Book Finder

Sixteen-year old Mattie, an aspiring writer, leaves her family’s farm to work as a maid at a resort in the Adirondacks. Set in 1906, Mattie’s story incorporates the racism, sexism, and class conflict prevalent at the turn of the century. A subplot involves the murder of Grace Brown; a story familiar to readers of Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy.

In 1950’s Appalachia, the Collins family leads a hard existence. The youngest sister, Carolina, is adrift, when her guitar-playing cousin, Tadpole, unexpectedly arrives. Tadpole’s beautiful singing and positive outlook inspire the family, but when they learn he’s on the run from an abusive uncle, they worry the uncle will come and take Tadpole away.

When orphans Prosper, age 12, and Bo, age 5, run away to Venice, they find themselves in the company of a gang of teens who live in an abandoned movie theater and rob the rich to survive. A little bit of mystery, a little bit of fantasy, and a lot of the Venetian setting.

Teenage Rayona is abandoned by her parents and goes to live with her grandmother, called Aunt Ida, on the reservation where her Mother was raised. Three generations of Native American women are beautifully portrayed in the audiobook by Dorris and acclaimed narrator Rosenblat.

As a graduate student, Venkatesh began exploring the housing projects of Chicago and befriended members of a Chicago gang (after the gang briefly kidnapped him.) Venkatesh reports on the underground economy at work and the allure of gang membership, and makes suggestions for reaching out to gang members.

Most of us have heard of Helen Keller, but few have heard of Laura Bridgman. When she was just two years old, Laura Bridgman lost her sight, her hearing, and most of her senses of smell and taste. At the time, no one believed a child with such severe disabilities could be taught to communicate, much less lead a full and productive life. But then a progressive doctor, who had just opened the country’s first school for the blind in Boston, took her in.This fascinating and moving biography shows how Laura Bridgman paved the way for future generations of children with disabilities, making possible important advances in the way they would be educated.

This big, colorful cookbook features simple recipes for budding Top Chefs. An enthusiastic young chef shares his teen-tested tips and recipes for everything from breakfast to dinner, desserts to brain-boosting snacks. 

Pick Me Up is an encyclopedic non-fiction book primarily intended for children. With gorgeous full-color spreads and an edgy, vivid design, a title for the Internet generation covers facts on history, geography, science, and natural history, and includes a detailed index to make each subject simple to find.

How were otherwise kind, intelligent teenagers drawn into an organization like the Hitler Youth? This well-researched and well-documented book examines the rise of the Nazi party and its sway over teens. Using primary sources, including interviews, the author features the stories of several teens who came of age during Hitler’s years of power.

Using a complicated literary format (heroic crown of sonnets) and wrenching subject matter (the lynching of Emmett Till) poet Marilyn Nelson creates a work of complete beauty. Each of the 15 sonnets feature a part of Till’s story, using imagery and metaphor rather than straightforward graphic language. The illustrations by Philippe Lardy are a lovely complement to the poetry.

Ellen and William Craft, an enslaved married couple, devised a daring plan to escape to freedom. Capitalizing on Ellen’s mixed race heritage and light skin, she would dress herself as a wealthy white man, while William posed as her slave.

A variety of celebrities write mini-essays about the importance of getting involved in politics. Actors, musicians, writers and politicians each give their unique spin on this timely topic, which could be used in government classes or as a jump-off for creative writing.

This readable and comforting handbook explains why people feel stressed, then gives several ideas for coping, such as getting organized, being assertive, journaling, and exercising. Using quizzes, lists, questions and helpful hints, Reber will have an idea for you no matter what your “stress style” is.

Fifteen-year-old Victor decides to cross the U.S.-Mexican border to earn money for his family. The border patrol is only one of his worries, which also include drug dealers, extreme temperatures, and fellow migrants. This is an eye-opening look at what draws many immigrants to the U.S. and the risks they take.

Every girl wants to celebrate her quinceañera, or 15th birthday, right? Not necessarily, as half-Cuban, half-Polish Violet can barely speak Spanish. As the plans move forward, Violet comes to terms with her heritage in this warm and funny novel.

Our narrator Chuy is dead! He was stabbed in a nightclub bathroom by another teen who misunderstood something he said. As he floats around in the afterlife, he not only learns about being dead, but he also comes to understand his short life.

African-American Romiette begins dating Hispanic Julio when he moves to her Cincinnati high school from Texas in this retelling of Romeo and Juliet.

A middle-school boy begins to question his sexual orientation, while dealing with the crush his female friend, 13-year old Hispanic Xio, has on him. Sanchez is sensitive and insightful when talking about both gay and Hispanic culture, and he’s created a delightful heroine in Xio.

Eddie Guerrero was a WWE star who grew up in a family of famous Mexican wrestlers. This autobiography details Guerrero’s rise from Tijuana to fame in the United States as a professional wrestler. Unfortunately, soon after completing the book, Guerrero died suddenly of heart failure, possibly brought on by his past drug and alcohol abuse.