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The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

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DIVE INTO BOOK #13 Title and Author:  The Poet X  by Elizabeth Acevedo Publisher : Harper Teen 2018 Number of Pages:  357 pages Awards:  National Book Award for Young People's Literature 2018, Michael L Prinz Award 2019, Carnegie Medal 2019, Pura Belpre Author Award 2018 Genre:  Novel in Verse, Contemporary Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age Summary:  Elizabeth Acevedo's novel in verse,  The Poet X,  follows Xiomara Batiste, also known as X, a 15-year-old high school student in Harlem, New York. Xiomara faces challenges with her family, especially her mother; her Catholic faith; her Dominican American culture; and her own identity. The novel is divided into three parts. In Part One: In the Beginning was the Word, we are introduced to Xiomara in late August. Using poetry, X describes her neighborhood, her parents, her twin brother, and her faith. We quickly notice that Xiomara has strong feelings about her parents; they are older and don't understand...
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The Girl Who Sang by Estelle Nadel and Sammy Savos

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DIVE INTO BOOK #12 Title and Author:  The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival  by Estelle Nadel and Sammy Savos Publisher : Roaring Book Press, 2024 Number of Pages:  257 pages Awards:  Sydney Taylor Book Award - Middle Grade 2025, Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal 2025, ALSC Notable Children's Books 2025, Junior Library Guild Selection 2025, School Library Journal Best Books of the Year 2024, New York Public Library Best Book of the Year 2024 Genre:  Graphic Novel, Memoir/Biography, Holocaust, Survival, Middle Grade Summary:   "The Girl Who Sang"  is a beautifully written and illustrated graphic novel that serves as a memoir of Estelle (Enia) Nadel’s life before, during, and after the Nazi occupation of Poland. The novel is divided into five parts:    1. Innocence (1939-1942) 2. Hidden (1942-1944) 3. Liberation (1944-1947) 4. A New Beginning (1947-1951) 5. The Girl Who Sang (1951-2023)   In the "Innocence" sec...
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The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

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DIVE INTO BOOK #11 Title and Author:  The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas Publisher : Balzer + Bray, 2017 Number of Pages:  444 pages Awards:  Coretta Scott King Book Author Honor 2018, William C. Morris Award 2018, Michael L. Printz Honor 2018, GoodReads Choice Award for Best Young Adult Fiction, 2017, Boston Globe Horn Book Award 2017 Genre:  Contemporary Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Social Justice Summary:  Starr Carter is a 16-year-old high school student who navigates life in a poverty-stricken neighborhood while attending a private prep school. She balances two personas: the polished version of herself at Williamson Prep and the authentic version from Garden Heights, which creates tension with her friends and family.    In Angie Thomas's compelling story, told from Starr's perspective, she witnesses the brutal police shooting of her friend Khalil. The traumatic experience deeply affects her, making it increasingly difficult to keep her two world...
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The Magic Misfits by Neil Patrick Harris

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DIVE INTO BOOK #10 Title and Author:  The Magic Misfits  by Neil Patrick Harris Publisher : Little, Brown and Company, 2017 Number of Pages:   253 pages Awards:  Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee 2020, Vermont Golden Dome Book Award Nominee 2019, Bluestem Book Award Nominee 2020, Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Middle Grade & Children 2018 Genre:  Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery, Middle Grade Summary:  Carter is a young magician who was abandoned by his parents and now lives with his crooked uncle, Sly. Desperate to escape Uncle Sly and his dishonest ways, Carter boards a train and ends up in a charming New England town called Mineral Wells. There, he meets a circus sideshow run by the villainous B.B. Boseo. As a good kid, Carter quickly sees that Boseo and his gang are pickpockets and thieves, which makes him want to get away. Boseo calls Carter a "misfit," a label that truly sticks with him.      In Mineral Wells, Carter meets the illusionist...
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All Mixed Up by Raj Tawney

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DIVE INTO BOOK #9 Title and Author: All Mixed Up by Raj Tawney Publisher : PawPrints Publishing, 2024 Number of Pages:    159 pages Awards:  INDIES Honorable Mention 2024, New York Public Library Best Book for Kids Selection 2024, Dia Reading List Selection 2025 Genre:  Contemporary Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Middle Grades Summary: One year after 9/11, Kamal Rao is a sixth-grader living on Long Island, New York. Kamal has a mixed heritage: Indian, Puerto Rican, and Italian. He feels like an outsider at school and often finds himself in situations where he faces physical and verbal abuse from classmates, especially white students. One day, a new student from Pakistan, Jaz, arrives and stands up to the bullies for Kamal. They quickly become close friends, Kamal's first friend.       As their friendship blossoms, tensions rise due to post-9/11 fears within Kamal's community. Kamal begins to question his own mixed heritage. He and Jaz often get...
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As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouth

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DIVE INTO BOOK #8 Title and Author: As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouth Publisher : Little, Brown and Company, 2022 Number of Pages:  417 pages Awards:  Amy Mathers Teen Book Award 2023, CCBC Book Award 2023, Governor General's Award for Young People's Literature -  Young Adult 2023, Publisher's Weekly Best Books - Young Adult 2022 Genre:  Historical Fiction, Romance, Contemporary Realistic Fiction Summary:   Eighteen-year-old Salama Kassab is a Syrian pharmacy student who shows remarkable resilience as she is forced to become a doctor and surgeon at the start of the Syrian Revolution in 2011. Salama's brother and father have been arrested, and her mother was killed in a bombing that also caused Salama to sustain a head injury. She lives with her pregnant sister-in-law, Layla, and her main concern is protecting Layla, as she promised her brother she would.      Due to her head injury, Salama experiences hallucinations of an imaginary...
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