Category: The Kids Are All Right

For first dog fans comes this sweet picture book about President-elect Joe Biden’s two dogs, who can’t wait to be in the White House with their dad. Champ is excited to be going back to the White House and eager to show Major, the first rescue dog to ever be in the White House, around.

This beautiful picture book tells the story of author Doyin Richards’s father and his journey from his homeland of Sierra Leone to the United States.

This colorful picture book is an inspirational biography about Zora Neale Hurston, who found stories wherever she went. Encouraged to “jump to the sun”, with no fear of the landing, Zora jumped wherever she could, finding and telling stories that changed the world.

This is the newest title from the Rick Riordan Presents line, based on ancient Mesopotamian myth. Sik, who longs for a simple life, has his upended when he learns he’s immortal. To find the Flower of Immortality and keep the city from being wiped out by disease, Sik teams up with mythic hero Gilgamesh and the adopted daughter of the goddess of love and war.

This memoir for middle grade readers by author Gary Paulsen, author of Hatchet, chronicles Paulsen’s own upbringing. This is Paulsen’s original survival story, one of being neglected as a child up to his enlisting in the army as a teenager.

This heartfelt middle grade book is a story of growing up and loss. Since his older brother never came home from the army, Walter’s been lost without him. But when he meets Posey, a new girl next door, Walter is catapulted into an adventurous summer of taking chances and figuring out who he is without the brother he looked up to.

Vice president-elect Kamala Harris joins the Who Is? ranks with this new title telling her inspirational story. If you’re not already familiar with this series (which also includes companion series called Where is? and What Was?) these make for accessible, fun-to-read biographies about a variety of people from soon-to-be vice presidents to authors, movie stars, and notable historical figures.

When Kanzi moves from Egypt to America, all she wants to do is fit in. But when mom arrives at her school with her forgotten lunch, her classmates notice how different her mom dresses and talks. The teasing begins, and Kanzi returns home and wraps herself in the quilt her grandmother gave her and writes a poem about the quilt in Arabic. Her teachers sees the poem and begins a class project the next day that involves creating a paper quilt of student names in Arabic. This is a sweet, beautiful book about belonging, acceptance, and sharing our different cultures.

This incredible book tells the story of Clara, a slave and seamstress on Home Plantation, who overhears plans about the Underground Railroad. Wanting to help those dreaming of freedom, she uses her quilt making skills along with scraps of fabric she finds from working in the Big House to create a map for the Underground Railroad.

For nearly 200 years, African American women living in the rural community of Gee’s Bend have been making quilts. Using fabric from old overalls, aprons, bleached cornmeal sacks, and other scraps, they have created magnificent pieces of art. Their quilting tradition has been passed down from generation to generation, and the stunning quilts have ended up displayed at renowned museums. This book includes full color photographs of some of the quilts as well as interviews with the Gee’s Bend community.

This is another picture book about Gee’s Bend, only this one is gorgeously illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera (one of my favorite illustrators!). Author Patricia McKissack visited Gee’s Bend, Alabama, to collect stories about these quilts, and wrote poems to celebrate the familial, cultural, spiritual, and historical strands of life in this community.

Author Lizzy Rockwell is the founder and director of the cooperative community quilting group Peace by Piece: The Norwalk Community Quilt Project. In this picture book, she speaks to some of her experiences doing a multi-generational quilting project, from gathering people together, selecting colorful pieces of fabric for each square, and creating a handprint border. This is a lovely story of community coming together to make art!

This board book (with a mirror!) is an aged-down version of Young, Gifted, and Black, introducing babies to inspirational Black heroes and offering confidence-building affirmations.

This lyrical picture book is a sweet tale of a little girl who realizes her eyes look different from other kids’ and learns to love the eyes she shares with other women in her family.

If you’re a fan of Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road”, you’ll want to bring this ABC picture book to little ones. Lil Nas X is joined by his pony, Panini, on a journey through the alphabet and wide, open pastures.

In this latest entry in the High Republic series, new Jedi Knight Vernestra is tasked with supervising a 12-year-old aspiring inventor, Avon on a journey to dedicate a new space station. When the cruiser they’re on is attacked, Vernestra and Avon escape to a nearby moon, where danger awaits.

This historical fiction novel is set in 1963 in South Carolina where Jezebel is trying to make sense of her changing life. Her grandmother has recently died, the police are harassing the family, and Jezebel and her twin brother Jay are about to start a new school, as school integration begins in the state. And their uncle announces it’s time he begin training them in rootwork, African-American folk magic that’s been in their family for generations.

This hilarious book follows sisters Ingrid and Winnie and their friends Skylar and Zora. First daughters Ingrid and Winnie have lived at the White House for the past eight years, but Skylar and Zora are the new first daughters and about to move in. In keeping with tradition, Ingrid and Winnie plan to prank Skylar and Zora, kicking off a prank war that threatens to spiral out of control.

Poet Nikki Grimes pairs new work with that of accomplished women of the Harlem Renaissance, whose work was forgotten with time. This also features bold new artwork from Black illustrators.

This gorgeous picture book is a story of empowerment and affirmations written by actress and activist Grace Byers. As a biracial CODA (Child Of Deaf Adults), Grace was bullied throughout her childhood. This led her to write her first picture book to empower young girls to believing in themselves and being kind to others. I love the illustrations in this book!

From the duo that brought us Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut, I Am Every Good Thing is about a confident Black narrator who is proud of himself and loves who he is. He deals with frustrations by never giving up and is adventurous, funny, and has big dreams. A must have book for every child (and adult!).

This book makes me cry every time I read it. The story is all about reminding readers to honor themselves and their emotions, empowering girls to be strong, courageous, and bold. And if this book doesn’t make you cry, read this article written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, You May Want to Marry My Husband, published in the New York Times on March 5, 2017.

I am a fan of every picture book that Bryan Collier illustrates, and All Because You Matter is no exception. The powerful words affirm to children everywhere that they matter in every stage of life, from their birth to first steps to growing up and becoming a teenager. Even in the midst of current events and the tragedies in our history, this book tells us that we matter in this moment.

In this lush book, a couple celebrates the arrival fo their baby. Before the world meets the new one, the family is on their babymoon, oohing and aahing over the newborn’s features and learning new things about this baby as they become a family. This is a lovely book to share with young readers to remind them of the joy at their arrival into the world.

I loved the first book about Anya, Ivan, and their dragon friend Håkon—and I might love this sequel even more.The characters are wonderful and endearing, and on top of that there is a male bisexual character who actually gets to have a male love interest and it’s reciprocal. The adventure itself is engaging and described perfectly: vivid, imaginative, and almost cinematic. I also appreciate that Anya is Jewish, as I still find it rare to see my own holidays and traditions represented in books. This adventure tale deftly balances its screwball humor with darker moments.

—Rachel Rosenberg

This beautifully illustrated picture book follows Egyptian Kanzi at her new school, where she worries about fitting in. She finds comfort in Teita’s Arabic quilt, and with the help of her teacher, she shares her love for her language and culture with fellow classmates. A powerful and moving story with stunning illustrations that highlights the importance of all languages. 

—Adiba Jaigirdar

Sami is a boy who has his life torn apart by the civil war in Syria. Now he and his family find themselves on the run in a desperate attempt to make it to the UK. On the way he witnesses trauma, heartache, madness and also hope and love. Essential reading for middle grade students and anyone hoping to gain insight into the plight of refugees. 

—Lucas Maxwell

I absolutely inhaled this companion graphic novel to Craft’s Newbery-winning New Kid. Class Act digs even deeper into what it’s like to be one of the handful of nonwhite kids at a fancy school—not just the micro- and macroaggressions those students are hit with on the daily, but also the ways they have to decide whom to trust and reserve judgment about. This time, instead of just visiting the McMansions of their classmates, Jordan and Drew cautiously invite their white friend Liam back to their neighborhood. While careful not to draw a false equivalence between racism and assuming the worst about wealthy people, Craft does make a great point about giving sincere and kind friends the benefit of the doubt. 

—Sarah Hannah Gómez

This middle grade novel packs a powerful punch as it explores Wonder Woman as a tween. In the book, Diana wishes to train with the rest of the Amazons in Themiscyra, as she truly looks up to them and their powers. Diana also hopes her mother, Queen Hippolyta, will let her learn how to fight in the festival in Themiscyra, one that discovers and explores their diverse cultures. But, when a visitor—a boy—arrives in the area to warn them of some imminent danger, it’s up to Diana to help save the day with her best friend, Princess Sakina. This book is perfect for those seeking pure girl power and a touching story. And the good news? It’s the first in a series of Diana middle grade novels to come.

—Aurora Lydia Dominguez

This middle grade fantasy was pitched to me as a read-alike for Kiki’s Delivery Service, and I’m happy to report that assessment is accurate. I imagine most children can identify with Eva, on the cusp of turning 13 and constantly fretting about her spotty magical powers. She’s determined to earn the rank of Novice Witch but constantly doubtful she’ll pass the test. But Eva is one of the most determined young witches out there and hatches a plan to help the town of Auteri through “semi-magical fixes.” I loved her, and I loved the charming, whimsical world Abe has sketched for this planned series. It’s a feel-good read for just about any age, truth be told. 

—Nicole Hill

In this middle grade novel, Zoe Washington has just turned 12 and inadvertently started a penpal relationship with the biological father she’s never met, Marcus. Marcus is in prison for murder, but as Zoe gets to know him for the first time (under the supervision of her grandma, but unbeknownst to her mother), she begins to learn about the inequalities of the justice system and she becomes determined to clear his name. This is a timely and age-appropriate novel that deftly tackles big issues, and it never wavers from Zoe’s big-hearted perspective.

—Tirzah Price

This adorably spooky book about best friends Lucely and Syd who accidentally awaken a graveyard full of dangerous spirits is the perfect mixture of ghosts, magic, friendship, and fun. As if that wasn’t enough, Lucely has to save the firefly spirits of her family’s ancestors AND rustle up more tourists for her dad’s ghost tour before they lose their house. This book is just the right amount of spooky for middle grade readers and mixes supernatural shenanigans with so much heart and humor that you just can’t help but love it. 

—Rachel Brittain

As the title suggests, Gustavo is a shy ghost, but he desperately wants to make friends. Only there’s another problem: no one can see him! This whimsical, heartfelt picture book follows our translucent hero as he tries to overcome his struggles in time to plan a party for the Day of the Dead. Each page is vibrantly illustrated and full of color, with plenty of charming details for readers to discover on a second, third, or 15th read.

—Emily Polson

In this #OwnVoices picture book, a child with a stutter struggles to respond to a teacher’s prompt in class to describe his favorite place. His father picks him up early from school, and takes him to the river, where the two explore the riverbank, and his father tells him he talks like a river. When the child returns to school, he explains that his favorite place is the river, and describes how his voice is like the river. This picture book is stunning. The illustrations are gorgeous, and the prose is lyrical and beautiful. I wish I’d had a book like this as a child.

—Margaret Kingsbury

Sophie Blackall’s picture books are always gorgeous to look at—my favorite spread in this book is the library, which has diverse representation, and contains multiple wordless stories within. There is no real narrative, other than a child named Quinn pens a letter to visitors from space. Through it, we are given basic facts about the world (types of animals and homes, for instance, and what makes people unique). Enjoy the lovely art and the overall message about kindness.

—Rachel Rosenberg

Addie is autistic in a world where many people don’t understand or care to understand her challenges. Living in Scotland, she discovers that the village she lives in executed witches many hundreds of years ago. She embarks on a mission to get the local government to build a memorial for them, a task that will test her patience and will. A Kind of Spark is an #OwnVoices novel that will change the way you view those on the autism spectrum. It’s a powerful story about being yourself and standing unflinching in the face of adversity. 

—Lucas Maxwell

With many young readers stuck at home this year, it’s the perfect time to dive into this chapter book series about the twins Finn and Molly and their magical RV camper. In this book, the twins are magically transported to California where they must help refugees from the wildfires before the camper lets them return to their home in Ohio. This is one of the less glamorous state stories in the series. But Finn and Molly’s humorous sibling dynamic lightens the mood. And it felt like a great way to begin discussions about the environment and current events with young readers, while potentially learning about a new state. 

—Alison Doherty

Maya and the Rising Dark is a thrilling middle grade read! Maya lives in the South Side of Chicago, where strange occurrences take place in her modern world. Together, Maya and her companions set out to rescue her father when he disappears. In her adventures, she discovers a world where she witnesses sinister shadows and negative energy in dreams. It’s indeed a riveting story for both young and older readers.

—Cathleen Perez Brenycz

You know an author has immense talent when they can dip in and out of writing for different ages without missing a beat. Colbert’s debut middle grade follows 13-year-old Alberta, who has been the only Black girl in her seaside town for years. When the bed and breakfast across the street is purchase by new owners and one of the inhabitants will be a 12-year-old Black girl, she’s eager to make fast friends with Edie. But it won’t be that easy, as the girls are very different. Thanks to a discovery of old journals in the attic of the bed and breakfast, though, the girls uncover a wealth of secrets from the past that bring them together.

—Kelly Jensen

Thirteen-year-old Hanna loses her Chinese mother and must grow into a young woman amidst the adversity she faces in De Smet, where her white father has decided to set up a textiles shop. The story takes place in Dakota Territory in the 1880s contemporaneous with Laura Ingalls Wilder. In this version of Little House on the Prairie, however, the protagonist confronts prejudice in school and in her town, an unfortunate situation which she meets with courage, kindness, and resourcefulness. Great historical fiction from an untold and unusual perspective.

—Jean Kuo Lee

Jen is not at all thrilled when her mom moves her from the city to a farm in the country in order to live with her new boyfriend. Jen’s assigned chores and has to learn how to acclimate with a new family, which include two step-sisters who only visit on weekends. Knisley’s artwork captures the excitement, angst, and humor of farm living, and beautifully portrays the small moments that turn strangers into family.

—Tirzah Price

This gorgeous picture book layers two stories in one. The first is contemporary: a young girl moves to a new country to live with her aunt and uncle, but she doesn’t speak the language and struggles to make friends. Her aunt tells her a story she was told as a child about a group of refugees who come to a new country’s shore seeking to settle. The country’s king doesn’t want them to settle there, and since they speak different languages and can’t understand one another, he shows his refusal by filling a cup with milk. The refugees respond by adding sugar to the milk, which dissolves and makes the milk sweeter, symbolizing that accepting people into the country can only make the country sweeter. Emboldened by the story, the girl makes more of an effort to communicate. She smiles at people, makes eye contact, and soon she makes friends. The folktale comes from the author’s Zoroastrian upbringing as a Parsi child in India. Not only is the story beautiful, and the illustrations gorgeous, but the design of the book is amazing too. The thickness and slightly grainy texture of the pages, the sturdiness of the cover, the layers of color in the art, all make it a luxurious reading experience. I wish more picture books were this well made!

—Margaret Kingsbury

This was my most anticipated book of 2020 and it absolutely lived up to my expectations. Set in 1946, the story—inspired by a similar plot line from the 1940s Adventures of Superman radio show—centers around Chinese American siblings Roberta and Tommy Lee, whose family has been targeted by the bigoted Klan of the Fiery Cross. Superman is there to help, of course, but he’s also busy coming to grips with his own extraterrestrial origins. This action-packed, thoughtful, gorgeously illustrated comic tackles complex and scary issues in a way kids can understand without talking down to them, gives the Lee kids a chance to shine and be heroes without disappearing in Superman’s shadow, and reinforces the too-often-forgotten fact that the world’s most iconic superhero is an immigrant and a refugee—something just as relevant now as it was in 1946.

—Jess Plummer

I picked up Swashby and the Sea because I will read anything Juana Martinez-Neal has had her hands on, and I was not disappointed. Curmudgeonly Swashby can’t stand his new neighbors, an active little girl and her grandmother, but every time he tries to draw a note in the sand asking them to quiet down or go away, the sea comes in and erases bits and pieces of the messages until they look inviting and friendly instead (for example, NO TRESPASSING becomes SING). And his little neighbor is only too happy to oblige. Not only is it a lovely story about bonding and a great chance to practice your letters, but what makes the little girl inside me happiest is that Swashby’s neighbor has rich, brown skin, wild curls, and huge glasses. No Big Racial Issues, no stereotypes, just a regular book about a regular girl who happens to be brown that everybody will love to read.

—Sarah Hannah Gómez

In this #OwnVoices picture book inspired by Standing Rock, a young girl learns from her elders about the black snake that threatens to come to their land and poison their water. She has been taught that water is sacred and is an integral part of life, and takes a stand to be a water protector, fighting for the Earth, the animals, and her people. The prose of the book is artfully crafted and the gorgeous artwork, with its watercolor-like brushstrokes, complements it perfectly. It is a favorite of mine (and my son’s), and is a great way to introduce topics like Standing Rock, Indigenous-led movements, and the issue of clean water. 

—Jaime Herndon

This moving book follows a family in January 1986 on the precipice of so much—siblings Bird, Fitch, and Cash are all in the same grade, and Mom and Dad have a rocky relationship, which comes out again and again in unsettling ways. It impacts each of the kids, and the only way that the siblings are hanging on is through their shared science teacher who applied for the Teacher in Space program but didn’t get accepted. This slice-of-life book is aching and hard, and when the Challenger launches, all of the pain built up in each of the siblings explodes. Readers who want feelings-heavy books will be enraptured with this one. All of the characters are compelling, complex, and sympathetic, and they all experience those really painful moments of what it is to be in 7th grade.

—Kelly Jensen

Thanks to the stunning cover, this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2020, and it absolutely lived up to my expectations. It actually surpassed them! When Life Gives You Mangos follows 12-year-old Clara, who has lost her memories of the previous summer. When this summer, a new girl arrives in her village, Clara knows that things are about to change. This is a beautiful novel about friendship, family, community, and grief. 

—Adiba Jaigirdar

This is a fun and simple board book about four friends celebrating their very different hair styles.

In this fun picture book Aria is tired of everyone always trying to touch her hair. It doesn’t matter where she goes, whether it be to space, or under the sea, someone always wants to touch it, and Aria’s had enough.

In this sweet book perfect for bedtime, a polar bear parent and their cub spend some quality time together.

Now in paperback is this wintry entry in the Magic Treehouse series where Jack and Annie are swept back in time to a Roman camp where they learn what it takes to be a good Roman soldier.

This illustrated early chapter book is a fun take on the cold walk to school. With temperatures dropping, Rosie, Molly and Simon have to figure out some way to make the trek without freezing their feet off.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Princess Diaries, a rerelease of the first three books in the series. A little warmhearted nostalgia might be nice now, or to introduce this new generation to Mia Thermopolis when she discovers she’s princess of Genovia.