Preschool
In My Anaana's Amautik
by Nadia Sammurtok, illustrations by Lenny Lishchenko
Nadia Sammurtok lovingly invites the reader into the amautik — the pouch in the back of a mother's parka used to carry a child — to experience everything through the eyes of the baby nestled inside. Sweet and soothing, this book offers a unique perspective that will charm readers of all ages.
The Family Book/El libro de la familia
By Todd Parr
Some families are big. Some families are small. Some families live near each other. Some families live far from each other.
Primary (Kindergarten–Grade 2)
Aaron Slater, Illustrator
by Andrea Beaty, illustrations by David Roberts
Aaron Slater loves listening to stories, and he dreams of one day writing them himself. But when it comes to reading, the letters just look like squiggles to him, and it soon becomes clear that he struggles more than his peers. When his teacher asks each child in the class to write a story, Aaron can't get a single word down. He is sure that his dream of being a storyteller is out of reach . . . until inspiration strikes and Aaron finds a way to spin a tale in a way that is uniquely his.
Stuck/Atrapados
by Oliver Jeffers
When Floyd's kite gets stuck in a tree, he is determined to get it out. But how? Well, by knocking it down with his shoe, of course. But, strangely enough, it too gets stuck. And the only logical course of action . . . is to throw his other shoe. Only now it's stuck! Surely there must be something he can use to get his kite unstuck. An orangutan? A boat? His front door? Yes, yes, and yes. And that's only the beginning.
Intermediate (Grades 3–5)
Indian Shoes
by Cynthia Leitich Smith, illustrations by MaryBeth Timothy
What do Indian shoes look like, anyway? Like beautiful, beaded moccasins . . . or high tops with bright orange shoelaces?
Ray Halfmoon prefers high tops, but he gladly trades them for a nice pair of moccasins for his grampa. After all, it is Grampa Halfmoon who is always there to help Ray get into and out of scrapes — like the time they teamed up to pet sit for the whole block during a holiday blizzard!
The Notebook Keeper: A Story of Kindness from the Border/La guardiana de la libreta: Usa historia de bondad desde la frontera
by Stephen Briseño, illustrations by Magdalena Mora
Noemi and Mama flee their home in Mexico and head for the U.S. border. There, they look for the "notebook keeper" — the person in charge of a ledger for those waiting to cross — and they add their names to the book. As the days turn into weeks and hope dwindles, the little girl looks for kindness around her . . . and inside herself.
Middle School (Grades 6—8)
Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids
Edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith
This collection of intersecting stories by both new and veteran Native writers bursts with hope, joy, resilience, the strength of community, and Native pride.
Native families from Nations across the continent gather at the Dance for Mother Earth Powwow in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In a high school gym full of color and song, people dance, sell beadwork and books, and celebrate friendship and heritage. Young protagonists will meet relatives from far away, mysterious strangers, and sometimes one another (plus one scrappy rez dog).
They are the heroes of their own stories.
T
he Moon Within
by Aida Salazar
Celi Rivera's life swirls with questions about her changing body, boys, and the idea of gender fluidity. Her mother also insists that she have a moon ceremony — an ancestral Mexican ritual — when her first period arrives, but Celi promises that she will not be participating. Can she find the power within herself to take a stand for who she wants to be?
High School (Grades 9–12)
If I Ever Get Out of Here
by Eric Gansworth
Lewis "Shoe" Blake is used to the joys and difficulties of life on the Tuscarora Indian reservation in 1975: the joking, the fireball games, the snow blowing through his roof. What he's not used to is white people being nice to him — people like George Haddonfield, whose family recently moved to town with the Air Force. As the boys connect through their mutual passion for music, especially the Beatles, Lewis has to lie more and more to hide the reality of his family's poverty from George. He also must deal with the vicious Evan Reininger, who makes Lewis the special target of his wrath. But when everyone else is on Evan's side, how can he be defeated? And if George finds out the truth about Lewis's home — will he still be his friend?
Color Me In
by Natasha Díaz
Growing up in an affluent suburb of New York City, sixteen-year-old Nevaeh Levitz never thought much about her biracial roots. When her Black mom and Jewish dad split up, she relocates to her mom's family home in Harlem and is forced to confront her identity for the first time. Will she decide once and for all who and where she is meant to be?
Books in Spanish
Me gusta (preschool–grade 3)
de Ángela Domínguez
But most of all, me gusta that no matter where we are, I feel at home, en casa, when I'm with you.
In the affirmative and encouraging Me gusta, acclaimed author and illustrator Ángela Domínguez combines Spanish and English in a poetic and touching story of family, reminding us that through the adventures and the heartbreak, love conquers all and transcends language.
En la afirmativa y alentadora Me gusta, la aclamada autora e ilustradora Ángela Domínguez combina el español y el inglés en una poética y conmovedora historia familiar, recordándonos que a través de las aventuras y la angustia, el amor lo conquista todo y trasciende el lenguaje.
To access the books on our monthly MPS Reads book lists, visit your school library or local library, or go online to OverDrive* and log in with your MPS student ID number.
*Some titles are not available through OverDrive.