When Sweet Pea’s parents get a divorce, they try to keep things normal for her in the strangest way possible. Her father moves into a house just two doors down from her mother and tries to make the house identical, down to painting the walls to match the old wall paper. In between her parents lives the town eccentric and advice columnist, Miss Flora Mae. When Miss Flora has to take an emergency trip, Sweet Pea house sits. When she gives into temptation and reads the letters asking for advice, she finds out more than she bargained for. 

Sweet Pea is aptly named and a funny, sweet protagonist. I enjoyed watching her navigate friendships, her parents’ divorce, and her small town’s response to her father coming out as gay. 


Erica's Picks
Dear Sweet Pea by Julie Murphy

Grades 3 - 6
​Tags: Character Driven, Contemporary Fiction, Family Life, Friendship, Humor, LGBTQ

Lou is used to small spaces. She shares a room with her mother in her grandmother's house in San Francisco. It's even more cramped when her extended family comes to visit. She loves them all, but longs for a space of her own. She's obsessed with tiny houses and has spent many hours researching their clever designs. When her mother gets a job offer in Washington state, Lou is convinced that if she can build her tiny house, it will convince her mother to stay. Will she be able to rally her friends to the cause? Or will she have to leave everyone she loves behind?

This is a charming story full of heart and endearing characters. Lou has a great community of friends and family. 

Erica's Picks
The House that Lou Built by Mae Respicio

Grades 3 - 6
Tags:

​When Vita’s grandfather is cheated out of his family home by a notorious conman, she and her mother take the next boat to New York. 1920s New York is full of wonders and danger, but none of it is a match for Vita’s determination. Vita has a permanent limp and is used to people underestimating her. She uses that to her full advantage. With her new friends from the circus, she sets off to steal her family’s fortunes back.

I enjoyed every moment of this adventure story. From the circus performers and animals to the trips through secret tunnels this book will keep you on the edge of your seat!

Erica's Picks
The Good Thieves by Katherine Rundell

3rd - 6th grade
​Tags: Adventure, Animals, 

​In a world overrun by monsters, Rowan’s family gained power by taming and slaying them. Which is why as the oldest child she’s destined to become Queen while her brother is destined for the role of Royal Monster Slayer. There’s only one problem: she hates the politics of court and is a much better monster slayer than her brother. When an accident allows them to switch roles, Rowan is determined to prove herself. But will she be able to defeat a rogue gryphon who has already killed a skilled huntswoman?

Wargs, jackalopes, and pegasi oh my! I love reading about fantastical creatures and I appreciate that Rowan only slays monsters as a last resort and often relocates or befriends them instead.

Erica's Picks
A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying by Kelly Armstrong
4th - 6th grade
​Tags:Animals, Adventure, Fantasy, People of Color

Life is not easy for Mason Buttle. He's the biggest kid in his grade, has overactive sweat glands, and severe dyslexia. On top of all that, his best and only friend died a year ago in an accident and everyone blames him. When he makes a new best friend, it happens again. His new best friend disappears and everyone fears the worst. How can Mason clear his name and find his friend?

This is a heart-warming story with a unique protagonist. Mason is so earnest and kind it's impossible not to root for him. 

Erica's Picks
The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor

Grade 5 - 7
​Tags: Character Driven, Contemporary Fiction, Family Life, Friendship, Mystery, School Stories

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"There is an Arabic proverb that says:
She makes you feel
like a loaf of freshly
baked bread
It is said about
the nicest
kindest people
The type of people
who help you rise."
This story in verse is about Jude, a young Syrian who has fled her country with her pregnant mother. Suddenly she finds herself labeled “Middle-Eastern” and struggles to fit in yet keep her identity.  Can a girl who wears hijab star in the school play? You will love Jude’s voice as she tells her story with grace and heart.


Tessa's Picks, 5-7th grade, Character driven, Contemporary fiction, Global perspectives, Issues fiction, Novels in verse

The backdrop for this novel is the 2015 Syrian crisis and the November 13th Paris nightclub attack that lead to a manhunt in Brussels, followed by the bombing of the Brussels airport. Thirteen-year old Max and his family have moved from America so his father can be a defense consultant to NATO. They now live in an upscale neighborhood in Brussels and while sister Claire attends The American School, Max is enrolled in a Belgian school where classes are taught in a language he barely understands.  He is bullied and feels stupid in class.
Fourteen-year old Syrian refugee Ahmed has lost his entire family in the Syrian War and during their escape to Europe.  He finds himself stranded in Brussels after having lost his last family member, his father, and his money and cell phone to an unscrupulous smuggler. He takes refuge behind an unlocked door to the unused wine cellar in Max’s townhouse.
The boys meet and bond and so begins the dangerous story of hiding Ahmed from the authorities and finding a place for him to thrive.
They make some friends and together learn about a historical parallel that took place in the same residential block seventy-three years earlier. During WW II someone hid an orphan Jewish refugee from the holocaust.  He was turned in by neighbors who were Nazi collaborators.  The boys are determined that this will not happen to Ahmed but as the police search for terrorists the danger escalates. 
 
"A resistance novel for our time." - The New York Times
"A hopeful story about recovery, empathy, and the bravery of young people." - Booklist 
"This well-crafted and suspenseful novel touches on the topics of refugees and immigrant integration, terrorism, Islam, Islamophobia, and the Syrian war with sensitivity and grace." - Kirkus, Starred Review

Tessa's Picks, 5-8th grade, Character Driven, Fast paced, Global perspectives, Historical Fiction.
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“You’re so exotic!”
“You look so unusual.”
“But what are you really?”
These are comments Isabella is used to hearing. Her father is back and her mother is white and now that they divorced, it seems like she is split in two. Not only does she have to switch houses, nicknames, and backpacks; it seems like she has to switch identities too.  Both parents have moved on to wonderful new partners in their lives but even a supportive “new” older brother can’t make her feel whole.
Racism is a very real part of Izzy’s life and how people are treated differently based on their ethnicity and appearance plays out in her life. After a disturbing incident involving a noose placed in her best friend’s locker after a history class on lynching, Izzy questions her identity:
 “‘I’ve got friends who are white. And friends who are Black. We’ve got kids at our school from all races--and most of the time we kinda blend without thinking about it, like cookie dough. But this noose thing with Imani has really changed the recipe, at least for me.’ 
Mom waits for a tick, then asks, ‘How do you mean?’
‘Because I am that dough, Mom! Am I the chocolate chip or the vanilla bean? I’m really not sure.’”
Changing houses each week brings her parents together in an awkward and sometimes unpleasant meeting.  But both are supportive of Isabella’s musical talent as a gifted pianist. The high point of her career is the upcoming recital. The shocking climax of the book comes on the way to the recital when an ugly and dangerous racially based incident occurs.  The whole extended family comes together in solidarity and love to support her.
This is a window and mirrors book that will evoke empathy in many a young person.

​Tessa's Picks, 4-6th grade, Character driven, Family life, Issues fiction, People of Color.

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