 7 and 8
The 21: The True Story of Story of the Youth Who Sued The U.S. Government Over Climate Change by Elizabeth Rusch
From severe flooding in Louisiana to wildfires in the Pacific Northwest to melting permafrost in Alaska, catastrophic climate events are occurring more frequently--and severely--than ever. And these events are having a direct impact on the lives (and futures) of young people and their families. In the ongoing landmark case Juliana vs. United States, twenty-one young plaintiffs claim that the government's support of the fossil-fuel industry is actively contributing to climate change, and that all citizens have a constitutional right to a stable climate--especially children and young adults, because they cannot vote and will inherit the problems of the future. Elizabeth Rusch's The Twenty-One is a gripping legal and environmental thriller that tells the story of twenty-one young people and their ongoing case against the U.S. government for denying their constitutional right to life and liberty. A rich, informative, and multifaceted read, The Twenty-One stars the young plaintiffs and their attorneys; illuminates the workings of the United States's judicial system and the relationship between government, citizens' rights, and the environment; and asks readers to think deeply about the future of our planet.
Fault Lines in the Constitution: The Framers, Their Fights, and the Flaws that Affect Us Today by Cynthia and Sanford Levinson
Think the Constitution is dry as dust? This illuminating look at the United States Constitution illustrates both the brilliance and troubling flaws of what many consider the most important document of our democracy.
Google It! A History of Google by Anna Crowley Redding
Redding’s glimpse into a technology giant introduces the people and events associated with Google’s creation, growth, and world-changing approach to business and development.
Impossible Escape by Steve Sheinkin
It is 1944. A teenager named Rudolph (Rudi) Vrba has made up his mind. After barely surviving nearly two years in the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland, he knows he must escape. Even if death is more likely. Rudi has learned the terrible secret hidden behind the heavily guarded fences of concentration camps across Nazi-occupied Europe: the methodical mass killing of Jewish prisoners. As trains full of people arrive daily, Rudi knows that the murders won't stop until he reveals the truth to the world--and that each day that passes means more lives are lost. Lives like Rudi's schoolmate Gerta Sidonová. Gerta's family fled from Slovakia to Hungary, where they live under assumed names to hide their Jewish identity. But Hungary is beginning to cave under pressure from German Nazis. Her chances of survival become slimmer by the day. The clock is ticking. As Gerta inches closer to capture, Rudi and his friend Alfred Wetzler begin their crucial steps towards an impossible escape. This is the true story of one of the most famous whistleblowers in the world, and how his death-defying escape helped save over 100,000 lives.
The Other Side: Stories of Central American Teen Refugees Who Dream of Crossing the Border by Juan Pablo Villalobos
Every year thousands of migrant children and teens cross the U.S.-Mexico border. The journey is treacherous and sometimes deadly, but worth the risk for migrants who are escaping gang violence and poverty in their home countries. Those refugees who do succeed face an immigration process that is as winding and multi-tiered as the journey that brought them here. Villalobos strings together the diverse experiences of eleven real migrant teenagers, offering readers a beginning road map to issues facing the region.
Outcasts United: The Story of a Refugee Soccer Team that Changed a Town by Warren St. John
A complex and inspirational story about the Fugees, a youth soccer team made up of diverse refugees from around the world, and their formidable female coach, Luma Mufleh. Luma Mufleh, a young Jordanian woman educated in the United States and working as a coach for private youth soccer teams in Atlanta, was out for a drive one day and ended up in Clarkston, Georgia, where she was amazed and delighted to see young boys, black and brown and white, some barefoot, playing soccer on every flat surface they could find. Luma decided to quit her job, move to Clarkston, and start a soccer team that would soon defy the odds.
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-Winning Stamped From the Beginning by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
The construct of race has always been used to gain and keep power, to create dynamics that separate and silence. This remarkable reimagining of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi's National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning reveals the history of racist ideas in America, and inspires hope for an antiracist future. It takes you on a race journey from then to now, shows you why we feel how we feel, and why the poison of racism lingers. It also proves that while racist ideas have always been easy to fabricate and distribute, they can also be discredited.
We Will Not Be Silent by Russell Freedman
In his signature eloquent prose, backed up by thorough research, Russell Freedman tells the story of Austrian-born Hans Scholl and his sister Sophie. They belonged to Hitler Youth as young children, but began to doubt the Nazi regime. As older students, the Scholls and a few friends formed the White Rose, a campaign of active resistance to Hitler and the Nazis. Risking imprisonment or even execution, the White Rose members distributed leaflets urging Germans to defy the Nazi government. Their belief that freedom was worth dying for will inspire young readers to stand up for what they believe in.