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A young girl in Pakistan is forced into being an indentured servant to pay off her family's debt. The only thing she wants is to have an educatio and become a teacher one day.
THEME: Family, Education

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social themes - general (see also headings under family)

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juvenile fiction / family / general (see also headings under social issues)

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juvenile fiction / social issues / general (see also headings under family)

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juvenile fiction / family / general (see also headings under social themes)

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juvenile fiction / people & places / middle east

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juvenile fiction / social themes / general (see also headings under family)

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juvenile fiction/people & places - middle east

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juvenile fiction/social themes - general (see also headings under family)

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books for 13 year old girls;social justice;books for girls age 9 12;feminist books;chapter books for kids age 9-12;kids books ages 9-12;books for kids age 9 12;books for 11 year old girls;books for 11 year old boys;books for 12 year old girls;books for 12 year old boys;tween books for girls ages 11-14;diversity;middle east;multicultural children's books;pakistan;refugee;5th grade books;5th grade reading books;family;books for boys age 9 12;books for 10 year old girls;books for 10 year old boys

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books for young teens; chapter books for kids age 9-12; kids books ages 9-12; books for kids age 9 12; books for 11 year old girls; books for 11 year old boys; books for 12 year old girls; books for 12 year old boys; tween books for girls ages 11-14; diversity; middle east; books for 13 year old girls; social justice; books for girls age 9 12; feminist books; multicultural children's books; pakistan; refugee; family; books for 10 year old girls; 5th grade reading books; 5th grade books; books for boys age 9 12

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juvenile fiction / family / general (see also headings under social themes)

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juvenile fiction / people & places / middle east

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juvenile fiction / social themes / general (see also headings under family)

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juvenile fiction/people & places - middle east

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juvenile fiction/social themes - general (see also headings under family)

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"A moving novel about a young Pakistani girl forced into indentured servitude; Amal Unbound beautifully communicates the power of hope and positive change that can come from struggle." - Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor"Saeed's timely and stirring middle-grade debut is a celebration of resistance and ...

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Set in Syria, a young girl must leave due to dangerous tensions and travel to Cincinnati with her pregnant mother to live with her Uncle. While in the U.S. she faces the conflicts of leaving loved one's in Syria, fitting in at her new school and going through puberty. Beautifully written to include Arabic proverbs while allowing the reader to see into the life and experiences of a refugee. Picture not yet available (published in spring of 2019).

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This historical middle grade novel written in free verse, set against the backdrop of the desegregation battles that took place in Houston, Texas, in 1972, is about a young boy and his family dealing with loss and the revelation of dark family secrets.

Ten-year-old Paulie Sanders hates his name because it also belonged to his daddy-his daddy who killed a fellow white man and then crashed his car. With his mama unable to cope, Paulie and his sister, Charlie, move in with their Aunt Bee and attend a new elementary school. But it's 1972, and this new school puts them right in the middle of the Houston School District's war on desegregation.

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The Unsung Hero of Birdsong, USA by Brenda Woods

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The Unsung Hero of Birdsong, USA by Brenda Woods

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The Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author tells the moving story of the friendship between a young white boy and a Black WWII veteran who has recently returned to the unwelcoming Jim Crow South.

On Gabriel's twelfth birthday, he gets a new bike--and is so excited that he accidentally rides it right into the path of a car. Fortunately, a Black man named Meriwether pushes him out of the way just in time, and fixes his damaged bike. As a thank you, Gabriel gets him a job at his dad's auto shop. Gabriel's dad hires him with some hesitation, however, anticipating trouble with the other mechanic, who makes no secret of his racist opinions.
Gabriel and Meriwether become friends, and Gabriel learns that Meriwether drove a tank in the Army's all-Black 761st Tank Battalion in WWII. Meriwether is proud of his service, but has to keep it a secret because talking about it could be dangerous. Sadly, danger finds Meriwether, anyway, when his family receives a frightening threat. The South being the way it is, there's no guarantee that the police will help--and Gabriel doesn't know what will happen if Meriwether feels forced to take the law into his own hands.

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Ari has body-image issues. After a move across the country, his parents work selling and promoting his mother's paintings and sculptures. Ari's bohemian mother needs space to create, and his father is gone for long stretches of time on "sales" trips.

Meanwhile, Ari makes new friends: Pick, the gamer; the artsy Jorge, and the troubled Lisa. He is also relentlessly bullied because he's overweight, but he can't tell his parents—they're simply not around enough to listen.

After an upsetting incident, Ari's mom suggests he go on a diet, and she gives him a book to help. But the book—and the diet—can’t fix everything. As Ari faces the demise of his parents' marriage, he also feels himself changing, both emotionally and physically. Here is a much-needed story about accepting the imperfect in oneself and in life.

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Jacqueline Woodson's first middle-grade novel since National Book Award winner Brown Girl Dreaming celebrates the healing that can occur when a group of students share their stories.

It all starts when six kids have to meet for a weekly chat--by themselves, with no adults to listen in. There, in the room they soon dub the ARTT Room (short for "A Room to Talk"), they discover it's safe to talk about what's bothering them--everything from Esteban's father's deportation and Haley's father's incarceration to Amari's fears of racial profiling and Ashton's adjustment to his changing family fortunes. When the six are together, they can express the feelings and fears they have to hide from the rest of the world. And together, they can grow braver and more ready for the rest of their lives.

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Mia Tang has a lot of secrets.

Number 1: She lives in a motel, not a big house. Every day, while her immigrant parents clean the rooms, ten-year-old Mia manages the front desk of the Calivista Motel and tends to its guests.

Number 2: Her parents hide immigrants. And if the mean motel owner, Mr. Yao, finds out they've been letting them stay in the empty rooms for free, the Tangs will be doomed.

Number 3: She wants to be a writer. But how can she when her mom thinks she should stick to math because English is not her first language?

It will take all of Mia's courage, kindness, and hard work to get through this year. Will she be able to hold on to her job, help the immigrants and guests, escape Mr. Yao, and go for her dreams?

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Best-selling author Rick Riordan introduces this adventure by Roshani Chokshi about twelve-year-old Aru Shah, who has a tendency to stretch the truth in order to fit in at school. While her classmates are jetting off to family vacations in exotic locales, she'll be spending her autumn break at home, in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, waiting for her mom to return from her latest archeological trip. Is it any wonder that Aru makes up stories about being royalty, traveling to Paris, and having a chauffeur?

One day, three schoolmates show up at Aru's doorstep to catch her in a lie. They don't believe her claim that the museum's Lamp of Bharata is cursed, and they dare Aru to prove it. Just a quick light,Aru thinks. Then she can get herself out of this mess and never ever fib again.

But lighting the lamp has dire consequences. She unwittingly frees the Sleeper, an ancient demon whose duty it is to awaken the God of Destruction. Her classmates and beloved mother are frozen in time, and it's up to Aru to save them.

The only way to stop the demon is to find the reincarnations of the five legendary Pandava brothers, protagonists of the Hindu epic poem, the Mahabharata, and journey through the Kingdom of Death. But how is one girl in Spider-Man pajamas supposed to do all that?

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"Readers will be captivated by this beautifully written novel about young people who must use their instincts and grit to survive. Padma shares with us an unflinching peek into the reality millions of homeless children live every day but also infuses her story with hope and bravery that will inspire readers and stay with them long after turning the final page."--Aisha Saeed, author of the New York Times Bestselling Amal Unbound

Four determined homeless children make a life for themselves in Padma Venkatraman's stirring middle-grade debut.

Life is harsh in Chennai's teeming streets, so when runaway sisters Viji and Rukku arrive, their prospects look grim. Very quickly, eleven-year-old Viji discovers how vulnerable they are in this uncaring, dangerous world. Fortunately, the girls find shelter--and friendship--on an abandoned bridge. With two homeless boys, Muthi and Arul, the group forms a family of sorts. And while making a living scavenging the city's trash heaps is the pits, the kids find plenty to laugh about and take pride in too. After all, they are now the bosses of themselves and no longer dependent on untrustworthy adults. But when illness strikes, Viji must decide whether to risk seeking help from strangers or to keep holding on to their fragile, hard-fought freedom.

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"Have no fear, citizens! Captain Superlative is here to make all troubles disappear!"

Red mask, blue wig, silver swimsuit, rubber gloves, torn tights, high top sneakers and . . . a cape? Who would run through the halls of Deerwood Park Middle School dressed like this? And why?

Janey-quick to stay in the shadows-can't resist the urge to uncover the truth behind the mask. The answer pulls invisible Janey into the spotlight and leads her to an unexpected friendship with a superhero like no other. Fearless even in the face of school bully extraordinaire, Dagmar Hagen, no good deed is too small for the incomparable Captain Superlative and her new sidekick, Janey.

But superheroes hold secrets and Captain Superlative is no exception. When Janey unearths what's truly at stake, she's forced to face her own dark secrets and discover what it truly means to be a hero . . . and a friend.

Debut author J.S. Puller delivers an inspirational story full of heart, humor, and breathtaking revelations.

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By Katherine Marsh

"A resistance novel for our time." - The New York Times
"A hopeful story about recovery, empathy, and the bravery of young people." - Booklist
"This well-crafted and suspenseful novel touches on the topics of refugees and immigrant integration, terrorism, Islam, Islamophobia, and the Syrian war with sensitivity and grace." - Kirkus, Starred Review

Fourteen-year-old Ahmed is stuck in a city that wants nothing to do with him. Newly arrived in Brussels, Belgium, Ahmed fled a life of uncertainty and suffering in Aleppo, Syria, only to lose his father on the perilous journey to the shores of Europe. Now Ahmed’s struggling to get by on his own, but with no one left to trust and nowhere to go, he’s starting to lose hope.

Then he meets Max, a thirteen-year-old American boy from Washington, D.C. Lonely and homesick, Max is struggling at his new school and just can’t seem to do anything right. But with one startling discovery, Max and Ahmed’s lives collide and a friendship begins to grow. Together, Max and Ahmed will defy the odds, learning from each other what it means to be brave and how hope can change your destiny.

Set against the backdrop of the Syrian refugee crisis, award-winning author of Jepp, Who Defied the Stars Katherine Marsh delivers a gripping, heartwarming story of resilience, friendship and everyday heroes. Barbara O'Connor, author of Wish and Wonderland, says "Move Nowhere Boy to the top of your to-be-read pile immediately."

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By Lisa Moore Ramee

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Pride: The story of Harvey Milk & the Rainbow Flag

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Pride: The story of Harvey Milk & the Rainbow Flag

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Pride has 471 ratings and 93 reviews. KC said: For all those neigh sayers regarding the content of this book and not being appropriate for elementary age...

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I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsberg Makes Her Mark  (Equality for Woman's Rights)

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I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsberg Makes Her Mark  (Equality for Woman's Rights)

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Picture Book!

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I Dissent has 1,648 ratings and 391 reviews. David said: I Assent to this Book!I am watching my ten year old daughter read this book, and I smile, with...

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Books as Windows & Mirrors: Why We Need Diverse Books

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Books as Windows & Mirrors: Why We Need Diverse Books

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By Chad Everett, guest blogger

I was an undergraduate student the first time it happened. One of my professors shared the following line from W.E.B. Dubois' The Souls of Black Folk: "One ever feels his twoness, -- an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder." I was rocked. As I read and re-read the quote, I felt as though layers of myself were being peeled away. This was the first time in all my years of education that an instructor presented me with a piece of text that showed me myself, a mirror. Not a mirror that provides surface level reflection, but a mirror that revealed the innermost thoughts that not even I could fully comprehend. By mirror, I mean a text in which I saw a reflection of my identity and experiences. Sure, I sat in classrooms where we engaged in the obligatory Black History Month readings of African American authors, but never before had an instructor presented one of those texts in a manner that was meant to empower and enlighten.

As I collaborated with classmates and each shared his or her thoughts on the quote, it was as though the fog on that metaphorical mirror I had always been acutely aware of, but had never been able to see clearly in, was being slowly wiped away. Bishop (2009) highlights the importance of providing students access to mirror texts: "when children cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read, or when the images they see are distorted, negative, or laughable, they learn a powerful lesson about how they are devalued in the society of which they are a part." In addition to serving as a mirror for me, the text served as a window for many of my classmates who had only experienced reflections of themselves in books, never experiencing the power of a window text. Books are sometimes the only place where readers may meet people who are not like themselves, who offer alternative worldviews (Tschida, Ryan, & Ticknor, 2014).

Take a moment to think about the texts students have access to in your classroom and the texts they have access to in your school's library. Think about the stories being told, who is telling them, and who is being left out. If I were a student in your school, would I be able to find multiple texts with reflections of myself and multiple texts that serve as windows into the worlds of others?

Viewing literature through a lens of windows and mirrors helps us understand that, in addition to texts being stories to be enjoyed, they are powerful tools of social justice. In the primary and intermediate grades as we are devoting copious amounts of time to helping students become proficient readers, we must remember that students are discovering their place in school and world, and the texts we provide access to inform this discovery. With access to mirror texts, students are able to see that their narrative matters, and with access to window texts, students learn to understand and appreciate the narratives of others. The power of literacy to transform lives does not exist in skill and strategy instruction alone; it also resides within the stories students read. What message do we send students when they do not see themselves reflected in the texts we use in our classrooms? What message do we send to students from non-marginalized groups when we only use texts that reflect their culture and experiences?

The diversity provided through window and mirror texts extends beyond ethnicity. Diversity includes how a piece of literature addresses family structures, dialects; cultural traditions and values. Presenting diverse, enabling texts is especially important for African American males, a group that often feels disconnected from school at an early age. The reading achievement gap that persists between African American males and their peers could be attributed to a lack of literacy engagement, rather than a lack of ability. Alfred Tatum phrases it this way, "Neither effective reading strategies nor literacy reform will close the reading achievement gap unless meaningful texts are at the core of the curriculum and educators know how to mediate such texts."

The need for diverse books extends beyond the English classroom. In social studies, students need access to multiple texts so they have more than a single story about an event. According to Adichie (2009), "the single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story."

So, as you are out placing orders on Amazon and searching the shelves of your local bookstore, think about the variety of narratives each of your students bring into your classroom. And if your students are unable to find a mirror text in which they can see themselves, encourage them to pick up a pen or keyboard and create their own.

About Chad:

Chad Everett is a self-proclaimed literacy and technology geek. A strong believer in the power of collaboration and the power of technology to expand learning communities, Chad co-founded #MSedchat, Mississippi's education Twitter chat. He is also deeply involved with community adult literacy, believing the change needed to transform education extends beyond the school's walls. Chad serves on the volunteer council and tutors with Literacy Mid-South. He is also a consultant with The Educator Collaborative. A frequent professional development leader and conference presenter, Chad spreads a love and enthusiasm for learning and the role technology plays in literacy instruction.

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Windows and Mirrors: Why We Need Diverse Books

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By Chad Everett, guest blogger I was an undergraduate student the first time it happened. One of my professors shared the following line from W.E.B. Dubois' The Souls of Black Folk: "One ever feels his twoness, -- an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder."

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national ambassador for young people's literature

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EVERY CHILD A READER supports all those who inspire children and teens to enjoy reading - thousands of parents, educators, librarians and booksellers across America - year-round as well as through our popular and long-running national programs.

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Forget Me Not by Ellie Terry (Tourette's Syndrome) ; Realistic Fiction

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Forget Me Not by Ellie Terry (Tourette's Syndrome) ; Realistic Fiction

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-Theme: Friendship, Self Acceptance

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Fish in a Tree by Linda Hunt (Dyslexia) ; Realistic Fiction

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Fish in a Tree by Linda Hunt (Dyslexia) ; Realistic Fiction

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Picture Book:
Julian is a Mermaid (self acceptance)

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Picture Book:
Julian is a Mermaid (self acceptance)

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Bernice is a bully- plain and simple.  She lives her mom and 4 brothers in a trailer park.  Bernice's dream is to attend stuntman camp this summer, but, raising money is not easy.  Her mother, an aspiring reality TV show actress, sends Bernice to live with her aunt, a nun who lives in an abbey.  This hysterical novel shows the power of redemption and that even bullies are not as "bad" as we think they are.
Theme: Friendship/Redemption/Emp