Thirst
by Varsha Bajaj
Minni lives in a poor section of Mumbai, India, where water is scarce. When she's forced to do her mother’s maid job in a high-rise building, her eyes are suddenly opened to the truth.
The Marvellers
by Dhonielle Clayton
Ella is the first Conjurer to be invited to attend the Arcanum Training Institute, a school in the sky. Students and teachers do not trust or understand Ella...but not for long. (series)
Starfish
by Lisa Fipps
Bullied because of her weight, Ellie feels alone in her world. Why can’t people (even her mom) understand she is okay with being fat? (Teen)
Invisible
by Christina Diaz Gonzalez
This bilingual graphic novel recounts how five very different Latinx students, stuck together for community service, are asked to help an unhoused family.
Ahmed Aziz’s Epic Year
by Nina Hamza
Ahmed moves to Minnesota — from Hawaii. His father is ill and the kid next door is a bully, but new friends and teachers help Ahmed rise above it all. (Teen)
How to Find What You’re Not Looking For
by Veera Hiranandani
It’s 1967 and people of different races and religions may now marry. Ari’s sister elopes with a man from India causing Ari’s Jewish family to disown her. Ari tries to understand.
Ophie’s Ghosts
by Justina Ireland
Discovering her ability to see ghosts when a cruel act ends her father’s life and forces her to move in with relatives, Ophelia forges a helpful bond with a spirit who died tragically.
Freewater
by Amina Luqman-Dawson
Ada and Homer escape the plantation, but Mama is left behind as is their friend, Anna. They journey into the swamp where they find a secret community housing freed slaves.
Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun
by Tolá Okogwu
Onyeka has always been self-conscious about her unruly locs — until her hair saves her friend from drowning. Learning that she has psychokinetic powers, she travels to the Solari base in Nigeria to find out more. (series)
Jinxed
by Amy McCulloch
After tech-wiz Lacey Chu finds and repairs a next-gen baku (smartphone/pet companion), she is suddenly invited into her dream school — and discovers dangerous secrets. (series)
Northwind
by Gary Paulsen
Leif’s family are the hardcore sailors around him. When they become ill with a deadly virus, he’s told to take a canoe with little Carl to escape north — but the virus follows them.
Tumble
by Celia C. Pérez
Adela’s mother won’t say who her father is, but Adela wants to know. Her research leads her to the legendary Bravo family, luchadores (wrestlers) whom Adela has followed on TV.
Something to Say
by Lisa Moore Ramée
Jenae starts middle school without any friends (and likes it that way), but one kid insists on
being nice, and she longs to overcome her fear of public speaking to support a good cause.
Boy from Buchenwald
by Robbie Waisman
The true story of Romek, who was rescued from a concentration camp along with
hundreds of other boys in 1945, and his struggle to find a reason to live.
Brown Girl Dreaming
by Jacqueline Woodson
In this memoir-in-verse, Woodson describes growing up as an African American in the
1960s and 1970s, her strong family ties, and her dream of becoming a writer.