Kids Book Index
Gary D. Schmidt
Set during the 1960s, this novel follows Meryl Lee Kowalski and Matt Coffin in separate storylines that eventually connect. Meryl Lee is grieving, while Matt is fleeing danger. As their experiences converge, the two young people confront grief and loneliness and form an unexpected friendship. Their stories also hold onto the possibility of hope amid the difficulties each is facing.
This book appears on 1 reading list across 1 edition.
ART OF PROTEST: CREATING, DISCOVERING, AND ACTIVATING ART FOR YOUR REVOLUTIONDe Nichols, illustrated by Various ArtistsThis nonfiction book examines protest art from different places and periods, including work connected to the civil rights movement, Black Lives Matter, Keith Haring, and Extinction Rebellion. It considers how artists use words and visual elements to communicate political ideas. Examples range from 1960s antiwar poster lettering to the raised-fist image. Readers are invited to look closely at color, symbols, artistic methods, and typography, while also encountering work by young activist artists and considering how earlier art can inform present-day revolutionary action.Sixth to Eighth GradeOn the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details
PARTLY CLOUDYTanita S. DavisMadalyn, who is Black, moves from California to a small Louisiana community to live with her great-uncle, Papa Lobo, while attending seventh grade. Her parents’ work means she cannot return home every weekend as planned. She helps Papa Lobo renovate his front room and begins connecting with other students. Madalyn is uneasy about Natalie, a white classmate who is friendly at school but acts racist toward Papa Lobo’s godson Jean outside it. Madalyn must decide what to say and do.Fiction for ChildrenLexile Text Measure 811LATOS Book Level 5.2On the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details
KALEIDOSCOPEBrian SelznickA collection of short stories in multiple genres links two characters across time. Dreams are part of the connection between them, alongside a mystery involving grief and love. The book’s stories are interwoven rather than presented as a single straightforward narrative. Complex pencil illustrations appear between the pieces, adding a visual element to the changing forms of the collection and its connections across time.Grades 6–8Lexile Text Measure 820LATOS Book Level 5.09On the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details