Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award

Beyond the Bright Sea

Orphaned Crow has grown up with her foster father Osh on an island off the coast of Massachusetts – but now she wants to know who she is and where she came from. The answer is far more complex than expected, involving a leper colony, a hidden treasure, and a villain – but ultimately leads Crow to a deeper understanding of family and home.
3 Comments »

The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade

Falconer is small for his age, but he is big on justice. He’s determined to make a positive difference this year, at school and at home. Unfortunately, nothing seems to go as planned and he keeps ending up in the Assistant Principal’s office. What will it take to turn things around and become the hero he knows he can be?
3 Comments »

Short

Short is a charming and exuberant story about a young girl discovering herself and her potential for greatness. The main character Julia, along with the other quirky cast of characters, make it laugh-out-loud funny and simply irresistible.
6 Comments »

The Whydah: A Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked, and Found

The Whydah is a pirate ship that sank off the coast of Cape Cod in 1717. The shipwreck of The Whydah was discovered in 1984 and has offered a wealth of treasure and historical information to archaeologists.
3 Comments »

Patina

The second book in Jason Reynold’s Track series focuses on Patina “Patty” Jones, fastest girl on the team who thinks anything other than first place is “Fake. But real.” Real like the stress of navigating a new fancy school, of taking care of her little sister now that they cannot live with Ma, of worrying about her Ma’s diabetes, and of having to run on the relay team.  Facing these real things, Patty learns, is easier when you rely on others to help share the burden and support you along the way.
7 Comments »

The Someday Birds

Dealing with the changes in his routine since his dad returned home injured from the war in Afghanistan hasn’t been easy for Charlie. His life takes another unexpected and unwanted twist when his dad is sent far away to receive medical care. Charlie reluctantly embarks on a cross – country road trip along with a three – legged dog, his boy – crazy sister, pesky twin brothers and a mysterious caretaker in hopes of reuniting with his father and viewing some of his elusive “Someday Birds” along the way.
2 Comments »

The First Rule of Punk

Twelve – year – old Malu is the product of two very different parents – her mom, the “SuperMexican” professor and her dad, the cool Indie – music store owning punk rocker. As Malu and her mother move from Florida to Chicago, Malu finds her way through zines, music and new relationships.
6 Comments »

Train I Ride

Rydr lost her mother to a drug overdose and is being taken away from her grandmother who is unable to care for her. Bound for Chicago to live with a relative she’s never met, Rydr befriends Tenderchunks the boy scout, Paolo the poet, and Neal the snack bar attendant, who learn Rydr’s story and share their own. It is through these connections, as brief as they may be, that Ryder finds hope, love and family on the train she rides.
7 Comments »

The Stars Beneath Our Feet

Even since Lolly’s older brother Jermaine was killed during an act of gang violence his feelings swing from either mad to sad with no in – between. The only comfort Lolly feels is when he’s building with Legos. When a staff member at the community center in the Harlem, New York projects where he lives provides him with his own space to build, Lolly is able to temporarily shield himself from his grief and the dangers he and his friend Vega face on the street every day.
4 Comments »

Chester and Gus

This inspiring and gripping novel is about the remarkable bond between Chester, a service dog, and ‘his person’, an autistic boy named Gus. Chester narrates the story, which gives a wonderfully realistic picture of autism and the challenges and triumphs faced by sufferers and their families.
19 Comments »

Star Scouts

Avani feels like a weirdo in her new town. It doesn’t help when her parents make her join the Flower Scouts, a girls group who seem to have nothing better to do than makeovers. But everything changes when she’s abducted by a friendly alien and allowed to join a troop of Star Scouts. Intense battles and engaging science await Avani, as well as some unorthodox (slimy) new foods. Has Avani found her tribe?
7 Comments »

Family Game Night and Other Catastrophes

Annabelle has a strict rule that no friends can enter the invisible five-mile boundary around her home. Her mother is a hoarder and each family member deals with it in their own way. Will the latest catastrophe topple their already fragile family framework?
4 Comments »

Restart

When Chase wakes up with amnesia after a concussion, he’s horrified to learn that he used to be the school’s worst bully. This hilarious story is about school life, but also about family, sports, friendship, and the choices we make about who we are and who we want to become.
6 Comments »

Falcon Wild

 

On a road trip to return her beloved gyrfalcon to its rightful owner, Karma and her family are in a car accident. Karma must go for help in Montana’s backcountry. An edge – of – your – seat outdoor adventure.

5 Comments »

All’s Faire in Middle School

All’s Faire in Middle School is a heartwarming graphic novel about starting middle school and navigating the challenging worlds of friends and family. We learn that the rules of middle school are even more complex than the rules of swordplay, and that we all have a dragon inside of us that we can choose to overcome.
8 Comments »

Blooming at the Texas Sunrise Motel

When’s Stevie’s parents are tragically killed, she is sent away to live with a grandfather she has never met. As she meets members from both sides of her family, she learns that love, family and a sense of belonging can exist after terrible loss.
2 Comments »

The Magic Misfits

Sleight of hand — some people use it for entertainment, Uncle Sly uses it to steal. Carter escapes from his Uncle and a dastardly life of crime, and finds a new life with a group of talented misfits. Can they use their skills with illusions and performance arts to save the town from a sleazy circus of thieves?
5 Comments »

I’m Just No Good at Rhyming: And Other Nonsense for Mischievous Kids and Immature Grown-Ups

Do you just LOVE poetry? NO!?!? Do you like poetry? Meh!?! That’s okay, this book is still for you. You’ll visit the island where everyone’s Toby and learn whether grown – ups are better than kids. I dare you not to laugh.
7 Comments »

Ban this Book

Eleven – year – old Amy Anne Ollinger finds her voice and her courage fighting back against censorship after her favorite book was banned from her school library. Challenging the idea that one person can determine what everyone else can read, Amy quickly becomes the leader in a battle against censorship and demonstrates the power of young people to effect change.
7 Comments »

Refugee

 

Josef’s family is fleeing Nazi Germany, Isabel’s family is trying to leave the riots and unrest of Cuba in 1994, and Mahmoud’s family is escaping the violence of modern – day Syria. Gratz weaves the harrowing journeys of these refugees into an exciting tale that describes the many struggles people face when fleeing their native countries for a better life elsewhere.

10 Comments »

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street

The Vanderbeekers are being evicted from their beloved brownstone on 141st Street in Harlem and–worse-just before Christmas, but the five creative Vanderbeeker kids are determined to convince their curmudgeonly landlord to change his mind. Think “It’s a Wonderful Life” with spice.
1 Comment »

Last Day on Mars

A sci-fi thriller. Liam and Phoebe, who have grown up on Mars, are prepared to leave with 100 million passengers on board the Scorpius when their planet becomes uninhabitable–but are left behind when an explosion decimates their parents’ terraforming lab. Robots, extraterrestrials, and a universal struggle for survival. The first of a trilogy.
5 Comments »

Halfway Normal

 Halfway Normal is an original and heartbreakingly honest story about a twelve-year-old cancer survivor trying to fit in and find her voice. It is a powerful story of empathy and resilience, of moving forward and accepting yourself for who you are.
3 Comments »

See You in the Cosmos

                               
Alex Petroski is planning to make his own version of Carl Sagan’s Golden Record of all the sounds of earth, launched in 1977 on Voyager 1. Alex hopes to launch his, the Golden iPod, on  his own rocket Voyager 3, at the Southwest High-Altitude Rocket Festival in New Mexico. His journey there and back again, however, is far more revelatory than expected–and his resourcefulness and kindness in the face of many troubles make you proud to share a planet with this kid.
5 Comments »

The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora

Arturo Zamora is determined to save his family’s beloved Miami restaurant from a greedy land developer.  Arturo’s family gives him the support and power to fight for the little person.
5 Comments »

Felix Yz

Finding your identity is difficult for any middle school student but Felix Yz  has been accidentally fused to a super-intelligent alien life form. Read the secret blog of Felix Yz as he faces a potentially deadly operation to separate him from the alien…and survive middle school.
9 Comments »

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

Aven Green is pretty much your average soccer playing, blog writing 13-year-old, with one major exception. Aven was born without arms. When her family moves from Kansas to Arizona, Aven’s once unfailing confidence begins to falter. Making friends is tough, until she meets Connor and Zion, boys who also know what it’s like to be an outsider. Together the trio work together to solve a mystery about the quirky amusement park Aven’s family calls home.

5 Comments »

The Wonderling

Life for the groundlings at Miss Carbunkle’s Home for Wayward and Misbegotten Creatures can only be described as miserable and for the shy, one eared, half fox, half human known simply as Number 13, life is particularly dismal. Friendless and alone Number 13 believes his fate is sealed and that a cycle of hard work, devoid of joy is his destiny. This all changes when he meets
Trinket, a birdlike groundling, that convinces him to escape thus launching him straight onto the midst of a courageous journey.
8 Comments »

Wishtree

Red is an oak tree that offers wishes and refuge to the people and animals of a neighborhood.
Red shows great wisdom and heart as he welcomes a new family which is experiencing a difficult transition.
12 Comments »

Becoming Kareem: Growing Up on and Off the Court

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar describes how he became one of the top basketball players of all time: from his childhood, through the influence of his many coaches and mentors, to the historical events that helped shape his life. This book goes far beyond a sports hero autobiography, intertwining civil rights history with issues of identity and what it means to be successful.
6 Comments »

Skip to toolbar