Articles

Banned Children’s Book Classics

By on June 12, 2023   /   Articles  

Some of the most beloved, beautifully written, and highly awarded middle grade novels have ended up as banned children’s book classics, often for surprising reasons.

A FEW OF THE  BANNED CLASSICS

Newbery honor book Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White is about an unusual friendship between Charlotte, a spider, and Wilbur, a runt farm pig who is scheduled for slaughter. Charlotte spells out Wilbur’s redeeming qualities by weaving words into her web, then enlists the help of the farmer’s daughter, Fern, to save him. This beloved story of friendship and the power of language has been a classic for seven decades. Its opening line is one of the most powerful in literature.  ‘Where’s Papa going with that axe? ‘ said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast.”

But a parent group in Kansas wanted the book banned from school libraries. Why?  Because it has death as a theme, and because talking animals are “unnatural “and blasphemous. Only humans can talk and write, they said. Imagine the world of children’s literature without talking animals.

When Harriet The Spy by Louis Fitzhugh was published, there had never before been a character quite like Harriet.  She really stirred things up! Harriet wants to be a writer and keeps a notebook on everyone around her, what she knows and exactly what she thinks about them. Then she loses the notebook. Her nemesis finds it, and soon everyone knows everything she said. Her task then is to take responsibility for her words and to find ways to mend friendships. The book’s challengers overlooked that part. Harriet the Spy was banned through most of the South for encouraging children to “talk back, spy on others, lie, and disrespect their parents.” It also modeled “improper behavior for a girl.” School Library Journal said, ”Harriet the Spy bursts with life.” It has sold over five million copies.

In Newbery Award winner Bridge to Terabithia, Jesse becomes best friends with Leslie, the new girl in school. Leslie drowns trying to reach Terabithia, the hideaway they have created, and Jesse struggles to deal with her loss. School Library Journal ranks this novel number ten of the all-time best books for children. But the book also ranks high on the American Library Association’s list of the most commonly challenged books in the United States.

Challengers have objected to death being part of the plot and to offensive language, including Jesse’s frequent use of the world “lord.” They’ve claimed that it promotes “secular humanism, New Age religion, occultism, and Satanism.” A Pennsylvania township removed it from 5th grade classrooms because of profanity, disrespect for adults, and an elaborate fantasy world that “might lead to confusion.”

The all-time favorite target for challenges, bans—even book-burnings—has to be Harry Potter, a series immensely popular and successful among adults and children worldwide. The New York Times  had to create a separate list for children’s books, because the Harry Potter volumes coming out were taking up a third of the spaces on the Times best-seller list.

The series has also landed on the American Library Association’s list of top 10 banned books as recently as 2019. It has been attacked for promoting Satanism and witchcraft, for including actual spells and curses, for violence, and for disrespecting family. (Should Harry have been more respectful and obedient to the abusive Dursleys?).

POETRY, TOO

Shel Silverstein’s  clever A Light in the Attic, was the first children’s book to make the NYT bestseller list. It stayed there for 182 weeks. But it was banned in a Florida school and later some other schools in Wisconsin and Texas because  some  adults thought it encouraged “disobedience, violence, suicide, Satanism and cannibalism.”

One poem that parents objected to was “How Not To Have To Dry The Dishes.” They thought it would give kids the idea of breaking the dishes to get out of assigned chores. Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends and his more serious story The Giving Tree faced similar challenges.

EVEN PICTURE BOOKS

In picture books for younger readers, the objections can be even more mystifying. Hop On Pop by Dr. Seuss has been challenged for encouraging violence against fathers! The Texas State

Board of Education banned Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? for promotion of Marxism. When someone pointed out to them that they had confused the Brown Bear author, Bill Martin Jr.,with another Bill Martin, author of Ethical Marxism: The Categorical Imperative of Liberalism,  they withdrew the ban and said Brown Bear, Brown Bear was okay for kids.

REASON TO WORRY?

Should a father fear that a child to whom he reads Hop on Pop will attack him? No known cases. Will readers of the Harry Potter series lose their faith? Probably no more likely than that they will drop out of soccer to train for broomstick sports.  Or abandon their cell phones in favor of a personal messenger owl. Teachers, librarians, and most parents believe that reading stories encourages and expands the most positive natural qualities of children—imagination, curiosity and empathy.

ASK LIBRARIANS: THEY HAVE READ THE BOOKS

Librarians know their collections well. They are happy to help parents select books for their children that will not conflict with their particular family values and beliefs.

But book-banning groups want to decide which titles other people’s children in their communities will not be allowed to read. The number  of banned  children’s books has increased dramatically just in this last year. The main targets currently are books that focus on—or mention— such topics as slavery, racial  discrimination, gender identity, or climate change. Challengers claim that reading, knowing, and talking about these things will harm, even “traumatize” children. In some places the bans have become law, requiring libraries and librarians to comply by removing the books.

For librarians, a core principle is that free access to books and information is inseparable from freedom of speech. That means for all of us and all our kids, not just a few. Arrest librarians? Better to cherish and defend them.

Banned Books Week isn’t until the first week of October. The list will be especially long this year, though. Let’s  get an early start exercising ours and our kids’. . .

 

 

 

Back to Top

Rhonda Roumani Interview

By on June 9, 2023   /   Articles, Author Interviews  
image showing tagging freedom book cover with two characters in front of grafitti'd wall

Debut Author Interview with Rhonda Roumani on her upcoming novel TAGGING FREEDOM

I’m so excited to be able to introduce you to debut author Rhonda Roumani today. Rhonda’s new book is TAGGING FREEDOM (Union Square) and it launches on November 7, 2023.

image showing tagging freedom book cover with two characters in front of grafitti'd wall

I am extra happy about this interview, as Rhonda is a fellow Syrian-American Author and I had the honor of reading an earlier draft-which just brought me to tears because of how beautiful it was! I can’t wait to hold a copy of the finished book in my hands, and for more readers to dive into this incredible book.

About TAGGING FREEDOM

A beautiful full-of-heart middle grade book about a Syrian and a Syrian-American cousin duo who learn to use their voices (and their art) to bring awareness to the calls of freedom from Syria.

Description taken from online:

Kareem Haddad of Damascus, Syria, never dreamed of becoming a graffiti artist. But when a group of boys from another town tag subversive slogans outside their school, and another boy is killed while in custody, Kareem and his friends are inspired and start secretly tagging messages of freedom around their city.

Meanwhile, in the United States, his cousin, Samira, has been trying to make her own mark. Anxious to fit in at school, she joins the Spirit Squad where her natural artistic ability attracts the attention of the popular squad leader. Then Kareem is sent to live with Sam’s family, and their worlds collide. As graffitied messages appear around town and all eyes turn to Kareem, Sam must make a choice: does she shy away to protect her new social status, or does she stand with Kareem?

Author Rhonda Roumani’s work as a journalist infuses Tagging Freedom with rich details and a realistic portrayal of how war affects and inspires children.

This is her middle-grade debut.

Interview with Rhonda Roumani

I loved getting to talk to Rhonda about her new book and I think you will enjoy meeting her and Kareem and Samira as well.

SSS: What a gorgeous cover! Who was the artist and anything readers should know about the beautiful artwork?

RR: The artist is Sara Alfageeh and I couldn’t be more excited about the cover! She captured Samira and Kareem perfectly. She’s so talented. But I’m especially excited because not only am I an Arab-Syrian-American author, but Sara is also an Arab American! I had seen some of her previous work, so when Union Square mentioned her as a possible illustrator, I already knew what a talented illustrator she was.

But I didn’t know that she already had an entire section of her website already dedicated to the Arab Spring and the revolutions that started in the early 2010s. So to have such an amazing artist, who is also an Arab and an American, who grew up in Boston and already understands the hope that fueled the Arab revolutions create the cover for TAGGING FREEDOM — it was just perfect. And I think the result speaks to that. It’s rare to have both the author and the illustrator be from the same background as the book – especially for Arab writers. There aren’t that many of us. So I am especially ecstatic about that.

 Also, on a fun note, Sara created a twitter thread on the process of creating a cover from start to finish, using TAGGING FREEDOM as the example. So, check it out!

SSS: Beautiful answer! What is your inspiration behind writing Tagging Freedom?

RR: I wrote TAGGING FREEDOM for so many reasons. The conflict in Syria is often described as a civil war, or the worst humanitarian crisis of our generation. Before the war, most people couldn’t even place Syria on the map. So I wrote TAGGING FREEDOM because I wanted kids to understand that the conflict in Syria very clearly started as a revolution – as a moment of hope—when Syrians believed they could create a new, better country, free of oppression and corruption.

The other thing I wanted kids to know is that kids, the same age as Samira and Kareem, helped ignite the revolution, with a simple act of graffiti. Right after mass protests led to the fall of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak—which the Arab world followed closely–  a group of kids from a southern Syrian town graffitied “It’s your turn doctor” on outdoor walls. Those kids were arrested, and their arrest ignited mass protests across the country.

So, in the end, it was these kids who inspired this book.

And, finally, there’s a story that happened at my kid’s school that also inspired me to write the activist parts of TAGGING FREEDOM. A few years ago, a group of kids from my children’s school wanted to hold a walk out for a Global Climate strike led by Greta Thunberg. These kids approached the principal and the principal basically said no, citing safety concerns. Then the parents took it to the PTA meeting and the principal doubled down on her position. An argument ensued and the parents left the meeting very upset. And it ended there. The students didn’t walk out.

But I imagined a different outcome- one in which the kids and parents refused to be limited by authority.

One of the phrases that my characters graffiti—using graffiti chalk in their Massachusetts suburban town is FREEDOM REQUIRES NO PERMISSION.

By that account, activism does not require permission. I believe the students should have walked out that day. And received detention. And then the parents should have told them that their detention is a badge of honor. In real protests, there are stakes. Kareem’s stakes are much higher than Samira’s. But in the end of TAGGING FREEDOM all the kids learn that lesson—in different ways. I won’t ruin the ending for you. But I wanted to tackle this idea directly.

SSS: Wow! I felt that! 

As a Syrian, reading this story broke my heart and yet I also felt so seen. What was it like to draw on memories and experiences of being Syrian as you wrote?

RR: Since I’m a journalist, I think I naturally rely on real events in my storytelling. So much of TAGGING FREEDOM is drawn from either my experience as a Syrian or Syrian American, my experience as a journalist, or from the experiences of family or friends.

I was not in Syria when the revolution started. But I did work as a journalist in Syria from 2003-2006—and I covered the country’s fledgling democracy movement at the time—and then the subsequent crack down that took place. I had never seen a protest in Syria—the crowds were small, nothing like the protests that Kareem took part in in the book. But they were demanding change and I held onto those images and those feelings when I described the revolution and protest in TAGGING FREEDOM. It was one of the most powerful moments I’ve ever witnessed. The stakes were really high, people were harassed, and protestors faced real harm. 

I also drew on the heartache of watching the revolution from afar. So many family members and friends left Syria, not knowing when they would return. And one of the most painful experiences is having to leave the people you love behind – for one reason or another. To know you’re safe and not know if your family is okay is another form of torture. And Kareem definitely feels that as the situation gets more precarious in Syria, while he is in the United States.

The other thing that I drew upon was the role of doctors. I knew some of the doctors working in Syria and they were really amazing. While others were escaping bombs, some of these doctors were either choosing to stay, or running towards the bombs. Although TAGGING FREEDOM takes place at the beginning of the revolution, I wanted to pay homage to them. So, Kareem’s parents stay behind to take care of the people because that is how they choose to support the revolution.  And Kareem has a hard time grappling with that. He knows they are doing something important; but he wants his parents to be safe, by his side.

 Most of what we’ve seen in the media are the images of Syrians as refugees on boats, or crossing Europe by foot. Those images are obviously devastating. But the subsequent war that erupted in Syria hit Syrians in so many different ways, many of them untold stories.

 And, of course, there were the everyday, lived experiences of being in Syria, and of growing up in a Syrian household. The way we teased our parents about something they would say in English. (They teased us when we messed up a phrase in Arabic too.) Or going to the mosque; or our food and how it was often strange to some of my friends, but so delicious! Or the way Samira had to learn to bridge her Syrian life at home with her American life outside the home. I very much did those things growing up. So, a lot of the book is based on my real, lived moments.

SSS: How are Kareem and Samira similar? How are they different? Was it difficult to write a book in two points of view?

RR: Kareem and Samira are quite different.

Kareem is headstrong and impulsive. He’s a 13 year-old boy who quickly embraces the ideas of the revolution. He loves graffiti and he understands that what is happening in his country is important. He wants to be part of the revolution, But he also ends up having to grow up quickly because of what has happens to him and to his country. His parents send him to America because they fear for his safety. He worries about his friends and his family from afar.

Samira is cautious, a little hesitant. But there’s real reasons for that. Unlike Kareem, who has always been part of the majority—Samira has grown up as a hyphenated Other—Syrian and Muslim in America. She has been teased because of her name. She has heard people say things about Muslims. Her home feels different than her friend’s homes. She has a community outside school that looks and feels very different than her school community. There are different social rules. Kareem is confident in who he is, but his identity has never really been challenged by his peers. Samira has had to deal with microaggressions. But, in the end, they both love their culture and who they are.

I actually loved writing this book from two points of view. I think the most difficult part was not making Samira’s arc feel silly, when placed next to Kareem’s arc. Their narratives do not have equal stakes. But I really liked writing from two points of view because it helped me break down the story. By alternating the voices, it even felt more manageable.

SSS: The subject of art is important in the book—can you talk more about how you became inspired to write about art and its role in freedom, specifically Syrian freedom? 

RR: When I lived in Syria, a friend of mine owned an Art gallery. There were so many talented young artists. But true art also necessitates freedom. And Graffiti is the ultimate form of artistic freedom because it’s out in the streets, for everybody to see. So graffiti did not exist in Syria before the revolution. And the fact that the revolution was ignited by an act of graffiti – and that graffiti and protest art became more commonplace during the entirety of theconflict is something I wanted to highlight. The character of Ramy is actually based on a real graffiti artist named Nour Hatem Zahra, who was nicknamed “Spray Man.”

SSS: Diverse books are so important (and a passion of mine!). How does the Muslim Faith and Syrian Culture play a role in your book and in Kareem and Samira’s lives?

Their faith and their identities are everything to Kareem and Samira. Samira goes to the mosque with her family regularly. She’s Muslim and Syrian, there’s no doubt about that. The fact that she has to reconcile her outside world and her inside world at home is something she’s figuring it out. She’s not ashamed of who she is, but she likes keeping them separate. It feels neater, maybe easier that way. But you can’t keep different parts of yourself separate for too long. You’re a whole person and you have to bring different parts of you together in order to be your full, realized self.

Kareem is also obviously very Syrian, as he explores what it means to be Syrian when your country is changing. And he’s Muslim, even though he has stopped praying since he arrived in the United States. In his most painful moment, he pulls out his prayer rug, which has been in the closet since he arrival, and he gains a lot of comfort when he finally does pray and performs the act of sujud, which is when Muslims touch their forehead to the ground. It’s a moment when one completely submits to God, to something greater than oneself. For Kareem, it’s a moment when he realizes so much is out of his control. He must put his trust in something higher. It is the ultimate act of faith and I loved putting that vulnerable moment on the page.

SSS: My heart is just in love with your book! Will there be more Samira and Kareem in the future?

RR: I don’t think so. I think another Samira and Kareem book would have to be YA novel. The next stage of the revolution is very different, and difficult. I don’t know if I want to write about that stage. It’s so painful. And so sad. That book would be a very, very different book.

Writing Process

SSS: Did your journalist background help you in writing TAGGING FREEDOM? How is being a journalist different or similar to writing middle grade?

RR: Definitely. I explained some of that above. I definitely took scenes directly from my own experiences as a journalist. And I thought of my many friends who were in the streets protesting at the time—or have had to leave the country for their own safety.

Writing for middle grade is so different. It was challenging. Journalists definitely tell – we’re not always given the space to “show” what is happening. So “the show, don’t tell” concept is not something we practice in daily journalism.

SSS: Any advice for fellow middle grade authors?

RR: I think the most important thing I did was find friends and a community of other writers. Do not write alone. The path is not easy. There are so many ups and downs. I got a lot of help from other Kidlit Author friends. So find your critique groups and writing partners. They are everything.

Thank you so much Rhonda for answering my questions! I hope everyone picks up a copy of your beautiful book.

Preorder link:

Bookshop

Amazon

 

For more Muslim Book Recommendations, check out this RAMADAN BOOKLIST FOR EDUCATORS

image showing author Rhonda Rhoumani on a white background

About Rhonda Roumani

Rhonda Roumani is a Syrian American journalist who lived in Syria as a reporter for U.S. newspapers. She has written about Islam, the Arab world, and Muslim-American issues for more than two decades. Currently, she is a contributing fellow at the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at USC. Rhonda lives in Connecticut with her family.

Back to Top

Middle Grade Books to Set The Summertime Mood

By on June 4, 2023   /   Articles  

Lazy afternoons, a tall glass of lemonade, and a good book. The ideal combination for the perfect day. If you’re looking for just the right story to get you in the summertime mood . . . please allow me to be of service.

Happy reading!

Flip Turns By Catherine Arguelles

Thirteen-year-old Maddie just wants her classmate Lucas to leave her alone. He keeps asking her out—as if she hasn’t already said no a thousand times! Focusing on her competitive swim team, the Electric Eels, Maddie tries to ignore him, hoping he’ll stop harassing her.

But then, when someone starts sabotaging Maddie’s family-owned pool—glass on the deck, ketchup in the pool, followed by a “code brown”—Maddie worries it’s her “admirer” trying to get even. After Maddie’s parents rule the problems at the pool just harmless pranks, Maddie and her best friend, Ez, decide to investigate on their own. Could it be Lucas? And how can Maddie get him to leave her alone once and for all? The future of the Electric Eels and Maddie’s family legacy are on the line.

The Fire, The Water, and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla (Out 7/11/23)

Neurodivergent Maudie is ready to spend an amazing summer with her dad, but will she find the courage to tell him a terrible secret about life with her mom and new stepdad? This contemporary novel by the award-winning author of The Someday Birds is a must-read for fans of Leslie Connor and Ali Standish.

Maudie always looks forward to the summers she spends in California with her dad. But this year, she must keep a troubling secret about her home life—one that her mom warned her never to tell. Maudie wants to confide in her dad about her stepdad’s anger, but she’s scared.

When a wildfire strikes, Maudie and her dad are forced to evacuate to the beach town where he grew up. It’s another turbulent wave of change. But now, every morning, from their camper, Maudie can see surfers bobbing in the water. She desperately wants to learn, but could she ever be brave enough?

As Maudie navigates unfamiliar waters, she makes friends—and her autism no longer feels like the big deal her mom makes it out to be. But her secret is still threatening to sink her. Will Maudie find the strength to reveal the awful truth—and maybe even find some way to stay with Dad—before summer is over?

What Lives In The Woods by Lindsay Currie

All Ginny Anderson wants from her summer is to sleep in, attend a mystery writing workshop, and spend time with her best friend. But when Ginny’s father―a respected restoration expert in Chicago―surprises the family with a month-long trip to Michigan, everything changes. They aren’t staying in a hotel like most families would. No, they’re staying in a mansion. A twenty-six room, century-old building surrounded by dense forest. Woodmoor Manor.

But unfortunately, the mansion has more problems than a little peeling wallpaper. Locals claim the surrounding woods are inhabited by mutated creatures with glowing eyes. And some say campers routinely disappear in the woods, never to be seen again.

As terrifying as it sounds, Ginny can’t shake the feeling that there’s something darker . . . another story she hasn’t been told. When the creaky floors and shadowy corners of the mansion seem to take on a life of their own, Ginny uncovers the wildest mystery of all: There’s more than one legend roaming Saugatuck, Michigan, and they definitely aren’t after campers.

It’s after her.

When Life Gives You Mangos by Kereen Getten

Twelve-year-old Clara lives on an island that visitors call exotic. But there’s nothing exotic about it to Clara. She loves eating ripe mangos off the ground, running outside in the rain with her Papa during rainy season, and going to her secret hideout with Gaynah—even though lately she’s not acting like a best friend.

The only thing out of the ordinary for Clara is that something happened to her memory that made her forget everything that happened last summer after a hurricane hit. Sometimes things come back to her in drips like a tap that hasn’t been turned off properly. Other times her Mama fills in the blanks…only she knows those aren’t her memories and it is hard feeling like she is not like everybody else.

But this summer is going to be different for Clara. Everyone is buzzing with excitement over a new girl in the village who is not like other visitors. She is about to make big waves on the island—and give Clara a summer she won’t forget.

The First Magnificent Summer by R.L. Toalson

Twelve-year-old Victoria Reeves is all set for her “First Magnificent Summer with Dad,” even though it’s been more than two years since she last saw him. She’s ready to impress him with her wit, her maturity, and her smarts—at least until he shows up for the long road trip to Ohio with his new family, The Replacements, in tow.

But that’s not the only unpleasant surprise in store for Victoria. There are some smaller disappointments, like being forced to eat bologna even though it’s her least favorite food in the world. And then there’s having to sleep outside in a tent while The Replacements rest comfortably inside the family RV. But the worst thing Victoria grapples with is when she begins to suspect that part of the reason Dad always treats her as “less than” is for one simple reason: she’s female.

As Victoria captures every moment of her less than magnificent summer in her journal, she discovers that the odds are stacked against her in the contest-no-one-knows-is-a-contest: Not only does her wit begin to crumble around Dad’s multiple shaming jabs, but she gets her first period. And when Dad does the worst thing yet, she realizes she has a decision to make: will she let a man define her?

Camp QuiltBag by Nicole Melleby and A.J. Sass

Twelve-year-old Abigail (she/her/hers) is so excited to spend her summer at Camp QUILTBAG, an inclusive retreat for queer and trans kids. She can’t wait to find a community where she can be herself—and, she hopes, admit her crush on that one hot older actress to kids who will understand.

Thirteen-year-old Kai (e/em/eir) is not as excited. E just wants to hang out with eir best friend and eir parkour team. And e definitely does not want to think about the incident that left eir arm in a sling—the incident that also made Kai’s parents determined to send em somewhere e can feel like emself.

After a bit of a rocky start at camp, Abigail and Kai make a pact: If Kai helps Abigail make new friends, Abigail will help Kai’s cabin with the all-camp competition. But as they navigate a summer full of crushes, queer identity exploration, and more, they learn what’s really important. Camp QUILTBAG is a heartfelt story full of the joy that comes from being and loving yourself.

Matteo by Michael Leali

Eleven-year-old Matteo has never felt like one of the other boys. He’s sure that will change when he joins the Blue Whales, the baseball team his dad once played for. This is his chance to grow into a son his father can be proud of.

And grow Matteo does, but not the way he expected. Instead, he starts sprouting leaves and finding bark all over his skin. Alarmed, Matteo starts digging for the truth about what’s happening to him—and finds that all clues lead back to the oak tree at the center of town, which Creeksiders have always believed is a little bit magic. As his parents start noticing something is wrong, the truth gets harder to hide—and Matteo makes some surprising discoveries about himself, his hometown, and his entire family tree.

Lei And The Fire Goddess by Malia Maunakea

Curses aren’t real.

At least, that’s what twelve-year-old, part-Hawaiian Anna Leilani Kamaʻehu thinks when she listens to her grandmother’s folktales about sacred flowers and family guardians. Anna’s friends back home in Colorado don’t believe in legends, either. They’re more interested in science and sports—real, tangible things that stand in total contrast to Anna’s family’s embarrassing stories.

So when Anna goes back to Hawaiʻi to visit her Tūtū, she has no interest in becoming the heir to her family’s history; she’s set on having a touristy, fun vacation. But when Anna accidentally insults Pele the fire goddess by destroying her lehua blossom, a giant hawk swoops in and kidnaps her best friend, and she quickly learns just how real these moʻolelo are. In order to save her friends and family, Anna must now battle mythical creatures, team up with demigods and talking bats, and evade the traps Pele hurls her way.

For if Anna hopes to undo the curse, she will have to dig deep into her Hawaiian roots and learn to embrace all of who she is.

The Firefly Summer by Morgan Matson

For as long as Ryanna Stuart can remember, her summers have been spent with her father and his new wife. Just the three of them, structured, planned, and quiet. But this summer is different. This summer, she’s received a letter from her grandparents—grandparents neither she nor her dad have spoken to since her mom’s death—inviting her to stay with them at an old summer camp in the Poconos.

Ryanna accepts. She wants to learn about her mom. She wants to uncover the mystery of why her father hasn’t spoken to her grandparents all these years. She’s even looking forward to a quiet summer by the lake. But what she finds are relatives…so many relatives! Aunts and uncles and cousins upon cousins—a motley, rambunctious crew of kids and eccentric, unconventional adults. People who have memories of her mom from when she was Ryanna’s age, clues to her past like a treasure map. Ryanna even finds an actual, real-life treasure map!

Over the course of one unforgettable summer—filled with s’mores and swimming, adventure and fun, and even a decades-old mystery to solve—Ryanna discovers a whole new side of herself and that, sometimes, the last place you expected to be is the place where you really belong.

Forever This Summer by Leslie C. Youngblood

Georgie has no idea what to expect when she, Mama, and Peaches are plopped down in the middle of small town USA–aka Bogalusa, Louisiana–where Mama grew up and Great Aunt Vie needs constant care. Georgie wants to help out at the once famous family diner that served celebrities like the Jackson 5 and the Supremes, but everyone is too busy to show her the ropes and Mama is treating her like a baby, not letting her leave her sight. When she finally gets permission to leave on her own, Georgie makes friends with Markie–a foster kid who’d been under Aunt Elvie’s care–who has a limb difference and a huge attitude. Then Markie asks Georgie to help her find her mom, and suddenly summer has a real purpose. But as Georgie and Markie’s histories begin to entwine, Georgie becomes more desperate to find the truth. But words spoken cannot be taken back and once Georgie knows the truth, she may even find a way to right past wrongs and help Aunt Vie and Markie out after all.

The Summer of June by Jamie Sumner

Twelve-year-old June Delancey is kicking summer off with a bang. She shaves her head and sets two goals: she will beat her anxiety and be the lion she knows she can be, instead of the mouse everyone sees. And she and her single mama will own their power as fierce, independent females.

With the help of Homer Juarez, the poetry-citing soccer star who believes in June even when she doesn’t believe in herself, she starts a secret library garden and hatches a plan to make her dreams come true. But when her anxiety becomes too much, everything begins to fall apart. It’s going to take more than a haircut and some flowers to set things right. It’s going to take courage and friends and watermelon pie. Forget second chances. This is the summer of new beginnings.

The Sun Will Come out by Joanne Levy

Twelve-year-old Bea Gelman and her best friend Frankie are planning the BEST SUMMER EVER at Camp Shalom―a sleep-away camp. But at the last minute, Frankie bows out, leaving painfully shy Bea on her own. Just talking to strangers causes Bea to break out into ugly, blotchy hives. As if the hives weren’t bad enough, Bea gets pranked by a couple of mean girls and is betrayed by someone she thought was a new friend. Bea has had enough! She decides to spend her summer in the infirmary far away from everything that’s stressing her out. No more boys (including her crush, Jeremy), no more horrible mean girls, and no more fake friends! At the infirmary, Bea meets Harry, a boy living with a disease that’s way more intense than stress breakouts. Inspired by Harry’s strength and positive outlook, Bea decides to face her fears―in a big way. The Sun Will Come Out is a funny and heartwarming account of a shy girl’s first summer away from home, where she learns she really can do anything and that silver linings can be found just about anywhere.

Back to Top