In Loon Cove Summer by Donna Galanti, Sarah Richardson, a young girl, is starting the summer holiday without her mother. After her mother's death, she had to live with her father, who was working far away, and with her uncle JuJu. Following the death of her mother and the departure of her best friend Gemmi, who traveled for the holiday, Sarah was left to spend the summer alone. But there was a problem. Living in the Maine lakeside campground, Sarah was concerned about the recent loss of loons at the lake. When she wrote to the university, a loon expert, Maggie, was sent to her.
The Philly Phenoms by Nate Oxman is a fictional sports book geared towards reluctant readers ages eight and up. Lee Lomax is a ten-year-old boy with a love of sports, but unlike most kids his age who favor football, soccer, basketball, or baseball, he instead has a sports passion for golf. His father Sam is a talented golfer who walked away from the game in order to be a family man, but Lee has a plan to entice his dad back into the game and it involves a summer at the country club.
A Not So Misfit Odyssey by John F. McCarney is a fiction children’s book best suited for ages 8 – 12 who enjoy a book where the main character is an animal. Juanito is an Iberian pig who has called the Dehesa in Argentina his home. He has known for quite a while that it was his fate to be turned into a ham, but he thought he would have many more sunsets to admire and acorns to devour. Yet, the sickening of the oak trees had led to him being sold and sent to the Festival of Hams in Buenos Aires long before his time.
This graphic novel follows a girl, Nitasha, who struggles with the stress of teenage life and growing up in a traditional South Asian household. She just wants to fit in, but the clash between these two worlds provides tension. Nitasha has a crush on a boy at school and tries hard to catch his attention. She turns to alcohol as a way to connect and escape, but it does not yield the results she was hoping for. The story offers a glimpse into the harmful effects of mental health and the desperate pressure of trying to fit into a world where no one feels they are enough.
When Madison was a baby she was cute and small. As she grew, her mother marveled at all of Maddy’s growing stages, including when she got her first tooth to when her adult teeth grew in. Because of her mother’s loving care, Maddy grew into the smart, self-sufficient woman that she is today. As Mama has grown old, now it’s Maddy’s turn to take care of her mother as lovingly as her mother has done for Maddy throughout her growing years.
Vanusa and her family lived in a very cozy house together in Ponta Grossa, Brazil. While she was growing up, she was bubbly and had such a warm laughter until her mother became ill and passed away when Vanusa was eleven years old. Her dad tried picking up the pieces by trying to fill the empty space his daughter was feeling. No one could imagine that only a few years later, when Vanusa was sixteen, that another terrible heartache would happen. Her father was diagnosed with cancer and eventually passed away as well. Now she was alone, not knowing what would happen to her.
The Hipster's Legacy - A Story about a Family by Lorraine Cohen is a non-fiction memoir that follows Lorraine as she transitions from her musical family upbringing to adulthood while discovering who she is and what she truly wants alongside her family. This is a book that would appeal most to young adults and adults who enjoy real coming-of-age stories. Lorraine was born into a large, lively family which only grew as she entered adulthood and became an aunt. She started her foray into music and acclaim early as a part of one of her father’s jazz performers.
Losing Austin is a great novel of mystery and intrigue. Austin was not autistic, but he had similar characteristics: he did not speak and communicating with him was complicated. Colton, Austin's younger brother, faced teasing at school due to Austin's condition. Although they loved each other, one rainy day, Colton was frustrated and yelled at Austin. Soon after, his brother disappeared without a trace. Their parents and the authorities tried to search for him without success. Theories soon surfaced that Colton was a murderer or that this situation was a case of alien abduction.
The Bagel Who Wanted Everything is a picture book by Alan Silberberg. The story follows a plain bagel, who frankly wants to be everything but plain. Plain bagel wishes for a change, seeking advice from his family members, who encourage him to be happy as the bagel he is. He decides to take action, trying out various toppings - clouds, seaweed, and even flowers! When his friends see his new look, they can’t help but laugh, giving Plain bagel second thoughts. Maybe being plain was okay, after all…until something unexpected happens, leaving all of the bagels in awe.
