The Wishing Tree

A story of remembrance as well as an exploration of teen grief and healing, recounting the life and death of the author's sixteen-year-old daughter, as told through her parents' and friends' recollections, thoughts, feelings, and memories. For YA and adults.

A young African American girl helps her grandmother, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, regain some of her memories.

An African American boy living in New Orleans in the 1930s raises money to pay the rent with the help of a popular jazz musician.

Bilingual English/Spanish. The Upside Down Boy is award-winning poet Juan Felipe Herrera's engaging memoir of the year his migrant family settled down so that he could go to school for the first time.

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the publication of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, this beautiful biography of Maya Angelou describes how she rose above a childhood of trauma and emotional pain to become one of the most inspiring voices of our lifetime.

Through these graceful and eloquent poems, written from the child's perspective, readers will experience this resilience, this optimism, and understand that it is possible to get through difficult and unsettling times while holding onto one's hopes and dreams for a better, more peaceful future. 

This true story of a courageous and clever dog who saved a boy's life during the devastating tsunami of 2004 is sure to touch the hearts of readers of all ages.

A fictional story about a boy and his family in Havana who overcome obstacles to reach their relatives in Santiago to celebrate Christmas during the Cuban revolution in the 1950s.

In this historical middle-grade novel, Gandhi asks for one member of each family to join the fight for independence from the British, and when Anjali's mother is jailed for doing so, Anjali must step out of her comfort zone to take over her mother's work.

Audiobook Edition

A true account of a spirited Native American girl's experiences growing up on a reservation and attending Phoenix Indian School in the 1920s, written in an engaging, unconventional style and accompanied by 38 dramatic photographs.

In a companion novel to her critically acclaimed Shame the Stars, Pura Belpré Award Winner Guadalupe García McCall tackles the hidden history of the United States and its first mass deportation that swept up hundreds of thousands of Mexican American citizens during the Great Depression.

Audiobook Edition

In this young adult retelling of The Odyssey, Odilia and her four sisters journey to Mexico to return a dead man to his family and encounter magical creatures along the way.

Bilingual English/Spanish. One night, young Amada overhears her parents whisper of moving from Mexico to the other side of the border- to Los Angeles, where greater opportunity awaits.

Lupita, a budding actor and poet in a close-knit Mexican American immigrant family, comes of age as she struggles with adult responsibilities during her mother's long illness.

Audiobook Edition

A story in free verse about a troubled boy who learns to use his mind instead of his fists through the guidance of an unconventional mentor and the game of chess.

A graphic novel based on the life and death of Robert "Yummy" Sandifer, an eleven-year-old gang member from Chicago's Southside who was killed by his own gang members.

The Hate U Give meets The Lovely Bones in this unflinching graphic novel about the afterlife of a young man killed by an off-duty police officer, co-illustrated by New York Times bestselling artist John Jennings.

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.

Audiobook Edition

Based on heartbreaking yet inspirational true events in the lives of the Lost Boys of Sudan, Brothers in Hope is a story of remarkable courage, and an amazing testament to the unyielding power of the human spirit.

A young girl learns her rickety, old house by the river is stronger than the fiercest storm because it is fortified by love and family.

After a young Lebanese boy loses one of his beloved cats when his village comes under attack, he must learn to cope with loss and hope for a peaceful future.

A moving story about a family's attempt to flee Haiti in a boat, and a young boy who bravely learns to navigate a new world through playing his drum.

When Ming and his grandmother visit the wishing tree on the Lunar New Year, his wishes always seem to come true. But one year the tree does not help, and Ming alone must make peace with the loss of his grandmother and the spirit of the tree.

After Juna's best friend moves away, Juna, an imaginative Korean American girl, goes on magical adventures by way of her special kimchi jar.

Zettie and her Mama left their warm and comfortable home in Jamaica for an uncertain life in the United Sates, and they are forced to live in Mama's car.

The powerful story of a migrant boy who grows in self-confidence when he uses his math prowess to stand up to the school bullies.

A girl from a migrant worker family overcomes the hardship of moving by creating a special place for herself.

A young African American boy experiences the love and support of his family as they try to make ends meet each week.

Bilingual English/Spanish. A tender story about a boy struggling to express his love for his mother and her partner in a nontraditional family.

Chersheng feels sad and helpless when he learns that Grandfather has Alzheimer's Disease, but then Chersheng's mother presents him with a story cloth stitched by Grandfather himself, embroidered in the Hmong tradition.

An African American girl who cherishes her frequent visits to her favorite Grandma finds a way to remember her grandmother with hope and joy after she passes away.

Saturdays are special for Janna. That's when she and Granddaddy spend the whole day together.

Bilingual English/Spanish. A picture book about eight-year-old Soledad, a latchkey child whose friends come up with an imaginative solution to make Soledad feel less lonely when she gets home from school.

A magical Masai mask takes an African American boy on a series of adventures, and he discovers the joy of being himself.

Young Casey loves sparkly things, just like his older sister, who does not approve until an encounter with teasing bullies helps her learn to accept and respect Casey for who he is.

In this uplifting story told in verse, a young boy living in the inner city projects tells about his hopes, fears, and dreams.

A modern-day Native American girl learns to understand the cycle of life after her grandfather dies.

Bilingual English/Spanish. Gloria Anzaldúa uniquely reinterprets the famous Mexican legend of la Llorona.

When he tries to surprise his sick mother with flowers that he grew, a Chinese American boy receives a nice surprise of his own.

The true story of Arn Chorn-Pond, Cambodian American musician and human rights activist, who as a young boy survived Khmer Rouge work camps by learning to play a musical instrument.

Bilingual English/Spanish. This nuanced picture book tackles the difficult and timely subject of family separation and deportation.

In this gentle, award-winning picture book, an African American boy nicknamed Bird uses drawing as a creative outlet as he struggles to make sense of his grandfather's death and his brother's drug addiction.

Two young Maidu Indian brothers sent to live at a government-run Indian residential school in California in the 1930s find a way to escape and return home for the summer.

Bilingual English/Spanish. Monchi likes to write poems, hang out with his cousin Dreamer, and tell stories to his uncle, Tío Rogelio, until one day, a member of the local gang tells him it's time to join up.

Having crossed the Rio Grande into Texas with his mother in search of a new life, Joaquín receives help and friendship from Prietita a brave young Mexican American girl.

The inspiring true story of Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani girl who has become an international activist for universal education, with beautiful collage illustrations by award-winning artist Susan L. Roth.