“A loss is inevitable, like snow in winter. These champions learn to dance through the storm.”

Very sad and devastating book, while being uplifting and hopeful at the same time.

This is a story about twin brothers who have to come to terms with growing up outside of basketball, the sport they both love. This book uses poetry and prose to construct the narrative, and is great for middle school students.

“I love that Lukey boy.”

This book centralized on the theme of displaced children and can be relatable to a lot of middle schoolers who would benefit most from this book.

I love Sharon Creech! This is an uplifting story that reminds us that if we‘re open to new experiences, life can be full of surprises. This is a really heartwarming book that is told in poetry and prose and shows the bonds we can make if we let people into our lives.

The writing is very honest and funny, and can be sad at times, but the author knows how keep the story lively and fun.

This book is about a young boy and girl who lose their mom and have to navigate their lives without her while moving to a new school and coping with their grief. It is a touch subject to address, but I‘m sure there are students out there who, unfortunately, relate to that feeling of grief and sadness. Good for middle schoolers.

“Mom is my legal guardian because she‘s, like, my mom.”

This book covers some very serious issues that exist in society, and is probably not best for young kids at all.

This is a great book for students who may struggle with racial identity issues. The main character is half black and half white and has to switch identities depending on what environment she is in. Teaches really important lessons.

“Winter has come to Iris, as it did every year in the human world, and with it the sunset early.”

I like that the author created an intriguing story by incorporating Russian folktales and fantasy while showing integral themes about trust, love and learning to love tourself

This book is drawn from Russian fairytales that is great for middle school aged kids. It is about a 12 year old girl who is adopted by someone who isn‘t who they appear to be. This is fun for students of that age to read, but probably is not best for students any younger.

“Peeled myself from bed for the morning rush to school.”

This is a great children‘s novel and even though it‘s written in poetry form, it sends an important message to kids about being yourself.

This is about a boy and his father who don‘t see eye to eye on things Garvey should be interested in. This is a great book for kids because the central theme is learning to accept yourself and love yourself and learn how to communicate with people who think differently than you do.

“My eyes were starting to freeze and the turning cold dark shot through me!”

This is a great early chapter book for kids and it‘s fun seeing the world through the eyes of a dog.

This book is about Spunky the dog and experiencing his day to day life through his eyes. This is a fun and clever book that I think kids would be so interested in. The illustrations are also very simple, but still great for kids

“TO WHOEVER FINISHED THE COOKIES AND LUT BACK THE EMPTY BOX: we are collecting clues and are hot on your trail. Be warned.”

This is a great book because it is unconventional in the sense that the family has two dads, but the focus is still on the children and seeing them overcome their issues.

This is about a family of boys who navigate their way through school, friends, fitting in, and other nonsense that happens in school. This book had some crude humor in it and would probably be best suited for upper elementary aged kids who can (sort of) handle that sort of humor.

“George thought about her private name. She had never said it out loud before, not even to her friends in the magazines. “You could always call me Melissa,” she said now.”

Very colorful book and great for kids to read.

This is great book for kids to be reminded of how unique and special they each are. The writing is silly and perfect for early elementary students. This is a great message to send to kids and is great for read aloud.

“Please don‘t hand my mama down letter today. She has served a long time for her confession.”

This is great for middle schoolers. It examines real world issues and tough problems that inspires the main character to fight the injustice and gather hope.

This is a story about love, forgiveness, and innocence. This is about a boy who grows up in jail with his mom who is incarcerated. This might be a bit too mature for young kids, but is a powerful story, nonetheless.

“We must sell Milky White and with the money start shop or something.”

The dialogue in this retelling is very traditional and contains old English words that you don‘t find anymore in modern day fairy tales.

This is a vividly illustrated retelling of the classic fairy tale. This would be great to have in a classroom because the illustrations are so detailed and make the story really come to life.

“They flitted away together and as that‘s both an ending and a beginning, you couldn‘t devise a better close to the tale.”

This story reminds me a lot of Beauty and the Beast.

This is originally a Norwegian folktale and is the story of a bewitched prince and the determined girl who loves him. It is a classic hero‘s journey story and is fun to read to kids. Great for a classroom.

“Touching Cinderella‘s rags with her wand, she changed them into a costume still more magnificent than any she had worn before.”

Even though the illustrations won a Caldecott, I think they could be more expressive and detailed.

This particular adaptation of the classic fairy tale Cinderella is a translation of Perrault‘s tale, a French retelling. Cinderella is a classic princess and this can be fun for kids to explore the story through new cultural lenses.

“”Now,” said the little red hen, “I‘m going to eat it myself.” And she did!”

I like that this book emphasizes what good work ethic looks like but in a fun, child-like way that is easy for them to interpret and understand.

The little red hen is a retelling of a classic story. This teaches the lesson that if you want something to be done, you have to do it yourself and you will reap all the benefits that come from doing things alone. This teaches kids to be hardworking and motivated, and would be great for a classroom.

The illustrations are the most integral part of this book and are so realistic. This book would not be as impactful if the illustrations were average.

This is a wordless adaptation of one of Aesop‘s fables. An unlikely pair, a lion and a mouse pair up to learn that no act of kindness ever is wasted. This teaches so many great lessons that would be so valuable to early childhood classrooms.

“Paradise lost is sometimes Heaven found.”

This story is very unexpected and can be great for a early childhood classroom.

This book is about a janitor named Al and his dog Eddie go on an adventure with the help of a magic bird. This is a really fun story for kids and teaches lessons about appreciating everything you have and not complaining about what you don‘t.

“”It‘s snowing,” said boy with dog.”

This gives a child-like perspective to snow days and how much fun they can be.

This book is about snowfall and how it can transform and change a city. The illustrations are playful and this is great for kids during the winter when it‘s cold and snowy outside, just like the book is describing.

“As she lifted her head in hopes of the smallest of breezes to cool her blistering forehead, she hears a sound of wonderful, magical sound. Music.”