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Challenging Conversations
Dear Mothman Robin Gow ISBN 9781419764400
ATOS Book Level: 4.5 Ages 8-13 320 pages
Noah, a queer sixth grader with autism, is grappling with the death of his best (and only) friend, Lewis, in a car accident. He continues with the science fair project they started together, trying to find a local cryptid. In his journal to the Mothman, he explores his grief and his attempts to move forward: making new friends, like-liking someone new, asserting his identity and chosen name, and finding ways to show others who he truly is. CW: mild profanity, bullying, disturbing imagery, and an incident of gender bias. Themes: grief, gender identity, friendship.
Land of the Cranes Aida Salazar ISBN 9781338343809
Lexile: 890L Ages 8-13 256 pages
After escaping the Mexican cartels, nine-year-old Betita lives in Los Angeles, part of the Aztlan (Aztec) ancestral land, called the land of the cranes in her father’s stories. After her father is deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Betita and her pregnant mother are detained when trying to see him at the border. Unable to reach a lawyer, Betita survives the cruelties in the “Icebox” through the supportive community created by detainees in the center, and sharing her own storytelling, poetry, and sketches. Themes: deportation, community, survival, racism.
The Places we Sleep Caroline Brooks DuBois ISBN 9780823444212
ATOS Book Level: 5.5 Ages 8-13 263 pages
Abbey is starting over again as the “new kid” in seventh grade after yet another move, this time off base and to a new state. Her very relatable middle school worries—the onset of puberty and The Trio of bullies—are overshadowed by the aftermath of 9/11. This tragedy shapes the novel’s events: her mother traveling to NYC to look for her missing aunt (who works at the World Trade Center), her father preparing for deployment, and the Islamophobia that impacts a new friend. CW: violence. Themes: military families, bullying, cultural bias, and racism.