Juvenile Fiction Lists

"When her beloved country, Chile, is taken over by a militaristic, sadistic government, Celeste is sent to America for her safety and her parents must go into hiding before they 'disappear.'" (description from catalog)

"Kofi lives a simple life, but it is a life he loves. He’s 11, just on the cusp of becoming a man, and he finds that there are things he must tackle before coming of age: proving his strength by beating his cousin at a swimming match, speaking up so that the girl he likes knows that he admires her, and learning what the elders really mean by their coded language. When Kofi’s brother accidentally kills a neighboring chief’s nephew in a wrestling match, Kofi instinctively knows that everything in the world is going to change; he just doesn’t realize how much." (description from Booklist)

"Orphaned siblings flee in the wake of religious violence in this heady and exhilarating historical adventure, a middle grade debut by Boorman (Into the Sublime). In the 13th century, following their mother’s death, Elodie and her younger brother Bertran have been raised in southern France by Senhor Benet, a benevolent caregiver and secret member of the Cathar Christian sect. Upon the inauguration of a “fierce” new Catholic pope, papal crusaders descend on the village searching for Senhor Benet in a campaign to root out “heathens.” After Senhor Benet bolts, leaving behind a small fortune in a flour sack, Elodie vows to find him and return his gold. Upon meeting Joie, a female troubadour harboring a secret, Elodie, Bertram, and Bertram’s beloved chicken Codet establish a storytelling troupe; they earn money by performing variations on the pagan tales Elodie’s mother told her, modified to fit Catholic tastes. Zippy dialogue enriches the children’s dynamic, while Elodie’s anxiety about protecting Bertram and changing her mother’s stories escalate narrative tension. The group’s navigation of the brutal machinations of the adult world (particularly the Crusades and treatment of non-Catholic Europeans) makes for a densely layered and immaculately paced escapade." -description from Publisher's Weekly

With the threat of German bombs being dropped on London, most parents are anxious to get their children out of the city. But Ada’s mother, shamed by her daughter’s deformed foot, doesn’t seem to care. Ada takes it upon herself to board an evacuee train with her younger brother and, without their Mam’s knowledge, they arrive in a country village with a crowd of students. Malnourished and filthy, the siblings are placed with Miss Smith, a woman lacking any experience with children, who claims she isn’t “nice.” Nonetheless, she offers Ada and Jamie food, clothing, and security, and she owns a pony that Ada is determined to learn to ride. Proving that her courage and compassion carry far more power than her disability, Ada earns self-respect, emerges a hero, and learns the meaning of home. (description adapted from Publisher's Weekly)

After being taught in a boarding school run by whites that Navajo is a useless language, Ned Begay and other Navajo men are recruited by the Marines to become Code Talkers, sending messages during World War II in their native tongue. (Description from catalog.)

Discovering a book of Langston Hughes' poetry in the library helps Langston cope with the loss of his mother, relocating from Alabama to Chicago as part of the Great Migration, and being bullied. (description from catalog)

Ten-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression, escapes a bad foster home and sets out in search of the man he believes to be his father--the renowned bandleader, H.E. Calloway of Grand Rapids. (description from catalog)

"The prophecy speaks of a girl who will unseat a king and change the world. It doesn't exactly mention a goat, but true prophecy will find a way to be fulfilled…especially if the hard-headed, and hard-butting, Answelica has anything to do with it. Brother Edik, a monk who illuminates manuscripts and pronounces the occasional prophecy (including the one about Beatryce), is startled to find a very sick girl curled up in the straw next to the monastery's irascible goat. He doesn't realize that the king is looking to capture this very girl; he takes her in and nurses her back to health. The goat refuses to leave Beatryce's side as she is eventually forced to leave the monastery and earn her way by writing (in a world where girls are not allowed to read and write), and ultimately by befriending others who help demonstrate that Beatryce is, in fact, the girl foretold to change everything." (description from School Library Journal)

"When a burning cross set by the Klan causes panic and fear in 1932 Bumblebee, North Carolina, fifth-grader Stella must face prejudice and find the strength to demand change in her segregated town." (description from catalog)

"The Crowns, a ragged band of waifs, is the only family Duck has ever known—so when its sneering, verbally abusive leader proposes planting her in a bakery as an apprentice to steal food and money, she is eager to prove herself. However, Master Griselde Baker is not only sharp as a tack, but possessed of a heart and capacity for love as outsized as her exceptionally tall and sturdy body. So it isn’t long before Duck’s walls of fear and silence begin to crack, along with her resolve." (description from Kirkus)

"Melvin Robinson wants a strong, smooth, He-Man voice that lets him say what he wants, when he wants—especially to his crush Millie Takazawa, and Gary Ratliff, who constantly puts him down. But the thought of starting high school is only making his stutter worse. And Melvin's growing awareness that racism is everywhere—not just in the South where a boy his age has been brutally killed by two white men, but also in his own hometown of Spokane—is making him realize that he can't mutely stand by. When his moment comes, can Melvin be as mighty on the outside as he actually is on the inside?" (description from publisher)

"Crossing paths at an inn, thirteenth-century travelers impart the tales of a monastery oblate, a Jewish refugee, and a psychic peasant girl with a loyal greyhound, the three of whom join forces on a chase through France to escape persecution." (description from catalog)

"It's 1980, and speaking out against Fidel Castro's Communist regime sent Héctor's father to prison and then to the United States, leaving Héctor, his brother Rodrigo, and his mom under a shadow of suspicion. Héctor's mother is planning on leaving Cuba and is ready to put her plan into action, but Héctor is having trouble accepting that he has to abandon his home, friends, and school. As Héctor enjoys what might be his last weeks with best friends, something happens that finally makes him comprehend what's at stake and the importance of family." (adapted from School Library Journal)

"Brandon is visiting his dad on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 when the attack comes; Reshmina is a girl in Afghanistan who has grown up in the aftermath of that attack but dreams of peace, becoming a teacher and escaping her village and the narrow role that the Taliban believes is appropriate for women--both are struggling to survive, both changed forever by the events of 9/11." (description from catalog)

"In 1969, against the backdrop of the first lunar landing, half-black, half-Japanese Mimi as she adjusts to life in rural Vermont. Everything about Mimi makes her stand out -- including her mixed heritage, her "unconventional" family and her "boyish" interest in astronomy -- but Mimi finds that she's strong enough to face the tough, unwelcoming exterior her new community presents to her." (description from catalog)

In 1939 North Carolina, an all-Black baseball team "trespasses" on the whites-only baseball field, and the resulting racial outrage can only be resolved on the mound. Published from Catalog.

"After bungling his audition to play the Scarecrow in The Wiz, fifth-grader Ailey is magically transported to 1930s Harlem where he meets his own grandfather and legendary tap dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson." (description from catalog)

"Shy twelve-year-old Nisha, forced to flee her home with her Hindu family during the 1947 partition of India, tries to find her voice and make sense of the world falling apart around her by writing to her deceased Muslim mother in the pages of her diary." (description from catalog)

"In 1582 thirteen-year-old Emilia Bassano is a lute player and aspiring playwright who stumbles on a plot to kill Queen Elizabeth, and is recruited by Sir Francis Walsingham to go to the castle where Mary Queen of Scots is being held and discover who is responsible for the plot." (Description from catalog)

"Lucy, a spirited French-Ojibwe orphan, is sent to the stormy waters of Lake Superior to live with a mysterious family of lighthouse-keepers-and, she hopes, to find the legendary necklace her father spent his life seeking."-- Provided by publisher.

Hà is 10 when Saigon falls and her family flees Vietnam. First on a ship, then in two refugee camps, and then finally in Alabama, she and her family struggle to fit in and make a home. As Hà deals with leaving behind all that is familiar, she tries to contain her temper, especially in the face of school bullies and the inconsistencies of the English language. She misses her papaya tree, and her family worries about friends and family remaining in Vietnam, especially her father, who was captured by Communist forces several years earlier. (description from School Library Journal)

"A novel in verse inspired by the author's experience follows Haa and her family, refugees from the Vietnam War, as they move to Texas for a new job, and despite not wanting to start over again, Haa discovers unwanted change can bring a good opportunity." (description from catalog)

"1890, Atlanta. Jo Kuan works as a lady's maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night she moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for the genteel Southern lady, "Dear Miss Sweetie." When her column becomes wildly popular, she uses the power of the pen to address some of society's ills, but she's not prepared for the backlash that follows when her column challenges fixed ideas about race and gender. A mysterious letter sets Jo off on a search for her own past and the parents who abandoned her as a baby, but her efforts put her in the crosshairs of Atlanta's most notorious criminal. Jo must decide whether she is ready to step into the light." (description adapted from jacket)

"From age seven, Loma relishes traveling with her beloved grandfather across fifteenth-century Spain, working to keep the Jews safe, but soon realizes she must also make sacrifices to help her people." (description from catalog)

"Mary Lambert has always felt safe and protected on her beloved island of Martha's Vineyard. Her great-great-grandfather was an early English settler and the first deaf islander. Now, in 1805, over a hundred years later, many people there -- including Mary -- are deaf, and nearly everyone can communicate in sign language. Mary has never felt isolated. She is proud of her lineage. But recent events have delivered winds of change. Mary's brother died, leaving her family shattered. Tensions over land disputes are mounting between English settlers and the Wampanoag people. And a cunning young scientist has arrived, hoping to discover the origin of the island's prevalent deafness. His maniacal drive to find answers soon renders Mary a "live specimen" in a cruel experiment." (description from catalog)

"Alina & Lev are two siblings living in Pripyat, one of the Soviet Union's proud nuclear cities. Both are asleep in their beds. Their cousin, Yuri, is a custodian at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, where he's fiercely attacking a spill in the hallway with a mop. Alina's best friend, Sofiya, sleeps just a few doors down. Her father is an engineer at the plant, a fact that has always filled her with pride. In five minutes, Reactor No. 4 will explode in a ball of fire. It will expel radiation across their town for nine days before it's finally contained. For the people of Pripyat, it will be far too late. Two young siblings flee the Chernobyl disaster with their parents, but the Communist party is on their heels. Meanwhile, the friends and family they were forced to leave behind must contend with a disinformation campaign that's determined to pretend nothing is wrong-even as deadly radiation spills into the air." (description from Novelist)

Set during the Cold War in upstate New York, Shelby Blaine, the teenage daughter of an Air Force intelligence officer, becomes entangled with an escaped Soviet pilot accused of being a spy.

"The lives of two sets of best friends, Kate and Ruby in England and Erik and Hans in Germany, as well as a stray dog in London are brought together in unexpected ways during World War II." (description from catalog)

When Regina's Umpqua tribe is legally terminated and her family must relocate from Oregon to Los Angeles, she goes on a quest to understand her identity as an Indian despite being so far from home. (Description from catalog.)

"As a child, Allen is saved from a nautical disaster by Benjamin Postlethwaite, a solitary lighthouse keeper. Years later, Allen returns to the lighthouse, and the two nurse an injured young puffin back to health. When Allen is called up to fight in WorldWar Two...his fond memories of his time at the lighthouse keep him going, even through prison camp" (description provided by publisher.)

Twelve-year-old Hazel Rothbury stows away aboard the Titanic and, with the help of a porter named Charlie and a first-class passenger named Sylvia, she sets out to explore the great ship, uncovering a haunting mystery--until the ship hits an iceberg and she must fight to save herself and her friends.

Prairie Lotus is a powerful, touching, multilayered book about a girl determined to fit in and realize her dreams: getting an education, becoming a dressmaker in her father's shop, and making at least one friend. Acclaimed, award-winning author Linda Sue Park has placed a young half-Asian girl, Hanna, in a small town in America's heartland, in 1880. Hanna's adjustment to her new surroundings, which primarily means negotiating the townspeople's almost unanimous prejudice against Asians, is at the heart of the story. Narrated by Hanna, the novel has poignant moments yet sparkles with humor, introducing a captivating heroine whose wry, observant voice will resonate with readers. In Dakota Territory in the 1880s, half-Chinese Hanna and her white father face racism and resistance to change as they try to make a home for themselves. Includes author's note. (description from catalog)

"In 1924 Maine, with the Ku Klux Klan on the rise, orphans Davy and Jo Michaud are taken in by a famous aviator relative and spend their days doing dangerous stunts until they cross paths with the KKK, prompting them to run for their lives" (description from publisher)

"It’s 1880, and in the frigid city of Stockholm, death lurks around every corner. Twelve-year-old Mika knows that everyone in her orphanage will struggle to survive this winter. But at least the notorious serial killer the Night Raven is finally off the streets…or is he? Drawn in by Mika’s unique ability to notice small details—a skill Mika has always used to survive—the gruff Detective Hoff unwittingly recruits her to help him with his investigation into a gruesome murder. Mika knows she should stay far, far away, and yet…with such little hope for her future, could this be an opportunity?" (Description from NoveList)

Staying at a health resort in the wilds of Gilded Age South Florida due to his asthma, twelve-year-old budding naturalist Algie stumbles upon a brand-new species that he must protect from a famous collector of exotic animals in a place where evil is lurking.

"Following the death of her closest friend in summer 1968, Meryl Lee Kowalski goes off to St. Elene's Preparatory Academy for Girls, where she struggles to navigate the venerable boarding school's traditions and a social structure heavily weighted towardstudents from wealthy backgrounds. In a parallel story, Matt Coffin has wound up on the Maine coast near St. Elene's with a pillowcase full of money lifted from the leader of a criminal gang." (Provided by publisher.)

"Raised by her aunt until she is six, Betty, who will later marry Malcolm X, joins her mother and stepfamily in 1940s Detroit, where she learns about the civil rights movement." (description from catalog)

In 1687 in Connecticut, Kit Tyler, feeling out of place in the Puritan household of her aunt, befriends an old woman considered a witch by the community and suddenly finds herself standing trial for witchcraft. (description from catalog)

"Edyth lost her family and everything she held dear in the blink of an eye. Sent to live in a priory and work with ancient texts, Edyth comes to terms with her new life and the gifts she discovers in herself. But outside the priory, something much worse is coming. With the reappearance of a boy from her past and the ominous Great Plague creeping closer and closer to the priory, it will be up to Edyth to rise above it all-- but to do so she must choose between her dreams and her destiny." (description adapted from jacket)

"Almost-eleven-year-old Josephine is dismayed when she has to move into the Happy World trailer park in the summer of 1974, but when she tries to solve the kidnapping of her neighbor ten-year-old Molly, she finds unexpected friendships in her community." (Description from catalog)

"Told from different points of view--protesters, students, National Guardsmen, and "townies"--recounts the story of what happened at Kent State in May 1970, when four college students were killed by National Guardsmen, and a student protest was turned into a bloody battlefield." (description from catalog)

"Twelve-year-old Annabelle must learn to stand up for what's right in the face of a manipulative and violent new bully who targets people Annabelle cares about, including a homeless World War I veteran" (description provided by publisher)

"Sequel to the Newbery Honor winner Wolf Hollow. Several months after the tragic events set in motion by bully Betty Glengarry, Annabelle McBride is struck by lightning during a powerful summer storm, leaving her with heightened senses that give her a new understanding of animals and help her learn about compassion and forgiveness." (description from catalog)

"In August 1965, twelve-year-old Eden's older cousin from Mississippi comes to visit her in Los Angeles, and while the Watts Riots erupt around them, they continue their investigation of the disappearance of Winter's father ten years ago." (description from catalog)

"The summer before seventh grade, as the constant threat of housefires looms over her Brooklyn neighborhood, basketball-loving Sage is trying to figure out her place in her circle of friends, when a new kid named Freddy moves in"-- Provided by publisher.