STORY OF A GIRL

Here is a story of a twelve-year-old girl named Mysti Murphy who lives with her loving parents and sister. Never mind that her mother hasn't left the house for years, and her best friend Anibal Gomez is doing a social experiment where he pretends to be a hipster and not to know her so he can go out with popular girl Sandy. Mysti is determined to stay positive despite everything and think about her plans to live in Paris when she grows up. But things get worse before they get better. When Mysti's father - the only one who can leave the house and buy groceries - ends up in the hospital, Mysti has to change the story of her life. Here is a story of a girl who can muster the courage to go grocery shopping, stand up to her bullies, and make a new friend.

Courage for Beginners by Karen Harrington is a book about a girl who will teach you all about courage, while telling you a joke or two. She shows us that even if things don't always end up perfect, there is always a solution.

For grades 6 and up.

THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC, 1912

 

George Calder, a ten year boy travelling with his Aunt Daisy and younger sister Phoebe, is captivated by the Titanic's size and grandeur. George gets an opportunity to meet the ship's designer and its Captain and can't help but explore every inch of the grand ship on his own.  He soon learns from a fellow passenger that a treasure is kept within the baggage compartment and decides to venture off down below the deck. George's excitement soon turns to fear when he encounters a robber who wants to cause him great harm but an unexpected jolt occurs and an object injures the robber.  As George runs back to his quarters for safety he hears that the Titanic had hit an iceberg.  Will George and his loved ones survive?  

Lauren Tarshis does a wonderful job of blending the facts of one of the greatest events in maritime history with the story of a boy filled with hope and courage.  The facts presented at the end of I Survived: The Sinking of the Titanic, 1913,  will also captivate readers.  

For 8 years and older.

Books About Bullying- BULLY BY LAURA VACCARO SEEGER

 Bully the Bull's feelings are hurt when he is asked to GO AWAY!  Not realizing he might have pent up feelings from being yelled at, he begins to mistreat others by yelling at them, name calling, and glaring. When one of the animals stands up to Bully, Bully is shocked and dismayed.  What will Bully the Bull do next?  A simple, yet powerful message about  bullying and how  hurtful it can be to others. 

Best for Pre-K and up, and for adults and children to read and discuss together.

DISCOVERING LOVE WITHIN A FOSTER FAMILY HOME

Carly Conners has known only one kind of life: a difficult and impoverished one.  She was raised by a mother who was involved with different men, and who taught her that crying is for the weak.
Carly is easy going and she learns to live this way of life until tragedy strikes.  Her mother is hospitalized as a result of domestic violence.  
Carly is then sent to live with a foster family, The Murphys. 

The Murphys are picture perfect in Carly's eyes.  They live in a beautiful home, have traditional roles and routines, and they treat each other with lots of love.  Although shocked by their lifestyle at first, Carly later finds that she too deserves a life like the Murphys.  Through the course of the story, she learns that picture perfect families don't always have picture perfect beginnnings.  Lynda Mullaly Hunt brings Carly's touching experience to life in One For the Murphys.

For 5th grade and up.

CHRONICLES OF AVANTIA ADVENTURE

A special mask possesses the power to control the Beasts of Avantia.  But when danger nears, the mask is purposefully broken up and hidden in different places so that the evil warlord does not gain possession of them.  It is now up to two heroic young people and others to retrieve each piece.  Unfortunately, the sibling of one of the two heroes turns towards evil which makes this novel adventurous and full of surprises.

ADAM BLADE delivers a thrilling fantasy story for boys and girls to enjoy. Check out CHASING EVIL, book two in the CHRONICLES OF AVANTIA.  For 4th grade and up.

KIRA KIRA

Kira Kira is a Newbery Medal winning book that is told by the point of view of a Japanese-American girl who has emigrated to the United States with her family. She is having hard time adapting to her new environment and compare to her sister, Kira-Kira, is struggling in her school work. Things turn to worse when her sister gets sick and it becomes obvious that her living days are numbered. This affects her in ways that become very hard not only on her but also on the whole family. In addition, her father is also having hard time making a living. She tells her self that no matter what has happened in her life, she still needs to view the world as a glittering, shiny place, which the name Kira-Kira means. This gives her strength and courage. Kira-Kira is by Cynthia Kadohata and will be one of the most memorable books that you will read.

Grades 5th and up.

DANCING THROUGH THE SNOW

For a moment, try to imagine that you have nothing, and I mean literally nothing, no real name, no birth certificate, no mother or father and not even sweet memories to keep you going. What would you do? Would you hide in your face or try to make sense of the unknown and the injustice? DANCING THROUGH the SNOW by JEAN LITTLE is the ultimate story of Min (not her real name) that will touch your heart and give you the strength to dance through the snow, physically and metaphorically speaking.

For grades 5 and older.

LOVE, AUBREY

Imagine your days consisting of eating crackers and cheese for breakfast, watching TV; crackers and cheese for lunch; watching TV, crackers and cheese for dinner and watching more TV. This is how Aubrey thought she was going to spend her time alone in the house without any interruptions. However, when she runs out of food and goes to the supermarket to buy more food, things do unfold and we learn much more about this intelligent and precocious girl who is hiding her own personal tragedies in order to cope with them. As the story unfolds we learn why she was home alone all by herself and why she is trying to hide from everyone including her own Grandma. This is a great new novel with exceptionally good writing with multi layered plots and characters.
LOVE, AUBREY by SUZANNE LAFLEUR.

For grades 5th and older.