Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award

Ghost Boys

Jerome is twelve and mostly just a quiet kid, until one day when he is playing with a friend’s toy
gun. A police officer mistakes him for a threat and shoots him. But this isn’t the end of Jerome’s
story. As a ghost, Jerome meets Emmett Till, another boy who was killed in a racially charged
misunderstanding. Jerome learns about Emmett’s life and the aftermath of his own death. Through
the two stories, more questions are asked than answered, in a necessary exploration about the
prejudices of society.

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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.
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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.
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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.
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Ghost

Reynolds, Jason. Ghost.

“Ghost” Cranshaw has been running for three years, ever since the night his father shot a gun at him and his mother. One day, while watching a track practice, he decides to crash a race. Impressed, the coach offers him a spot on the team, with one condition: if Ghost can stop getting into fights at middle school, he can run for the Defenders.

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Unbound

Burg, Ann E., Unbound: A Novel in Verse.

Grace’s mamma makes her promise to “keep her eyes down and her mouth closed” when she leaves their slave cabin to work at the big house. Grace cannot remain silent as she witnesses the cruel treatment of slaves at the hands of a heartless missus and master.  Her spoken thoughts trigger a series of events which force Grace to lead her family through the Great Dismal Swamp in search of freedom.

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Full Cicada Moon

9780525428756

In 1969, twelve-year-old Mimi and her family move to an all-white town in Vermont, where Mimi’s mixed-race background and interest in “boyish” topics like astronomy make her feel like an outsider.

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The Seventh Most Important Thing

9780553497281After throwing a brick at the neighborhood “Junk Man”, Arthur is sentenced to 180 days community service helping out his victim. It isn’t long before his preconceptions about the Junk Man are blown apart, and his journey of redemption truly begins.

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Stella by Starlight

When the Ku Klux Klan’s 9780316381321unwelcome reappearance rattles Stella’s segregated southern town, bravery battles prejudice in this Depression-era story story.  Stella’s community—her world—is upended as she begins to see people in a different light.

 

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