Intermediate (ages 9-14)

Material appropriate for intermediate age groups

Dear World

When seven-year-old Bana Alabed took to Twitter to describe the horrors she and her family were experiencing in war-torn Syria, her heartrending messages touched the world and gave a voice to millions of innocent children. Bana’s happy childhood was abruptly upended by civil war when she was only three years old. Over the next four years, she knew nothing but bombing, destruction, and fear. Her harrowing ordeal culminated in a brutal siege where she, her parents, and two younger brothers were trapped in Aleppo, with little access to food, water, medicine, or other necessities. Facing death as bombs relentlessly fell around them—one of which completely destroyed their home—Bana and her family embarked on a perilous escape to Turkey. In Bana’s own words, and featuring short, affecting chapters by her mother, Fatemah, Dear World is not just a gripping account of a family endangered by war; it offers a uniquely intimate, child’s perspective on one of the biggest humanitarian crises in history. Bana has lost her best friend, her school, her home, and her homeland. But she has not lost her hope—for herself and for other children around the world who are victims and refugees of war and deserve better lives. Dear World is a powerful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit, the unconquerable courage of a child, and the abiding power of hope. It is a story that will leave you changed.

Featured in Volume X, Issue 4 of WOW Review.

Front Desk

It will take all of Mia’s courage, kindness, and hard work to get through this year. Will she be able to hold on to her job, help the immigrants and guests, escape Mr. Yao, and go for her dreams.

Featured in WOW Review Volume XI, Issue 1.

China: A History

Discover the history of one of the world’s most influential civilizations. Based on the Cyrus Tang Hall of China exhibit at The Field Museum, China: A History traces the 7,000-year story of this diverse land. Full-color maps, photos, and illustrations of the people, landscape, artifacts, and rare objects bring the history of this nation to life! Young readers learn about prehistoric China, follow the reign of emperors and dynasties, and come to understand how China became the world power that it is today. The book also explores the role of children and women in everyday life as well as how religion, politics, and economics shaped the deep traditions and dynamic changes of modern China. This book stands alone from the exhibition and is a go-to resource for young readers looking to learn more about this powerful nation. It includes a timeline, bibliography, and index.

Storm-Wake

Moss lives alone with her magician father and a dog on a magical island, until a tempest sweeps a wild, not-quite-human boy, Callan, onto its beaches, and the two grow close, despite her father’s worries–and then one day, a young man from the outside world is shipwrecked on her island, and after that nothing will be the same again.

Ocean: A Visual Miscellany

Rich with information and beautifully designed, this miscellany offers readers a tsunami of aquatic facts big and small. Ocean is a reminder that while much is known about this vast environment, much, much more remains a mystery. This book will satisfy young readers who enjoy taking a deep dive into the subject as well as ocean enthusiasts everywhere.

The Princess Dolls

The story is set against the backdrop of an atmosphere of increasing hostility and racist attacks upon the Japanese community that culminates in the internment. Then Michiko and her family are sent away. With such enormous barriers between them, Esther and Michiko are left to their own devices as to how to mend their friendship.

The Curse Of The Bully’s Wrath / La Maldición De La Ira Del Abusón

In the fifth novel of the Mickey Rangel Mystery series, author and educator René Saldaña, Jr. crafts another entertaining book for intermediate readers about a subject every school kid has experienced: mean classmates who knock others down to feel better about themselves.

Dennis Chávez: The First Hispanic Us Senator/ El Primer Senador Hispano De Los Estados Unidos

Dennis Cháves was born in the small farming community of Los Chávez in 1888 in what was then the Territory of New Mexico. His childhood home had dirt floors and no indoor plumbing. As a boy, he tended his father’s crops and sheep. He spoke only Spanish and never went to high school or college.