Meera longs to learn how to read and write, but when her father sees her spying on the boys' lessons, she is punished. Meera's life has been focused on learning how to be a good wife. Her thirteenth birthday is approaching, and when it arrives she will move out of her parents' house and into her husband's. She dreads the day, but when it finally comes something even worse happens, and she is forced to flee for her life. She finds work in the house of a British officer. She is safe, but his contempt for her people is clear. When she gets a chance to join the revolution will she risk that safety to fight for her people, or will her husband's family find her before she even gets the chance?

Meera is a strong and resourceful heroine fighting her way out of impossible situations. A lot of fascinating historical detail is included but it's revealed naturally. The plot is both fast-paced and thought-provoking as Meera is faced with difficult decisions. Highly recommended. 

Strong as Fire, Fierce as Flame by Supriya Kelkar 

Erica's Picks
5th - 8th
​tags: ​fast-paced, global perspectives, historical fiction, issues fiction, People of Color, social justice

Bree's life comes crashing down when her mother dies in a car accident. Her sense of reality is shattered when she goes to a party and witnesses a demon feeding off human energy fought off by a boy who calls himself a Merlin. When she realizes the two might be connected, she decides to infiltrate the secret society dedicated to keeping magic and demons secret from the outside world. Not only do they have magic practitioners called Merlins, they claim to have descendants of King Arthur and all the knights of the roundtable. Bree discovers a magic of her own, but will it be enough to keep her safe in this elite and hostile new world?

I absolutely love the way this novel takes the Arthurian legend and infuses it with modern themes. This critique of our legends as well as our history examines the stories we tell ourselves and who is left out of the narrative. Powerful, engrossing, flawless. 

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
8th +
​tags: adventure, fantasy, fast-paced, issues fiction, LGBTQ, People of Color, social justice, supernatural

Nala was hoping to find love this summer, but she never thought she'd find it at an Inspire Harlem event. The activist organization is her cousin-sister-friend Imani's thing. Tye is perfect and she can't believe he's into her, so she pretends to be a vegetarian and acts like she's volunteering at a local retirement home instead of just hanging out doing puzzles with her grandmother. At first being with Tye is better than her wildest dreams. But soon she gets tired of pretending to be someone she's not. What will happen when Tye finds out she's been lying to him? Why shouldn't she be enough as she is? Soon her dream summer turns into a nightmare.

The theme of the novel is captured by the title and watching it all unfold was incredibly moving. Topics ranging from self-image to activism are explored without it ever feeling preachy. Every character is well-drawn and layered and the way the plot all comes together is masterful. I absolutely adored this novel and highly recommend it

Love Is a Revolution by Renée Watson

Erica's Picks
7th - 8th
​tags: character driven, contemporary fiction, family life, issues fiction, People of Color, romance, social justice, summer vacation

This collection, edited by the cofounder of the We Need Diverse Books movement, gathers stories from some of my favorite authors. In these stories characters who were rarely seen in American stories for youth, or only as sidekicks, are the stars. These realistic stories tackle a diverse range of subjects and tones from serious to light-hearted. But they all give you a glimpse into someone's life. Great for fans of realistic fiction looking for more diverse stories.

​Fresh Ink: An Anthology edited by Lamar Giles
Erica's Picks
7th & 8th
tags: contemporary fiction, issues fiction, LGBTQ, People of Color, short stories, social justice

First impressions can be deceiving. When Zuri first met the wealthy family that moved into the new mini-mansion across the street in her gentrifying neighborhood, she instantly hated the stuck-up Darius. Her sisters and mother fell all over themselves swooning over the handsome boys, but she knew they were nothing but trouble that her family and her neighborhood did not need. But when fate throws them together Zuri starts to question if she judged Darius fairly.

Even if you've never heard of Pride and Prejudice, you can enjoy this modern romance that tackles issues of identity, authenticity, and gentrification. But if you are an Austen fan, there's even more to delight in. The parallels Zoboi creates makes me appreciate both even more and she adds such rich details to this new setting while deftly weaving in more modern issues alongside the timeless themes. Strongly recommended.

Pride  by Ibi Zoboi
Erica's Picks
7th & 8th grade
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When a plane crashes on its way from New York to the Dominican Republic, the lives of two girls are changed forever. They live in the same time zone but worlds apart. Yahaira is a chess champion who lives in an urban apartment with her mother and is dating the girl next door. Camino lives in a rural house with her aunt who is a healer and dreams of going to America to study medicine one day. When tragedy strikes, they are forced to question everything they thought they knew as they cope with loss and unexpected gains.

This novel in verse is a quick, impactful read. The alternating chapters explore each girl's point of view and paint two very different but equally compelling pictures.

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
Erica's Picks
8th grade
​tags: character driven, contemporary fiction, family life, global perspectives, issues fiction, LGBTQ, novels in verse, People of Color, SEL, summer vacation, tear-jerker

Muiriel was left at the John Muir Medical Center as a baby. She has taken her namesake as a role model and has spent her life bouncing from one foster home to another, only feeling truly at home when she can go for a walk outside. She is prepared to age out of the foster system without any attachments, until she moves to a small island in Washington for her Senior year. There she meets people who seem to truly understand her and she starts to break her rules and open her heart to them. But her eighteenth birthday is fast approaching and she knows that soon she'll be on her own. What will happen when she has to leave the island, and everyone on it, behind?

This book was inspired by the author's daughter who lived in three different foster homes before being adopted. It works hard to portray a balanced picture even as it points out the inequities inherit in the system. Seeing how foster care as affected Muir is heartbreaking but watching her slowly come out of her shell and bloom warms your heart back up and puts it together again.

What I Carry by Jennifer Longo
7th & 8th grades
​tags: character driven, contemporary fiction, friendship, issues fiction, romance, school stories, SEL, social justice, tear jerker

Miles Morales is done being Spider-Man. His spidey sense has gone haywire and got him in trouble at school. He has enough to worry about with a confederacy-obsessed history teacher who has it out for him and the nightmares about his uncle that have been plaguing Miles ever since his death. His best friend thinks he should just use his powers to pull stunts and make money. But when people from his neighborhood start disappearing, he discovers a supernatural conspiracy designed to keep Miles and his family down. Miles knows he has to don the suit once more and fight for what's right.

I love how this story has a solid grounding in real-life issues that teens can relate to. As an educator, I hated every moment reading about Miles's awful history teacher obsessed with teaching the lost-cause propaganda of the civil war. Unfortunately, teachers like that do exist and I love how Miles and his fellow students stand up to him. I love all the supporting characters from Miles's mom to his best friend Ganke. A great mix of real-world social justice and super hero justice.

Miles Morales Spider-Man by Jason Reynolds
Erica's Picks
5th - 8th
​Tags: adventure, family life, friendship, issues fiction, people of color, school stories, social justice, supernatural

Kat is a jiu-jitsu champion, so when one of her classmates tries to assault her, she's able to fight him off. But because her attacker is injured as well, no one believes her story.
Robin was adopted from an Indian orphanage by two wealthy, white parents. He loves them, but he yearns to learn more about his heritage and where he came from.
When their church organizes a service trip to help victims of human trafficking, both are eager to sign up. Kat sees an opportunity to teach other girls how to fight back and Robin sees a chance to go back to the orphanage and find out more about his past. The trip does not go as planned for either of them, but both their lives are changed forever.

This is such a moving novel that touches on so many important issues. The topics of sexual assault and human trafficking are both by nature disturbing, but neither are discussed with graphic detail. The story is more about the after-effects and healing process that follows. Their story switches between Kat and Robin/Ravi's perspectives but there is a large cast of characters beyond them and all are well-drawn and have their own engrossing stories and unique perspective. Highly recommended.

Forward Me Back to You by Mitali Perkins
8th grade
Erica's Picks
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