Book Recommendations

The Girl Who Drank The Moon, by Kelly Barnhill: A friendly witch? A magical child named Luna? A boy who cannot bring himself to work for his uncle due to unethical job requirements? A woman who could never become whole again due to sacrificing her daughter? This fantasy novel will keep you on your toes! Told from multiple perspectives, each character's story merges with the others in the end.

The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin: The death of Samuel W. Westing brings 16 unlikely people together to read his will in this mystery book. The will seems to be like a puzzle, and whichever pair solves the puzzle will inherit Westing's fortune and company.

Out Of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets, by Kwame Alexander: The poets being celebrated come from a wide variety of cultures and time periods. The connection between past and present proves that poetry is timeless. This poetry collection contains beautiful illustrations as well, allowing the reader's mind to escape.

Brown Girl Dreaming, by Jacqueline Woodson: These poems follow the life of Jacqueline Woodson, who lived in South Carolina and New York during the Civil Rights Movement. This story shows how Woodson finds her place in the world due to never feeling like she was home in either place. Woodson makes it a point to mention that she struggled with reading growing up, but didn't let that stop her from becoming a writer.

Hello, Universe, by Erin Entrada Kelly: Told from four different perspectives, the events in this book bring an unlikely bunch together! At the end of the day, three strangers perform a rescue, stop a bully, and form an unbreakable bond.

Rick, by Alex Gino: Rick has always trailed his best friend Jeff, but as Rick enters middle school, he begins to question his identity. He attends an LGBTQ+ Alliance group meeting where discussions regarding identity are welcomed and supported. Rick begins to realize that Jeff is toxic and that his grandfather might be a bigger ally than he ever realized.

The Dreamer, by Pam Munoz Ryan: Based on Pablo Neruda’s childhood, this book teaches readers to follow their dreams, despite being taunted or having family members against you. This book contains poems and a lot of onomatopoeia, as it teaches readers to not let others dictate their future. If your heart is set on something to the point that it’s all you think about, then that is what you are destined to do.

King In the Dragonflies, by Kacen Callender: This book follows twelve-year-old Kingston's difficulties with coming out. King's brother, Khalil has just died and King is convinced that Khalil is now a dragonfly. Before his brother died, he told King not to hang out with his best friend anymore because he overheard that he is gay. This book explores topics, such as toxic masculinity, homophobia, fear, memory, and much more!

See You in the Cosmos, by Jack Cheng: Alex Petroski is an eleven-year-old who loves space and science. He wants to launch his "Golden iPod" into space, just as Carl Sagan, Alex's idol, launched his Gold Record in 1977. As Alex embarks on his journey to record different lifeforms on Earth, he meets people along the way that help prepare him to uncover secrets in the future.

Skylark and Wallcreeper, by Anne O'Brien Carelli: This historical fiction book goes back and forth between 2012 and 1944. While Lily is at a nursing home visiting her grandmother, Collette, during the time of Hurricane Sandy, Collette gives Lily a red box with a pen inside that seems of great importance. Lily loses the pen, and throughout her trek to find it, she learns about her grandmother's past as a member of the French Resistance during WWII.