By Chris Van Dusen
Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2022. Picture Book.
Based on a real incident that occurred in the island town of Vinalhaven, Maine, this rhyming story recounts what happens when a really big flatbed truck carrying a mysterious, covered load across a small island gets stuck on a tight curve and blocks traffic in both directions. --Editor
Written by Caren Stelson
Illustrated by Akira Kusaka
Minneapolis : Carolrhoda Books, 2020. Picture Book.
Six-year-old Sachiko and her family suffered greatly after the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, and in the years that followed, the miraculous survival of a ceramic bowl became a key part of Sachiko's journey toward peace. --Publisher
Written by Sigal Samuel
Illustrated by Vali Mintzi
Montclair, NJ: Levine Querido, 2021. Picture Book.
Osnet, the world's first female rabbi, was born almost five hundred years ago, during a time when few girls were allowed to read. Her father was a great scholar whose house was filled with books, and she convinced him to teach her. She grew up to teach others, becoming a wise and famous scholar in her own right. --Publisher
Written by Caroline Starr Ward
Illustrated by Alexandra Bye
Chicago: Albert Whitman & Company, 2019. Informational.
In 1889, New York reporter Nellie Bly, inspired by Jules Verne's book Around the World in 80 Days, began an around-the-world journey that she hoped to complete in less time. Her trip was sponsored by her employer, the newspaper The World. Just hours after her ship set out across the Atlantic, the publisher of The Cosmopolitan magazine put writer Elizabeth Bisland on a westbound train. Bisland was headed around the world in the opposite direction, thinking that she could beat Bly's time. Only one woman could win the race, but both Bly and Bisland completed their journeys in record time and experienced unforgettable adventures. --Editor
By Christina Soontornvat
Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2020. Informational. 280 pages.
On June 23, 2018, twelve young players of the Wild Boars soccer team and their coach enter a cave in northern Thailand seeking an afternoon's adventure. But when they turn to leave, rising floodwaters block their path out. The boys are trapped! Before long, news of the missing team spreads, launching a seventeen-day rescue operation involving thousands of rescuers from around the globe. Combining firsthand interviews of rescue workers with in-depth science and details of the region's culture and religion, [the author]... masterfully shows how both the complex engineering operation above ground and the mental struggles of the thirteen young people below proved critical in the life-or-death mission. --Publisher
Written by Amy Ignatow
Illustrated by Gwen Millward
Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2022. Informational.
What happens when musical instruments can't make the sounds we expect them to make? Is music still possible? The schools of Philadelphia were filling up with broken violins, drums, pianos, and more, making it difficult for students to learn to play. This sparked an idea for a symphony, played entirely with the broken instruments, that would raise funds to repair the instruments themselves. Musicians young and old volunteered, and their captivating performance showed that even something broken can sing--and that great music is always possible with a bit of inventiveness and improvisation. Based on a true story, this inspiring book celebrates a community coming together to make a joyful, meaningful noise. --Publisher
By Sharon Robinson
New York: Scholastic, 2016. Fiction. 202 pages.
Eight-year-old Steve Satlow is thrilled when Jackie Robinson moves into his Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn in 1948, although many of his neighbors are not, and when Steve actually meets his hero he is even more excited--and worried that a misunderstanding over a Christmas tree could damage his new friendship. --Editor
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