Omar Rising

Seventh-grader Omar must contend with being treated like a second-class citizen when he gets a scholarship to an elite boarding schoo in Pakistan.

Rainbow Hands

When a young boy paints his nails with his mom’s nail polish, he discovers the most important thing of all: the magic of being his true self.

As the long late summer day stretches ahead of them, a young boy eagerly looks forward to his favorite time—painting-your-nails time. He know that when he dips into those magical bottles of nail polish, he will discover a color to express his every mood and feeling. Purple is the color of magic and mystery. White is the color of endless possibilities. At times, his papa frowns and says, “What have you done to your nails?” At other times, he says, “Why don’t you paint on paper instead?” But the little boy knows that painting his nails makes his hands look beautiful.

This color-filled story celebrates the joy of finding out who you are and embracing the courage to be yourself.

Notebook Keeper

After traveling to Tijuana, Mexico, Noemi and her mother are denied entry at the border and must find the refugee in charge of the notebook, an unofficial ledger of those waiting to cross into the United States. Includes author’s note.

The Notebook Keeper was featured in the WOW Currents The Power of Home: Promise or Uncertainty? Part II.

Lady Icarus: Balloonmania And The Brief, Bold Life Of Sophie Blanchard

“Before Amelia Earhart, there was Sophie Blanchard, the first woman to earn her living in the air. While no one knows the fate of Earhart, a terrified crowd of thousands looked on as French aeronaut Sophie Blanchard met her end in a tragic blaze of glory over the streets of Paris in 1819. But first, Blanchard made nearly 70 spectacular flights, survived a revolution, and become a court favorite of the emperor Napoleon (who gave her the title, Aeronaut of the Official Festivals) and later of the King of France. Set against the backdrop of the history of flight, watch as Balloonmania–a phenomenon that riveted all of Europe–took hold and inspired a great many artists, authors, and dreamers”– Provided by publisher

In Search Of Safety: Voices Of Refugees

Five refugees recount their courageous journeys to America and the unimaginable struggles that led them to flee their homelands in a powerful work from the author of Beyond Magenta and We Are Here to Stay.

Dead Man’s Gold And Other Stories: And Other Stories

Ten ghost stories about Chinese people who, having come to North America to make their fortunes, encounter ghosts who either help or hinder their success.

The Boy Who Met A Whale

“Razi, a local fisherboy, is watching turtle eggs hatch when he sees a boat bobbing into view. With a chill, he notices a small, still hand hanging over the side. Inside is Zheng, who’s escaped a shipwreck and is full of tales of sea monsters and missing treasure. But the villains who are after Zheng are soon after Razi and his sister, Shifa, too! And so begins an exhilarating escapade in the shadow of the biggest sea monster of them all”

Roses Sing On New Snow: A Delicious Tale : Level E (Into English)

Maylin cooks delicious meals every day in her father’s restaurant, but her lazy brothers take all the credit. One day a contest is held to honor the visiting governor of South China, and Maylin’s brothers decide to pass off her cooking as their own. But when neither they nor the governor can replicate Maylin’s wonderful dish, they all learn that there’s more to the art of good cooking than the right ingredients. Paul Yee’s charming text and Harvey Chan’s dramatic watercolors transport the reader to another time and culture.

Staking A Claim, The Journal Of Wong Ming-Chung, A Chinese Miner, California, 1852

In 1852, during the height of the California Gold Rush, ten-year-old Wong makes the dangerous trip to America to live with his uncle, exchanging the famine and war of his native country for brutal bullies and grueling labor in America, Wong joins his uncle and countless others in the effort to strike it rich on the great Golden Mountain. Unfortunately, he, and most of the rest of the dreamers, soon discover that there’s no such thing as a Golden Mountain, only dirt, mud, and occasionally tiny flecks of gold dust flecks that are to be turned over to the owners of the mines, in return for barely livable wages. However, someone as clever and resourceful as Wong will have to find other ingenious ways of making money if they’re going to make it in America. But can they overcome the bitter, racist white Americans to find success?