One day Samantha had a happy, stable life running a dry goods store with her father and dreaming of moving to New York to play violin. The next her father and her home are lost in a fire, and when their land lord tries to take advantage of her, she kills him in self defense. Of course, no jury is going to side with a Chinese girl who killed a White man, so she's forced to flee or face the noose. Together with a runaway slave, Annamae, Samantha sets her sights on the freedom of the west. Traveling as two girls wouldn't be safe, so they disguise themselves as Sammy and Andy. The trail holds more surprises than they anticipated, including two cowboys they team up with for safety. But will the four of them be able to make it out West, and what will happen if the boys discover their secret?

I confess that I love a good Western and it was nice to find one with POC leads There's all the excitement you'd expect to find on the trail as well as interesting commentary about the times that you wouldn't find in a white-washed western.

Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee

Erica's Picks
7th & up
​Tags: adventure, historical fiction, people of color, romance

When the UN gave responsibility for world peace over to an artificial intelligence, it came up with a solution that no one anticipated. Instead of using atomic bombs for deterrence it works on a smaller, more personal scale. Every world leader is required to give a child over to be raised and taught in the prefecture. All of their needs are seen to, they get a wonderful education among the elite, and if their parents declare war on another country, they are executed. Those in power have always been willing to send other people's children off to die in wars, but they are far more hesitant to sacrifice their own. The system worked. Until the sacrificed children decide to fight back.

This book has a lot of meaty moral questions to dig your teeth into, but the pace is never slowed by them. The diverse cast was created with care and they each shine in their own way. The AI running the place is perhaps the most interesting character of all. I absolutely adored this.

The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow

Erica's Picks
8th & up
​Tags: dystopian, fast-paced, science fiction

Elise's sophomore year of high school is not going as planned. Over the summer she dedicated herself to becoming popular. She studied popularity and all the latest trends like she would prepare for a final, but when school starts she fails so badly that her social standing drops even lower. She comforts herself by sneaking out of the house for late-night walks. When she stumbles on a secret, under-ground dance club she discovers a group of people who actually like her and a way to get out of her head and enjoy herself. Even more importantly, she discovers a passion for DJing. Soon she's leading a double life: social outcast high-school student by day, popular up-and-coming DJ by night. But she can't keep it up forever, and sparks will fly when the two halves of her life come crashing together.

The characters in this novel are so well drawn and I was completely sucked in by Elise's emotional journey. It captures adolescence and the messy path to self-acceptance perfectly.  I have never been one to frequent discotheques, but I enjoyed learning about this subculture and the world of DJs. Elise's narrative voice brings lightness and humor to a heavy subject.

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

Erica's Picks
8th & up
​Tags: character driven, contemporary fiction, family life, friendship, issues fiction, mental illness, romance

 With hopes of discovering memories of the father who died when she was very young, Paloma Marques is accompanying her mother to Mexico City on a fellowship for the summer.  Paloma had other plans for the summer and her lack of proficiency in Spanish dampens her enthusiasm for the trip. 
Paloma sees herself as girl detective modeled after Lulu Pennywhistle of her beloved mystery novels.  Newly arrived in Mexico City, she starts using her power of observation and memory to make mental notes of the people and places.  Little does she know that a real life mystery is around the corner.  Her mother’s fellowship opening event takes place in the museum that houses some Frida Kahlo works and she learns about the artist.  Meeting twins Lizzie and Gael, Paloma is introduced to the artist’s history and they reveal that a room in Frida’s house that hid some of her personal treasures  locked away for 50 years, has recently been opened.  Learning of Paloma’s sleuthing abilities, they enlist her help in solving a crime!  The twin’s father is in jail for the theft of Frida’s famous peacock ring and they insist he is innocent. Can Paloma solve the crime?
A mysterious fortune teller, the charming son of the museum director and the Russian secret service all play a part in this intriguing adventure of artistic proportions.


Tessa's Picks, 3rd-6th, 3rd & 4th summer 2018, Crime caper, Mystery

Tessa's​​Written as journal entries to her dead mother, Nishna’s story takes us to India in 1947 when that country is being liberated from British rule and partitioned into Muslim Pakistan and Hindu India.
Nishna’s father is Hindu, her mother was Muslim and although their marriage was not usual or accepted by all, they had lived peacefully.  As Hindus they must now leave Pakistan as differences threaten to turn violent.  Their beloved servant Kazi, who taught her to cook and is practically a father to her, is Muslim and must stay behind.  Nishna and her family become refugees and embark on the dangerous and harrowing journey to find a new home.  Nishna’s is the voice of a child, simply recounting the sights, sounds and experiences that mark their sojourn to safety in Jodhpur.  The family has survived but she has seen many who did not.  Nishna’s  search for home and identity look for a hopeful future.
In the author’s note Ms Hiranandani offers  “Remembering the mistakes of the past will hopefully create a more enlightened, tolerant, and peaceful future. Accepting differences has always been a great challenge for humanity played out in thousands of ways. This was one way.”


Tessa's Picks, 3-6th grade, 3rd & 4th summer 2018, 6th summer 2018, Diaries, Historical fiction, Global perspectives, People of color.

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“This is my letter to the world, that never wrote to me…” Emily Dickinson
In many ways, Ivy is confused and questioning her place in the world.  Her family’s home where generations of Aberdeens have grown up, is destroyed in a tornado that rips through the town.  Thankfully all six Aberdeens are unhurt and find shelter in a tiny hotel room thanks to the kindness of others.  Ivy’s new twin brothers are a handful and as the middle child, she feels kind of invisible.  All of her hopes and dreams and doubts go into a journal/notebook brilliantly illustrated with her drawings.  A lot is changing and it is all chronicled there.  Including her questioning that she might have a crush on the new girl June. When her journal goes missing and messages start appearing in her locker that reveal that the sender knows her inner most thoughts and secrets, Ivy is in despair.
She is especially fearful about her feelings for June.  But how do you know if what you are feeling is real when you’ve never felt that way before?  She might trust her 16 year old sister Layla with her doubts but overhears what she thinks is disapproval when Layla’s best friend comes out to her.  Who can she trust?
Finding a gay mentor in the owner of the hotel, Robin, feels so right.  Robin is a great support and assures Ivy that it is okay to not be sure. The complex feelings between friends and siblings, misunderstandings and inner dilemmas , trust and family love make this a warm and  emotionally strong story that embraces all the very real characters.   I loved Ivy, her friends and family and you will too.
And you might understand why the Dickinson quote is on the first page.

Tessa's Picks, 5th-6th grade, 5th Summer 2018, Contemporary Fiction, Family life, Friendship, LGBTQ, People of color

Like Nessy, I too grew up watching the Miss America pageant with my family.  It was not until I was in my twenties that I realized how white and how “lookist” it was. So I almost dismissed this book.  What a mistake that would have been.

It is 1983 and Vanessa (Nessy) Martin settles into the ritual of watching the pageant with her loving grandfather Pop Pop and TJ, her gay cousin.  The announcer shouts, “And your new Miss America is…Vanessa Williams!”  And Nessy  just about loses her mind. Though Williams is lighter-skinned than she, the 13-year-old reasons that the pageant winner's victory "means that one day girls like me—the blackest of black—could be seen as pretty too."
Despite thinking of herself as “too black” and “too fat” to win a contest, Nessy dreams of following in the footsteps of her own beauty contestant mother who left when she was a baby. “That was when everything changed…Pop Pop turned to booze, Daddy’s spirit up and died, and we moved to the projects.”  It looks like her dream might have a chance though when her school  announces a first ever pageant!
Encouraged by a wise teacher and her fashion forward cousin, Vanessa agrees to enter bolstered by her confidence in her status as an honor student and her magnificent voice.  The preparation for the pageant is not easy and includes a journey to find her mother with surprising results.  Finding out who are her true friends and staying true to who she is, pave Nessy’s progress to maturity.  Funny, honest and strong, Nessy’s voice will resonate with those who  realize the true meaning of beauty.


​Tessa's Picks, 6th-8th grade, 6th Summer reading,Contemporary fiction, Character driven, Family life, People of color,

Set in modern day Afganistan, Obayda’s story is a window into the culture of a rural village.  Forced to leave Kabul after her father is injured, Obayda’s family is supported by their relatives while their father struggles with depression.  Gender roles are more clearly divided and she has much less freedom in the village so when her aunt suggests that Obayda become Obayd, a bacha posh, she is shocked.  A bacha posh is a preteen girl who takes on the role of a boy in order to bring luck and happiness to her family.
Initially Obayd is uncomfortable with the change that allows her to explore, climb trees, play sports, avoid chores and act with bravado.  She is not accepted by the boys until she meets Rahim, another bacha posh, and learns some tips on “how to be a boy.”  The two become fast friends and even make a crutch so that Odayd’s father can re-enter his life. 
This transformation cannot last forever and eventually they must take up their lives as female. The experience of male freedom and privilege will shape who they become.  
According to her aunt, Obayda will “…be able to do what no other girl can do.  You’re lucky to have this chance. Girls would kill to take your place.”
“It won’t be forever.”
 
Tessa's picks, 5th-7th grade, Global Perspectives, 5th Summer 2018, Contemporary fiction.