Kids Book Index
Bessie Flores Zaldívar
During a contentious presidential election, Libertad tries to find acceptance and a way to express her lesbian identity. Poetry becomes an important outlet as she works through those questions. Her situation raises the possibility that being herself may require leaving home. The novel brings together political tension, self-expression, and her search for a place where she can live openly.
This book appears on 2 reading lists across 1 edition from 2 organizations.
The Color of a LieKim Johnson, map by Mike HallIn 1955, Calvin Greene, a Black teenager from Chicago, moves with his family to Pennsylvania, where he is passing. As he adjusts to a new school, he is forced to weigh his loyalties. The story follows a teen confronting troubling secrets in a racially divided town. Calvin’s move and difficult choices unfold against racial divisions and questions of identity.Fourteen and OlderLexile Text Measure HL600LATOS Book Level 3.9On the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details
The Unboxing of a Black GirlAngela ShantéThis creative nonfiction collection combines free verse, haiku, and brief scenes in a memoir of Black girlhood. Its childhood memories unfold in 1990s New York City, forming a many-part portrait shaped by the past and connected to the present. Alongside the author’s own experiences, the book also turns toward the lives of Black girls beyond the city. Poetry and prose work together to trace girlhood across memory, place, and time. It presents these experiences through multiple poetic forms and vignette-like reflections.Fourteen and OlderOn the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details
Light Enough to FloatLauren SealEvie is a strong student who does not realize she has an eating disorder. When she is hospitalized, she struggles to believe that treatment is necessary. In a treatment facility, the teen confronts her illness while seeking control and self-love. Her hospitalization marks a change in how she sees the condition. The novel draws on the author’s real-life struggles.Fourteen and OlderLexile Text Measure 1040LATOS Book Level 7.1On the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details