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by Elizabeth Acevedo
Recommended by Jenn
This was my favorite read this summer and assigned reading for Gr 9 students at WHS. This coming of age story told by protagonist Xiomara in verse is poet Elizabeth Acevedo's debut novel and is semi-autobiographical. The use of language in this book is amazing and had me reading and rereading verses over and over. A beautifully written, beautiful story. And special bonus -Elizabeth Acevedo recently visited with our Gr 9 students! Watch the video here.

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Read 20.6k reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Fans of Jacqueline Woodson, Meg Medina, and Jason Reynolds will fall hard for this aston...

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by Truman Capote

Recommended by Malva
At this time of year I always enjoy rereading this short story by the well known author, Truman Capote. My version also includes "One Christmas" and "The Thanksgiving Visitor", two other memorable holiday tales. Capote regarded these stories as among his greatest works of short fiction. I love reading of a time gone by and all the warmth it invokes of the holiday season. The book is a short but very pleasurable read. Beautiful language also!

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by kelly Yang
Recommended by Louise
Just loved this story about immigrants coming to the US. The struggles and hardships some people face is told from a 5th grade voice. It is heart wrenching and heart warming at the same time.

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by Eli Saslow
Recommended by Renee.
This is a timely inspiring biography about the transformation of
Dereck Black, a former White Supremacist and godson of David Duke. It's a sensitive story that gave me added hope that young people will work for a better future. Fabulous book club discussion choice. Eli Saslow is a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter for the Washington Post.

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by Gregory Blake Smith

Recommended by Marcie.
This is an intriguing historical fiction book that I read for my book group. It takes place over several centuries and follows the lives of individuals living in Newport, Rhode Island. I became totally involved in each story and loved how the writer wove everything together. Not an easy read, but worth it.

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A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell

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A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell

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Recommended by Julie. I enjoyed this non-fiction thriller.  It is a biography of Virginia Hall, an American, who joins a British spy agency during WWII. She becomes an unsung hero of the French Resistance. Her daring heroics are a great escape! The book appears on NPR's "Best Books of the Year" list for 2020.

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Other Words for Home is a 2019 free verse children's book by Jasmine Warga. The story is about a family of Syrian refugees.The book won a 2020 Newbery Honor.

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Recommended by Kristin. My favorite book of the summer is about a 12 year old boy living with his free-spirited mom in a VW van. Felix tries to win money for an apartment by competing on a gameshow. This book shares an eye opening view of the struggles of the homeless seen through the lens of a middle schooler.

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Read 770 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. A middle-grade story about family, friendship, and growing up when you're one step away fr...

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Recommended by Nina. I loved this coming of age book by popular author Kelly Yang. For High School and adults only! It introduced me to the lives of HS students who leave their home country to get a high priced education in the USA.

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What's the story?

PARACHUTES are teens from wealthy Chinese families who move alone to the United States while their parents stay in China. Claire Wang didn't think she'd become a parachute, but her parents forced her to enroll at a California high school after she failed a test. As Claire adjusts to life in the United States without her parents, she has to figure out how to balance her freedom with her parents' expectations. What happens when the hottest parachute at school, Jay, asks her out? At the same time, Dani De La Cruz, an all-star debater, is determined to earn a scholarship to Yale, unlike her teammates who are buying their speeches. But Dani's future is jeopardized when her coach takes a special interest in her and offers to coach her privately. Claire and Dani might think they have nothing in common, but they'll need each other's help to overcome and heal from similar traumatic experiences.

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Controversial book about rape is powerful and painful.

Addictive high-society fluff with iffy messages.

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Skip to Content We're committed to diversity in media. We're updating our reviews to better highlight authentic stories and accurate, diverse representations. See something that needs to be addressed? Suggest an update to this review The parents' guide to what's in this book. There aren't any reviews yet.