The Boy Who Met a Whale by Nizrana Farook Nosy Crow From the author of The Girl Who Stole an Elephant comes another brilliant escapade. A thrilling adventure set in fictional Sri Lanka, jam-packed with peril and kidnap and a huge blue whale! Razi, a local fisherboy, is watching turtle eggs hatch when he sees a boat […]
Ground Zero by Alan Gratz Scholastic Two kids. One devastating day. September 11, 2001. New York City. Nine year old Brandon goes to work with his dad on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center. Out of nowhere an airplane slams into the tower, creating a fiery nightmare of terror and confusion that threatens everyone […]
Courage: My Story of Persecution by Freshta Tori Jan Dave Eggers (Editor), Zainab Nasrati (Editor), Zoe Ruiz (Editor), Amanda Uhle (Editor) Norton Young Readers / W.W. Norton Continuing this propulsive middle grade nonfiction series, a young woman once persecuted by the Taliban shares her journey to becoming a community activist. As a girl and as […]
Wishing Upon the Same Stars by Jacquetta Nammar Feldman Harper/HarperCollins This is a poignant coming-of-age middle grade debut about Yasmeen Khoury, an Arab American girl who befriends the Jewish-Israeli girl next door. Perfect for fans of Front Desk and American as Paneer Pie. When twelve-year-old Yasmeen Khoury moves with her family to San Antonio, all she wants to […]
Calling the Moon: 16 Period Stories from BIPOC Authors Edited by Aida Salazar and Yamile Saied Mendez Candlewick An essential, highly relatable collection of short fiction and poems around the topic of menstruation, written exclusively by authors who are Black, Indigenous, or people of color For Angela, it came on the basketball court—while playing on […]
Golden Girl Reem Faruqi HarperCollins From the award winning author of Unsettled, comes her second magical middle grade novel in verse about seventh grader Aafiyah, a Pakistani American girl. This book is about her coming-of-age trials as her habit of “borrowing” glittery things overshadows otherwise good intentions, ultimately betraying her best friend and thwarting her plan […]
BeYOUtiful: Radiate confidence, celebrate difference and express yourself by Shelina Janmohamed, illustrated by Chanté Timothy Welbeck Publishing Group BeYOUtiful is about feeling extraordinary, radiating confidence, and celebrating diversity in how we look. This book will look at self esteem and body image, how beauty has changed throughout history and beauty in difference. It explores how media […]
The Secret Diary of Mona Hasan by Salma Hussain Tundra Books/ Penguin Random House Mona learns to find her voice over the course of a year that sees her immigrating from Dubai to Canada in this novel for fans of Front Desk by Kelly Yang. Mona Hasan is a young Muslim girl growing up in Dubai, […]
Bhai for Now by Maleeha Siddiqui Scholastic A fresh and fun new spin on the Parent-Trap story, by Indies Introduce author Maleeha Siddiqui Ashar is busy with the ice hockey team, studying to get into the best school, and hanging out with his friends. Shaheer and his father are always moving, following his dad's jobs. Shaheer has […]
Zara's Rules for Finding Hidden Treasure by Hena Khan, illustrated by Wastana Haikal Salaam Reads / Simon & Schuster From the beloved author of Amina’s Voice comes the second book in the delightful Zara’s Rules middle grade series following Zara as she starts her own business! Zara lives for bike rides with her friends—so when her shiny, […]
The Year the Maps Changed by Danielle Binks Quill Tree / HarperCollins Wolf Hollow meets The Thing About Jellyfish in Danielle Binks’s debut middle grade novel set in 1999, where a twelve-year-old girl grapples with the meaning of home and family amidst a refugee crisis that has divided her town. If you asked Fred to draw a map […]