When living in the Alaskan wilderness with her survivalist father becomes intolerable, 12-year-old Willa sets out on a journey of escape with her younger brothers.
Intermediate (ages 9-14)
Material appropriate for intermediate age groups
The Skylarks’ War
In early twentieth-century England, Clarry Penrose longs for an education and life of her own, but it is not until her beloved cousin, Rupert, is declared missing during World War I that she can take her chance.
The Red Zone
A vivid and poignant portrayal of a boy and his town in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in Italy.
Her Own Two Feet
Through her eyes, the moving story of a young Rwandan girl born with clubfeet and the risk she takes for the chance to walk on the bottoms of her feet for the first time.Rebeka Uwitonze was born in Rwanda with curled and twisted feet, which meant she had to crawl or be carried to get around. At nine years old, she gets an offer that could change her life. A doctor in the US might be able to turn her feet. But it means leaving her own family behind and going to America on her own.
Becoming Beatriz
Set in New Jersey in 1984, Beatriz’s story is a timeless one of a teenager’s navigation of romance, her brother’s choices, and her own family’s difficult past. A companion novel to the much-lauded Like Vanessa.
The Space We’re In
Ten-year-old Frank’s life revolves around his autistic brother, five-year-old Max, but after many changes over the course of a year, he discovers that he loves Max and is proud of him.
Sky Chasers
The race is on to be the first to discover the secret of flight! Magpie is soon caught up in a world of science, spies, and unruly animals to be the first to passenger in a hot air balloon.
Girl Under a Red Moon: Growing Up During China’s Cultural Revolution
In a small village called Yellow Stone, in southeastern China, Sisi is a model sister, daughter, and student. She brews tea for her grandfather in the morning, leads recitations at school as class monitor, and helps care for her youngest brother, Da. But when students are selected during a school ceremony to join the prestigious Red Guard, Sisi is passed over. Worse, she is shamed for her family’s past — they are former landowners who have no place in the new Communist order. Her only escape is to find work at another school, bringing Da along with her. But the siblings find new threats in Bridge Town, too, and Sisi will face choices between family and nation, between safety and justice. With the tide of the Cultural Revolution rising, Sisi must decide if she will swim against the current, or get swept up in the wave. Bestselling author Da Chen paints a vivid portrait of his older sister and a land thrust into turmoil during the tumultuous Chinese Cultural Revolution.
Castle In The Stars
What if man journeyed into space in 1869, not 1969? In The Knights of Mars, the third volume in this breath-taking fantasy graphic novel series, Alex Alice draws on Jules Verne and nineteenth-century romanticism to create a watercolor world of adventure and wonder to enchant adults and younger readers alike. When Seraphin, Hans, and Sophie returned from their voyage to the moon, they didn’t come home empty-handed―they brought with them aetherite, a miraculous substance that defies gravity! To keep their secret safe from the Prussians, the trio lives in hiding on a remote island in Brittany. Meanwhile, Seraphin’s father has founded the International Society of Aether, a group of scientists dedicated to the peaceful pursuit of space exploration. But on the eve of their inaugural meeting, he vanishes without a trace! The Knights of Aether’s last hope lies in a daring rescue of King Ludwig and Professor Dulac. They will find them on the farthest outskirts of the Prussian empire―the planet Mars!
Pie In The Sky
Knowing very little English, eleven-year-old Jingwen feels like an alien when his family immigrates to Australia, but copes with loneliness and the loss of his father by baking elaborate cakes.