Preschool
Batter Up for the First Day of School!
by Bethany Hegedus, illustrations by Nomar Perez
It’s the first day of school at Grand Slam Elementary, and there is much to do before the Twins can step up to the plate! After putting on their uniforms, fueling up for the day, and doing an equipment check, the kids are ready to slide into first period. Opening day is full of curveballs, but the innings fly by until the kids return to home base, excited to do it all again tomorrow!
With plenty of punny prose and playful baseball terms, this humorous read-aloud is the perfect way to get little sluggers ready for the first day of school.
Plátanos Are Love/Los plátanos son amor
by Alyssa Reynoso-Morris, illustrations by Mariyah Rahman
Grandma says, “Bananas are love.”
I thought they were food.
But Grandma says they feed us in more ways than one.
With every explosion of tostones, mangú purée, and sizzling maduros, a girl learns that bananas are her history, her culture, and most importantly, love.
Primary (Kindergarten–Grade2)
All About Color
by Elizabeth Rusch, illustrations by Elizabeth Goss
A fresh picture book of simple but surprising exploration of the art, science, and emotion of color. This mindful meditation encourages children to see the world differently.
Colors don’t exist. The sky is not blue. The grass is not green. A violet is not even violet. But color still plays an important role in our lives. Color can be a signal, as in a traffic light. It can be a call for help, like a life jacket. It can help us stand out or blend in or feel like part of a team. Colors even affect our mood: red can make us angry, blue can make us sad, and yellow can brighten our day. Young readers will never look at color the same way again.
My Name is Gabito/Me llamo Gabito
by Monica Brown, illustrations by Raúl Colón
An introduction to the life and work of the Nobel prize-winning Colombian author describes his childhood in Aracataca, Colombia, and how the things that surrounded him inspired his imagination and his desire to become a storyteller.
Intermediate (Grade 3–5)
Amina Banana and the Formula for Friendship
by Jason Chin, illustrations by Aaliya Jaleel
Amina loves bananas, science, and all things yellow! Her family recently arrived from Syria to Indiana, and she's starting at a brand-new school in a brand-new country. She’s excited but also nervous, especially about making friends! But she develops the perfect formula to get everything just right:
Speak English + wear a perfect outfit + be a good student + eat American food = Make American Friends!
When the first few days are harder than Amina imagined, she’s left worrying: why doesn't her formula add up?
Lola
by Karla Arenas Valenti
Ten-year-old Lola has always been touched by magic. In her Mexico City home, built around a towering tree, she is accustomed to enchanted blooms that change with the seasons, a sandbox that spits out mysterious treasures, and mischievous chaneques that scuttle about unseen by all but her. Magic has always been a part of her life, but now she must embrace the extraordinary as never before.
Ever since The Thing That Happened, Lola's brother Alex has been sick. As his condition worsens, something begins eating away at the tree, causing its leaves and blossoms to crumble like ash. The two are related, Lola is sure of it, but how? Seeking a cure, she visits a grocery store oracle who bids her to follow the chaneques down one of their secret passages... into a hidden world.
Here in Floresta, a land of myths and monsters and marvels untold, lies the key to healing her brother. But the kingdom's young queen stands in the way. Lola must use her wits and face her deepest fears if there's any hope of saving Alex in time.
Middle School (Grade 6–8)
Star Child
by Ibi Zoboi
Acclaimed novelist Ibi Zoboi illuminates the young life of the visionary storyteller Octavia E. Butler in poems and prose. Born into the Space Race, the Red Scare, and the dawning Civil Rights Movement, Butler experienced an American childhood that shaped her into the groundbreaking science-fiction storyteller whose novels continue to challenge and delight readers fifteen years after her death.
Ultraviolet
by Aida Salazar
For Elio Solis, eighth grade fizzes with change – His body teeming with hormones. His feelings that flow like lava. His relationship with Pops, who's always telling him to man up, the Solis way. And especially Camelia, his first girlfriend.
But then, betrayal and heartbreak send Elio spiraling toward revenge, a fight to prove his manhood, and defend Camelia's honor. He doesn't anticipate the dire consequences – or that Camelia's not looking for a savior.
Ultraviolet digs deep into themes of consent, puberty, masculinity, and the emotional lives of boys, as it challenges stereotypes and offers another way to be in the world.
High School (Grade 9 –12)
Better Than the Movies
by Lynn Painter
Perpetual daydreamer Liz Buxbaum gave her heart to Michael a long time ago. But her cool, aloof forever crush never really saw her before he moved away. Now that he’s back in town, Liz will do whatever it takes to get on his radar—and maybe snag him as a prom date—even befriend Wes Bennet.
The annoyingly attractive next-door neighbor might seem like a prime candidate for romantic comedy fantasies, but Wes has only been a pain in Liz’s butt since they were kids. Pranks involving frogs and decapitated lawn gnomes do not a potential boyfriend make. Yet, somehow, Wes and Michael are hitting it off, which means Wes is Liz’s in.
But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz noticed by Michael so she can have her magical prom moment, she’s shocked to discover that she likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must reexamine everything she thought she knew about love – and rethink her own ideas of what Happily Ever After should look like.
Don't Ask Me Where I'm From/No preguntes de dónde soy/
By Jennifer De León
First-generation American LatinX Liliana Cruz does what it takes to fit in at her new nearly all-white school. But when family secrets spill out and racism at school ramps up, she must decide what she believes in and take a stand.
Books in Spanish
Antes de ser libres
by Julia Alvarez
Anita de la Torre nunca cuestionó su libertad viviendo en la República Dominicana. Pero al cumplir doce años de edad en 1960, la mayoría de sus familiares han emigrado a Estados Unidos, su tío Toni ha desaparecido sin dejar rastro y la policía secreta del gobierno aterroriza a su familia restante dada su presunta oposición a la dictadura de Trujillo.
Utilizando la fuerza y el valor de su familia, Anita debe vencer sus miedos y volar hacia la libertad, dejando atrás todo lo que alguna vez había conocido.
De la renombrada autora Julia Alvarez llega una historia inolvidable sobre la adolescencia, la perseverancia y la lucha de una niña por su libertad.