*Book Group Selection | Bolded means favorite
Picture Books
*Jimmy’s Rhythm & Blues: The Extraordinary Life of James Baldwin by Michelle Meadows and Jamiel Law
*My Block Looks Like by Janelle Harper and Frank Morrison
Middle Grade
*We Still Belong by Christine Day
*Not So Shy by Noa Nimrodi
*Eagle Drums by Nasugraq Rainey Hopson
*The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla
*The House of the Lost on the Cape by Sachiko Kashiwaba, Avery Fischer Udagawa
(Translation), Yukiko Saito (Illustrations)
*Between Two Brothers by Crystal Allen
*The Dubious Pranks of Shaindy Goodman by Mari Lowe
Really gets into those lonely middle school feelings. Cover art gripe: the girls are wearing roller skates, not rollerblades.
*The Jake Show by Joshua S. Levy
I really felt for Jake; it’s tough to be saddled with parents whose vision of their child doesn’t take into account the child’s vision. I needed to suspend my disbelief for a major plot point, but a great read overall.
Young Adult
Shut Up, This Is Serious by Carolina Ixta
*Pardalita by Joana Estrela; Lyn Miller-Lachmann (Translator)
*In Limbo by Deb J.J. Lee
*Worm: A Cuban American Odyssey by Edel Rodriguez
*Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler
Two different romances in one novel? Yes, please!
*Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian
Stories of three young men (sneaky historical fiction: two are from prior decades.) Period details were solid, including the contemporary ones. Also good: the journeys of the characters.
Young Nonfiction
*She Persisted: Wilma Mankiller by Traci Sorell
*Log Life by Amy Hevron
*Everywhere Beauty Is Harlem: The Vision of Photographer Roy DeCarava by Gary Golio and E.B. Lewis
