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You’ll find this to be a fascinating glimpse of two activists who are both fighting for their rights — one for women and one for African Americans. This is a great book to tach kids about segregation and how people overcame it.

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The paper-cut art is magnificent! The Eiffel Tower narrates his day-off journey through Paris. From the Seine, to a big department store, to Notre Dame. This is a fun read that you could use as a read aloud.

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This inspiring narrative nonfiction picture book on World War II honors Irena Sendler, a Polish social worker who helps smuggle babies and children out of the ghetto before they’re sent to the camps. Irene kept lists of the children’s original names and their new names which she buried in jars, hoping that maybe after the war she could reunite families. She risk her life and saved over 2,500 children. This is a great book to teach student about the Holocaust.

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The Kid From Diamond Street by Audrey Vernick

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The Kid From Diamond Street by Audrey Vernick

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In a time when girls didn’t get to play sports, Edith excelled so much that she was playing on the only woman’s baseball team at ten years old — and got to play in Japan! This is a great book to tech student about being true to yourself. You could also teach theme and character traits.

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Nice Work, Franklin by Suzanne Tripp Juryman

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Nice Work, Franklin by Suzanne Tripp Juryman

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His goal was to be president like his cousin Teddy so Franklin worked hard to walk in Ted’s footsteps — and things went well until he got polio which paralyzed his legs. Things got better but then America got sick with The Great Depression. Franklin ran for President to try to fix the sickness. He was elected (twice in a row) and created jobs, a government pension plan, and help for farmers. This is an informative and well-written biography. This is a good story to read to learn about FDR and his time as President.

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Kate Sessions helped plant San Diego with a variety trees that would grow in the city’s climate. She worked hard to make sure that by the World’s Fair, there were enough trees for shade that the attendees wouldn’t be too hot.

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The Quickest Kid in Clarksville by Pay Zietlow Miller

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The Quickest Kid in Clarksville by Pay Zietlow Miller

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Olympic medalist Wilma Rudolph is the biggest news in Clarksville, Tennessee and Alta wants to be just as fast even though she has holes in her shoes and Charmine wants to be faster.

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Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America by Carole Boston

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Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America by Carole Boston

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This book takes place back when segregation was a huge issue. A warmly illustrated biography follows Gordon Parks who became a well-known photographer who showed racism through his camera lens. This is a great book to talk about segregation to students.

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The Hole Story of the Doughnut by Pat Miller

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The Hole Story of the Doughnut by Pat Miller

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This book is about how doughnuts were invented! Hanson Gregory went to sea, first as a cabin boy. While working on the boat, he’s credited with inventing the doughnut. HIs mom popularized it when on land and the rest is history. Yum!

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How Kate Warne Saved President Lincoln by Elizabeth Van Steenwyk

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How Kate Warne Saved President Lincoln by Elizabeth Van Steenwyk

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You’ll love this picture book story about the first female to work for the famous Pinkerton Detective Agency. Her name was Kate Warne. When she discovered a plot to assassinate President Lincoln on the train ride to his inauguration, this smart-thinking detective figure out how to trick the would-be murders and get the President safely to his destination.

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Marilyn Singer skillfully writes the most amazing, want-to-read-again, reverso poems about Greek myths. Reverso poems are poems that are flipped upside down, more or less, and still make sense! I especially love the “Pandora and the Box” and “King Midas and His Daughter” poems. All the poems are beautifully illustrated, too. This is a must own poetry book for classrooms and homes.

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Nadia the Girl Who Couldn't Sit Still by Karlin Gray

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Nadia the Girl Who Couldn't Sit Still by Karlin Gray

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This lovely biographical picture book introduces a new generation to the hard-working Nadia Comaneci of Ramania . . . how she loved to move, discovered gymnastics, failed, practiced and then won seven perfect 10s at the Olympics in 1956.

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Back in 1860, New York’s streets are dirty and disgusting filled with people, horses and dirt. Finally, after lots of ideas, Alfred Ely Beach decided to secretly implement his idea to create an underground train. The photographic diorama scenes with clay figures are very compelling as is the well-written historical story.

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Seth is a police officer who protects people in the community. Follow along as he and his partner,Officer Thea, go to a local festival where they helps a lost boy find his parents. You’ll learn about Officer Seth’s duties, uniform, and other busy people that work with him. This nonfiction series is excellent for children, it’s spot on with pacing, text to picture ratio, and vocabulary.

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This is a wonderful, ethnically diverse picture book about Jenny and her work as an astronaut. Readers will enjoy finding out about Jenny’s day on the space station, including the hi-jinxes of her Robot-bot. The book concludes with more information and vocabulary as well as activities.

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Great for grades k-5

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Eleanor has had a hard life. After upsetting her stepfather one day, her mother leaves her at a neighbors house to let him cool off. A year later, Eleanor is allowed to live with her family again. Park, a boy that rides her bus sees her one day and becomes interested. Eleanor has big curly red hair and Oak is half asian. They come from different worlds and end up becoming each others world. The story tells about how they fall in love, the difficulties they come across and eventually a very sad ending.

Genre: Fiction

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Hazel Grace is a high school girl who has battled cancer almost her entire life. She has to carry an oxygen tank around with her at all times. Her doctor suggests that she goes to a support group once a week, so she does even though she hates it. One day, a new boy is in the group because he was there with a friend. His name is Augustus. He too had cancer at one point in his life and had to get his leg amputated. He quickly insists that him and Hazel hang out. They begin to be inseparable and Hazel introduces him to her favorite book. They both are curious what happens after the book has ended and they use Gus's wish to go to Amsterdam to meet the author. When they get there they are disappointed by him being a drunk that wants nothing to do with them. When they get back from Amsterdam, Gus becomes very ill. He never mentioned to Hazel that he still was suffering from cancer. He ends up dying and Hazel is left heartbroken.

Genre: Fiction

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The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han 

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The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han 

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Description

Belly’s never been the kind of girl that things happen to. Year after year, she’s spent her summers at the beach house with Conrad and Jeremiah. The boys never noticed Belly noticing them. And every summer she hoped it would be different. This time, it was. But the summer Belly turned pretty was the summer that changed everything. For better, and for worse. This book is the first book in a series.

Genre: Fiction

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Macy’s summer stretches before her, carefully planned and outlined. She will spend her days sitting at the library information desk. She will spend her evenings studying for the SATs. Spare time will be used to help her obsessive mother prepare for the big opening of the townhouse section of her luxury development. But Macy’s plans don’t anticipate a surprising and chaotic job with Wish Catering, a motley crew of new friends, or … Wes. Tattooed, artistic, anything-but-expected Wes. He doesn’t fit Macy’s life at all–so why does she feel so comfortable with him? So … happy? What is it about him that makes her let down her guard and finally talk about how much she misses her father, who died before her eyes the year before? Sarah Dessen delivers a page-turning novel that carries readers on a roller coaster of denial, grief, comfort, and love as we watch a broken but resilient girl pick up the pieces of her life and fit them back together.

Genre: Fiction

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A freak accident earlier in the year has left Trent as the town pariah and he is struggling to figure out how to redeem himself, in his own eyes as well as in others. His new friendship with Fallon, a girl with a mysterious scar, acts as a catalyst for his willingness to make better decisions. Trent’s relationship with his brothers, his father, step-mother and his mother are all artfully drawn and nuanced.

Genre: Fiction

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George is a girl, but everyone thinks she is a boy. She is worried no one will know who she is and she will stay hidden forever. She dreams of playing Charlotte in the school production ofCharlotte’s Web but the teacher won’t even consider her for the part. George confesses her secret to her best friend, who helps her concoct a plan. This is a quiet gem of a book and I am impressed at how accessible the text is for the intended audience. George is a fifth grader and the story is not overcomplicated or bogged down with social and political backstory or controversy. While many might dismiss this book (which would be sad), or embrace it solely because of George’s transgender identity it is much more than just an LGBT story. This is a great book to teach students about self worth and to be true to yourself. There are only a few different reasons you would actually use this book since it is a sensitive subject.

Genre: Fiction

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One night, Stella and her brother witness the KKK burning a cross and it becomes a catalyst for the action in this heartbreaking and compelling story set in Jim Crow South. As the narrator, Stella describes the terror her community lives every day, when walking down the street and looking at a white person could land them in jail, or how a white man can slap her with impunity any time he wants. The intelligent Stella is always questioning the way things are strives to get her thoughts down on paper. She meets with kindness in small ways and makes connections in unexpected places.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

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As the German troops begin their campaign to "relocate" all the Jews of Denmark, Annemarie Johansen’s family takes in Annemarie’s best friend, Ellen Rosen, and conceals her as part of the family.

Through the eyes of ten-year-old Annemarie, we watch as the Danish Resistance smuggles almost the entire Jewish population of Denmark, nearly seven thousand people, across the sea to Sweden. The heroism of an entire nation reminds us that there was pride and human decency in the world even during a time of terror and war.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

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August Pullman has been homeschooled due to some complicated health issues related to a dramatic cranio-facial abnormality and the rigorous surgery schedule that comes with it. But by the time August turns ten, his parents are beginning to think about the big picture a.k.a. long-term. They have realized that Auggie not only needs to learn more than his mom can teach him, but he also needs to learn to navigate a world that isn't always kind to those who are different. He makes new friends and also encounters some mean folks along the way.

Genre: Fiction

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Fern Arable has always been an animal lover. However, she had never saved a pig from an untimely injustice until the day she learned that her father planned on shooting a runt, just because he had been too small. Begging her father for a chance to save him, Fern wins the battle, and is given the opportunity to raise the piglet as her own and names him Wilbur. But as he grows bigger and bigger each day, things begin to change. Soon, Mr. Arable refuses to allow Wilbur to sleep in the house. Soon, Fern is forced to sell little Wilbur to her Uncle Homer. Fern doesn't mind the arrangement as long as she can still see her beloved friend. But when she learns that Uncle Homer plans to fatten the little piggy up and then kill him, she's devastated. As is Wilbur. Confiding in the other farm animals, Wilbur begs everyone for their help in saving his life. Sadly, none of the animals seem to know what to do to keep Wilbur from meeting his fate. No one, that is, except for an intelligent spider known as Charlotte. Charlotte lives right above Wilbur in his tiny alcove, where she spends her days and nights weaving beautiful webs. When she decides to help Wilbur by spelling words and phrases such as "Some Pig" and "Terrific" in her webs, the county becomes interested in visiting this amazing pig, leaving Uncle Homer in awe, and giving him the chance to spare little Wilbur's life. This is a great book to teach the true meaning of friendship and loyalty. There are many different ways to teach theme from this book as well.

Genre: Fiction

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Perfect for grades 6-8

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Amber Brown is Not a Crayon by Paula Daniziger

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Amber Brown is Not a Crayon by Paula Daniziger

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Third grader, Amber Brown, and Justin Daniels have been best friends ever since preschool. Having known each other forever has only worked to help them survive school. Which is why they both have a hard time accepting the fact that Justin is moving. As a dynamic duo, the two can't imagine being separated.Justin will be in Arizona, and Amber will be stuck in New Jersey. Now, as they begin contemplating what life will be like without the other by their side, disaster strikes, and the two bosom buddies begin fighting like cats and dogs - refusing to even speak to one another. The people around them, from their parents to their beloved teacher, Mr. Cohen, have no idea what to do to get the two pals to make up, and everyone begins to wonder whether the two will manage to mend their friendship, before it's too late.

Genre: Fiction

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The moment they saw each other, Bean and Ivy knew they wouldn't be friends. But when Bean plays a joke on her sister, Nancy, and has to hidequickIvy comes to the rescue, proving that sometimes the best of friends are people never meant to like each other. This book can be used to teach character traits.

Genre: Fiction

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More than anything in the world, Andrew Marcus wants freckles. But when Andrew asks Nicky where he got them, Nicky just says he was born with them. That’s when Sharon offers Andrew her secret freckle juice recipe. He rushes home to whip up the concoction. What starts out as a simple freckle juice recipe quickly turns into something disastrous. This book can be used to teach character traits and theme.

Genre: Fiction

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Junie B. Jones is Not a Crook by Barbara Park

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Junie B. Jones is Not a Crook by Barbara Park

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Junie B loses her black mittens and she thinks that someone has decided to keep them because they did not turn them into the schools lost and found. She ends up finding a pen on the ground and she really wants to keep it. She ends up thinking that she should be able to see it even though it is not hers, because someone has kept her mittens. This book can be used to teach how to do the right thing.

Genre: Fiction

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Horrible Harry and the Dungeon by Suzy Kline

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Horrible Harry and the Dungeon by Suzy Kline

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There's a new rule at South School if you misbehave, you go to the Suspension Room (or the Dungeon, as the students of Room 2B call it). The rumors are flying about what actually goes on down there, but Harry won't be satisfied until he finds out for himself. This book can be used to teach character traits.

Genre: Fiction

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Great for students in grade 3-5

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Raina can't wait to be a big sister. But once Amara is born, things aren't quite how she expected them to be. Amara is cute, but she's also a cranky, grouchy baby, and mostly prefers to play by herself. Their relationship doesn't improve much over the years, but when a baby brother enters the picture and later, something doesn't seem right between their parents, they realize they must figure out how to get along. They are sisters, after all.

Genre: Fiction

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In Mighty Jack, what starts as a normal little garden out back behind the house quickly grows up into a wild, magical jungle with tiny onion babies running amok, huge, pink pumpkins that bite, and, on one moonlit night that changes everything…a dragon. This is a good book to teach about character traits, main idea, theme.

Genre: Fiction

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Catrina and her family are moving to the coast of Northern California because her little sister, Maya, is sick. As the girls explore their new home, a neighbor lets them in on a secret: There are ghosts in Bahía de la Luna. Maya is determined to meet one, but Cat wants nothing to do with them. As the time of year when ghosts reunite with their loved ones approaches, Cat must figure out how to put aside her fears for her sister's sake -- and her own.
Genre: Fiction

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On her first day at her new school, Penelope--Peppi--Torres reminds herself of these basics. But when she trips into a quiet boy in the hall, Jaime Thompson, she's already broken the first rule, and the mean kids start calling her the "nerder girlfriend." How does she handle this crisis? By shoving poor Jaime and running away! This book can be used to teach character traits.

Genre: Fiction

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For most of her twelve years, Astrid has done everything with her best friend Nicole. But after Astrid falls in love with roller derby and signs up for derby camp, Nicole decides to go to dance camp instead. And so begins the most difficult summer of Astrid's life as she struggles to keep up with the older girls at camp, hang on to the friend she feels slipping away, and cautiously embark on a new friendship. This book can be used to teach character traits.

Genre: Fiction

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Great for students in grade 3-5
Hot and New

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Miriam is a baker whose bread is full of smells to make your nose twitch and tastes to make your tongue tingle. Miriam's own favorite cinnamon bread so delights Sebastian, a musician who enters her shop, that he buys it every day for a year and then asks her to marry him. After a baby is born to the happy couple, all is blissful until their bundle of joy begins crying. And crying. Only when the two are almost at wit's end does Miriam suddenly know, looking down at her baby curled up like a little raisin, exactly what she must do.

Genre: Fiction

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Frog wants to be anything but a slimy, wet frog. A cat, perhaps. Or a rabbit. An owl? But when a hungry wolf arrives—a wolf who HATES eating frogs—our hero decides that being himself isn’t so bad after all. This is a great book to teach kids how to be theirselves and also you could use this for some good lessons on theme as well.

Genre: Fiction

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This book is about being true to your inner self and following your own path despite obstacles that may come your way. Red is actually blue crayon but mislabeled as red. Everyone tries to help him be red but he never can. Eventually he is happy to be blue. This is a great book to teach character traits, theme and how to be yourself.

Genre: Fiction

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Ada Ríos grew up in Cateura, a small town in Paraguay built on a landfill. She dreamed of playing the violin, but with little money for anything but the bare essentials, it was never an option...until a music teacher named Favio Chávez arrived. He wanted to give the children of Cateura something special, so he made them instruments out of materials found in the trash. It was a crazy idea, but one that would leave Ada—and her town—forever changed. Now, the Recycled Orchestra plays venues around the world, spreading their message of hope and innovation.

Genre: Fiction

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Tell Me What to Dream About by Giselle Potter

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Tell Me What to Dream About by Giselle Potter

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Little sister asks big sister to tell her what to dream about at bedtime, and big sister presents her with possibilities, such as eating a meal of teeny-tiny waffles with teeny-tiny animals, living in a furry world, and residing in a tree-house town. Little sister is wary of each idea, until together the girls hit upon the perfect dream. This book is great to use to teach theme and character traits.

Genre: Fiction

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Maybe Something Beautiful by Isabel F. Campoy

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Maybe Something Beautiful by Isabel F. Campoy

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Based on the true story of the Urban Art Trail in San Diego, California, Maybe Something Beautiful reveals how art can inspire transformation—and how even the smallest artists can accomplish something big. This is a great book to teach about theme.

Genre: Fiction

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Antonio Willie Giroux lived in a hotel his mother ran on the edge of a lake. He loved to explore the woods and look for animals, but they always remained hidden away. One summer, disaster struck: a fire rushed through the forest. Everyone ran to the lake-the only safe place in town-and stood knee-deep in water as they watched the fire. Then, slowly, animals emerged from their forest home and joined the people in the water. Miraculously, the hotel did not burn down, and the animals rebuilt their homes in the forest-but Antonio never forgot the time when he watched the distance between people and animals disappear. This is a great book to teach theme.

Genre: Fiction

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This is the story of four puppies: Fi-Fi, Foo-Foo, Ooh-La-La, and Gaston. Gaston works the hardest at his lessons on how to be a proper pooch. Gaston fits right in with his poodle sisters. But a chance encounter with a bulldog family in the park—Rocky, Ricky, Bruno, and Antoinette—reveals there’s been a mix-up, and so Gaston and Antoinette switch places. This is a great book to teach theme and character traits.

Genre: Fiction

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Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her trunk...and the tree was happy. But as the boy grew older he began to want more from the tree, and the tree gave and gave and gave. This book can be used to teach theme.

Genre: Fiction

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My Brother Charlie by Holly Robinson Peete and Ryan Peete

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My Brother Charlie by Holly Robinson Peete and Ryan Peete

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"Charlie has autism. His brain works in a special way. It's harder for him to make friends. Or show his true feelings. Or stay safe." But as his big sister tells us, for everything that Charlie can't do well, there are plenty more things that he's good at. He knows the names of all the American presidents. He knows stuff about airplanes. And he can even play the piano better than anyone he knows. This book can be used to teach about character traits, main idea and theme.

Genre: Fiction

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A lonely girl draws a magic door on her bedroom wall and through it escapes into a world where wonder, adventure, and danger abound. Red marker in hand, she creates a boat, a balloon, and a flying carpet that carry her on a spectacular journey toward an uncertain destiny. When she is captured by a sinister emperor, only an act of tremendous courage and kindness can set her free. This book can be used as a fun read in the class.

Genre: Fiction

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This is a biography all about Duke Ellington. It is a picture book with beautiful illustrations and fun language being used through out. This book can be used to teach about influential African Americans during Black History Month.

Genre: Fiction

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Henry is little boy. He is torn from his family and put to work in a warehouse. Henry grows up and marries, but he is again devastated when his family is sold at the slave market. Then one day, as he lifts a crate at the warehouse, he knows exactly what he must do: He will mail himself to the North. This book can be used to teach about slavery during the civil war.

Genre: Fiction

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This is a personal memoir by Peter where he recalls his youth growing up in Czechoslovakia in the 1960s, when his country was on the Communist side of the Iron Curtain aka the Berlin Wall.This book can be used to teach about WWII

Genre: Fiction

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This book is about a girl and her family and how they go to the beach, tar beach. It takes place in the 1950's and is about how they go to the rooftop of their building and they have a barbecue. This book can be used to teach character traits and segregation.

Genre: Fiction

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Great for students k-5