Clap When You Land (Amazon, IndieBound)  by Elizabeth Acevedo Quill Tree Books Nominated by: Stephanie @ Love.Life.Read When flight 587 crashes, two girls’ lives are changed forever. Clap When You Land explores what it means to be family and what it means to grieve a person you didn’t completely know. The poetry of this book allows Yahaira and Camino’s voices …

All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto (Amazon, IndieBound) by George M. Johnson Farrar, Straus & Giroux Nominated by: Patricia Tilton After reading Johnson’s memoir twice, I remain impressed with his willingness to share his life with readers who so rarely get to see representations of Black queerness encouragingly and lovingly portrayed. Johnson revisits difficult childhood memories, from having his teeth shattered …

Echo Mountain (Amazon, IndieBound) by Lauren Wolk Dutton Books for Young Readers Nominated by: Deb Nance at Readerbuzz The Great Depression impacts twelve-year-old Ellie and her family. Losing everything forces them to move from town to the wilds of Echo Mountain. Her father, a tailor by trade, must now learn a new life and become a rugged “mountain man.” Her mother …

A Wish in the Dark (Amazon, IndieBound) by Christina Soontornvat Candlewick Press Nominated by: Deb Nance at Readerbuzz In this mix of magic and Thai culture, with inspiration from Les Miserables, orphaned Pong escapes the prison where he was born with the help of his friend Somkit, who doesn’t make it out. Pong is now a fugitive from the government, …

Elementary/Middle Grade Graphic Novels: Black Heroes of the Wild West (Amazon, IndieBound)  by James Otis Smith, Introduction by Kadir Nelson TOON Graphics Publisher/ Author Submission Bold and action-packed, this graphic novel features three short vignettes about important black heroes from the Old West. With broad appeal for young and old readers alike, Smith paints a different picture than we often …

Dinosaur Lady: The Daring Discoveries of Mary Anning, the First Paleontologist (Amazon, IndieBound)  by Linda Skeers, illustrated by Marta Álvarez Miguéns  Sourcebooks eXplore Nominated by: Alysa Stewart This elementary biography featuring beautiful full-page illustrations introduces young readers to the original paleontologist, a woman called Mary Anning. Through her love of science, history, and learning, Mary discovered the first dinosaur bones …

Burn (Amazon, IndieBound) by Patrick Ness Quill Tree Books Nominated by: Wendy Fans of Patrick Ness will rejoice over this newest title—now he’s bringing us stories about DRAGONS! In this novel, he creates a realistic world set in Cold War America. Sarah Dewhurst and her father have been struggling to keep their small farm operating after the death of Sarah’s mother. …

Dozens of Doughnuts (Amazon, IndieBound) by Carrie Finison illustrated by Brianne Farley G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers Nominated by: Darshana Khiani This delicious read-aloud pairs perfect rhyme with expressive illustrations to create the ideal recipe for heart and humor. LouAnn is generous with her doughnuts, but she gets “FED UP” with sharing when there aren’t any left for …