Explore the world, make new friends and discover something about yourself you never, ever expected. The power to do all of these things and more can be found in the extraordinary magic of books, and you can share that awesome potential with your children each and every day. Our thoughtfully curated list is a great place to start...
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Sadie* By Courtney Summers When Sadie’s little sister is brutally murdered, the grief-stricken 19-year-old flees their rural Colorado trailer park home in pursuit of the man she believes is guilty of the crime. May Beth, the girls’ neighbor and the only adult who seems to care about them, hasn’t seen Sadie since, and the distraught woman convinces a local radio reporter to help find her. Will his true-crime podcast bring Sadie back home before it’s too late, or will a confrontation with her sister’s killer bring her to the same violent end? Ages 12+ |
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Darius the Great Is Not Okay* By Adib Khorram High school sophomore Darius – half-Persian on his mother’s side – has never felt like he belonged. Clinically depressed, nerdy, bullied and friendless, he’s not quite American enough and knows next to nothing about his Iranian roots, so where does he fit in? To his surprise it’s in his mother’s homeland, where his family has come to see his ailing grandfather. Amidst the unfamiliar faces, food and customs, Darius forges a genuine friendship – his one and only – and starts to get just a little bit more comfortable in his own skin. Ages 12+ |
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Truly Devious* By Maureen Johnson Prestigious Ellingham Academy is home to some of the country’s most exceptional young minds – and the site of a decades-long unsolved murder. It’s the perfect place for true crime-obsessed student Stevie to flex her sleuthing muscles; she’s sure she can solve the case. But it seems someone else on campus has an interest in what took place so many years ago, and they’ve just graduated to cold-blooded killer. Ages 14+ |
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Hey, Kiddo* By Jarrett J. Krosoczka Krosoczka’s graphic memoir provides an unflinchingly honest look at a little boy being raised by his grandparents because his mother is a drug addict and his father is nowhere to be found. Chronicling his childhood and adolescence as well as the start of his journey to becoming the children’s book author and artist he is today, Krosoczka provides insight into how addiction can both pull a family apart and tie it together. Ages 12+ |
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Children of Blood and Bone* By Tomi Adeyemi Seventeen-year-old Zélie is a dîviner, a mystical maji who has yet to come into her powers. Only that will never happen, because when King Saran banished magic from Orïsha he slaughtered every last maji to do it – including her mother. Now part of a ruthlessly oppressed class, Zélie suddenly and reluctantly finds herself savior and protector of Saran’s daughter, Princess Amari – and in a position to free her people and restore magic to the realm. Ages 14+ |
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Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens* Edited by Marieke Nijkamp From romance to science fiction, this collection of short stories – all written by authors with disabilities – features protagonists of different mental, emotional, intellectual and physical abilities. There’s anxiety-riddled Lizzie, who may be her world’s only defense against an alien attack; developmentally challenged Alberto, insistently pushed outside his comfort zone by his sidekick, Captain America; and Britt, a blind cyclist crushing on her riding partner. This is a wonderfully diverse and much-appreciated reminder that no one can – or should – be defined by a single facet of their being. Ages 13+ |
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Rad Girls Can: Stories of Bold, Brave & Brilliant Women Written by Kate Schatz; illustrated by Miriam Klein Stahl Schatz and Stahl, creators of Rad American Women A-Z and Rad Women Worldwide, return with another celebratory nod to female strength, courage and ingenuity, this time focused on those who’ve accomplished extraordinary things before the age of 20. Most of the book’s subjects have made their mark relatively recently, though there are some names – like Joan of Arc and Mary Shelley – that will show readers girl power has always been a thing. Share this one with all your children, regardless of their gender. Ages 10+ |
*Available through the Miami-Dade Public Library system.
For even more great titles to add to your child’s library, visit @thechildrenstrust on Facebook and search #MiamiBookFair2018!