Kids Book Index
Zetta Elliott, Lyn Miller-Lachmann
Set in 1980s Brooklyn, this novel in verse follows two boys who form a cautious friendship over one season. JJ is the grandson of Polish immigrants, while Pierre is a high-achieving mixed-race student who secretly creates graffiti. Told in both boys’ voices and using varied verse forms, the story traces their tentative connection as they get to know one another.
This book appears on 2 reading lists across 2 editions from 2 organizations.
The Ogress and the OrphansKelly BarnhillIn the fictional town of Stone in the Glen, a burned library and a missing orphan leave residents less welcoming and increasingly suspicious of one another. A mysterious ogress has just arrived, and the town turns its blame toward her. Meanwhile, a malicious shapeshifting dragon and a group of perceptive orphans are part of the conflict. The story sets a kindhearted ogress and the orphans against a divided community and the dragon’s harmful intentions.Twelve to FourteenWord Count 99555On the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details
Maya’s SongRenée WatsonTold in poems, this biography follows writer Maya Angelou from her 1928 birth through the many ways she made her voice heard. As a child, Maya lived with her grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas, spent time in a loving Black community, and found books at the local school. After a traumatic event left her silent for five years, encouragement and poetry helped her speak again. Her later life included singing internationally, civil-rights activism, teaching in Ghana, and writing articles, essays, and books.Nine to TwelveOn the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details
Mordechai Anielewicz: No to Despair (They Said No series)Rachel HausfaterSet before and during the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, this history follows the final period of Mordechai Anielewicz’s life. In 1943, he led a revolt in the Warsaw Ghetto after Nazis had deported most of its nearly 400,000 Jewish residents to concentration camps. Anielewicz was the leader of the Jewish Fighting Organization, which organized resistance against Nazi rule. Extensive back matter provides additional material.Twelve to FourteenOn the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details