List

Category
Audience
Tags

Best Believe

NoNieqa Ramos

Meet the Tres Hermanas: Evelina Antonetty, Lillian López, and Elba Cabrera.

They moved from Puerto Rico to New York City as children and grew up to become leaders in their Bronx community. Evelina, an activist for social causes, founded United Bronx Parents. Lillian became a librarian and administrator who fought for Spanish and bilingual books and Spanish-speaking library staff. Elba worked closely with Evelina and became an ambassador and advocate for the arts.

Rhythmic verse by NoNieqa Ramos and vibrant illustrations by Nicole Medina provide a stirring look at three dynamic changemakers.

View Details >>

Troublemakers in Trousers

Sarah Albee

Meet twenty-one women throughout history who broke fashion and norms to do something groundbreaking in this unique middle-grade collection that celebrates trailblazers and troublemakers.

Girls and women have historically been denied access to work, been blocked from the arts, refused the opportunity to lead and fight, and much more, simply because of their gender. From Hatshepsut to Joan of Arc to Frida Kahlo, Troublemakers in Trousers highlights twenty-one women who, for different reasons, wore men’s clothing, pretended to be men, and broke the rules in order to do something they wanted—or needed—to do.

The perfect modern-day introduction to women throughout history who broke boundaries and pushed the limits set by society.

View Details >>

Up, Up, Ever Up!

Anita Yasuda

**A CALDECOTT HONOR BOOK!**

**A New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year!**

Anita Yasuda's evocative picture book biography about Junko Tabei, the first woman to summit Everest, is equal parts grit and grace. Dazzlingly illustrated by Caldecott Honor artist Yuko Shimizu.

"An inspiring biography of a trailblazing woman, lyrically told and lushly illustrated. This important story reminds us that pursuing our dreams can not only empower us but others as well." --Andrea Wang, bestselling author of the Newbery Honor- and Caldecott Medal-winning Watercress

"A heartwarming and inspiring story of how climbing can ultimately connect us back down with the earth and those around us." --Ashima Shiraishi, bestselling author of How to Solve a Problem: The Rise (and Falls) of a Rock-Climbing Champion

"If the world doesn't know who Junko Tabei was, then this is the introduction." --Ken Mochizuki, bestselling author of Baseball Saved Us

Junko Tabei dreamed of a life climbing mountains. But men refused to climb with her. Sponsors told her to stay home. And gloves were not made to fit her hands. Junko, eager and unstoppable, wouldn't let these obstacles get in her way.

Instead, she planned an expedition to summit Mount Everest with an all-women team. Battling icy peaks, deep crevasses, and even an avalanche, Junko refused to give up. She climbed step by step . . . up, up, ever up!

After summiting the world's tallest peak, Junko took on a new challenge: protecting the wild spaces she loved for future generations.

This gorgeously illustrated celebration of a trailblazing climber who shattered gender stereotypes invites us to dare to reach our dreams--no matter how big.

View Details >>

We're in This Together

Linda Sarsour

An empowering young readers edition of We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders, the memoir by Women’s March coorganizer and activist Linda Sarsour that’s “equal parts inspiring, emotional, and informative” (Kirkus Reviews).

You can count on me, your Palestinian Muslim sister, to keep her voice loud, keep her feet on the streets, and keep my head held high because I am not afraid.

On January 21, 2017, Linda Sarsour stood in the National Mall to deliver a speech that would go down in history. A crowd of over 470,000 people gathered in Washington, DC, to advocate for legislation, policy, and the protection of women’s rights—with Linda, a Muslim American activist from Brooklyn, leading the charge, unapologetic and unafraid.

In this middle grade edition of We Are Not Here to be Bystanders, Linda shares the memories that shaped her into the activist she is today, and how these pivotal moments in her life led her to being an organizer in one of the largest single-day protests in US history. From the Brooklyn bodega her father owned to the streets of Washington, DC, Linda’s story as a daughter of Palestinian immigrants is a moving portrayal of what it means to find your voice in your youth and use it for the good of others as an adult.

View Details >>

Seeds of Discovery

Lori Alexander

The quirky and singular Nobel Prize winner Barbara McClintock, a founder of modern genetics who did things her own way, is honored in this lively young STEM biography by Sibert Honor winner Lori Alexander.

Celebrating the power of curiosity and the rewards of tenacity, this engaging and highly illustrated biography introduces young readers to the field of genetics. As a rare female botanist in early twentieth-century America, Barbara McClintock never let other people's notions of what was proper slow her down. When she faced doubting colleagues and unsupportive institutions, she drove across the United States, climbed through windows, and even slept in her laboratory to conduct her research. In so doing, she helped pave the way for future scientific discoveries that can cure diseases and save lives--and won a Nobel Prize in the process!

Back matter includes a timeline, glossary, source notes, and further reading.

 

How does a girl who loves corn change the world of science?

 

  • An Inspiring Role Model: Follow Barbara as she challenges expectations, wears what she wants, and proves that girls belong in science.
  • The Science of Genetics: Learn the basics of DNA, genes, and chromosomes through the story of Barbara's groundbreaking research on corn.
  • Scientific Discovery in Action: See how Barbara's curiosity led her to sleep in her lab, climb through windows, and never give up, even when other scientists didn't believe her.
  • From Corn to CRISPR: Discover how Barbara's work with "jumping genes" laid the foundation for today's incredible technologies that can cure diseases.
View Details >>

Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance

Nikki Grimes

From Children's Literature Legacy Award-winning author Nikki Grimes comes a feminist-forward new collection of poetry celebrating the little-known women poets of the Harlem Renaissance--paired with full-color, original art from today's most talented female African-American illustrators.

For centuries, accomplished women--of all races--have fallen out of the historical records. The same is true for gifted, prolific, women poets of the Harlem Renaissance who are little known, especially as compared to their male counterparts. 

In this poetry collection, bestselling author Nikki Grimes uses "The Golden Shovel" poetic method to create wholly original poems based on the works of these groundbreaking women-and to introduce readers to their work. 

Each poem is paired with one-of-a-kind art from today's most exciting female African-American illustrators: Vanessa Brantley-Newton, Cozbi A. Cabrera, Nina Crews, Pat Cummings, Laura Freeman, Jan Spivey Gilchrist, Ebony Glenn, April Harrison, Vashti Harrison, Ekua Holmes, Cathy Ann Johnson, Keisha Morris, Daria Peoples-Riley, Andrea Pippins, Erin Robinson, Shadra Strickland, Nicole Tadgell, and Elizabeth Zunon.

Legacy also includes a foreword, an introduction to the history of the Harlem Renaissance, author's note, and poet biographies, which make this a wonderful resource and a book to cherish.


Acclaim for One Last Word
A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor winner
A New York Public Library Best Kids Book of the Year
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year, Middle Grade
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, Nonfiction

View Details >>

Sylvia and Marsha Start a Revolution!

Joy Ellison

"Someday girls like us will be able to wear whatever we want. People will call us by the names we choose. They'll respect that we are women. The cops will leave us alone and no one will go hungry."

Sylvia and Marsha are closer than sisters. They are kind and brave and not afraid to speak their truth, even when it makes other people angry.

This illustrated book introduces children to the story of Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, the two transgender women of colour who helped kickstart the Stonewall Riots and dedicated their lives to fighting for LGBTQ+ equality. It introduces children to issues surrounding gender identity and diversity, accompanied by a reading guide and teaching materials to further the conversation.

View Details >>

History Smashers: Women's Right to Vote

Kate Messner

Myths! Lies! Secrets! Smash the stories behind famous moments in history and expose the hidden truth. Perfect for fans of I Survived and Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales.

In 1920, Susan B. Anthony passed a law that gave voting rights to women in the United States. RIGHT?

WRONG! Susan B. Anthony wasn't even alive when the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified. Plus, it takes a lot more than one person to amend the constitution.

The truth is, it took millions of women to get that amendment into law. They marched! They picketed! They even went to jail. But in the end, it all came down to a letter from a state representative's mom. No joke.

Through illustrations, graphic panels, photographs, sidebars, and more, acclaimed author Kate Messner smashes history by exploring the little-known details behind the fight for women's suffrage.

Don't miss History Smashers: The Mayflower!

View Details >>

Listen

Shannon Stocker

* Schneider Family Book Award Winner *

A gorgeous and empowering picture book biography about Evelyn Glennie, a deaf woman, who became the first full-time solo percussionist in the world. A robust author’s note brings further detail and highlights Evelyn’s own voice.

"No. You can't," people said.
But Evelyn knew she could. She had found her own way to listen.

From the moment Evelyn Glennie heard her first note, music held her heart. She played the piano by ear at age eight, and the clarinet by age ten. But soon, the nerves in her ears began to deteriorate, and Evelyn was told that, as a deaf girl, she could never be a musician. What sounds Evelyn couldn’t hear with her ears, though, she could feel resonate through her body as if she, herself, were a drum. And the music she created was extraordinary. Evelyn Glennie had learned how to listen in a new way. And soon, the world was listening too.


"Radiant."Publishers Weekly
"Perfect for elementary school readers . . . Excellent." —SLJ
"Beautiful." A Mighty Girl 
“Lyrical . . . Expressive.”Booklist
“An intriguing, loving biography.” —Kirkus
"Engaging [and] vibrant." —The Horn Book
"Fantastic." Book Riot
"I strongly recommend it." —Time for Kids

View Details >>

Coretta: The Autobiography of Mrs. Coretta Scott King

Coretta Scott King

Celebrate the life of the extraordinary civil and human rights activist Coretta Scott King with this picture book adaptation of her critically acclaimed adult memoir.

This is the autobiography of Coretta Scott King––wife of Martin Luther King, Jr.; founder of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (the King Center); architect of the MLK, Jr. legacy; and global leader in movements for civil and human rights as well as peace. Learn about how a girl born in the segregated deep south became a global leader at the forefront of the peace movement and an unforgettable champion of social change. 

Resilience, bravery, and joy lie at the center of this timeless story about fighting for justice against all odds.

View Details >>

Lady of the Lines

Michaela Maccoll

A Booklist Editor's Choice
Evanston (IL) Public Library 101 Great Books for Kids
CCBC Choices 2026

When scientist and explorer Maria Reiche visited Peru’s Nazca Lines in 1941, she was immediately captivated by the larger-than-life animal carvings. But what were they, and why were they there? This STEAM nonfiction picture book for young readers reveals the story behind one of the greatest indigenous artworks in the Americas, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Maria Reiche wanted to put her curious mind to the test. When visiting Peru in 1941, she trekked across the land and discovered hidden lines covered in centuries of clay and sand. Fasciated, she picked up a broom from her tools and began sweeping for miles and miles to uncover more details, taking time to track her movement and sketch out the precise shapes she followed. Her first discovery was a spider-shaped carving spanning hundreds of feet of desert! Sweeping her way across the land, other shapes followed—a monkey, a condor, and a whale. But in the midst of these discoveries, she found out the land was going to be used for farming. She got to work again, this time demanding a press conference to announce her discoveries and stop the destruction of these ancient works of art—and it worked! Her efforts protected the land, which was later named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 thanks to Maria’s tireless efforts.

Author Michaela MacColl’s lyrical writing and extensive research showcase Maria’s triumphant tale, accompanied by art from Peruvian illustrator Elisa Chavarri, a past recipient of the Pura Belpré Honor.

View Details >>

Once I Was You -- Adapted for Young Readers

Maria Hinojosa

“When Maria speaks, I’m ready to listen and learn.” —Lin-Manuel Miranda

Emmy Award– and Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Maria Hinojosa has created a brand-new, unique version of her adult memoir, which was an NPR Best Book of 2020, for young readers, blending her story with perspectives on history in the vein of Jason Reynolds’s Stamped.

“There is no such thing as an illegal human being.”

Maria Hinojosa is an Emmy Award–winning journalist, a bestselling author, and was the first Latina to found a national independent nonprofit newsroom in the United States. But before all that, she was a girl with big hair and even bigger dreams. Born in Mexico and raised in the vibrant neighborhood of Hyde Park, Chicago, Maria was always looking for ways to better understand the world around her—and where she fit into it.

Here, she combines stories from her life, beginning with her family’s harrowing experience of immigration, with truths about the United States’s long and complicated relationship with the people who cross its borders, by choice or by force. Funny, frank, and thought-provoking, Maria’s voice is one you will want to listen to again and again.

View Details >>

The Five Sides of Marjorie Rice: How to Discover a Shape

Amy Alznauer

"Writing with a storyteller's flair, Alznauer captures her audience's attention with colorful phrases and interesting facts." --Booklist (starred review)

Ablaze with pattern and color, this ebullient picture book biography celebrates the intersection of art and science--through the life and lens of an extraordinary amateur mathematician.

When Marjorie Rice was a little girl in Roseburg, Oregon, in the 1930s, she saw patterns everywhere. Swimming in the river, her body was a shape in the water, the water a shape in the hills, the hills a shape in the sky. Some shapes, fitted into a rectangle or floor tilings, were so beautiful they made her long to be an artist. Marjorie dreamed of studying art and geometry, perhaps even solving the age-old "problem of five" (why pentagons don't fit together the way shapes with three, four, or six sides do). But when college wasn't possible, she pondered and explored all through secretarial school, marriage, and parenting five children, until one day, while reading her son's copy of Scientific American, she learned that a subscriber had discovered a pentagon never seen before. If a reader could do it, couldn't she? Marjorie studied all the known pentagons, drew a little five-sided house, and kept pondering. She'd done it! And she'd go on to discover more pentagonal tilings and whole new classes of tessellations. In this visually wondrous tribute, Anna Bron's intricate art teems with patterns, including nods to M. C. Escher, and radiates the thrill of one woman's discovery, playfully inviting readers to approach geometry through art--and art through geometry. Back matter offers more on the story of five and suggestions on how to discover a shape.

View Details >>

How Do You Spell Unfair?: MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee

Carole Boston Weatherford

From a multi-award-winning pair comes a deeply affecting portrait of determination against discrimination: the story of young spelling champion MacNolia Cox.

MacNolia Cox was no ordinary kid.
Her idea of fun was reading the dictionary. 

In 1936, eighth grader MacNolia Cox became the first African American to win the Akron, Ohio, spelling bee. And with that win, she was asked to compete at the prestigious National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC, where she and a girl from New Jersey were the first African Americans invited since its founding. She left her home state a celebrity—right up there with Ohio’s own Joe Louis and Jesse Owens—with a military band and a crowd of thousands to see her off at the station. But celebration turned to chill when the train crossed the state line into Maryland, where segregation was the law of the land. Prejudice and discrimination ruled—on the train, in the hotel, and, sadly, at the spelling bee itself. With a brief epilogue recounting MacNolia’s further history, How Do You Spell Unfair? is the story of her groundbreaking achievement magnificently told by award-winning creators and frequent picture-book collaborators Carole Boston Weatherford and Frank Morrison.

View Details >>

She Persisted: Wilma Mankiller

Traci Sorell

Inspired by the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger, a chapter book series about women who spoke up and rose up against the odds--including Wilma Mankiller!

A 2024 American Indian Youth Literature Honor Book! 

The descendant of Cherokee ancestors who had been forced to walk the Trail of Tears, Wilma Mankiller experienced her own forced removal from the land she grew up on as a child. As she got older and learned more about the injustices her people had faced, she dedicated her life to instilling pride in Native heritage and reclaiming Native rights. She went on to become the first woman Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.

In this chapter book biography by award-winning author Traci Sorell, readers learn about the amazing life of Wilma Mankiller--and how she persisted
 
Complete with an introduction from Chelsea Clinton, black-and-white illustrations throughout, and a list of ways that readers can follow in Wilma Mankiller's footsteps and make a difference! A perfect choice for kids who love learning and teachers who want to bring inspiring women into their curriculum.
 
And don’t miss out on the rest of the books in the She Persisted series, featuring so many more women who persisted!

Covers may vary.

View Details >>

A Greater Goal

Elizabeth Rusch

YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award Finalist

A CCBC Choice

More than 250 women have played on the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team, and most contributed to the battle for equal pay. This narrative nonfiction book by the award-winning author and journalist Elizabeth Rusch traces the evolution of that fight, bringing this important rights issue in sports and in our culture to the attention of young readers. Features extensive backmatter.

With the passage of Title IX in 1972, the doors opened for young women to play sports at a higher level. But for the women on the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team, being able to compete at an international level didn't mean fair treatment and fair compensation.

From economy-class airplane seats and inadequate lodging to minimal marketing and slashed wages, the women representing the United States at the Olympics, the World Cup, and other tournaments had reason to be fed up. They were expected to--and did--win, but they weren't compensated for their talent and dedication. With the help of their union and in collaboration with the men's team, they secured an equitable contract in 2022 that ultimately benefited both national teams as well as athletes of the future.

Elizabeth Rusch's A Greater Goal chronicles how members of the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team fought to receive fair treatment and equal pay despite the intense pushback they received from U.S. Soccer, the governing body of soccer in the United States. With a narrative that includes player profiles and vignettes framed from team member perspectives, A Greater Goal illuminates the work, support, and grit needed to be treated with equality in a world that often undervalues the contributions of women.

Features extensive back matter, including a call to action, additional resources, and an index.

View Details >>

American Spirits

Barb Rosenstock

Finalist, 2026 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book
A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year
CCBC Choices 2026

CAN THE DEAD TALK TO THE LIVING? Discover the astonishingly true story of Maggie, Kate, and Leah Fox—the Civil War-era sisters and teen mediums who created the American séance. 

A real-life ghost story for young adult readers interested in the supernatural, American history, and women’s rights!

Rap. Rap. Rap. The eerie sound was first heard in March of 1848 at the home of the Fox family in Hydesville, New York. The family’s two daughters, Kate and Maggie, soon discovered that they could communicate with the spirit that was making these uncanny noises; he told them he had been a traveling peddler who had been murdered. This strange incident, and the ones that followed, generated a media frenzy beyond anything the Fox sisters could have imagined. Kate and Maggie, managed (or perhaps manipulated) by their elder sister Leah, became famous spirit mediums, giving public exhibitions, and advising other celebrities of their day. 

But were the Fox sisters legitimate? In the years that followed their rise, the Civil War killed roughly 1 in 4 soldiers, increasing the demand for contacting the dead. However, media campaigns against the sisters gathered steam as well...

This thrilling and mysterious true story from veteran author Barb Rosenstock (Caldecott Honor winner) will spark teens’ interest in American history, encourage media literacy, and reveal insights into the Civil War era, fake news, and women's rights.

View Details >>

Inaugural Ballers

Andrew Maraniss

From the New York Times bestselling author of Strong Inside comes the inspirational true story of the birth of women’s Olympic basketball at the 1976 Summer Games and the ragtag team that put US women’s basketball on the map. Perfect for fans of Steve Sheinkin and Daniel James Brown.

A League of Their Own meets Miracle in the inspirational true story of the first US Women’s Olympic Basketball team and their unlikely rise to the top.
 
Twenty years before women’s soccer became an Olympic sport and two decades before the formation of the WNBA, the ’76 US women’s basketball team laid the foundation for the incredible rise of women’s sports in America at the youth, collegiate, Olympic, and professional levels.
 
Though they were unknowns from small schools such as Delta State, the University of Tennessee at Martin and John F. Kennedy College of Wahoo, Nebraska, at the time of the ’76 Olympics, the American team included a roster of players who would go on to become some of the most legendary figures in the history of basketball. From Pat Head, Nancy Lieberman, Ann Meyers, Lusia Harris, coach Billie Moore, and beyond—these women took on the world and proved everyone wrong.  
 
Packed with black-and-white photos and thoroughly researched details about the beginnings of US women’s basketball, Inaugural Ballers is the fascinating story of the women who paved the way for girls everywhere.

View Details >>

I Could Not Do Otherwise

Sara Latta

Grateful American Book Prize Book of Honorable Mention

As a teenager, Mary Edwards Walker determined she would no longer wear the confining corsets and long skirts society dictated women wear at the time and instead opted for pants with a short skirt, setting the stage for her lifelong controversial efforts to change expectations. One of the first women to earn a degree in medicine, Walker championed women’s rights, social justice, and access to health care. She became a Civil War surgeon and a spy, who was captured and arrested by the Confederacy, and she is still the only woman to have been awarded the Medal of Honor.

Written by young adult author Sara Latta, I Could Not Do Otherwise teaches readers about Walker’s determination and strength of conviction, as well as her complete disregard of what others thought of her unconventional style. The slogan, “women’s rights are human rights” is a direct descendent of Walker’s words: “The recognition of the individuality of woman, is simply an acknowledgement of human rights, which all human beings have guaranteed them, by the fact of their having an existence.” I Could Not Do Otherwise brings to light an amazing historical figure who broke gender norms and fought for issues that are still relevant today.

View Details >>

Carved in Ebony

Jasmine L. Holmes

Rewritten especially for the young reader, Carved in Ebony by Jasmine Holmes inspires with insights from the lives of Elizabeth Freeman, Nannie Helen Burroughs, Amanda Berry Smith, Mamie Till, and others. She shares the significant role that Black women have played in the formation of our faith--and are playing in our formation as modern-day women of faith.



As these historical figures take the stage with Holmes, you will be inspired by what the stories of these women can teach us about education, birth, privilege, and so much more. Carved in Ebony will take you past the predominately white, male contributions that seemingly dominate history books to discover how Black women have been some of the main figures in defining the landscape of American history and faith.



Come along on Jasmine's journey and be encouraged by the powerful and persuasive Black women of our past so that you can help inspire a better, more inclusive future.

View Details >>

Discover Her Art

Jean Leibowitz

"An inclusive, easy-to-read guidebook to women artists." -- Publishers Weekly.

"A must for art history curriculum and to diversify biography shelves." --School Library Journal.

Discover Her Art invites young art lovers and artists to learn about painting through the lives and masterpieces of 24 women from the 16th to the 20th century.

In each chapter, readers arrive at a masterwork, explore it with an artist's eye, and learn about the painter's remarkable life and the inspirations behind her work. Young artists will discover how these 24 amazing women used composition, color, value, shape, and line in paintings that range from highly realistic to fully abstract. Hands-on exercises encourage readers to create their own art!

Whether you love to make art or just look at it, you will enjoy discovering the great work of these women artists.
 

View Details >>

Brazen

Pénélope Bagieu

2019 Eisner Award Winner for Best U.S. Edition of International Material

Throughout history and across the globe, one characteristic connects the daring women of Brazen: their indomitable spirit. 

With her characteristic wit and dazzling drawings, celebrated graphic novelist Pénélope Bagieu profiles the lives of these feisty female role models, some world famous, some little known. From Nellie Bly to Mae Jemison or Josephine Baker to Naziq al-Abid, the stories in this comic biography are sure to inspire the next generation of rebel ladies.

This title has Common Core connections.

View Details >>

Film Makers

Lyn Miller-Lachmann

In Hollywood, women don't have to be in front of the camera to shine. 

Each of the 15 women profiled in Film Makersshares a common trait: she is, as Shonda Rhimes says, "First. Only. Different."

These phenomenal women have redefined the film and television industry, winning awards historically given to a male counterpart, being the only woman in a writers' room, or portraying stories no one else could tell.

While their resumes are impressive, it is how they live their lives that has made a greater impact in the communities they serve. Many of them, like Gina Prince-Bythewood and Greta Gerwig, mentor other women. Some, like Agnieszka Holland and Chloé Zhao, have stood up to those who seek to ignore or silence them. All of them tell their stories with passion and integrity, serving as role models and champions for future generations.

We hope they will inspire you to use the tools of film to tell your story!

View Details >>

Salt and Honey: Jewish Teens on Feminism, Creativity, and Tradition

Elizabeth Mandel

NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD FINALIST

"Raw, vibrant, and full of love" --Kirkus Reviews

"A moving work that encourages solidarity . . . reflect(s) on race, gender, family, religious practice, and culture" --The Jewish Book Council

In 78 vibrant works by 62 gifted contributors, Jewish girls, young women, and nonbinary teens voice their celebrations and challenges, their anger and their eagerness in essays, poetry, and visual art. And their themes are universal, touching on childhood, spirituality, sexuality, race, family, friends, and the world around us.

We are writers, editors, photographers, and artists. We are multiethnic, multiracial, and multifaceted. We are nourished by the sweet honey and harsh salt of our lives.

Although we are often misunderstood, we find strength within ourselves and our communities. This book elevates our stories as we honor the past, explore the present, and look toward the future. Through poetry, fiction, essays, and art, we make our voices heard.
 

"Within these pages is a representation of the Jewish community at its best: a diversity of voices and experiences; a rigorous commitment to challenging the status quo; creativity; humor and heartbreak; suffering and joy. That such an invigorating and affirming work was produced by the teens of jGirls Magazine is proof that they've learned a very important lesson early in life: nobody can tell your story but you." --Molly Tolsky, from the Foreword to Salt & Honey.
 

The award-winning Salt & Honey was created by a team of writers and artists brought
together as part of jGirls Magazine, including editors Elizabeth Mandel, Emanuelle Sippy, Maya Savin Miller, and Michele
Lent Hirsch.

Includes works by: Aliza Abusch-Magder; Lauren Alexander; Gertie Angel; Yael Beer; Alex Berman; Alyx Bernstein; Leah Bogatie; Isabella Brown; Aydia Caplan; Whitney Cohen; Emilia Cooper; Tesaneyah Dan; Denae; Alexa Druyanoff; Emily Duckworth; Elena Eisenstadt; Tali Feen; Abigail Fisher; Leah Fleischer; Lily Gardner; Abigael Good; Sequoia Hack; Madison Hahamy; Samara Haynes; Ahava Helfenbaum; Dalia Heller; Sascha Hochman; Audrey Honig; Alexa Hulse; Liel Huppert; Noa Kalfus; Alma Kastan; Rachel Kaufman; Maya Keren; Naomi Kitchen; Gavi Klein; Jamie Klinger; Emily Knopf; Aidyn Levin; Sonja Lippmann; Shoshana Maniscalco; Liora Meyer; Maya Savin Miller; Becca Norman; Juliet Norman; Dina Ocken; Zoe Oppenheimer; Lily Pazner; Annie Poole; Ofek Preis; Maya Rabinowitz; Emma Rosman; Artie Ross; Sydney Schulman; Eliana Shapere; Emanuelle Sippy; Michal Spanjer; Frankie Vega; Molly Voit; Abigail Winograd; Sarah Young; Makeda Zabot-Hall.
 

The included Reader's Guide by teen educator and award-winning author Michelle Shapiro Abraham, RJE makes this an outstanding resource for book groups and for teen programming in a variety of contexts.
 


 


 


 


 

 

 

 

 

 

View Details >>

Rolling Warrior

Judith Heumann

Soon to be Apple feature movie, Being Heumann, directed by CODA’s Sian Heder and starring BAFTA-nominated actress Ruth Madeley as Judy Heumann

As featured in the Oscar-nominated documentary Crip Camp, and for readers of I Am Malala, one of the most influential disability rights activists in US history tells her story of fighting to belong.

“If I didn’t fight, who would?”

Judy Heumann was only 5 years old when she was first denied her right to attend school. Paralyzed from polio and raised by her Holocaust-surviving parents in New York City, Judy had a drive for equality that was instilled early in life.

In this young readers’ edition of her acclaimed memoir, Being Heumann, Judy shares her journey of battling for equal access in an unequal world—from fighting to attend grade school after being described as a “fire hazard” because of her wheelchair, to suing the New York City school system for denying her a teacher’s license because of her disability. Judy went on to lead 150 disabled people in the longest sit-in protest in US history at the San Francisco Federal Building. Cut off from the outside world, the group slept on office floors, faced down bomb threats, and risked their lives to win the world’s attention and the first civil rights legislation for disabled people.

Judy’s bravery, persistence, and signature rebellious streak will speak to every person fighting to belong and fighting for social justice.

View Details >>

Wake

Rebecca Hall

A Best Book of the Year by NPR and The Washington Post

An imaginative and riveting tour de force that tells the “powerful” (The New York Times Book Review) story of women-led slave revolts and chronicles scholar Rebecca Hall’s efforts to uncover the truth about these female warriors who, until now, have been left out of the historical record.

Women warriors planned and led revolts on slave ships during the Middle Passage. They fought their enslavers throughout the Americas. And then they were erased from history.

Wake tells the “riveting” (Angela Y. Davis) story of Dr. Rebecca Hall, a historian, granddaughter of slaves, and a woman haunted by the legacy of slavery. The accepted history of slave revolts has always told her that enslaved women took a back seat. But Rebecca decides to look deeper, and her journey takes her through old court records, slave ship captain’s logs, crumbling correspondence, and even the forensic evidence from the bones of enslaved women from the “negro burying ground” uncovered in Manhattan. She finds women warriors everywhere.

Using a “remarkable blend of passion and fact, action and reflection” (NPR), Rebecca constructs the likely pasts of Adono and Alele, women rebels who fought for freedom during the Middle Passage, as well as the stories of women who led slave revolts in Colonial New York. We also follow Rebecca’s own story as the legacy of slavery shapes her life, both during her time as a successful attorney and later as a historian seeking the past that haunts her.

Illustrated beautifully in black and white, Wake will take its place alongside classics of the graphic novel genre, like Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis and Art Spiegelman’s Maus. This story of a personal and national legacy is a powerful reminder that while the past is gone, we still live in its wake.

View Details >>

A Thousand Sisters

Elizabeth Wein

Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Finalist!

 

The gripping true story of the only women to fly in combat in World War II--from Elizabeth Wein, award-winning author of Code Name Verity

In the early years of World War II, Josef Stalin issued an order that made the Soviet Union the first country in the world to allow female pilots to fly in combat. Led by Marina Raskova, these three regiments, including the 588th Night Bomber Regiment--nicknamed the "night witches"--faced intense pressure and obstacles both in the sky and on the ground. Some of these young women perished in flames. Many of them were in their teens when they went to war.

This is the story of Raskova's three regiments, women who enlisted and were deployed on the front lines of battle as navigators, pilots, and mechanics. It is the story of a thousand young women who wanted to take flight to defend their country, and the woman who brought them together in the sky.

Packed with black-and-white photographs, fascinating sidebars, and thoroughly researched details, A Thousand Sisters is the inspiring true story of a group of women who set out to change the world, and the sisterhood they formed even amid the destruction of war.

View Details >>

Because I Was a Girl

Melissa de la Cruz

Because I Was a Girl is an inspiring collection of true stories by women and girls about the obstacles, challenges, and opportunities they've faced...because of their gender. Edited by #1 New York Times-bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz, the book is the perfect gift for girls of all ages to celebrate the accomplishments of these women and girls who overcame adversity with their limitless potential.

The collection includes writings from an impressive array of girls and women who are trailblazers in their fields, including bestselling authors Victoria Aveyard, Libba Bray, and Margaret Stohl; industry pioneers like Dolores Huerta, Trish McEvoy, and Holly Knight; renowned chef Katie Button; aerospace and mechanical engineer Emily Calandrelli; and many more.

Because I Was a Girl features powerful stories from:

Elizabeth Acevedo
Katrina Adams
Victoria Aveyard 
Bonnie Bartlett
Brenda Bowen 
Libba Bray
Katie Button
Emily Calandrelli 
Babette Davis
Williabell Jones Davis
Melissa de la Cruz
Abby Falik
Jena Friedman 
Joan Hanawi 
Jane Hawley 
Tina Hay 
Jody Houser
Dolores Huerta 
Zareen Jaffery
Anjanette Johnston
Mattie Johnston 
Holly Knight
Jill Lorie 
Zoey Luna
Trish McEvoy
Loretta Miranda
Gloria Molina 
Susan Morrison
Anna Ponder
Margaret Semrud-Clikeman
Rebecca Soffer
Cheri Steinkellner
Margaret Stohl
Noor Tagouri
Tillie Walden 
Quvenzhane Wallis 
Francesca Zambello
Lenore Zion

View Details >>

Enchanted Air

Margarita Engle

In this poetic memoir, which won the Pura Belpré Author Award, was a YALSA Nonfiction Finalist, and was named a Walter Dean Myers Award Honoree, acclaimed author Margarita Engle tells of growing up as a child of two cultures during the Cold War.

Margarita is a girl from two worlds. Her heart lies in Cuba, her mother’s tropical island country, a place so lush with vibrant life that it seems like a fairy tale kingdom. But most of the time she lives in Los Angeles, lonely in the noisy city and dreaming of the summers when she can take a plane through the enchanted air to her beloved island. Words and images are her constant companions, friendly and comforting when the children at school are not.

Then a revolution breaks out in Cuba. Margarita fears for her far-away family. When the hostility between Cuba and the United States erupts at the Bay of Pigs Invasion, Margarita’s worlds collide in the worst way possible. How can the two countries she loves hate each other so much? And will she ever get to visit her beautiful island again?

View Details >>

#NotYourPrincess

Mary Beth Leatherdale

Whether looking back to a troubled past or welcoming a hopeful future, the powerful voices of Indigenous women across North America resound in this book. In the same style as the best-selling Dreaming in Indian, #NotYourPrincess presents an eclectic collection of poems, essays, interviews, and art that combine to express the experience of being a Native woman. Stories of abuse, humiliation, and stereotyping are countered by the voices of passionate women making themselves heard and demanding change. Sometimes angry, often reflective, but always strong, the women in this book will give teen readers insight into the lives of women who, for so long, have been virtually invisible.

View Details >>

Not Your China Doll

Katie Gee Salisbury

“Enlightening, nuanced, and honest.”—Lisa See

Set against the glittering backdrop of Los Angeles during the gin-soaked Jazz Age and the rise of Hollywood, this debut book celebrates Anna May Wong, the first Asian American movie star, to bring an unsung heroine to light and reclaim her place in cinema history.

One of Entertainment Weekly's "Books We Are Excited to Read in 2024"
 
Before Constance Wu, Sandra Oh, Awkwafina, or Lucy Liu, there was Anna May Wong. In her time, she was a legendary beauty, witty conversationalist, and fashion icon. Plucked from her family’s laundry business in Los Angeles, Anna May Wong rose to stardom in Douglas Fairbanks’s blockbuster The Thief of Bagdad. Fans and the press clamored to see more of this unlikely actress, but when Hollywood repeatedly cast her in stereotypical roles, she headed abroad in protest. 
 
Anna May starred in acclaimed films in Berlin, Paris, and London. She dazzled royalty and heads of state across several nations, leaving trails of suitors in her wake. She returned to challenge Hollywood at its own game by speaking out about the industry’s blatant racism. She used her new stature to move away from her typecasting as the China doll or dragon lady, and worked to reshape Asian American representation in film.
 
Filled with stories of capricious directors and admiring costars, glamorous parties and far-flung love affairs, Not Your China Doll showcases the vibrant, radical life of a groundbreaking artist.
 

View Details >>

All in Her Head

Elizabeth Comen

Finalist for the 2025 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award

USA Today Bestseller

"All in Her Head accomplishes a remarkable feat of storytelling. By combining essential medical histories about women's bodies with all the narrative propulsion of a medical thriller, Comen has written a must-read, compelling, and important book."--Siddhartha Mukherjee, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Emperor of All Maladies and The Song of the Cell

"Wow! This book will upend everything you thought you knew about your body while empowering you to make better decisions moving forward. Through storytelling, extensive research, and easy recommendations, Dr. Elizabeth Comen has given us all a priceless road map to reclaim our agency."--Eve Rodsky, author of Fair Play

A surprising, groundbreaking, and fiercely entertaining work of narrative nonfiction, this medical history is both a collective narrative of women's bodies and a call to action for a new conversation around women's health.

For as long as medicine has been a practice, women's bodies have been treated like objects to be practiced on: examined and ignored, idealized and sexualized, shamed, subjugated, mutilated, and dismissed. The history of women's healthcare is a story in which women themselves have too often been voiceless--a narrative instead written from the perspective of men who styled themselves as authorities on the female of the species, yet uninformed by women's own voices, thoughts, fears, pain and experiences. The result is a cultural and societal legacy of gender bias in medicine that continues to shape the (mis)treatment and care of women.

While the modern age has seen significant advancements in the medical field, the notion that female bodies are flawed inversions of the male ideal lingers on--as do the pervasive societal stigmas and lingering ignorance that shape women's health and relationships with their own bodies.

In a feat of compelling science writing, Memorial Sloan Kettering oncologist and medical historian Dr. Elizabeth Comen draws back the curtain on the collective medical history of women to reintroduce us to our whole bodies--how they work, the actual doctors and patients whose perspectives and experiences laid the foundation for today's medical thought, and the many oversights that still remain unaddressed. With a physician's knowledge and empathy, Dr. Comen follows the road map of the eleven organ systems to share unique and untold stories, drawing upon medical texts and journals, interviews with expert physicians, as well as her own experience treating thousands of women.

Empowering women to better understand ourselves and encouraging patient advocacy for care that prioritizes healthy and joyful lives-- for us and generations to come--All in Her Head is written with humor, wisdom, and deep scientific and cultural insight. Eye-opening, sometimes enraging, yet always captivating, this shared memoir of women's medical history is an essential contribution to a holistic understanding and much-needed reclaiming of women's history and bodies.

View Details >>

For the Sun After Long Nights

Fatemeh Jamalpour

LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD • A moving exploration of the 2022 women-led protests in Iran, as told through the interwoven stories of two Iranian journalists

“Unlike anything I’ve read . . . A searing, courageous, and ultimately beautiful book filled with the spirit of the movement that it covers.” —Ben Rhodes, author of The World as It Is: A Memoir of the Obama White House

In September 2022, a young Kurdish woman, Mahsa Jîna Amini, died after being beaten by police officers who arrested her for not adhering to the Islamic Republic’s dress code. Her death galvanized thousands of Iranians—mostly women—who took to the streets in one of the country’s largest uprisings in decades: the Woman, Life, Freedom movement.

Despite the threat of imprisonment or death for her work as a journalist covering political unrest, state repression, and grassroots activism in Iran—which has led to multiple interrogation sessions and arrests—Fatemeh Jamalpour joined the throngs of people fighting to topple Iran’s religious extremist regime. And across the globe, Nilo Tabrizy, who emigrated from Iran with her family as a child, covered the protests and state violence, knowing that spotlighting the women on the front lines and the systemic injustice of the Iranian government meant she would not be able to safely return to Iran in the future.

Though they had met only once in person, Nilo and Fatemeh corresponded constantly, often through encrypted platforms to protect Fatemeh. As the protests continued to unfold, the sense of sisterhood they shared led them to embark on an effort to document the spirit and legacy of the movement, and the history, geopolitics, and influences that led to this point. At once deeply personal and assiduously reported, For the Sun After Long Nights offers two perspectives on what it means to cover the stories that are closest to one’s heart—both in the forefront and from afar.

View Details >>

In the Form of a Question

Amy Schneider

“Warm and funny.” —The New York Times * “Refreshingly no-holds-barred.” —USA TODAY * “Delightful.” —San Francisco Chronicle

An inspirational, witty, and bold memoir from the most successful woman ever to compete on Jeopardy!—an exploration of what it means to ask questions of the world and of yourself as well as a passionate “ode to learning” (People).

In eighth grade, Amy was voted “Most likely to appear on Jeopardy!” by her classmates. Decades later, this trailblazer finally got her chance. Not only did she walk away with $1.3 million while captivating the world with her impressive forty-game winning streak, but she made history and won an even greater prize—the joy of being herself on national television and blazing a trail for openly queer and transgender people around the world. Now, she shares her singular journey that led to becoming an unlikely icon and hero to millions. Her superpower: Boundless curiosity and fearless questioning.

“A funny, memorable, philosophical take on life” (Kirkus Reviews) In the Form of a Question explores some of the innumerable topics that have fascinated Amy throughout her life—books and music, Tarot and astrology, popular culture and computers, sex and relationships—but they all share the same purpose: to illustrate, and celebrate, the results of a lifetime spent asking, why? “Funny, candid, and confident…this is no ordinary Jeopardy! memoir…[and] Amy Schneider is no ordinary Jeopardy! champion” (Ken Jennings).

View Details >>

Hood Feminism

Mikki Kendall

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“The fights against hunger, homelessness, poverty, health disparities, poor schools, homophobia, transphobia, and domestic violence are feminist fights. Kendall offers a feminism rooted in the livelihood of everyday women.” —Ibram X. Kendi, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of  How to Be an Antiracist, in The Atlantic

“One of the most important books of the current moment.”—Time
 
“A rousing call to action... It should be required reading for everyone.”—Gabrielle Union, author of We’re Going to Need More Wine


A potent and electrifying critique of today’s feminist movement announcing a fresh new voice in black feminism

Today's feminist movement has a glaring blind spot, and paradoxically, it is women. Mainstream feminists rarely talk about meeting basic needs as a feminist issue, argues Mikki Kendall, but food insecurity, access to quality education, safe neighborhoods, a living wage, and medical care are all feminist issues. All too often, however, the focus is not on basic survival for the many, but on increasing privilege for the few. That feminists refuse to prioritize these issues has only exacerbated the age-old problem of both internecine discord and women who rebuff at carrying the title. Moreover, prominent white feminists broadly suffer from their own myopia with regard to how things like race, class, sexual orientation, and ability intersect with gender. How can we stand in solidarity as a movement, Kendall asks, when there is the distinct likelihood that some women are oppressing others? 

In her searing collection of essays, Mikki Kendall takes aim at the legitimacy of the modern feminist movement, arguing that it has chronically failed to address the needs of all but a few women. Drawing on her own experiences with hunger, violence, and hypersexualization, along with incisive commentary on reproductive rights, politics, pop culture, the stigma of mental health, and more, Hood Feminism delivers an irrefutable indictment of a movement in flux. An unforgettable debut, Kendall has written a ferocious clarion call to all would-be feminists to live out the true mandate of the movement in thought and in deed.

View Details >>

Mamacita

Andrea Pons

In this inspiring and creative Mexican cookbook, Andrea Pons takes you on a journey through flavor, family, and her immigration story. With 78 easy and delicious recipes from three generations of women in her family, this cookbook offers a taste of authentic Mexican cuisine.



Foreword by James Beard Award nominee Hetty Lui McKinnon



The story of Mamacita is the story of contemporary immigration and life in the United States. When Pons was faced with the possibility of deportation, she and her family struggled to navigate the complicated US immigration system, even though the country had been their home for sixteen years. Pons looked to these recipes for help and self-published the original edition of Mamacita to fund her family's significant legal fees.



The cookbook became a symbol of her family's journey and a rallying cry to anyone challenged by the complexities of immigration. In these pages, Pons shares her personal story and how creating this cookbook became a way for her to return to her roots and reconnect with her Mexican heritage.



This new edition of Mamacita offers 30 more photos and 11 additional recipes, allowing you to taste even more of the love in Pons's dishes, ranging from glorious salsas to filling harinas to tart and sweet postres.

View Details >>

On Her Game

Christine Brennan

Instant New York Times Bestseller!

A news-making and electrifying portrait of sports phenomenon Caitlin Clark, whose dramatic ascendance in college basketball and now in the WNBA has captured the attention of media and fans unlike any other female team-sport athlete in history—by award-winning USA TODAY columnist and television commentator Christine Brennan.

America has never seen an athlete quite like Caitlin Clark. Attracting record-shattering attendance and TV ratings, she has riveted the nation with her famous logo threes and thrilling passes and changed how fans across the country view women’s sports. Drawing on dozens of extensive interviews and exclusive, behind-the-scenes reporting, veteran journalist Christine Brennan narrates Clark’s rise—including the formative experiences that led to her scoring more points than any woman or man in major college basketball history—and delivers fascinating new details about Clark’s Olympic snub by USA Basketball, the safety concerns around her that led to charter flights for all players, the WNBA’s lack of preparation for heightened national scrutiny, and troubling outbreaks of jealousy and resentment as a white player became the top story in a predominantly Black league.

The 2024 season was a watershed. Always taking the high road in the face of criticism, Clark proceeded to write herself into WNBA record books as one of the league’s most talented rookies ever. And her winning persona—on full display whether surrounded by children begging for autographs or reporters hanging on her every word—made Clark such a fan favorite that increasingly larger arenas needed to be found to accommodate the hordes who traveled hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of miles to watch her play.

Clark arrived as a sports and cultural icon a little more than fifty years after the passage of Title IX, the 1972 law that opened the floodgates for girls and women to play sports in America. On Her Game is a sports story, certainly, but it’s also the story of a nation falling in love with what it has created because of that law—millions of new athletes, led by the magical Caitlin Clark.

View Details >>

Hit Girls

Nora Princiotti

An entertaining and deeply nostalgic dive into how female pop stars broke through the music industry in the 2000s and altered the cultural landscape forever, from the Ringer writer and Every Single Album podcast cohost

Hit Girls bridges our butterfly-clipped, bedazzled past with today’s music world, revealing how the pop songs we belted in our bedrooms shaped everything we’re streaming now.”—Kate Kennedy, New York Times bestselling author of One in a Millennial

Low-rise jeans, butterfly clips, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, and Paris Hilton’s nights out. The early 2000s were a time of major moments in fashion, media, celebrity culture, and especially music. The aughts were a particularly fruitful era for female artists—still the only decade in the history of recorded music when women made up more than half the list of highest-grossing performers—and especially pop stars. Artists such as Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, and Beyoncé were leading the charge—their success not only leading to a new respect for female artists, but for pop stardom itself.

In Hit Girls, Nora Princiotti examines how these artists redefined the role of the pop star within the music industry and culture more broadly, and fundamentally set the stage for the women who top the charts today. Princiotti unpacks the shifts in genre, technology, and celebrity culture that sparked this evolution through the stories of the biggest names in aughties pop. Like how Britney opened the bubblegum floodgates at the start of the decade, inspiring both copycats like Christina Aguilera and Jessica Simpson and mall punk antagonists like Avril Lavigne and Ashlee Simpson. Or how innovations in technology led to the rise of EDM as Rihanna experimented with sound while Ke$ha and Katy Perry embraced the “party anthem.”

Along the way, Princiotti explores how celebrity evolved alongside the changes in media from the tabloid days à la Lindsay Lohan to MySpace, Instagram and how Taylor created one of the largest, most dedicated fandoms the world has ever seen.

The ultimate love letter to pop music, Hit Girls celebrates the women who revolutionized the genre, inspired the next generation, and—in some cases—are burning brighter than ever.

View Details >>

Sisters in Science

Olivia Campbell

The extraordinary true story of four women pioneers in physics during World War II and their daring escape out of Nazi Germany

In the 1930s, Germany was a hotbed of scientific thought. But after the Nazis took power, Jewish and female citizens were forced out of their academic positions. Hedwig Kohn, Lise Meitner, Hertha Sponer and Hildegard Stücklen were eminent in their fields, but they had no choice but to flee due to their Jewish ancestry or anti-Nazi sentiments.

Their harrowing journey out of Germany became a life-and-death situation that required Herculean efforts of friends and other prominent scientists. Lise fled to Sweden, where she made a groundbreaking discovery in nuclear physics, and the others fled to the United States, where they brought advanced physics to American universities. No matter their destination, each woman revolutionized the field of physics when all odds were stacked against them, galvanizing young women to do the same.

Well researched and written with cinematic prose, Sisters in Science brings these trailblazing women to life and shows us how sisterhood and scientific curiosity can transcend borders and persist--flourish, even--in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

View Details >>

Year of the Tiger

Alice Wong

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • ONE OF USA TODAY'S MUST-READ BOOKS • This groundbreaking memoir offers a glimpse into an activist's journey to finding and cultivating community and the continued fight for disability justice, from the founder and director of the Disability Visibility Project

“Alice Wong provides deep truths in this fun and deceptively easy read about her survival in this hectic and ableist society.” —Selma Blair, bestselling author of Mean Baby

In Chinese culture, the tiger is deeply revered for its confidence, passion, ambition, and ferocity. That same fighting spirit resides in Alice Wong.
 
Drawing on a collection of original essays, previously published work, conversations, graphics, photos, commissioned art by disabled and Asian American artists, and more, Alice uses her unique talent to share an impressionistic scrapbook of her life as an Asian American disabled activist, community organizer, media maker, and dreamer. From her love of food and pop culture to her unwavering commitment to dismantling systemic ableism, Alice shares her thoughts on creativity, access, power, care, the pandemic, mortality, and the future. As a self-described disabled oracle, Alice traces her origins, tells her story, and creates a space for disabled people to be in conversation with one another and the world. Filled with incisive wit, joy, and rage, Wong’s Year of the Tiger will galvanize readers with big cat energy.

View Details >>

Mom & Me & Mom

Maya Angelou

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A moving memoir about the legendary author’s relationship with her own mother.

Emma Watson’s Our Shared Shelf Book Club Pick!

The story of Maya Angelou’s extraordinary life has been chronicled in her multiple bestselling autobiographies. But now, at last, the legendary author shares the deepest personal story of her life: her relationship with her mother.

For the first time, Angelou reveals the triumphs and struggles of being the daughter of Vivian Baxter, an indomitable spirit whose petite size belied her larger-than-life presence—a presence absent during much of Angelou’s early life. When her marriage began to crumble, Vivian famously sent three-year-old Maya and her older brother away from their California home to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. The subsequent feelings of abandonment stayed with Angelou for years, but their reunion, a decade later, began a story that has never before been told. In Mom & Me & Mom, Angelou dramatizes her years reconciling with the mother she preferred to simply call “Lady,” revealing the profound moments that shifted the balance of love and respect between them.

Delving into one of her life’s most rich, rewarding, and fraught relationships, Mom & Me & Mom explores the healing and love that evolved between the two women over the course of their lives, the love that fostered Maya Angelou’s rise from immeasurable depths to reach impossible heights.

Praise for Mom & Me & Mom

Mom & Me & Mom is delivered with Angelou’s trademark good humor and fierce optimism. If any resentments linger between these lines, if lives are partially revealed without all the bitter details exposed, well, that is part of Angelou’s forgiving design. As an account of reconciliation, this little book is just revealing enough, and pretty irresistible.”The Washington Post

“Moving . . . a remarkable portrait of two courageous souls.”People

“[The] latest, and most potent, of her serial autobiographies . . . [a] tough-minded, tenderhearted addition to Angelou’s spectacular canon.”Elle

“Mesmerizing . . . Angelou has a way with words that can still dazzle us, and with her mother as a subject, Angelou has a near-perfect muse and mystery woman.”Essence

View Details >>

The Lucky Ones

Zara Chowdhary

A moving memoir by a survivor of anti-Muslim violence in contemporary India that delicately weaves political and family histories in a tribute to her country’s unique Islamic heritage—“a must-read in our warring world today” (NPR)

“A harrowing survivor’s tale, an important history lesson, and a desperate warning from someone who has seen the tragic effects of ethnic violence.”—Time

A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • FINALIST FOR THE PEN/GALBRAITH AWARD FOR NONFICTION

In 2002, Zara Chowdhary is sixteen years old and living with her family in Ahmedabad, one of India’s fastest-growing cities, when a gruesome train fire claims the lives of sixty Hindu right-wing volunteers and upends the life of five million Muslims. Instead of taking her school exams that week, Zara is put under a three-month siege, with her family and thousands of others fearing for their lives as Hindu neighbors, friends, and members of civil society transform overnight into bloodthirsty mobs, hunting and massacring their fellow citizens. The chief minister of the state at the time, Narendra Modi, will later be accused of fomenting the massacre, and yet a decade later, will rise to become India’s prime minister, sending the “world’s largest democracy” hurtling toward cacophonous Hindu nationalism. 

The Lucky Ones traces the past of a multigenerational Muslim family to India’s brave but bloody origins, a segregated city’s ancient past, and the lingering hurt causing bloodshed on the streets. Symphonic interludes offer glimpses into the precious, ordinary lives of Muslims, all locked together in a crumbling apartment building in the city’s old quarters, with their ability to forgive and find laughter, to offer grace even as the world outside, and their place in it, falls apart.

The Lucky Ones entwines lost histories across a subcontinent, examines forgotten myths, prods a family’s secrets, and gazes unflinchingly back at a country rushing to move past the biggest pogrom in its modern history. It is a warning thrown to the world by a young survivor, to democracies that fail to protect their vulnerable, and to homes that won’t listen to their daughters. It is an ode to the rebellion of a young woman who insists she will belong to her land, family, and faith on her own terms.

View Details >>

Femina

Janina Ramirez

THE #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 CUNDIL HISTORY PRIZE

A "Next Big Idea Book Club" Must Read?



A groundbreaking reappraisal of medieval femininity, revealing why women have been written out of history and why it matters



The Middle Ages are seen as a bloodthirsty time of Vikings, saints and kings; a patriarchal society that oppressed and excluded women. But when we dig a little deeper into the truth, we can see that the "Dark" Ages were anything but.



Oxford and BBC historian Janina Ramirez has uncovered countless influential women's names struck out of historical records, with the word FEMINA annotated beside them. As gatekeepers of the past ordered books to be burned, artworks to be destroyed, and new versions of myths, legends and historical documents to be produced, our view of history has been manipulated.



Only now, through a careful examination of the artifacts, writings and possessions they left behind, are the influential and multifaceted lives of women emerging. Femina goes beyond the official records to uncover the true impact of women, such as:

 

  • Jadwiga, the only female king in Europe
  • Margery Kempe, who exploited her image and story to ensure her notoriety
  • Loftus Princess, whose existence gives us clues about the beginnings of Christianity in England







In Femina, Ramirez invites us to see the medieval world with fresh eyes and discover why these remarkable women were removed from our collective memories.

View Details >>

The Selected Works of Audre Lorde

Audre Lorde

A definitive selection of Audre Lorde’s "intelligent, fierce, powerful, sensual, provocative, indelible" (Roxane Gay) prose and poetry, for a new generation of readers.
 

Self-described "black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet" Audre Lorde is an unforgettable voice in twentieth-century literature, and one of the first to center the experiences of black, queer women. This essential reader showcases her indelible contributions to intersectional feminism, queer theory, and critical race studies in twelve landmark essays and more than sixty poems—selected and introduced by one of our most powerful contemporary voices on race and gender, Roxane Gay.

Among the essays included here are:

  • "The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action"
  • "The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House"
  • "I Am Your Sister"
  • Excerpts from the American Book Award–winning A Burst of Light

The poems are drawn from Lorde’s nine volumes, including The Black Unicorn and National Book Award finalist From a Land Where Other People Live. Among them are:

  • "Martha"
  • "A Litany for Survival"
  • "Sister Outsider"
  • "Making Love to Concrete"
View Details >>

Creep

Myriam Gurba

A NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE FINALIST * A LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD WINNER

“Quite simply one of the best books of the decade.” —Los Angeles Review of Books * “The mother of intersectional Latinx identity.” —Cosmopolitan * “Brilliant…a hopeful book…rooted in the steadfast belief other worlds are possible.” —The New York Observer * “Witty, confident, and effortlessly provocative.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer * “The most fearless writer in America.” Luis Alberto Urrea, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of Good Night, Irene

A ruthless and razor-sharp essay collection that tackles the pervasive, creeping oppression and toxicity that has wormed its way into society—in our books, schools, and homes, as well as the systems that perpetuate them—from one of our fiercest, foremost explorers of intersectional Latinx identity.

A creep can be a single figure, a villain who makes things go bump in the night. Yet creep is also what the fog does—it lurks into place to do its dirty work, muffling screams, obscuring the truth, and providing cover for those prowling within it.

Creep is “sharp, conversational cultural criticism” (Bustle), a blistering and slyly informal sociology of creeps (the individuals who deceive, exploit, and oppress) and creep culture (the systems, tacit rules, and institutions that feed them and allow them to grow and thrive). In eleven bold, electrifying pieces, Gurba mines her own life and the lives of others—some famous, some infamous, some you’ve never heard of but will likely never forget—to unearth the toxic traditions that have long plagued our culture and enabled the abusers who haunt our books, schools, and homes.

With her ruthless mind, wry humor, and adventurous style, Gurba implicates everyone from William Burroughs to her grandfather, from Joan Didion to her own abusive ex-partner; she takes aim at everything from public school administrations to the mainstream media, from Mexican stereotypes to the carceral state. Weaving her own history and identity throughout, she argues for a new way of conceptualizing oppression, and she does it with her signature blend of bravado and humility.

View Details >>

Fireworks

Matthew Burgess

WINNER OF THE 2026 CALDECOTT MEDAL!

* SEVEN STARRED REVIEWS * A NEW YORK TIMES/NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST ILLUSTRATED CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE YEAR * THE SOCIETY OF ILLUSTRATORS GOLD MEDAL WINNER * KIRKUS' BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR * BOOKLIST'S EDITOR'S CHOICE PICKS OF THE YEAR * SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL'S BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR * A HORN BOOK FANFARE PICK * THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY'S BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR * CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST OF THE YEAR * NPR'S BEST OF THE YEAR ROUNDUP * A CHARLOTTE ZOLOTOW HONOR BOOK *

Fireworks is a sparkling picture book from the award-winning team of Matthew Burgess and Cátia Chien, highlighting the simple delights of a steamy July day in the city as two siblings eagerly anticipate a spectacular fireworks display.
POP!
As a hot day sizzles into evening, everyone on stoops and sidewalks looks skyward on this special summer night--the Fourth of July! Words and art blossom into flowers of fire across the sky, making this a perfect read for firework enthusiasts in cities and suburbs everywhere.
 

View Details >>

Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka Con la Papa

Sara Andrea Fajardo

*Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award Winner*

What can a potato do? To Peruvian scientist Alberto Salas, they have the power to change the world. Go on the hunt with Alberto for for wild potatoes before they go extinct in this playful picture book biography, gorgeously illustrated by Caldecott-honoree Juana Martinez-Neal.

High up in the Andes mountains of Peru, agricultural scientist Alberto Salas is on a quest. A quest... for potatoes.

Up and down the Andes mountains he goes, playing an epic game of paka paka con la papa, potato hide and seek. These potatoes are special: they have the power to feed the world. 

Alberto doesn't have a second to waste. The climate is changing and Alberto must find each and every one to save them before they go extinct.

The game is on!

Alberto races and peers and prods. Drives and trods and climbs. Will he find the potato he seeks? Will he win the game of paka paka con la papa?

Author Sara Andrea Fajardo’s spirited biography about “the godfather of potatoes” is paired with lush art by Caldecott-honoree Juana Martinez-Neal to capture how celebrated scientist Alberto Salas brings joy, curiosity, and fun to his very important, life-changing work.

¡También disponible en español!

View Details >>

Chooch Helped

Andrea L. Rogers

Every big sister knows the feeling: little brothers get away with EVERYTHING!

Meet Sissy, who's had it up to here with her two-year-old brother Chooch. No matter what chaos he creates in their loving Cherokee family--and trust us, there's a lot--their parents just smile and say he's ""helping."" When Elisi paints a mural? Chooch ""helps."" When Edutsi makes grape dumplings? Chooch ""helps."" When Sissy tries to make her own clay pot? Well, you can guess what happens next.

But when Sissy finally loses her cool and yells ""Hesdi!"" (Quit it!), what unfolds is a tender moment that captures the messy, beautiful reality of sibling love. This Caldecott Medal winner perfectly nails that universal big sibling frustration--and the surprising grace that can follow.

Winner of the Caldecott Medal * Starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

View Details >>

Popo the Xolo

Paloma Angelina Lopez

An emotionally resonant, visually stirring picture book illustrated by Pura Belpré Award–winning Abraham Matias, exploring life, death, and celebrating loved ones for children navigating grief.

Inspired by the 9 levels of Mictlān and the role Xolo dogs play by guiding those who have passed on in Indigenous cultural understandings of present-day Mexico.

Nana is surrounded by family and takes joy in her many grandchildren. She's also tired and feels pain. Soon she begins her transition from life into death, accompanied by her beloved Xolo dog, Popo.

Together they go on Nana’s journey, and by the end of the story, Nana's family celebrates the many years of love they shared with her. And a grandchild will now care for Popo.

Beautifully told by debut author Paloma Angelina Lopez and featuring stunning blend of colored art by Mexican illustrator, Abraham Matias, Popo the Xolo helps kids understand how loved ones live on in our memories. An unforgettable picture book that's grounded in the importance of the 9 levels of Mictlān and the role Xolo (show-low) dogs play in Indigenous cultural understandings of present-day Mexico.

Popo the Xolo is available in both English and Spanish language editions.

2026 Pura Belpré Illustrator Award

View Details >>

Wanda Hears the Stars

Amy S. Hansen

A nonfiction picture book biography of astrophysicist Wanda Díaz Merced and how losing her sight didn't stop her from studying the stars.

This 2026 Schneider Family Book Award winner is an inspiring true story of a woman scientist of color and a riveting, intersectional STEM read for ages 6–9.

Growing up in Puerto Rico, Wanda Díaz Merced wanted to learn everything she could about the stars. But in college she started losing her sight. How could she study what she couldn't see?

Wanda found a way. She learned to hear the stars using sonification, which converts data into sounds. Listening to those chimes and drumbeats, she made new discoveries about the universe.

Today Wanda is a leading advocate for inclusive science. She and her friend Amy S. Hansen collaborated on this book to inspire children to follow their curiosity no matter the challenges. As Wanda urges, "Never give up!" 

Wanda Hears the Stars is the perfect picture book biography to inspire any STEM-minded future scientist!

2026 Schneider Book Award Winner

View Details >>

Stop That Mop!

Jonathan Fenske

Winner of the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award 

Chase a runaway mop in this hilarious, rhyming Level 1 Ready-to-Read by award-winning author-illustrator Jonathan Fenske!

Meet a mop. The mop does not want to mop the slop. See the mop run away. Can anyone stop this mop?

View Details >>

Shabbat Shalom

Suzy Ultman

Why do we celebrate Shabbat on Friday night? This charming, modern board book introduces the Jewish day of rest to curious young readers!

A SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARD WINNER

Learn the weekly traditions of Jewish Shabbat in this whimsical board book, part of the unique My First Books of Jewish Culture series! Incorporating both Jewish traditions and Jewish culture, offering a unique depiction of Judaism, author and artist Suzy Ultman melds her own Jewish upbringing with her current trend-setting aesthetic to create a much-needed series of gorgeous, appealing, and perfectly simple books that will inform and entertain Jewish and non-Jewish readers alike. With vibrant illustrations and text in bold, clear type, this board book is the perfect way to celebrate Judaism with the whole family!

View Details >>

Many Things At Once

Veera Hiranandani

In this poignant picture book about family and belonging, the child of a Jewish mother and a South Asian father hears stories about her family history. Sometimes she doesn't feel Jewish enough or South Asian enough, but comes to realize you can feel--and be--many things at once.

AN ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN AWARD WINNER

Based on the author's own family history, here is a moving story about a young girl from two different backgrounds. The girl’s mother tells her stories about her mother, a Jewish seamstress in Brooklyn, New York. She lived in a tiny two-bedroom apartment and sewed wedding dresses shimmering in satin and lace.

Her father tells stories of his mother, the girl’s other grandmother, who liked to cook bubbling dal on a coal stove in Pakistan. They tell stories about how both sides came to America, and how, eventually, her parents met on a warm summer evening in Poughkeepsie.

The girl sometimes feels as if she's the “only one like me.” One day, when she spots a butterfly in her yard, she realizes it’s okay to be different—no two butterflies are alike, after all. It’s okay to feel alone sometimes, but also happy and proud. It’s okay to feel-- and be-- many things at once.

View Details >>

The Pecan Sheller

Lupe Ruiz-Flores

Winner of the Pura Belpré Children's Author Award

A Kirkus Best Middle-Grade Book of the Year

Junior Library Guild Selection

In 1930s San Antonio, thirteen-year-old Petra dreams of going to college and becoming a writer.

But with her beloved father dead, two younger siblings to care for, and with a stepmother struggling to make ends meet, Petra has to drop out of school to shell pecans at a factory. Hoping it's only temporary, she tries not to despair over the grueling work conditions. But after the unhealthy environment leads to tragedy and workers' already low wages are cut, Petra knows things need to change. She and her coworkers go on strike for higher wages and safer conditions, risking everything they have for the hope of a better future.

"Heart-warming and enraging in equal parts, this important American story reveals the power of family, community, and hope."—Laurie Halse Anderson, New York Times-bestselling author

A Junior Library Guild Selection

View Details >>

All the Blues in the Sky

Renée Watson

Winner of the Newbery Medal

A New York Times bestseller | A USA Today bestseller | A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year | A Kirkus Best Book of the Year | A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year | A Chicago Public Library Best Kids' Book of the Year | A PEN America's Best Children's Books | An NCTE Charlotte Huck Award Honor Book | A Horn Book Fanfare Selection Book | A BCCB Blue Ribbon Book

#1 New York Times bestselling author and Newbery Medal winner Renée Watson explores friendship, loss, and life with grief in this poignant novel in verse and vignettes.

Sage's thirteenth birthday was supposed to be about movies and treats, staying up late with her best friend and watching the sunrise together. Instead, it was the day her best friend died. Without the person she had to hold her secrets and dream with, Sage is lost. In a counseling group with other girls who have lost someone close to them, she learns that not all losses are the same, and healing isn't predictable. There is sadness, loneliness, anxiety, guilt, pain, love. And even as Sage grieves, new, good things enter her life-and she just may find a way to know that she can feel it all.

In accessible, engaging verse and prose, this is a story of a girl's journey to heal, grow, and forgive herself. To read it is to see how many shades there are in grief, and to know that someone understands.

View Details >>

Will's Race for Home

Jewell Parker Rhodes

★ Winner of the Coretta Scott King Book Award! ★

★ A New York Times bestseller! ★ 

★ "Rhodes deftly captures a unique aspect of this historical event, with a perspective that is often under-represented in historical fiction. A poignant and honest look at the trials of racism that defined the historic land rush; a must-buy." --School Library Journal, starred review



Bestselling and award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes goes West in this thrilling adventure story about a son and his father who set out to win land during the Oklahoma Land Rush--if they can survive the journey. 



It's 1889, barely twenty-five years after the Emancipation Proclamation, and a young Black family is tired of working on land they don't get to own.



So when Will and his father hear about an upcoming land rush, they set out on a journey from Texas to Oklahoma, racing thousands of others to the place where land is free--if they can get to it fast enough. But the journey isn't easy--the terrain is rough, the bandits are brutal, and every interaction carries a heavy undercurrent of danger.



And then there's the stranger they encounter and befriend: a mysterious soldier named Caesar, whose Union emblem brings more attention--and more trouble--than any of them need.



All three are propelled by the promise of something long denied to them: freedom, land ownership, and a place to call home--but is a strong will enough to get them there? 



Includes stunning black-and-white illustrations throughout!

View Details >>

Halfway to Somewhere

Jose Pimienta

New school, new country, but only half a family?! Embark on a coming of age journey with a middle school teen navigating their parent’s divorce while moving to a new country in this stunning graphic novel.

A STONEWALL BOOK AWARD WINNER • A BOOKLIST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

Ave thought moving to Kansas would be boring and flat after enjoying the mountains and trails in Mexico, but at least they would have their family with them. Unfortunately, while Ave, their mom, and their younger brother are relocating to the US, Ave's father and older sister will be staying in Mexico...permanently. Their parents are getting a divorce.

As if learning a whole new language wasn't hard enough, and now a Middle-Schooler has to figure out a new family dynamic...and what this means for them as they start middle school with no friends.

Jose Pimienta's stunningly illustrated and thought provoking middle graphic novel is about exploring identity, understanding family, making friends with a language barrier, and above all else, learning what truly makes a place a home.

View Details >>

Whale Eyes

James Robinson

From Emmy Award–winning documentary filmmaker James Robinson comes a breathtaking illustrated memoir for readers ages 10 and up—inspired by the viral, Emmy-nominated short film Whale Eyes.

WINNER OF THE SCHNEIDER FAMILY BOOK AWARD • AN ORBIS PICTUS RECOMMENDED BOOK • A BEST BOOK THE YEAR: School Library Journal, NPR, BCCB, New York Public Library, and Chicago Public Library

Told through an experimental mix of intimate anecdotes and interactive visuals, this book immerses readers in James’s experiences growing up with strabismus, allowing them to see the world through one eye at a time.

Readers will get lost as they chase words. They’ll stare into this book while taking a vision test. They’ll hold it upside down as they practice “pretend-reading”…and they’ll follow an unlikely trail toward discovering the power of words. 

With poignant illustrations by Eisner Award–nominated artist Brian Rea, James’s story equips readers of all ages with the tools to confront their discomfort with disability and turn confused, blank stares into powerful connections.

View Details >>

Neshama

Marcella Pixley

An Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Award Winner!

"A mesmerizing meditation on family, forgiveness, and the freedom to be found in embracing one's truest self." --Booklist (starred review)

A bullied girl who communicates with ghosts finds her inner strength in this haunting novel in verse that will resonate with anyone who has felt themselves to be different.

Anna sees ghosts. The spirits of her ancestors call to her from the shadows, and no matter where she is, Anna always answers. Kids in her middle school tease her. Teachers and parents are worried by her strange behavior. The only one who seems to understand is Anna's beloved grandmother, Bubbe, who has always treasured Anna's shayna neshama, her beautiful soul. Spending Shabbos with Bubbe is the only thing that gives Anna the sense of love and belonging that she needs.

But when a ghost named Ruthie appears at Bubbe's house by the sea, Anna begins to uncover long-hidden secrets that reveal the mystery of her family's troubled past. As Anna and Ruthie get closer, Anna must decide for herself whether being connected to a restless ghost is worth the risk. When it becomes clear that Bubbe's life is in danger, Anna must face the horrible truth: She alone has the ability to save her family and heal the wounds that follow them from one generation to the next.

National Book Award long-listed author Marcella Pixley brings her Jewish faith and her acclaimed sense of lyricism to this powerful story of bravery, forgiveness, and healing.

View Details >>

Hungry Bones

Louise Hung

A chilling middle grade novel about a girl haunted by a hungry ghost.

 

Molly Teng sees things no one else can.

By touching the belongings of people who have died, she gets brief glimpses into the lives they lived. Sometimes the "zaps" are funny or random, but often they leave her feeling sad, drained, and lonely.

The last thing Jade remembers from life is dying. That was over one hundred years ago. Ever since then she's been trapped in the same house watching people move in and out. She's a 'hungry ghost' reliant on the livings' food scraps to survive. To most people she is only a shadow, a ghost story, a superstition.

Molly is not most people. When she moves into Jade's house, nothing will ever be the same--for either of them. After over a century alone, Jade might finally have someone who can help her uncover the secrets of her past, and maybe even find a way out of the house--before her hunger destroys them both.

View Details >>

Buffalo Dreamer

Violet Duncan

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • An illuminating novel about the importance of reclaiming the past, based on the author’s family history

Summer and her family always spend relaxed summers in Alberta, Canada, on the reservation where her mom’s family lives. But this year is turning out to be an eye-opening one. First, Summer has begun to have vivid dreams in which she's running away from one of the many real-life residential schools that tore Native children from their families and tried to erase their Native identities. Not long after that, she learns that unmarked children’s graves have been discovered at the school her grandpa attended as a child. Now more folks are speaking up about their harrowing experiences at these places, including her grandfather. Summer cherishes her heritage and is heartbroken about all her grandfather was forced to give up and miss out on. When the town holds a rally, she’s proud to take part to acknowledge the painful past and speak of her hopes for the future, and anxious to find someone who can fill her in on the source of her unsettling dreams.

View Details >>

The Teacher of Nomad Land

Daniel Nayeri

Winner of the National Book Award - Named Amazon's #1 Children's Book of 2025

In the shadow of World War II, two orphaned siblings embark on a perilous journey across the mountains of Iran--where survival depends on finding a common language in a world torn apart.

1941. The German armies are storming across Europe. Iran is a neutral country occupied by British forces on one side, Soviet forces on another. Soldiers fill the teahouses of Isfahan. Nazi spies roam the alleyways.

Babak and his little sister have just lost their father. Now orphans, fearing they will be separated, the two devise a plan. Babak will take up his father's old job as a teacher to the nomads. With a chalkboard strapped to Babak's back, and a satchel full of textbooks, the siblings set off to find the nomad tribes as they make their yearly trek across the mountains.

On the treacherous journey they meet a Jewish boy, hiding from a Nazi spy. And suddenly, they are all in a race for survival.

Against the backdrop of World War II comes an epic adventure in the faraway places. Through the cacophony of soldiers, tanks, and planes, can young hearts of different creeds and nations learn to find a common language?

Master storyteller Daniel Nayeri delivers an unforgettable tale of courage, hope, and the transformative power of education. Meticulously researched and breathtakingly told, The Teacher of Nomad Land illuminates a hidden corner of WWII history.

Perfect for readers who loved The Book Thief, Refugee, and Inside Out and Back Again, this is a story that will keep you riveted until the final, tear-filled page.

"No one captures the flavor and spirit of traditional storytelling more than Daniel Nayeri." --Chris Abouzeid, Belmont Books.

View Details >>

Legendary Frybread Drive-In

Cynthia Leitich Smith

Michael L. Printz Award Winner
American Indian Youth Literature Award Winner

Featuring the voices of both new and acclaimed Indigenous writers and edited by bestselling Muscogee author Cynthia Leitich Smith, this collection of interconnected stories serves up laughter, love, Native pride, and the world's best frybread.

The road to Sandy June's Legendary Frybread Drive-In slips through every rez and alongside every urban Native hangout. The menu offers a rotating feast, including traditional eats and tasty snacks. But Sandy June's serves up more than food: it hosts live music, movie nights, unexpected family reunions, love long lost, and love found again.
That big green-and-gold neon sign beckons to teens of every tribal Nation, often when they need it most.
Featuring stories and poems by: Kaua Mahoe Adams, Marcella Bell, Angeline Boulley, K. A. Cobell, A. J. Eversole, Jen Ferguson, Eric Gansworth, Byron Graves, Kate Hart, Christine Hartman Derr, Karina Iceberg, Cheryl Isaacs, Darcie Little Badger, David A. Robertson, Andrea L. Rogers, Cynthia Leitich Smith, and Brian Young.
In partnership with We Need Diverse Books.
 

View Details >>

On the Wings of la Noche

Vanessa L. Torres

Noche is a Lechuza by night, an ethereal jet-black owl who guides the dead to the afterlife. Except now, Noche cannot bring herself to escort her dead girlfriend, whose soul is fading the harder Noche holds on—an aching romance about first and second loves and finding the strength to let go.

A New York Public Library Best Book of 2025 
An International Latino Award Gold Medal Winner
A Pura Belpré Author Award Winner

“A spellbinding, hauntingly beautiful story that weaves together love, loss, and the supernatural.”
AIDEN THOMAS, New York Times bestselling author of The Sunbearer Trials and The Cemetery Boys

Death waits for Estrella (Noche) Villanueva. In her human form, she is a lonely science girl grieving the tragic accidental drowning of her girlfriend, Dante Fuentes. At night, she is a Lechuza who visits her dead girlfriend at the lake, desperate for more time with her. The longer Dante’s soul roams the earth, the more likely it is that she will fade into the unknown, lost forever, but Noche cannot let go . . .

That’s when a new kid comes to town, Jax, another science nerd like Noche. They connect in a way she can’t ignore, seemingly pulled together by an invisible thread. For the first time, Noche begins to imagine a life without Dante. As Noche’s heart begins to beat for two people, her guilt flares. Then, she finds herself at risk of losing both Jax and Dante, and Noche is forced to question her purpose as a lechuza and everything she has ever believed in.

View Details >>

All the Noise at Once

DeAndra Davis

Winner of the William C. Morris Debut YA Book Award
Three starred reviews!

A Black, autistic teen tries to figure out what happened the night his older brother was unjustly arrested in this “propulsive” (Jas Hammonds, award-winning author of We Deserve Monuments), moving story about brotherhood, identity, and social justice.

All Aiden has ever wanted to do was play football just like his star quarterback brother, Brandon. An overstimulation meltdown gets in the way of Aiden making the team during summer tryouts, but when the school year starts and a spot unexpectedly needs to be filled, he finally gets a chance to play the game he loves.

However, not every player is happy about the new addition to the team, wary of how Aiden’s autism will present itself on game day. Tensions rise. A fight breaks out. Cops are called.

Brandon interferes on behalf of his brother, but is arrested by the very same cops who, just hours earlier, were chanting his name from the bleachers. When he’s wrongly charged for felony assault on an officer, everything Brandon has worked for starts to slip away, and the brothers’ relationship is tested. As Brandon’s trial inches closer, Aiden is desperate to figure out what really happened that night. Can he clear his brother’s name in time?

View Details >>

One of the Boys

Victoria Zeller

A New York Times Bestseller

Grace Woodhouse was a star kicker with a D1 future, but that was before she came out as transgender and quit football. Now, as senior year begins, Grace is navigating a new life with queer friends and a fresh perspective.

But when her old teammates beg her to rejoin the Pageland High football team, Grace can't resist the call of the game. Can she be both a star football player and a trans girl? As Grace steps back onto the field, she'll face transphobia, navigate complicated feelings for her ex-girlfriend, and learn to unite her past and present. One of the Boys is a heartfelt, funny, and inspiring story about self-discovery, breaking stereotypes, and the power of solidarity, all wrapped up in an unforgettable season of high school football. 

Perfect for fans of sports stories and authentic queer narratives, this book is a winning game of "feelingsball" you won't want to miss!"

P R A I S E 

"Heartfelt, hilarious, and blisteringly honest. One of the Boys is genuinely one of the best contemporary YAs I've ever had the pleasure of reading." 
-- Andrew Joseph White, NYTimes bestselling author of Compound Fracture 

​"Completely and beautifully immersed in the world of its sport, ​O​ne of the Boys is as funny as it is emotional, as honest as it is hopeful, and as exciting as it is comforting. This is exactly the book I wanted to read, and Grace is exactly the protagonist I wanted to follow. Her voice, much like Victoria Zeller's prose, is a joy. I absolutely loved it.​" 
-- KT Hoffman, author of The Prospects

★ "A standout first work, setting a high bar for the blooming subgenre of queer sports fiction." 
-- Booklist (starred)

★ "One of the Boys is an amazing feel-good read for any teen (or adult!) who loves football--but for those who know nothing about the sport, Zeller does a great job making it accessible. Alongside great sports plays and banter, Zeller also prioritizes "feelingsball," or mapping Grace's mental and emotional journey as she works to unite the football world and the LGBTQ+ world, two spaces with long-held stereotypes and prejudices against each other. One of the Boys is a standout work of YA fiction, as inspiring and illuminating as it is funny and relatable."
-- BookPage (starred)

★ "Zeller artfully exposes the tender underbelly of locker room posturing, presenting a subversive, experience-informed interpretation of toxic masculinity... An intersectionally diverse cast--which includes Grace's taciturn yet supportive single father--helps the protagonist forge her own path and blaze a trail for others in this necessary debut." 
-- Publishers Weekly (starred)

View Details >>

The Red Car to Hollywood

Jennie Liu

 

Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature Young Adult Winner

A New York Public Library Best Books for Teens

 

 

Los Angeles, 1924

strongSixteen-year-old Ruby Chan considers herself a modern, independent American girl. But when her secret relationship with a white boy implodes—and then is revealed to her very traditional Chinese parents—she’s in a tough spot. Horrified that Ruby’s reputation is at risk, her parents hire a matchmaker to find her a Chinese husband. Ruby is determined to foil their plans. But how?

strong

Meanwhile, Ruby meets the nineteen-year-old film star Anna May Wong, one of her neighbors in LA’s Chinatown. The girls quickly strike up a friendship. Anna May defies Chinese convention by working as an actress on the silver screen, and she scoffs at white people’s assumptions about her. If she can forge her own path, surely Ruby can too.

Not everything is as it seems, though. Danger and betrayal lurk amidst the new possibilities. To build the life she wants, Ruby will have to contend with how others see her—and decide if she’s ready to truly see herself.

 

View Details >>

D. J. Rosenblum Becomes the G. O. A. T.

Abby White

"A fresh new voice, Abby White delivers the perfect dose of humor and heartbreak with her debut D.J. Rosenblum Becomes the G.O.A.T. Readers will root for D.J. as she navigates a new home, friends, even a crush, with such insight and truth. A standout especially-young adult from an exciting new voice!"

-- Lilliam Rivera, author of Barely Floating



"Such a fun read!" -- Rick Riordan



WHERE: Middle Woods, Briar, Ohio

VICTIM: Rachel Simon

HERO: D.J. Rosenblum

VILLAINS: ???



It's the beginning of the school year--and Briar's newest resident, D.J. Rosenblum, is not here for it. Ever since her cousin Rachel died, D.J.'s family has been a mess: Her aunt and uncle are catatonic. Her mom is even more scatterbrained than usual. She had to postpone her bat mitzvah a whole year. Worst of all, she and her mom had to move--leaving her best friend, Eva, behind.



Briar does have one redeeming factor, though: Here, in Rachel's hometown, D.J. can finally get to the bottom of her cousin's death. With the help of a chatty journalist and a queen-bee hacker, D.J. can fill in the last days of Rachel's life. And if she can just figure out her Torah portion--with help from her cute tutor, Jonah--maybe, just maybe, she'll be able to solve a bigger mystery.



For fans of Looking for Alaska and Never Have I Ever comes Abby White's debut novel, D.J. Rosenblum Becomes the G.O.A.T. It's a basket of matzo ball soup dumplings for anyone learning to chart their own path, navigate new friendships and crushes, and figure out how to love--and live--after loss.

View Details >>

Death in the Jungle

Candace Fleming

How did Jim Jones, the leader of Peoples Temple, convince more than 900 of his followers to commit "revolutionary suicide" by drinking cyanide-laced punch? From a master of narrative nonfiction comes a chilling chronicle of one of the most notorious cults in American history.

A YALSA EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION WINNER • A SCBWI GOLDEN KITE AWARD FINALIST • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Publishers Weekly, BookPage, Horn Book, Booklist, The Bulletin of The Center for Children's Books, School Library Journal

Using riveting first-person accounts, award-winning author Candace Fleming reveals the makings of a monster: from Jones’s humble origins as a child of the Depression… to his founding of a group whose idealistic promises of equality and justice attracted thousands of followers… to his relocation of Temple headquarters from California to an unsettled territory in Guyana, South America, which he dubbed "Jonestown”… to his transformation of Peoples Temple into a nefarious experiment in mind-control. 

And Fleming heart-stoppingly depicts Jones’s final act, persuading his followers to swallow fatal doses of cyanide—to “drink the kool-aid,” as it became known—as a test of their ultimate devotion. 

Here is a sweeping story that traces, step by step, the ways in which one man slowly indoctrinated, then murdered, 900 innocent, well- meaning people. And how a few members, Jones' own son included, stood up to him... but not before it was too late.

View Details >>

I Would Really Like to Eat a Child

Sylviane Donnio

A scrawny little crocodile wants the opportunity to bite off more than he can chew. He's tired of bananas; today he'd like to eat a child. But he's smaller than he thinks, and the little girl he chooses for his first meal puts him in his place—she picks him up and tickles his tummy! The little crocodile is going to have to eat a lot of bananas and grow a lot bigger before he can add children to his menu! Simple yet hilarious artwork brings this droll story to life.

View Details >>

Apapacho Love

Cynthia Harmony

A gorgeous picture book featuring a Mexican American family that’s as comforting as a warm embrace—great for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and baby gifts!

Every day for Luna starts and ends with Mami’s apapachos—hugs that come from Mami’s soul. Her warm cuddles fill Luna's heart, like stars fill the sky. They make her feel safe. They make her feel seen. But, oh no, Mami has to take a trip! What will Luna do without Mami's hugs?

Maybe...apapachos can come from other people, too.

Like Abue’s, which makes Luna feel brave. And Daddy’s, which makes her giggle. Not to mention her dog, Benito’s wet nuzzle which tells her to rise and shine with a smile. It turns out even when Mami’s far away, her love is all around.

Apapacho love is everywhere!

View Details >>

Raven's Ribbons

Tasha Spillett

"Spillett captures the joy of the round dance, and a feeling of belonging and connection offered in intergenerational Indigenous community."​ --Publishers Weekly, starred review



"Simple and tender." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review



From New York Times bestselling author Tasha Spillett and illustrator Daniel Ramirez comes a joyous intergenerational celebration of gender self-expression and acceptance through an Indigenous lens.

Raven loves Round Dances. The drums sing to the people. The people dance to the music. Raven's favorite part is to watch the ribbon skirts, swirling like a rainbow. He wishes he could have a ribbon skirt of his own, but his grandmother has never seen a boy wearing one. Until the next round dance, when it turns out that even someone who has lived a long time can see wonderful things that they've never seen before. 



In the spirit of beloved books like Julián is a Mermaid, here is a moving intergenerational story celebrating identity, self-expression, and the realization that even within our traditions, there is room for beautiful reinvention.

View Details >>

Broken

X. Fang

A New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Book! • Join Mei Mei on her hilarious and emotional journey in this dramatic and tenderhearted picture book about guilt and forgiveness, from the acclaimed creator of We Are Definitely Human.

When Mei Mei accidentally breaks her ama's favorite cup, she's convinced it's the end of the world. What if Ama is angry? What if she yells? What if she kicks Mei Mei out of her house? Mei Mei can't face it. But when Mimi, the innocent cat who witnesses her crime, ends up being blamed, the guilt is too much! Mimi's accusing eyes follow Mei Mei until she just can't take it anymore, and the truth comes spilling out.

With vibrant and moody cinematic illustrations and pitch-perfect pacing, X. Fang's newest picture book is filled to the brim with comedic drama and the comforting sweetness of a grandparent's forgiving hug.

View Details >>

The Letter Setters in Bop!

Ethan Long

Learning how to read should be a walk in the dog park! Follow four curious canines on letter-replacement adventures in this phonics-based early reader series starter from Theodor Seuss Geisel Medalist Ethan Long.

Meet the Letter Setters! When their BONE is GONE, these dynamic dogs--Patrick (an Irish Setter), R.W. (a Red and White Setter), Victoria (an English Setter), and Gordy (a Gordon Setter)--sound the GONG and spring into action to retrieve their tasty treat.

In this engaging new early reader series from acclaimed author-illustrator Ethan Long, each story starts out with a three letter word. On the next page, one swapped letter makes a new word--and a new canine caper for little ones learning how to read! As this fresh and fun device propels the pups into silly, slapstick sequences, phonics help readers to discover new words, study how words relate to each other, and observe how text and pictures support one another.

Geisel Medalist Ethan Long's expressive artwork shines in these energetic, educational escapades that provide the youngest readers with the greatest adventure of all--a gateway into a lifelong love of reading. Detailed phonics features are included.

With fun stories and great pictures, new readers will say . . . "I like to read!" Created by award-winning-artists and talented newcomers and tested by educational experts, I Like to Read® books help develop vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension that lead to reading success.

One of Evanston Public Library's 101 Great Books for Kids

View Details >>

Magick Hoodoo Child

Amber McBride

* FOUR STARRED REVIEWS *

From Amber McBride, National Book Award finalist and Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe award-winning author, comes her debut picture book, a heartwarming story about one girl's magick-filled summer with her grandmother. She learns about hoodoo and rootwork culture, the traditions of her African ancestors, and finding beauty in nature.

"A unique tale to be welcomed with excitement and awe--and cherished."--Kirkus (starred review)

"McBride, making a picture book debut, weaves community, spirituality, and love for the natural world into a summer's worth of connections and practices."--Publishes Weekly (starred review)

Roots are our ancestor's Magick. Summer for Juniper has finally arrived, which means rootwork with Grandma can finally begin! It's time to collect healing herbs into protective mojo bags; to fill mason jars with all the love, history, dirt, and magick one can fit. It's time to talk to the tranquil willow trees and feel the soft earth between one's toes; to hear Grandma share their ancestors' stories, with her dog Shiloh underfoot.
From National Book Award finalist Amber McBride comes a loving story about rootwork, a powerful African spiritual practice, and the significance of familial connections and traditions, reminding us how sacred it is to reconnect with the people we love, the earth, one's heritage, and the healing power that provides.

Praise for Magick Hoodoo Child:
"Herbalist and hoodoo practitioner McBride's picture-book debut is a multigenerational
commemoration of strength and family history... Beyond obvious appeal for folk-magick practitioners, share this alongside stories about the joy of summers with grandparents"--Booklist (starred review)

"Amber McBride continues to enchant readers of many ages. Magick Hoodoo Child is a truly enchanted book, and a compelling testament to harnessing the power of nature and ancestors in the face of life's challenges." --BookPage (starred review)
 

View Details >>

A Bear, a Bee, and a Honey Tree

Daniel Bernstrom

Boisterous and buzzing, A Bear, a Bee, and a Honey Tree is destined to be an instant classic . . . with delightfully funny illustrations and clever, fun-to-read text, from the acclaimed author of One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree.

When a hungry, fuzzy brown bear and a hive of angry bees come face to face, everybody's abuzz! Award-winning author Daniel Bernstrom and critically acclaimed illustrator Brandon James Scott have created a rowdy, rhythmic read-aloud that's also perfect for beginning readers. This epic chase story features Bernstrom's signature alliterative wordplay and verbal pizzazz, along with Scott's expressive characters that jump off the pages. A Bear, a Bee, and a Honey Tree has the kind of high-energy, uninhibited playfulness that makes kids want to run, chase, find out something about bear and bee behavior—and learn to read!

View Details >>

Beatrice Likes the Dark

April Genevieve Tucholke

Beatrice likes the dark. She likes black clothes, graveyard picnics, and a sky full of stars. Her sister, Roo, likes the light. She likes bright clothes, picking strawberries, and hot, sunny days. Beatrice and Roo are nothing alike and don’t understand each other. Can Beatrice help Roo love the dark as much as she does? Can Roo help Beatrice love the light? Or are they simply too different to get along? 
 
With lushly detailed artwork, award-winning illustrator Khoa Le brings to vivid life acclaimed author April Tucholke’s heartwarming, slightly spooky tale about two very different sisters who learn to celebrate their individuality, understanding that love runs deeper than their differences. 
 

View Details >>

Reina Ramos: Neighborhood Helper

Emma Otheguy



 

Reina helps her neighbors in this Level Two I Can Read story about Reina Ramos, a loyal friend whose high-spirited antics sometimes cause chaos but who always finds a way to make things right! Features Spanish vocabulary and a glossary.

Reina's school is holding a food drive for the local shelter, and the classroom that collects the most cans wins a pizza party! Reina is so excited, but Abuela is too busy helping a neighbor with a new baby to help Reina with her school project. If her class doesn't win, can Reina still find a way to help out

Reina Ramos: Neighborhood Helper is a Level Two I Can Read book, geared for kids who read on their own but still need a little help. The story also contains several Spanish words and a glossary.

Acclaim for the first Reina Ramos I Can Read: Kirkus Best Book List for Early Readers 2022 and Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best List 2022

Also available in Spanish: Reina Ramos ayuda a los vecinos.

View Details >>

Blurp's Book of Manners

Cindy Derby

From Caldecott Honoree Cindy Derby comes an uproarious tale about an etiquette coach and the sentient paint blob that just might teach her proper manners. 

When etiquette coach Ms. Picklepop teeters off her stool and spills a bucket of paint, a creature emerges. Not a scary one, or an evil one, or anything of the sort. Instead, what comes alive is ...

BLURP!

She'll have to carry on with her lesson, despite Blurp's many, messy distractions. But paint splotches and burps aren't all that disrupt Ms. Picklepop's decorous class. Perhaps through an unlikely friendship, Ms. Picklepop will learn a thing or two about manners herself. 

Fall in love with Cindy Derby's newest adorable creation - Blurp - in this colorful, heartwarming, and laugh-out-loud funny tale.

*"Derby’s natural inclination to play with paint like a child in a mud puddle comes fully to her aid here...
Our hero is bound to find fast friends with ill-mannered readers everywhere." - Kirkus, starred review

*"Derby breathes fresh air into familiar comedy tropes and 'practice kindness' messaging, while anchoring the book’s unleashed sense of color and character in a core truth: there is nothing more wonderful than being treated with respect." - Publishers Weekly, starred review

View Details >>

X Marks the Haunt

Lindsay Currie

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Mystery of Locked Rooms, when a centuries old crypt key is lost—unleashing a dark force—it’s up to the son of the local crypt keeper to end the haunting for good.

"Follow the clues to X Marks the Haunt for a spookily good mystery!"—Alan Gratz, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Heroes

Thanks to his mother’s job at a local graveyard, twelve-year-old Will Stone has some unique talents. For one, he knows exactly how a burial vault works and why they’re used. For another, he’s great at genealogy and can decode centuries old records. Not your normal every day after school activities, that’s for sure!

But when a centuries old crypt key is lost, his normally peaceful existence at Graceland cemetery is shattered. Trees wither and die. The lake becomes covered with a sinister green slime that threatens to choke out anything living in it. And suddenly, the graveyard’s reputation isn’t the only thing in jeopardy . . . Will and his friends' safety is, too.

Suddenly, Will is forced to consider that the lost key might be an even bigger problem than he originally thought. A dark force has been unleashed within the cemetery gates, and along with his friends Stash, Michelle, and Henry, Will must use his unique skill set to figure out which restless spirit is draining the graveyard of life, and how to end the haunting for good.

View Details >>

Troubling Tonsils!

Aaron Reynolds

Three starred reviews!
An instant #1 New York Times bestseller!

“Beautiful to the eye and sure to delight younger horror enthusiasts” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

From the team behind the New York Times bestselling and Caldecott Medal–winning Creepy Carrots! and its sequels comes the first entry in a spin-off chapter book series in which Jasper Rabbit tells the story of a young marmot whose tonsils get the better of him.

Jasper the Rabbit is back! A little older and wiser, he collects creepy stories to share as cautionary tales. If you’re ready for some chills and chuckles alike, tune in as Jasper weaves the yarn of Charlie Marmot and the particular pickle he found himself in.

See, Charlie here has a problem: his tonsils have become infected and have to come out. No biggie, right? But when he decides he wants to keep them in a jar for show and tell, things get creepy… First, strange slurping sounds in his room keep Charlie awake the night before his surgery. Then, he goes to the doctor only to be told his tonsils are already gone! Could it be they’re out for revenge?

Join Jasper and Charlie in this first Creepy Tale chapter book and learn from Charlie’s mistakes before it’s too late!

View Details >>

The First Rule of Punk

Celia C. Pérez

A 2018 Pura Belpré Author Honor Book

The First Rule of Punk is a wry and heartfelt exploration of friendship, finding your place, and learning to rock out like no one’s watching. 

There are no shortcuts to surviving your first day at a new school—you can’t fix it with duct tape like you would your Chuck Taylors. On Day One, twelve-year-old Malú (María Luisa, if you want to annoy her) inadvertently upsets Posada Middle School’s queen bee, violates the school’s dress code with her punk rock look, and disappoints her college-professor mom in the process. Her dad, who now lives a thousand miles away, says things will get better as long as she remembers the first rule of punk: be yourself.
 
The real Malú loves rock music, skateboarding, zines, and Soyrizo (hold the cilantro, please). And when she assembles a group of like-minded misfits at school and starts a band, Malú finally begins to feel at home. She'll do anything to preserve this, which includes standing up to an anti-punk school administration to fight for her right to express herself! 

Black and white illustrations and collage art by award-winning author Celia C. Pérez are featured throughout.

"Malú rocks!"
—Victoria Jamieson, author and illustrator of the New York Times bestselling and Newbery Honor-winning Roller Girl

View Details >>

Dante N. Ferno Is NOT a Loser

Brian Gordon

Diary of a Wimpy Kid meets the myth-mashing of Percy Jackson in this fun and highly illustrated book for kids ages 8 and up.

Dante N. Ferno is trying to be a winner. Ever since his pants fell down in front of the entire school, Dante's life has been nothing short of embarrassingly uncool. Never fear, once he starts sixth grade, Dante has a 100% fool-proof plan to become the Most Popular Kid at his new school:

1. Completely reinvent himself.
2. Make a ton of new friends and accept his nomination as their honorary leader.
3. Become good at sports and win all the game things.
4. Rub his newfound popularity in the face of all the haters he grew up with.

Sounds easy, right? Well, think again. Purg Middle School is full of infamous creatures from myths and legends, like the grim-reaper bus driver, Mr. Charon, and Dante’s angelic new friend, Virgil. Many of them won’t let Dante escape his beast of a reputation so easily.

Filled with hilarious black-and-white illustrations by the author, Brian Gordon’s Dante N. Ferno Is NOT a Loser is a madcap adventure that follows a spirited young demon as he wrestles with bullies, fiends, and other middle school monstrosities. It's perfect if you’re looking for: 

● Funny and universal stories for kids ages 8+ or in third grade and up 
● Highly illustrated and easy-to-read books for reluctant readers 
● Fresh twists on classic mythology and legends

View Details >>

Esperanza Rising

Pam Muñoz Ryan

A modern classic for our time and for all time―this beloved, award-winning bestseller resonates with fresh meaning for each new generation. Perfect for fans of Kate DiCamillo, Christopher Paul Curtis, and Rita Williams-Garcia.

 

Pura Belpre Award Winner

* "Readers will be swept up." -Publishers Weekly, starred review

Esperanza thought she'd always live a privileged life on her family's ranch in Mexico. She'd always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home filled with servants, and Mama, Papa, and Abuelita to care for her. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California and settle in a Mexican farm labor camp. Esperanza isn't ready for the hard work, financial struggles brought on by the Great Depression, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When Mama gets sick and a strike for better working conditions threatens to uproot their new life, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances--because Mama's life, and her own, depend on it.

View Details >>

Smile

Raina Telgemeier

From the artist of The Baby-sitters Club Graphix comes this humorous and charming true story!

Eleven-year-old Raina just wants to be a normal sixth grader. But one night after a trip-and-fall mishap, she injures her two front teeth, and what follows is a long and frustrating journey with on-again, off-again braces, corrective surgery, embarrassing headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth attached. And on top of all that, there's still more to deal with: a major earthquake, boy confusion, and friends who turn out to be not so friendly.

This coming-of-age true story is sure to resonate with anyone who has ever been in middle school, and especially those who have had a bit of their own dental drama.

View Details >>

Outside

Jennifer L. Holm

From three-time Newbery Honor winner Jennifer L. Holm, a chilling but heartfelt story of a girl being raised in a compound who doesn't understand how isolated and unusual her life is... until she must encounter the outside world.

 

Whatever you do, don't leave home.

Razzi has always been told: Don't go Outside. It isn't safe. There are people and creatures out there that will harm you. The walls of the Refuge will protect you from them.

Razzi's friend Ollie was curious about Outside... and it led to his death. So Razzi is trying to be on her best behavior. She is the oldest kid left, the one the younger kids look up to. She has to follow the rules.

But Outside has a way of getting in, and Razzi, guided by a dog she has a strangely close connection with, wonders what it's like to run free beyond the walls.

If she steps away from everything she's ever known... what will she find?

View Details >>

The Leak

Kate Reed Petty

In this compelling middle-grade graphic novel The Leak, Ruth, a young journalist, is determined to uncover a secret that threatens her town.

Ruth Keller is brash and precocious; she argues with her dentist, her parents, and her teachers. So, when she discovers a strange black slime in the man-made lake of her suburban neighborhood, she decides to investigate. Fortified by the encouragement of those around her, Ruth seeks the truth at all costs, even if it means taking on the rich local country club owner, who she believes is responsible for the pollution. 

Between the teasing of former friends, and a sudden viral spotlight, Ruth discovers how difficult it is for a journalist to take a stand for what's right in the face of critique and controversy. From writer Kate Reed Petty and illustrator Andrea Bell, comes a story about corruption, pollution, and freedom of the press, and the young journalist at the center of it all.

View Details >>

A Sea Monster Conundrum (The Misfits)

Lisa Yee

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING SERIES • When there are suspicious sightings around the bay (ghosts?! a sea monster?!)—who're you gonna call? An elite team of crime-fighting underdogs, that's who! The Misfits are on the case in the hilarious series from Newbery Honoree Lisa Yee and Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat!

“For any kid who’s felt like a misfit, this crackling adventure packs a wallop!” —Lincoln Peirce, creator of Big Nate

Oof! When reports of ghosts arise around an abandoned lighthouse, Olive and her elite team of underdogs are immediately thrust into a brand new case. After all, ghosts don’t exist . . . right?

Real or not, the ghosts draw quite a crowd at Olive’s beloved Reforming Arts School, or RASCH (not “rash”). Turns out everyone wants a glimpse of the ghosts, including . . . the nearby marine life?!

Between RASCH’s ghosts and newfound tourism, rumors soon spiral out of control about a sea monster in the bay—snagging unwanted attention from a corrupt mogul. What is going on at RASCH? Does the mythical creature really exist, and can the Misfits save it from being captured? The team will have to dive deep to get to the bottom of San Francisco’s most legendary mystery. . . .

For other Misfit adventures, don't miss The Misfits #1: A Royal Conundrum and The Misfits #2: A Copycat Conundrum!

View Details >>

Taxi Ghost

Sophie Escabasse

In this hilarious and heartwarming graphic novel, a young girl's first period brings an unexpected gift: the ability to see ghosts! As she meets these spectral visitors, she uncovers her family's secret lineage of mediums, while learning about the power of compassion and community.

Adèle just wants to spend her winter break at the library, cozied up with her favorite books, and completely forgetting abut her friends who are all traveling to warmer climates. Unfortunately, life has other plans...not only does Adèle get her first period...but she learns she comes from a long line of mediums!

And if seeing ghosts wasn't enough of a surprise, Adèle learns that not only can she interact with them, but apparently, they've been using her sister's car to get around the city for years! When the ghosts won't leave her alone Adèle starts to get to know about them and their problems. Maybe helping them out will be just what she needs for an exciting winter break!

From Sophie Escabasse, the author of the beloved Witches of Brooklyn, comes a brilliant graphic novel that explores growing up and the importance of standing up for what you believe in.

View Details >>

I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me

Jamison Shea

There will be blood.

Ace of Spades meets House of Hollow in this villain origin story.

Laure Mesny is a perfectionist with an axe to grind. Despite being constantly overlooked in the elite and cutthroat world of the Parisian ballet, she will do anything to prove that a Black girl can take center stage. To level the playing field, Laure ventures deep into the depths of the Catacombs and strikes a deal with a pulsating river of blood.

The primordial power Laure gains promises influence and adoration, everything she’s dreamed of and worked toward. With retribution on her mind, she surpasses her bitter and privileged peers, leaving broken bodies behind her on her climb to stardom.

But even as undeniable as she is, Laure is not the only monster around. And her vicious desires make her a perfect target for slaughter. As she descends into madness and the mystifying underworld beneath her, she is faced with the ultimate choice: continue to break herself for scraps of validation or succumb to the darkness that wants her exactly as she is—monstrous heart and all. That is, if the god-killer doesn’t catch her first.

From debut author Jamison Shea comes I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me, a twisted dark fantasy that lifts a veil on the institutions that profit on exclusion and the toll of giving everything to a world that will never love you back.

View Details >>

Astral Panic

Katie Hicks

A colourful, punchy, YA, coming of age graphic novel about roommates tackling anxiety, work life balance (or lack thereof), digital overwhelm and the stresses of every day life.

Gale's trying to master his anxiety, and he's hoping the latest wonder-cure "Simply Pear" can help. Not turning up to his art classes and feeling like everyone is a lot cooler and more in control than he is, he chugs his Simply Pear products and takes advice from its demanding app. Oh, it's definitely not working...

His plan is thrown into chaos by the bubbly Aiden, who needs a buddy to help him get a job. Can this colorful and heartfelt romp through shoddy part-time jobs help Gale out of his anxious bubble? There's only one way to find out.

View Details >>

We Are All So Good at Smiling

Amber McBride

They Both Die at the End meets The Bell Jar in this haunting, beautiful young adult novel-in-verse about clinical depression and healing from trauma, from National Book Award Finalist Amber McBride.

Whimsy is back in the hospital for treatment of clinical depression. When she meets a boy named Faerry, she recognizes they both have magic in the marrow of their bones. And when Faerry and his family move to the same street, the two start to realize that their lifelines may have twined and untwined many times before.

They are both terrified of the forest at the end of Marsh Creek Lane.

The Forest whispers to Whimsy. The Forest might hold the answers to the part of Faerry he feels is missing. They discover the Forest holds monsters, fairy tales, and pain that they have both been running from for 11 years.

View Details >>

Self Portrait

Ludwig Volbeda

Winner of the Rainbow Book of the Year



"I know of no other book that so tenderly, convincingly, and completely authentically captures the quest of a young, queer character. Beautiful!" - Benny Lindelauf



Jip has an assignment from school for spring break: draw a self-portrait. That should be easy for someone who can draw so well. Yet Jip's thoughts keep wandering. To the new boy in class, to beetles and fireflies, to twilight dreaming, to the party next Friday, and especially to the boy who changed Jip's world once and for all.



Ludwig Volbeda writes as he draws: sensitively, intimately, and with striking observations and metaphors that gradually give the reader insight into Jip's innermost thoughts. What results is a magnificent self-portrait in words (and line art) and one of the more exquisite queer coming-of-age stories in years.

View Details >>

The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling

Wai Chim

An authentic novel about growing up in an Asian immigrant family with a mother who is suffering from a debilitating mental illness.

 

Anna Chiu has her hands full. When she's not looking after her brother and sister or helping out at her father's restaurant, she's taking care of her mother, whose debilitating mental illness keeps her in bed most days. Her father's new delivery boy, Rory, is a welcome distraction and even though she knows that things aren't right at home, she's starting to feel like she could be a normal teen.

But when her mother finally gets out of bed, things go from bad to worse. And as her mother's condition worsens, Anna and her family question everything they understand about themselves and each other.

The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling is a heart-wrenching, true-to-life exploration through the often neglected crevices of culture, mental illness, and family. Its strong themes are balanced by a beautiful romance making it a feel-good, yet important read.

View Details >>

Girl Made of Stars

Ashley Herring Blake

Girl Made of Stars is a timely, emotionally gripping story about facing hard truths of consent and victim blaming in the aftermath of sexual assault, while shining a light on the story of a survivor with sensitivity and hope. For fans of Girl in Pieces and The Way I Used to Be.



Mara and Owen are as close as twins can get, so when Mara's friend Hannah accuses Owen of rape, Mara doesn't know what to think. Can her brother really be guilty of such a violent act? Torn between her family and her sense of right and wrong, Mara feels lost, and it doesn't help that things are strained with her ex-girlfriend, Charlie. As Mara, Hannah, and Charlie come together in the aftermath of this terrible crime, Mara must face a trauma from her own past and decide where Charlie fits into her future.



Confronting difficult questions surrounding consent, victim blaming, and sexual assault, Girl Made of Stars is a timely, emotionally gripping novel that shines a light on the story of a survivor with sensitivity and hope.

 

View Details >>

Wolfwood

Marianna Baer

In Marianna Baer's young adult novel Wolfwood, a teenage girl begins secretly forging paintings, plunging her into a dark and dangerous imaginary world.

"Rich and lucid and gripping." --New York Times bestselling author Melissa Albert

Indigo and her mother, once-famous artist Zoe Serra, have barely been scraping by since her mom's breakdown. When a gallery offers Zoe a revival show for her unfinished blockbuster series, Wolfwood, Indigo knows it's a crucial chance to finally regain stability. Zoe, however, mysteriously refuses. Desperate not to lose the opportunity, Indigo secretly takes up the brush herself.

It turns out, there might be a very good reason her mother wants nothing to do with Wolfwood. Painting submerges Indigo into Wolfwood itself--a dangerous jungle where an army of grotesque, monstrous flora is in a violent battle with a band of girls. As Indigo enters Wolfwood again and again, the line between fantasy and reality blurs. It's a tenuous balancing act: keeping her forgery secret and her mind lucid, all while fighting her attraction to Kai, the son of the gallery owner.

And by the time Indigo realizes the true nature of the monsters she's up against, it might be too late--and the monsters might just win.

View Details >>

Magical Boy

Kao Studios

A breathtakingly imaginative fantasy series starring Max - a trans high school student who has to save the world as a Magical Girl ... as a boy. A breathtakingly imaginative fantasy series starring Max - a trans high school student who has to save the world as a Magical Girl . as a boy! Although he was assigned female at birth, Max is your average trans man trying to get through high school as himself. But on top of classes, crushes and coming out, Max's life is turned upside down when his mom reveals an eons old family secret: he's descended from a long line of Magical Girls tasked with defending humanity from a dark, ancient evil! With a sassy feline sidekick and loyal gang of friends by his side, can Max take on his destiny, save the world and become the next Magical Boy? A hilarious and heartfelt riff on the magical girl genre made popular by teen manga series, Magical Boy is a one-of-a-kind fantasy series that comic readers of all ages will love With full-colour illustrations inside From popular illustrator and comic artist, Vincent Kao, as The Kao.

View Details >>

Only a Monster

Vanessa Len

The sweeping romance of Passenger meets the dark fantasy edge of This Savage Song in this stunning contemporary fantasy debut from Vanessa Len, where the line between monster and hero is razor thin.

Don't forget the rule. No one can know what you are. What we are. You must never tell anyone about monsters.

Joan has just learned the truth: her family are monsters, with terrifying, hidden powers.

And the cute boy at work isn't just a boy: he's a legendary monster slayer, who will do anything to destroy her family.

To save herself and her family, Joan will have to do what she fears most: embrace her own monstrousness. Because in this story...she is not the hero.

Dive deep into the world of Only a Monster: hidden worlds dwell in the shadows, beautiful monsters with untold powers walk among humans, and secrets are the most powerful weapon of all.

View Details >>

The Art Spy

Michelle Young

* Publishers Weekly Best Books of Summer 2025 * Bookbub Best Non-Fiction Release of the Season * MSNBC/Afar Magazine 10 Best Books for the Summer Traveler * Newsday's Top Must-Read Book for Summer * Christian Science Monitor Best Book of May 2025 * Longlisted for the 2025 American Library in Paris Book Award

A riveting and stylish work of historical nonfiction set in Paris during World War II, The Art Spy uncovers how an unlikely heroine infiltrated the Nazi leadership to save the world's most treasured masterpieces.

On August 25, 1944, Rose Valland, a woman of quiet daring, found herself in a desperate position. From the windows of her beloved Jeu de Paume museum, where she had worked and ultimately spied, she could see the battle to liberate Paris thundering around her. The Jeu de Paume, co-opted by Nazi leadership, was now the Germans' final line of defense. Would the museum curator be killed before she could tell the truth--a story that would mean nothing less than saving humanity's cultural inheritance?

Based on troves of previously undiscovered documents, The Art Spy chronicles the brave actions of the key Resistance spy in the heart of the Nazi's art looting headquarters in the French capital. A veritable female Monuments Man, Valland has, until now, been written out of the annals. While Hitler was amassing stolen art for his future Führermuseum, Valland, his undercover adversary, secretly worked to stop him. She came face to face with Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, passed crucial information to the Resistance network, and faced death during the last hours of Liberation Day.

At the same time, a young Free French soldier, Alexandre Rosenberg, was fighting his way to Paris with the Allied forces battling to liberate France. Alexandre's father was the exclusive art dealer for Picasso, Matisse, George Braque, and Fernand Léger. The Nazis had taken everything from their family--their art collection, their nationality, their gallery, and their home in Paris.

Vivid and atmospheric, this gripping narrative of Paris history moves from the glittering days of pre-War Paris, home to geniuses of modern culture, including Picasso, Josephine Baker, Coco Chanel, and Frida Kahlo, through the tension-riddled cities of Europe on the eve of war, to the harrowing years of the Nazi occupation of France when brave people such as Valland and Rosenberg risked everything to fight monstrous evil.

In the spirit of Hidden Figures, with the sweeping narrative of The Rape of Europa, The Art Spy is an inspiration for us all--an extraordinary tale of courage in a time of violence.

How did one woman stand against the Third Reich to save a continent's culture?

  • A True Story of Espionage: Based on newly discovered documents, this is the untold story of Rose Valland, the unassuming museum curator who became one of the most effective spies against the Nazis in Paris.
  • The Fight Against Nazi Art Looting: Go inside the Jeu de Paume museum, the Nazi headquarters for stolen art, and witness Valland's cat-and-mouse game with Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring himself.
  • The French Resistance: Learn how Valland secretly passed crucial information to the Resistance, risking her life during the last hours of the Liberation of Paris.
  • An Untold Story of Women in History: Discover the crucial role of a real-life "Monuments Woman" who fought monstrous evil to preserve priceless works of art from destruction.
View Details >>

The Latecomer

Jean Hanff Korelitz

*A New York Times Notable Book of 2022* 
*A Washington Post Notable Work of Fiction* 
*An NPR Best Book of the Year*
*A New Yorker Best Book of 2022*

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Plot, Jean Hanff Korelitz’s The Latecomer is a layered and immersive literary novel about three siblings, desperate to escape one another, and the upending of their family by the late arrival of a fourth.

The Latecomer follows the story of the wealthy, New York City-based Oppenheimer family, from the first meeting of parents Salo and Johanna, under tragic circumstances, to their triplets born during the early days of IVF. As children, the three siblings – Harrison, Lewyn, and Sally – feel no strong familial bond and cannot wait to go their separate ways, even as their father becomes more distanced and their mother more desperate. When the triplets leave for college, Johanna, faced with being truly alone, makes the decision to have a fourth child. What role will the “latecomer” play in this fractured family?

A complex novel that builds slowly and deliberately, The Latecomer touches on the topics of grief and guilt, generational trauma, privilege and race, traditions and religion, and family dynamics. It is a profound and witty family story from an accomplished author, known for the depth of her character studies, expertly woven storylines, and plot twists.

View Details >>