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Because of her mom’s spirit of adventure, Molly Teng has moved eight times in her 13 years of life. Now, she just wants normalcy, consistency, and a place to call home. By the time her mom, Dot, drags her to Buckeye Creek, Texas, Molly has reached the end of her rope. Bell Harbor, Maine, just had a more comfortable vibe; it was a place where life was peaceful and simple. Now, she’s in a new place, forced to make new friends, and trying to avoid “the zaps.” For Dot Teng, everything is an opportunity, but for Molly, “everything is something to be navigated” (23). WhenRead More →

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With allusions to people like Mary Bethune, Claude McKay, Langston Hughes, Jessie Redmon Fauset, James Weldon Johnson, and Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Kwame Alexander commemorates Black History with his latest book: Black Star. But this novel in verse for middle grade readers goes beyond that preservation to tell the story of Charlene (aka Charley) Cuffey. The only thing Charley enjoys more than listening to her Nana Kofi tell stories about courageous ancestors and epic journeys is playing baseball with Willie Green and Henry Jones. With Grandpa’s inspiration, it’s impossible for Charley not to dream big. Charley’s mother, on the other hand, admonishes her asthmatic daughter for “getting allRead More →

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A sixth grader at Jefferson Middle School, Desdemona Hillman Diller (aka Dee) is navigating friendship issues and the changing social roles experienced during pre-adolescence in Alex Thayer’s recent novel Happy & Sad & Everything True. Juniper Green has been Dee’s best friend since they became neighbors, so when the two enter sixth grade and are in separate sections, Dee does not share her mother’s enthusiasm that this is an interesting turn of events and a wonderful opportunity for Dee to make new friends. At school, Juniper seems to have moved on with new friends who won’t allow Dee to sit at their lunch table. ConfusedRead More →