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- Ashley S.
- Friday, June 24, 2022
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Here at Richland Library we are committed to fostering an inclusive culture that celebrates and respects our differences and unique learning styles. Each month a blog post will go live that showcases forthcoming diverse youth titles that have been purchased by the library. From differences in race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability and more, these titles are great reads for the entire family.
Be sure to check out the 5 titles that I'm most excited for in the slideshow below as well as the curated list of releases at the bottom of this post.
Enjoy!
Hollow Fires
Published in 2022
After discovering the body of fourteen-year-old Jawad Ali in Jackson Park, seventeen-year-old journalism student Safiya Mirza begins investigating his murder and ends up confronting white supremacy in her own high school.
The Queen of Kindergarten
Published in 2022
Instilled with confidence by her parents, a young girl has a great first day of kindergarten.
Caprice
Published in 2022
After a wonderful seven weeks at Ainsley International School, twelve-year-old Caprice has been offered a full scholarship and she should be delighted, but instead she is full of doubts because what happened at the last night dance has brought back the memory of being sexually abused by her uncle as a four-year-old; worse, her maternal grandmother is ill, and that means going back to the house in Baltimore where it all happened--Caprice has never told anybody but now, as she realizes that her grandmotherknew, she tries to find the words to tell someone, and the strength to finally confront her abuser.
Unfadeable
Published in 2022
"A young graffiti artist learns to fight smart against the gentrification threatening her neighborhood"-- Provided by publisher.
Once Upon a K-prom
Published in 2022
Instead of going to prom, seventeen-year-old Elena Soo wants to spend her time saving the local community center, and she is determined to keep her priorities straight even when her childhood best friend--who is now a K-pop superstar--returns to make goodon their old pact to go to prom together.
An Unreliable Magic
Published in 2022
After Alex reclaims his throne and establishes his government, Tala and the others enjoy a well-earned rest, but they must regroup quickly when the Snow Queen returns with an unlikely ally.
I'm Not Small
Published in 2022
"A young boy can feel small in a world made up of big, big things, but when he takes a closer look, he discovers that he is big, too"-- Provided by publisher.
Unequal
A Story of America
Published in 2022
"Interconnected stories present a picture of racial inequality in America, showing systemic discrimination in all areas of society and showing the unbroken line of Black resistance to this inequality"-- Provided by publisher.
Uncle John's City Garden
Published in 2022
While visiting her uncle John in the city for the summer, an African American girl, L'il Sissy, her siblings, and uncle transform an empty lot into a vegetable garden. Includes recipe for succotash.
Marcus Makes It Big
Published in 2022
After Marcus's movie goes viral and he gets an invite to the Helen show, he experiences the challenges of sudden fame and risks losing the friends who helped him along the way.
Together We Burn
Published in 2022
Eighteen-year-old flamenco dancer Zarela Zalvidar must work with a disgraced dragon hunter to learn the ways of a Dragador and save her ancestral home.
Tokyo Dreaming
Published in 2022
When the Imperial Household Council refuses to approve the marriage of her parents, eighteen-year-old Izumi decides to become the perfect princess to help win the council's consent, but will she sacrifice her own heart in order to secure her parents' happiness?
Bright
Published in 2021
Now that Girls Forever is the number-one K-pop group in the world, Rachel Kim is famous and happy, but when she meets Alex she considers breaking the rules of fame to fall in love.
Love Radio
Published in 2022
Prince Jones, a self-professed teen love doctor known for his radio segment on the local hip-hop station, believes he can get the bookish, anti-romance Dani Ford to fall in love with him in three dates.
The Civil War of Amos Abernathy
Published in 2022
Through letters he writes in his journal, thirteen-year-old Amos finds a confidant in a queer historical figure from the Civil War.
I Kissed Shara Wheeler
A Novel
Published in 2022
After seventeen-year-olds Chole and Shara, Chole's rival for valedictorian, kiss, Shara vanishes leaving Chole and two boys, who are also enamored with Shara, to follow the trail of clues she left behind, but during the search, Chloe starts to suspect there might be more to Shara and her small Alabama town than she thought.
Join the Club, Maggie Diaz
Published in 2022
Maggie Diaz of Miami is excited to start seventh-grade with her best friends, Zoey and Julian, and finally getting a cellphone of her own; but after school her friends are wrapped up in their various clubs, her mother is attending college, and her older sister Caro has her sports and tutoring, so Maggie decides that she will find a club to join as well--but trying out ALL the different clubs while still juggling school work is exhausting and confusing--and soon it seems like everybody is mad at her, and the cellphone of her dreams is getting further and further away.
The Rainbow Parade
Published in 2022
A girl recounts her first time marching with her two moms at a Pride Parade.
Deep in Providence
Published in 2022
After Jasmine is killed in a car accident, her remaining best friends Miliani, Inez, and Natalie plan to resurrect her using magic learned from Miliani's Filipino aunt, but their actions have dangerous consequences that threaten themselves and those theycare about.
Ballad & Dagger
Published in 2022
When sixteen-year-old Mateo and Chela discover each other and their powers during a political battle between neighborhood factions, they set aside their differences to unravel the mystery behind their sunken homeland and to stop a dangerous political operative who is trying to harness their gifts to unleash terror on the world.
The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School
Published in 2022
Sixteen-year-old Mexican American Yami Flores starts Catholic school, determined to keep her brother out of trouble and keep herself closeted, but her priorities shift when Yami discovers that her openly gay classmate Bo is also annoyingly cute.
Mae Makes a Way
The True Story of Mae Reeves, Hat & History Maker
Published in 2022
"Mae had a dream to make one-of-a-kind hats. But the path for a Black female designer was unclear, so Mae made a way, leaving her home in the segregated South to study at the Chicago School of Millnery. Now, Mae had the skills, but craved the independenceto create her own styles. So Mae found a way. In Philadelphia, she became the first Black woman to own a business on South Street. Whether you were Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, Marian Anderson or a lady from the neighborhood, Mae wanted you to look goodand feel special in one of her original hats. A mother, successful entreprenuer, and community advocate, Mae led the way. Published in collaboration with the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, acclaimed author Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich (Two Naomis) and award-winning illustrator Andrea Pippins (I Love My Hair) bring the life of fashion entrepreneur and civic organizer Mae Reeves to the page. And when you are done reading, explore Mae's store and styles in person at herpermanent exhibit at the National Museum of African American History and Culture"-- Provided by publisher.
Finding Jupiter
Published in 2022
Sparks fly when teens Orion and Ray meet for the first time at a roller rink in Memphis, but these star-crossed souls have a past filled with secrets that threaten to tear them apart before their love story even begins.
When You Call My Name
Published in 2022
In 1990 New York City, eighteen-year-olds Adam and Ben learn to navigate life, love, and loss as gay teens during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
The Summer of June
Published in 2022
Eleven-year-old June is determined to beat her anxiety and become the lion she knows she is, instead of the mouse everyone sees, and with the help of Homer Juarez, the poetry-reciting soccer star, she starts a secret library garden and hatches a plan to make her dreams come true.
Theo Tan and the Fox Spirit
Published in 2022
A twelve-year-old Chinese American boy must learn to embrace his heritage and accept his beloved older brother's spirit companion--a mystical fox named Kai--to solve the mystery of Jamie's death.
Kings of B'more
Published in 2022
Propelled by his best friend's impending move out of state and inspired by Ferris Bueller's Day Off, sixteen-year-old Harrison plans a farewell through Baltimore that includes a road trip, their first Pride, and a rooftop dance party.
Burn Down, Rise Up
Published in 2022
When an urban legend rumored to trap people inside subway tunnels seems to be behind mysterious disappearances in the Bronx, sixteen-year-old Raquel and her friends team up to save their city--and confront a dark episode in its history in the process.
The Do-over
Published in 2022
Twins Raquel and Lucinda Mendoza used to be inseparable, but since their parents divorced Raquel has become bossy and obsessive, while Lucinda has immersed herself in her ice skating lessons, and the pandemic and its enforced isolation has only made things worse; but then they are sent to their father's ranch in central California and while Raquel thinks that this is a chance to get their parents back together by driving his girlfriend away, Lucinda discovers she likes his new family, and wonders if trying to bring the Mendoza family back together is really worth the struggle.
The World Belonged to Us
Published in 2022
"A group of kids celebrate the joy and freedom of summer on their Brooklyn block"-- Provided by publisher.
Juneteenth
Our Day of Freedom
Published in 2022
"Learn more about Juneteenth, a holiday that celebrates the end of chattel slavery in the United States in this Step 3 History Reader"-- Provided by publisher.
Yes We Will
Asian Americans Who Shaped This Country
Published in 2022
"A lyrical nonfiction picture book featuring eighteen Asian American changemakers and two pivotal moments in Asian American history, illustrated by fifteen renowned Asian and Asian American artists"-- Provided by publisher.