Ancestor Approved

Edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Presents sixteen short stories and two poems that look at the hope, joy, resilience, the strength of community, and Native American pride. Native families from Nations across the continent gather at the Dance for Mother Earth Powwow in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In a high school gym full of color and song, people dance, sell beadwork and books, and celebrate friendship and heritage. Young protagonists will meet relatives from faraway, mysterious strangers, and sometimes one another (plus one scrappy rez dog).

Featuring stories and poems by: Joseph Bruchac, Art Coulson, Christine Day, Eric Gansworth, Carole Lindstrom, Dawn Quigley, Rebecca Roanhorse, David A. Robertson, Andrea L. Rogers, Kim Rogers, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Monique Gray Smith, Traci Sorell, Tim Tingle, Erika T. Wurth, Brian Young

• Collection of short stories & poetry
• Native American characters
• Best Books: Amazon, NY Public Library, Kirkus Reviews

Black Brother, Black Brother

By Jewell Parker Rhodes

Suspended unjustly from elite Middlefield Prep, Donte Ellison studies fencing with a former champion, hoping to put the racist fencing team captain in his place.

• Sports
• Realistic Fiction
• Set in Massachusetts
• Social Issues-Racism & Prejudice
• Biracial main characters

Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero

By Kelly J. Baptist

Isaiah is now the big man of the house. But it's a lot harder than his dad made it look. His little sister, Charlie, asks too many questions, and Mama's gone totally silent. 

Luckily, Isaiah can count on his best friend, Sneaky, who's always got a scheme for getting around the rules. Plus, his classmate Angel has a few good ideas of her own--once she stops hassling Isaiah. And when things get really tough, there's Daddy's journal, filled with stories about the amazing Isaiah Dunn, who gets his superhero powers from beans and rice. Isaiah could use those powers right about now!

• Realistic Fiction
• Family
• Friendship; People-Parents & Parental Figures
• African American characters

The Unteachables

The Unteachables
by Gordon Korman

The Unteachables are a notorious group who never thought they'd meet a teacher with a worse attitude than theirs. When Mr. Kermit, a burned-out teacher, is assigned to their class, mayhem, destruction, hilarity -- as well as a shot at redemption -- ensues.

Other Words for Home

Other Words for Home
by Jasmine Warga

Jude is sent with her mother to the safety of a relative's home in Ohio when their Syrian hometown is overcome by violence. Jude worries for the those left behind as she adjusts to a new life with unexpected surprises. Novel in verse.

All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook

By Leslie Connor

Secretly being raised in prison so that he can be with his inmate mother, 11-year-old Perry is discovered by an ambitious new district attorney and brought to the outside world, where he seeks to reunite with his mother.

Amina's Voice

By Hena Khan

Amina, a Pakistani-American Muslim girl struggles to stay true to her family's vibrant culture while simultaneously blending in at school after tragedy strikes her community.

The Land of Forgotten Girl

By Erin Entrada Kelly

Abandoned by their father and living in poverty with their heartless stepmother in Louisiana, two sisters from the Philippines, 12-year-old Sol and 6-year-old Ming, learn the true meaning of family.

Rain Reign

By Ann M. Martin

Struggling with OCD and Asperger's syndrome, Rose shares an inseparable bond with her beloved dog Rain, but when the dog goes missing during a storm, she is forced to confront the limits of her comfort levels.

See You in the Cosmos

By Jack Cheng

Eleven-year-old Alex Petroski makes lots of new friends and big discoveries about family on a road trip he undertakes with just his dog Carl Sagan, and he records it all on a golden iPod he intends to launch into space.

Soar

By Joan Bauer

Moving to Hillcrest, Ohio, when his adoptive father accepts a temporary job, twelve-year-old Jeremiah, a heart transplant recipient, does what he can to help his new town get back into baseball with him as a coach.

Finding Audrey

By Sophie Kinsella

Fourteen-year-old Audrey is making slow but steady progress dealing with her anxiety disorder when Linus comes into the picture and her recovery gains momentum.

Ghost

By Jason Reynolds

Ghost, a naturally talented runner and troublemaker, is recruited for an elite middle school track team. He must stay on track, literally and figuratively, to reach his full potential. Book #1 in Track series.

Gutless

By Carl Deuker

With both good speed and good hands, wide receiver Brock should be a natural for the varsity team, but he shies from physical contact. Now a target for bullying, Brock struggles to overcome his fears and discover that, in his own way, he is brave enough

It Ain't So Awful, Falafel

By Firoozeh Dumas

Eleven-year-old Zomorod, originally from Iran, tells her story of growing up Iranian in Southern California during the Iranian Revolution and hostage crisis of the late 1970s

P.S. I Like You

By Kasie West

Every day in chemistry class, Lily is finding notes left to her by a mystery boy, and she hopes they are from Lucas, a boy she is attracted to. When she finds out who they are really from, she is unsure about how to respond

The Thing About Jellyfish

By Ali Benjamin

Twelve-year-old Suzy Swanson wades through her intense grief over the loss of her best friend by investigating the rare jellyfish she is convinced was responsible for her friend's death.

The Girl in the Well Is Me

By Karen Rivers

Eleven-year-old Kammie reflects on her life as she fights claustrophobia while waiting to be rescued from a well she fell into while trying to impress some mean girls.

The Bitter Side of Sweet

By Tara Sullivan

Kept as forced labor on a chocolate plantation in the Ivory Coast, Amadou and his younger brother Seydou had given up hope, until a young girl arrives at the camp who rekindles the urge to escape.

Goodbye Stranger

By Rebecca Stead

As Bridge makes her way through seventh grade on Manhattan's Upper West Side with her best friends, curvaceous Em, crusader Tab, and a curious new friend--or more than friend--Sherm, she finds the answer she has been seeking since she barely survived an accident at age eight: "What is my purpose?"