Written and illustrated by Angela Dominguez.

Published by Square Fish, 2019

• Stella is sometimes shy about how how she speaks, but is determined to find her voice in this humorous and heartwarming story based on the author's own experiences growing up Mexican American.

• Book Talk by the Milwaukee Public Library

¡Carmen la estrella!

Written by Anika Denise

Illustrated by Lorena Alvarez Gómez
Published by Harry N Abrams, Inc., 2017

• This exuberant celebration of theater, family, and imagination, stars Carmen, who loves to be in the spotlight. Can she learn to share it with her little brother?

• Book Trailer

Pelé, King of Soccer / Pelé, El rey de fútbol

Written by Monica Brown

Illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez

Published by HarperCollins, 2017

• Do you know how a poor boy from Brazil who loved futbol more than anything else became the biggest soccer star the world has ever known? Turn the pages of this book to read the true life story of Pele, King of Soccer, the first man in the history of the sport to score a thousand goals and become a living legend. Rudy Gutierrez's dynamic illustrations make award-winning author Monica Brown's story of this remarkable sports hero truly come alive!

• Read aloud

Miles Morales Ondas Sismicas

Written by Justin A. Reynolds

Illustrated by Pablo Leon

Published by Scholastic Book Service

• Miles Morales is a normal kid who happens to juggle school at Brooklyn Visions Academy while swinging through the streets of Brooklyn as Spider-Man. After a disastrous earthquake strikes his mother's birthplace of Puerto Rico, Miles springs into action to help set up a fundraiser for the devastated island. But when a new student's father goes missing, Miles begins to make connections between the disappearance and a giant corporation sponsoring Miles' fundraiser. Who is behind the disappearance, and how does that relate to Spider-Man?

• Book Trailer

Real Bios: Lionel Messi

Written by Marie Morreale

Published by Children's Press, 2016

• As the biggest star in the world's most popular sport, Lionel "Leo" Messi is an international celebrity. But in many ways, he's just a regular guy.

  Readers (Grades 4-6) will learn about Leo's favorite foods and pastimes and find out how he likes to spend time with his family. They will also learn how he got his start as a soccer player and how he became an international superstar.

• Book Review

  
  

  
  

Written by Crystal Allen

Published by Harper Collins, 2017-2020

• "Spirit Week Showdown": Nine-year-old cowgirl Mya Tibbs is boot-scootin’ excited for the best week of the whole school year—SPIRIT WEEK! She and her megapopular best friend Naomi Jackson even made a pinky promise to be Spirit Week partners so they can win the big prize: special VIP tickets to the Fall Festival.Nine-year-old cowgirl Mya Tibbs is boot-scootin’ excited for the best week of the whole school year—SPIRIT WEEK! She and her megapopular best friend Naomi Jackson even made a pinky promise to be Spirit Week partners so they can win the big prize: special VIP tickets to the Fall Festival.

• "The Wall of Fame Game": Nine-year-old Mya Tibbs is in a triple heap of trouble. As the Tibbs household prepares for the new baby, Mya is extra excited to spend time with her mom watching their favorite Annie Oakley marathon before her new sister arrives. Until she’s cornered into a bet with her number-one enemy, Naomi Jackson, that she can beat her in the famous fourth-grade Wall of Fame Game—which means Mya is stuck studying every night instead of hanging out with Mom. As if that wasn’t enough, Mya just entered Bluebonnet’s annual chili cook-off, even though she doesn’t know how to cook! Holy moly!

  Can Mya find a way to beat Naomi, win the chili cook-off, and get some special mom/daughter time before it’s too late?

• "Mya in the Middle": Things have changed in the Tibbs house, and Mya isn’t happy about it. She’s stuck in the middle between an exceptionally cute baby sister and an exceptionally smart older brother. And her tired parents seem to only notice the “exceptional” kids in the house.

  So when a class project lassoes Mya into starting her own school newspaper, she’s sure this will earn her the star status she wants from her parents. But the same project also gives Mya’s archenemy, Naomi Jackson, a chance to prove she is a better friend to the twins, Skye and Starr, than Mya is . . . and soon Mya feels caught in the middle again, just like at home. Good gravy in the navy!

  When Mya makes a monumental mistake in an effort to celebrate the twins, she stands to lose everything, including their friendship. Now she has to figure out how to get back in the saddle, grab those reins, and gallop her way toward fixing everything.

• Spirit Week ShowDown Book Trailer

I Got Next

Written and illustrated by Daria Peoples

Published by Harper Collins

• A young basketball player practices on the playground, preparing for an upcoming pickup game while his shadow urges him to play hard and leave his heart on the court. As the boy dribbles and weaves, shoots and scores, his shadow gives him the encouragement he needs to overcome pregame jitters and join the competition.

• Read aloud

Breakaways

Written and illustrated by Cathy G. Johnson

Published by Macmillan, 2019

• Quiet, sensitive Faith starts middle school already worrying about how she will fit in. To her surprise, Amanda, a popular eighth grader, convinces her to join the school soccer team, the Bloodhounds. Having never played soccer in her life, Faith ends up on the C team, a ragtag group that's way better at drama than at teamwork. Although they are awful at soccer, Faith and her teammates soon form a bond both on and off the soccer field that challenges their notions of loyalty, identity, friendship, and unity. The Breakaways from Cathy G. Johnson is a raw, and beautifully honest graphic novel that looks into the lives of a diverse and defiantly independent group of kids learning to make room for themselves in the world.

• Making a GRAPHIC NOVEL! THE BREAKAWAYS Process

Cassandra, Animal Psychic

Written by Isabelle Bottier

Illustrated by Helene Canac

Published by Graphic Universe, 2019

• Cassandra has a gift. Animals can show her what they're thinking. And she's done keeping her talent a secret. In the first volume of the Cassandra: Animal Psychic series, Cassandra sets out to help pets and their people.
  The trouble is, other parts of Cassandra's life are changing too. Her mom has a boyfriend she really likes, but his daughter can't stand Cassandra. And Cassandra's best friend is about to leave town. Not even her trusty dog Miss Dolly can make things feel okay. When Cassandra gets on the trail of a lost cat, will she be able to help its owners? Or will her first case be a flop?

Long Way Down

Written by Jason Reynolds

Illustrated by Danica Novgorodoff

Published by Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2022

• Will’s older brother, Shawn, has been shot.
  Dead.
  Will feels a sadness so great, he can’t explain it. But in his neighborhood, there are THE RULES:
  
  No. 1: Crying.
  Don’t.
  No matter what.
  
  No. 2: Snitching
  Don’t.
  No matter what.
  
  No. 3: Revenge
  Do.
  No matter what.
  
  But bullets miss. You can get the wrong guy. And there’s always someone else who knows to follow the rules…

• Jason Reynolds Reads from Long Way Down graphic novel