“Getting in trouble is what Hector does best. He knows that not much is expected of him. In fact, he gets some of his most brilliant prank ideas while sitting in detention. But how far is too far? When Hector plays a prank on a homeless man and is seen and shamed by a schoolmate, he reaches a turning point. He wants to be viewed differently and decides to do something that will change his fate for the better. But will anyone take him seriously?”–Dust jacket.
Age
Catalog sorted by age group
Dog Star
Nina, a young girl unsure of her role in her communist society, befriends a dog named Laika, who dreams of finding a home and is being studied in Nina’s father’s lab as part of the Soviet space program.
Marie Curie: A Life Of Discovery
“A graphic account of a pioneering scientist who conducted innovative research on radioactivity. Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two different sciences, and first woman to become a professor at the University of Paris.”
Onyeka And The Academy Of The Sun
When twelve-year-old Onyeka discovers that she has psychokinetic powers, her mother reveals that she is Solari, part of a secret group of Nigerian mutants that trains at the Academy of the Sun.
African Town
Chronicling the story of the last Africans brought illegally to America in 1860, African Town is a powerful and stunning novel-in-verse.
In 1860, long after the United States outlawed the importation of enslaved laborers, 110 men, women and children from Benin and Nigeria were captured and brought to Mobile, Alabama aboard a ship called Clotilda. Their journey includes the savage Middle Passage and being hidden in the swamplands along the Alabama River before being secretly parceled out to various plantations, where they made desperate attempts to maintain both their culture and also fit into the place of captivity to which they’d been delivered. At the end of the Civil War, the survivors created a community for themselves they called African Town, which still exists to this day. Told in 14 distinct voices, including that of the ship that brought them to the American shores and the founder of African Town, this powerfully affecting historical novel-in-verse recreates a pivotal moment in US and world history, the impacts of which we still feel today.
Saving Earth: Climate Change And The Fight For Our Future
A timely and important illustrated nonfiction guide for middle grade readers about the history of our fight against climate change, and how young people today can rise to action.
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.
Malo And The Merry-Go-Round
“Malo the shrew promised to make pickles with Poto-but when he hears there’s a new merry-go-round in the forest, he selfishly sneaks off to find it, learning lessons about the importance of kindness, friendship, and integrity in the end”
Loujain Dreams Of Sunflowers
A courageous girl follows her dream of learning to fly in this beautifully illustrated story inspired by formerly imprisoned human rights activist Loujain Al-Hathloul, perfect for Malala’s Magic Pencil fans. Inspired by co-author Lina Al-Hathloul’s sister, formerly imprisoned Saudi women’s rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Loujain Al-Hathloul, who led the successful campaign to lift Saudi Arabia’s ban on women driving, this gorgeously illustrated story is lyrical and uplifting.
Loujain watches her beloved baba attach his feather wings and fly each morning, but her own dreams of flying face a big obstacle: only boys, not girls, are allowed to fly in her country. Yet despite the taunts of her classmates, she is determined to learn to do it-especially because Loujain loves colors, and only by flying will she be able to see the color-filled field of sunflowers her baba has told her about. Eventually, Loujain’s impossible dream becomes reality-inspiring other girls to dare to learn to fly.
Abuelita And I Make Flan
Anita helps her grandmother make flan for her grandfather’s birthday.