United States

Materials from United States of America

Paint the Wind

A photograph, a box filled with toy horses, and a fractured memory are all that Maya has left of her mother. Now, in Grandmother’s house in California, she lives like a captive, until a shocking event changes everything. A world away, in Wyoming, a wild Paint horse, called Artemisia, runs free. In a land where mountain lions and wranglers pose an ever-present threat, Artemisia must protect her new foal, until a devastating act separates them from their bond. Maya’s and Artemisia’s lives will ultimately intertwine. And together, they hold the key to each other’s survival.

I Wanna Be Your Shoebox

Because Yumi RuÍz-Hirsch has grandparents from Japan, Cuba, and Brooklyn, her mother calls her a poster child for the twenty-first century. Yumi would laugh if only her life wasn’t getting as complicated as her heritage. All of a sudden she’s starting eighth grade with a girl who collects tinfoil and a boy who dresses like a squid. Her mom’s found a new boyfriend, and her punk-rock father still can’t sell a song. She’s losing her house; she’s losing her school orchestra. And worst of all she’s losing her grandfather Saul.Yumi wishes everything couldstay the same. But as she listens to Saul tell his story, she learns that nobody ever asks you if you’re ready for life to happen. It just happens. The choice is either to sit and watch or to join the dance.National Book Award finalist Cristina García’s first middle-grade novel celebrates the chaotic, crazy, and completely amazing patchwork that makes up our lives.

The F Factor

Javier Avila has a feeling tenth grade is going to be interesting. Forget the fact that everybody says sophomore year is so dull even the teachers get bored, and that at St. Peters High School sophomores are considered nobodies. But not Javier, because hes chosen against his will to be the first anchorman for the schools new program to televise school announcements. Javier wants the Media Broadcasting elective on his schedule to be a mistake. Hes a busy honor student who has spent years trying to live up to his smart-guy reputation, and he doesn’t have time for a useless class. And besides, who would choose to look stupid in front of the whole school every morning? And to make matters worse, the unconventional media teacher pairs Javier with Pat Berlanga, a guy who’d rather nap than talk. Javier is afraid to fail publicly, especially when he works so hard to hide his flaws from his friends and family. When everybody watches Javier Avila on the screen, will they see the face of a fraud?

The Crossing

Thirteen-year-old Manny, a street kid fighting for survival in a Mexican border town, develops a strange friendship with an emotionally disturbed American soldier who decides to help him get across the border.

Zapato Power: Freddie Ramos Springs Into Action

In this sequel, Freddie has shoes that give him super speed. It’s hard to be a superhero and a regular kid at the same time, especially when your shoes give you even more power! Freddie needs an on/off switch for his super speed, so Mr. Vaslov, who created the shoes, decides to invent a remote control, but he gets more than he planned. When his young neighbor’s ball goes missing, Freddie uses his new powers to find it… and save Mr. Vaslov!

Grandpa’s Magic Tortilla

When Grandpa Luis’s grandchildren are visiting him in Chimayo, New Mexico, they see pictures of animals in one of the tortillas he has cooked for their breakfast.

La Noche Buena

Nina is visiting her grandmother in Miami for Christmas. Usually she spends it in snowy New England with her mother and her family, but this year is different. She isn’t certain what to make of a hot and humid holiday, until she learns the traditions of her father’s side of the family from her Cuban grandmother. She helps prepare for the evening and takes part in all their traditions—the intricate cooking for the feast, the dancing, the music, and the gathering of relatives and neighbors. It all comes together for a Noche Buena that Nina will never forget.   Antonio Sacre and Angela Dominguez have created a wonderful story that everyone who celebrates Christmas will enjoy. The book includes a glossary of Spanish words.