In Darlene Beck-Jacobson’s poignant novel in verse, Wishes, Dares, & How to Stand Up to a Bully, a boy copes with the absence of his father, who is missing in action during the Vietnam War. Eleven-year-old Jack, with his mother and... Read More

In Jean Mills’s insightful "Larkin on the Shore", a sixteen-year-old struggles to overcome an assault and the gossip and cyberbullying that follow it. While her father visits her sick mother in Vancouver, Larkin is sent to stay with... Read More

In Linda Sue Park’s insightful novel "Prairie Lotus", an Asian American girl and her father face prejudice in the 1880s Midwest. Fourteen-year-old Hanna wants to make a friend, earn her diploma, and make dresses for her father’s... Read More

Kelden’s "The Crooked Path" is a thoughtful examination of one modern pagan movement. The first part of the book attempts to define traditional witchcraft—a daunting task, given the myriad beliefs and practices of traditional... Read More

Emotional and rich, "The Wish and the Peacock" concerns families, loss, and acceptance. After the death of her father, twelve-year-old Paige is determined to fill the gaps left by his absence. She works hard to keep their farm running,... Read More

Victoria Williamson’s "The Boy with the Butterfly Mind" is a story about acceptance and empathy. In Scotland, eleven-year-old Elin lives with her mother and her mother’s boyfriend, Paul. She thinks that if she can just be perfect,... Read More

Joan He’s "Descendant of the Crane" is a riveting, complex story set in a Chinese-inspired fantasy world full of magic, intrigue, and mystery. Hesina’s first task as the new queen of Yan is to discover who poisoned her father. She... Read More

In Michelle Kadarusman’s hopeful "Girl of the Southern Sea", an impoverished girl living in Indonesia dreams of a better life. Nia longs to go to high school. Her mother died giving birth to her brother, Rudi. Her father drinks,... Read More