1890s Atlanta is not an easy place for Chinese Americans. Jo, abandoned at birth, lives with her adopted father in an abandoned hideout left over from the underground railroad. She grew up listening to the conversations in the newspaper offices above. When she hears that they are struggling, she anonymously submits articles for a new advice column. “Miss Sweetie” becomes wildly popular and controversial. As Jo tries to keep her identity a secret, she tries to uncover who her parents were. But some secrets are best left alone and these ones put her in the crosshairs of a notorious criminal. 

I loved this historical fiction. It transported me back in time and kept me turning pages with the hint of mystery and romance. 

Erica's Picks
The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee

6th - 8th
​Tags: Character Driven, Historical Fiction, Issues Fiction, Mystery, People of Color, Romance, Social Justice

Nadia has immigrated to Canada from World War II Germany with a Ukranian man and woman who she calls mother and father although they are not. This kind and loving couple have rescued her from a situation and past that she does not remember. She is haunted by flashbacks and dreams that make her question her past and wonder if she might have been a Nazi.  Blond and blue-eyed Nadia is confused about her parentage.   She remembers being part of a German family and attending rallies. Her new “parents” assure her that she is not a Nazi but what is she and what is her place in the world? 
This story brings to light the Lebensborn Program in which the Nazis took children who fit their ideal of “Aryan” perfection from their parents and gave them to German families.  Hundreds of thousands of children were torn from their families in this horrifying “experiment to increase the “Aryan” German population.
The reader feels Nadia’s anguish as she finds her place in the new world.

Tessa's Picks,5th summer 2019, Historical fiction.

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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A historical novel and a sports story!  Set in 1945, World War II is raging and racism and prejudice are felt on the home front.  Highlighting a little know situation in California that affected immigrants, we learn that an influx of men from India who came to Yuba City where not allowed to marry women of different races. Single Indian women did not immigrate, so these men frequently married Mexican women as they were seen as belonging to the same race---“brown.”
Nine-year-old Maria Singh has an Indian father and a Mexican mother and home life is an interesting mix of both cultures.  Maria longs to play softball and is desperate to convince her conservative Sikh father to let her join the first ever girls’ softball league.  The family has bigger problems when the owner of the farm they work suddenly decides to sell. Papi is not allowed to become a US citizen and therefore can’t buy land.  Prejudice and discrimination confront them while Maria is determined to follow her dream. She takes a risk and asks the school board for a playing field for all kids, boys and girls. 
Feisty Maria is an ace ball player and this book is a homerun!

Tessa's Picks

4th-5th grade, Character driven, Family life, Historical fiction, Global perspectives, Issues fiction, People of color
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 iNelle has lived in Monroeville, Alabama her whole life, so she knows how people there expect her to behave. But she's never felt comfortable in the frills and dresses other girls wear and would much rather climb trees or play with her slingshot than stay clean indoors. Tru is staying with relatives when he comes to town. With his fancy, big city fashions and high voice he is instantly marked as an outsider. The impeccably dressed boy and tom-boy find something in common in their love of Sherlock Holmes. Before long their pretend game of Sherlock and Watson turns into a real investigation when someone is falsely accused of a crime.


This book, based on the real-life friendship of Truman Capote and Harper Lee, contains so many gems that it's hard for a brief description to do it justice. Tru and Nelle (as they were called as children) instantly bond over their outsider status. They investigate cases while pretending to be Sherlock and Watson, hang out at the court house, write stories, and put on a memorable Halloween party. The book doesn't gloss over anything and racial prejudices, the Klan, depression, and abuse are all mentioned. These details help create an authentic sense of place. The book takes its structure from Capote and consists of a novel with a set of related short stories afterwards. Even those unfamiliar with Capote and Lee will be drawn into this story and find them easy to relate to as outsiders.

Tue & Nelle by G. Neri

Erica's Picks
4th & up
​Tags: biography, character driven, family life, friendship, historical fiction, issues fiction, LGBTQ, mystery, social justice, summer vacation

The harmonica is a humble instrument, but in the right hands its music can uplift the spirit and connect people. This harmonica more so than most. It all starts with Otto who gets lost in the woods and meets three magical sisters who prophesy "Your fate is not yet sealed. Even in the darkest night, a star will shine, a bell will chime, a path will be revealed." This magical instrument travels through the ages connecting people suffering through their darkest moments: a disfigured boy in Nazi Germany, an orphan during the Great Depression, and a farmer's child during World War II. Open your heart to their stories, and the harmonica will connect you to them too.

This is a well-written novel that reveals the patterns of history and breaks your heart only to stitch it back together and leave it warm and hopeful. It tackles some big issues, at a level that is accessible and engaging.

Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan

Erica's Picks
5th - 7th
​Tags: historical fiction, people of color

“Lila Bard knew in her bones that she was meant to be a pirate.” Regency London is a hard, dirty place for an orphan, but Delilah Bard is harder and dirtier. She knows what it takes to survive, and she knows that she'd rather die on an adventure than live in safety. So when a mysterious man appears who can turn blood and whispers into weapons and preens about in his magical coat, she knows that following him will finally lead her to the adventure she's always wanted. She doesn't have much to miss about London when she travels with this strange man into another dimension where the water glows red with magic. Delilah is a woman with nothing to lose but her life, and several worlds of possibilities to gain. 

This is one of my favorite fantasy series and I read a lot of fantasy, so that's saying something. Delilah and Kell are all I could ask for in protagonists and the sharp writing, witty dialogue, and immersive world building kept me completely engaged. Highly recommended!

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Erica's Picks
8th & up
Tags: adventure, fantasy, historical fiction

 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

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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Elias is dying of consumption, which is why his parents agree to send him deep into Mammoth Cave. There's a doctor there who claims that the atmosphere of the cave could cure the disease, and sure enough Elias soon starts to feel plagued by boredom more than consumption. Until he discovers that there's more hiding in the caves than even the doctor knows. Soon he's sneaking off to explore and help the escaped enslaved people hiding in its labyrinthine corridors.

The historical facts behind this novel are fascinating from the tuberculosis sanatorium in Mammoth Cave to Stephen Bishop, the enslaved explorer who guided tourists and scientists through the cave's passageways. I wish Stephen Bishop had been the main character, but I liked Elias and found his struggles and inner dialogue believable. The plot kept plenty of suspense and adventure in the story and prevented it from becoming a dry historical recounting of events.

River Runs Deep b y Jennifer Bradbury

Eric'as Picks
4th - 6th Grade
Tags: Adventure, Historical Fiction, People of Color