Book Finder

What makes a boy into a man?

Courage.
Confidence.
Patience.
Integrity…

For more than one hundred years, this classic poem by Rudyard Kipling has inspired readers to reach for the best in themselves.

In pictures and words, here’s what every boy needs to know most.

Narrator Frannie keenly observes the changing dynamics in her classroom when a new white student arrives. Frannie also frets about her family — her deaf brother isolated from the hearing world and her pregnant mother prone to miscarriages.

Fergus Crane, the first title in the Far Flung Adventures series, is the tale of nine-year-old Fergus Crane, an ordinary boy who happens to attend an unusual school aboard a ship. Fergus’s life changes one night when a mysteriously delivered message arrives from a long-lost uncle who believes that Fergus’s life is in danger. Corby Flood and Hugo Pepper are other titles in the series.

When yellow fever strikes 18th century Philadelphia, sixteen year old Matilda’s life is forever changed. Contemporary readers are likely to see themselves in Matilda while being transported back in time through striking smells and sights of an earlier time.

Twelve-year-old Korean American Junie Kim, who’s kept quiet about the bullying and racism she encounters at school, is diagnosed with depression but is later inspired to speak out after learning about her grandparents’ experiences during the Korean War.

Biracial eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in either in her hometown or on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. But when Daunis’s best friend, Lily, is murdered, she agrees to go undercover in her community and help the FBI while secretly pursuing her own investigation.

The perils of life under the brutal Pol Pot regime change a young woman’s life forever, as she and her family find themselves fugitives of war, without even their names to remind them of what they lost.

It’s the summer between middle school and high school, and Aiden Navarro is away at camp. Everyone’s going through changes — but for Aiden, the stakes feel higher. As he navigates friendships, deals with bullies, and spends time with Elias (a boy he can’t stop thinking about), he finds himself on a path of self-discovery and acceptance. Winner of the Lambda Literary Award.

“This book will save lives.” — Jarrett J. Krosoczka, author of National Book Award Finalist Hey, Kiddo

Luther, a high school sophomore, works for a vet who rehabilitates falcons. His work with these birds leads him to support forest preservation and puts him in conflict with his stepfather, a long-time logger.

An ancient talisman resurfaces to once again create misery until a true heart destroys it forever. The husband and wife team rework this early 20th century fantasy making it accessible to contemporary audiences. Lush illustrations and rich language make this a fine family read aloud.

If Isla can save the swans, perhaps she can save her father and the boy she’s met.

In the sticky-hot summer of 1968, a year in American history marked by assassination, Vietnam War protests, and civil rights rioting, Alice faces some trying concerns of her own.

Eleven-year-old Makeda dreams of meeting her African American mother, while coping with serious problems in her white adopted family, a cross-country move, and being homeschooled.

On the surface, Ramiro Lopez and Jake Upthegrove couldn’t live more different lives. Ram is Mexican-American, lives in the poor section of town, and is doing his best to keep his mother sane while his brother fights off a drug-induced coma. Jake is a WASP who drives a nice car, lives in a mansion, and has a mother who drinks a bit too much and a step-father who cheats on her. But there is one point, one issue, where their lives are exactly the same; their fathers walked out on them when they were just young boys. And at this convergence, Ram and Jake see how everything in their lives is just a little bit similar, because they both blame everything that goes wrong on the one thing they actually have in common.

This ALA Best Book for Young Adults is the true, heart-wrenching, and unforgettable story of the author’s experiences at Auschwitz during the Holocaust. The reader will be shocked by the atrocities and the horror that she faced but will be moved by her courage and willpower to survive.

Frank’s parents insist that he only date Koreans, so when he falls for Brit, who is white, he teams up with Joy so they can pretend to date each other, giving them both the freedom to spend time to date who they like.

Mia Tang has a secret. Actually, a lot of secrets. She doesn’t live in a house like her friends. She doesn’t have a dog. And her parents are hiding an even bigger secret, one that could get them all in trouble. It will take all of Mia’s courage, kindness, and hard work to get through this year. Will she be able to hold on to her job, help the immigrants and guests, escape Mr. Yao, and go for her dreams? First in a series.

Now not only does Peter’s little brother, Fudge, decide he loves Peter’s sworn enemy, Sheila Tubman, his parents rent a vacation home with them! There, a grandparent from each family meets, fall in love, and decide to marry — making Sheila and Peter relatives. Rip-roaring humor abounds in this rollicking continuing family saga.

Times are tough for Beans and his family in Key West during the Great Depression. Can Beans and his friends trust the New Dealers who say that they have come to Florida to make their small, poor town a tourist destination? Bean’s saga is both humorous and poignant in his satisfying story.

Blake is a cautious young man who finds himself in the middle of a nightmare when he is forced to survive seven harrowing amusement park rides in an effort to save his brother. The surreal scenes and characters, as well as psychological drama, will leave readers spellbound by Blake’s battle for his soul.

In Rosario, Argentina, Camila Hassan lives a double life. At home, she is a careful daughter, living within her mother’s narrow expectations, in her rising-soccer-star brother’s shadow, and under the abusive rule of her short-tempered father. On the field, she is La Furia, a powerhouse of skill and talent. When her team qualifies for the South American tournament, Camila gets the chance to see just how far those talents can take her. In her wildest dreams, she’d get an athletic scholarship to a North American university. But the path ahead isn’t easy. Her parents don’t know about her passion. And the boy she once loved is back in town, but things aren’t the same as when he left: she has her own passions and ambitions now, and La Furia cannot be denied. As her life becomes more complicated, Camila is forced to face her secrets and make her way in a world with no place for the dreams and ambition of a girl like her.

After seventh-grader Jerome is shot by a white police officer, he observes the aftermath of his death and meets the ghosts of other fallen black boys including historical figure Emmett Till.

Tanya Lee Stone deftly uses new research to illuminate the dramatic facts behind the 2013 film of the same name, focusing both on the girls captured on camera and many others. She examines barriers to education in depth—early child marriage and childbearing, slavery, sexual trafficking, gender discrimination, and poverty—and shows how removing these barriers means not only a better life for girls, but safer, healthier, and more prosperous communities.

Many students know of John Wilkes Booth as Abraham Lincoln’s assassin, but few know that before he committed this infamous crime, he was a member of a family of accomplished actors, including his well-known brother, Edwin.