Intermediate (ages 9-14)

Material appropriate for intermediate age groups

Heat

Michael Arroyo has a dream of pitching in the Little League World Series, and a pitching arm that throws serious heat. But that firepower is nothing compared to the heat Michael faces in his day-to-day life. Newly orphaned after his father led the family’s escape from Cuba, Michael has no one to watch out for him except his older brother Carlos, who is only 17, and if Social Services hears of the boys situation, they will be separated in the foster care system-or even worse, sent back to Cuba. So the boys their best to carry on alone, dodging bills and anyone who asks to many questions. Until, that is, someone questions how a 12-year-old boy could possibly throw with as much power as Michael Arroyo throws and Michael has no way to prove his age, no birth certificate, and no parent to fight for his cause. Suddenly Michael’s secret world is blown wide open-and he discovers that family can come from the most unexpected sources. A baseball and coming-of-age story worth cheering for, culminating in a dream come true for any boy: Michaelm poor orphan of the Bronx, NY, steps onto the most hallowed of spaces-the Yankee stadium pitching mound.

The Indigo Notebook (Indigo Notebook)

An exciting new series from the acclaimed author of Red Glass.Zeeta’s life with her free-spirited mother, Layla, is anything but normal. Every year Layla picks another country she wants to live in. This summer they’re in Ecuador, and Zeeta is determined to convince her mother to settle down. Zeeta makes friends with vendors at the town market and begs them to think of upstanding, “normal” men to set up with Layla. There, Zeeta meets Wendell. She learns that he was born nearby, but adopted by an American family. His one wish is to find his birth parents, and Zeeta agrees to help him. But when Wendell’s biological father turns out to be involved in something very dangerous, Zeeta wonders whether she’ll ever get the chance to tell her mom how she really feels—or to enjoy her deepening feelings for Wendell.Praise for Red Glass:*“A captivating read.”—School Library Journal, Starred

Las Paredes Hablan: Cuentan Mas Historias

The award-winning Talking Walls and its sequel, Talking Walls: The Stories Continue, introduce young readers to different cultures and different issues around the world by telling the stories of walls and how they can hold a community together or separate it. Featured walls include the Great Wall of China, the murals of Diego Rivera, Nelson Mandela’s prison walls, a Holocaust memorial in Poland, Ndebele wall designs in South Africa, Hadrian’s Wall in England, and the Peace Lines in Belfast, Northern Ireland. These books will spark the curiosity of young readers as they learn about their world and its amazing diversity. Teacher’s guide available.

Yo, Juan De Pareja

This Spanish translation of the historical novel I, Juan De Pareja is based on the life of Juan de Pareja, the black assistant to the 17th-century Spanish painter Velazquez. Newbery Medal Book.

Yo, Naomi Leon

Naomi Soledad Leon Outlaw has had a lot to contend with in her young life, her name for a start. Then, there are her clothes (sewn in polyester by Gram), her difficulty speaking up, and her status at school as “nobody special.” But according to Gram, most problems can be overcome with positive thinking. And with Gram and her little brother, Owen, life at Avocado Acres Trailer Rancho in California is happy and peaceful…until their mother reappears after seven years, stirring up all sorts of questions and challenging Naomi to discover who she really is.

Spanish title: Yo, Naomi Leon

Naomi Soledad Leon Outlaw ha tenido que enfrentarse a mucho en su corta vida, empezando por su nombre. Tambien esta el problema de su ropa (hechas por su abuela en tela de poliester), su timidez y la fama que tiene en la escuela de no ser nadie especial. Pero segun su abuela, la mayoria de los problemas se solucionan con mentalidad positiva. Y su vida, junto a su abuela y su pequeno hermano, Owen, en el parque de casas moviles Avocado Acres, es tranquila y feliz… hasta que su mama aparece luego de siete anos, creando confusion y retando a Naomi a que averigue quien es.

Young Zorro (Spanish Edition): El Joven Zorro: La Marca De Hierro

De niño, a Diego le interesaba más montar a caballo y hacer travesuras con su mejor amigo, Bernardo, que luchar contra la injusticia. No obstante, cuando comienzan a desaparecer algunos hombres del pueblo de los Ángeles y ganado del rancho del padre de Diego, él y Bernardo se topan con una injusticia tan grande que tienen que tomar acción.

Inspirada en la novela Zorro de Isabel Allende, que narra cómo Diego de la Vega se convirtió en el legendario héroe enmascarado, El joven Zorro: La marca de hierro introduce a los lectores a una tierra de vaqueros y secuestradores: un mundo lleno de emociones en el que se forma el joven héroe.