Fortune Falls by Jenny Goebel
Goodreads
Welcome to Fortune Falls, a magical town where superstitions are real. Four-leaf clovers really do bring good fortune, and owning a rabbit's foot is the secret to success.
However, there aren't enough charms in the universe to help Sadie Bleeker. She can't pass a ladder without walking under it, and black cats won't leave her alone.
That's because Sadie is an Unlucky. And things will only get worse as she gets older, which is why Unluckies are sent away at age twelve to protect those around them.
Sadie can't stand the thought of leaving home, so she and her friend, Cooper, devise a plan to reverse her bad luck. But when their scheme accidentally results in a broken mirror, the situation turns dire. Because for Sadie, seven years bad luck isn't an inconvenience-it's practically a death sentence.
Can a girl who's never so much as found a single lucky penny change her fortune? Or will she be forced to celebrate her twelfth birthday by saying farewell to everyone she loves?
The Key to Extraordinary by Natalie Lloyd
Goodreads
There's a lot Emma wants to tell her mother about: her job leading cemetery walking tours, her new drum set, and the fact that the town's most famous ghost, the Morning Glory, seems to be trying to send Emma a message.
But Emma can't share any of this, because Emma's mom is dead.
Luckily, there's a loophole. The women in Emma's family all have a special destiny that comes to them in the form of a dream, and when they finally achieve this destiny, they're rewarded with a vision of all their extraordinary ancestors. Emma has spent her whole life waiting to discover her destiny, and maybe see her mom again, even if just for a moment. But the dream never comes...
Just when she's about to give up, she learns that the Morning Glory IS sending her messages, hints about a secret in Emma's family that could change everything. But can she solve the mystery in time to prove her destiny...and say a final farewell to the mother who was taken from her too soon?
The Tiara on the Terrace by Kristen Kittscher
Goodreads
Sophie Young and Grace Yang have been taking it easy ever since they solved the crime of the century...well, at least the biggest crime Luna Vista has ever seen. But things are getting exciting again now that everyone is gearing up for the 125th annual Winter Sun Festival—a town tradition that involves floats, a parade, and a “royal” court made up of local high school girls.
When Festival president Jim Steptoe turns up dead on the first day of parade preparations, police blame a malfunctioning giant s’more feature on the campfire-themed float. But the two sleuths are sure the mysterious death wasn't an accident. Teaming up with their ever-resourceful friend, Trista Bottoms, the girls trade their high tops for high heels and go undercover as helpers to the snooty Royal Court girls.
They’ve got plenty of suspects: Barb Lund, angry that her daughter didn’t make the Royal Court; bitter Luna Vista Middle School Principal Katz, who was passed over for Festival president; and Festival vice president Lee, whose business would have benefitted from an unexpected change in leadership.
But as the girls go deeper into the world of the Winter Sun Festival, their friendship is tested—and as they get closer to solving the case, their search for the truth becomes more dangerous than they ever could have imagined...
Josh Baxter Levels Up by Gavin Brown
Goodreads
Paper Wishes by Lois Sepahban
Goodreads
Saving Wonder by Mary Knight
Goodreads
Video game lover Josh Baxter knows that seventh grade at a new school may be his hardest challenge yet, but he's not afraid to level up and win!
Josh Baxter is sick and tired of hitting the reset button. It's not easy being the new kid for the third time in two years. One mistake and now the middle-school football star is out to get him. And Josh's sister keeps offering him lame advice about how to make friends, as if he needs her help finding allies!
Josh knows that his best bet is to keep his head down and stay under the radar. If no one notices him, nothing can touch him, right? But when Josh's mom sees his terrible grades and takes away his video games, it's clear his strategy has failed. Josh needs a new plan, or he'll never make it to the next level, let alone the next grade.
He's been playing not to lose. It's time to play to win.
Goodreads
A moving debut novel about a girl whose family is relocated to a Japanese internment camp during World War II--and the dog she has to leave behind.
Ten-year-old Manami did not realize how peaceful her family's life on Bainbridge Island was until the day it all changed. It's 1942, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and Manami and her family are Japanese American, which means that the government says they must leave their home by the sea and join other Japanese Americans at a prison camp in the desert. Manami is sad to go, but even worse is that they are going to have to give her dog, Yujiin, to a neighbor to take care of. Manami decides to sneak Yujiin under her coat, but she is caught and forced to abandon him. She is devastated but clings to the hope that somehow Yujiin will find his way to the camp and make her family whole again. It isn't until she finds a way to let go of her guilt that Manami can accept all that has happened to her family.
Goodreads
In this utterly transporting debut about the power of words, the importance of friendship, and the magic of wonder, Curley Hines must decide whether to fight to save the mountain he calls home.
Having lost most of his family to coal-mining accidents as a little boy, Curley Hines lives with his grandfather in the Appalachian Mountains of Wonder Gap, Kentucky. Ever since Curley can remember, Papaw has been giving him a word each week to learn and live. Papaw says words are Curley's way out of the holler, even though Curley has no intention of ever leaving.
When a new coal boss takes over the local mining company, life as Curley knows it is turned upside down. Suddenly, his best friend, Jules, is interested in the coal boss's son, and worse, the mining company threatens to destroy Curley and Papaw's mountain. Now Curley faces a difficult choice. Does he use his words to speak out against Big Coal and save his mountain, or does he remain silent and save his way of life?
From debut author Mary Knight comes a rich, lyrical, and utterly transporting tale about friendship, the power of words, and the difficult hurdles we must overcome for the people and places we love.
Ruby Lee & Me by Shannon Hitchcock
Goodreads
When a segregated North Carolina town gets its first black teacher, two girls--one black, one white--come face-to-face with how prejudice affects their friendship.
Everything's changing for Sarah Beth Willis. After Robin's tragic accident, everyone seems different somehow. Days on the farm aren't the same, and the simple fun of riding a bike or playing outside can be scary. And there's talk in town about the new sixth-grade teacher at Shady Creek. Word is spreading quickly--Mrs. Smyre is like no other teacher anyone has ever seen around these parts. She's the first African American teacher. It's 1969, and while black folks and white folks are cordial, having a black teacher at an all-white school is a strange new happening. For Sarah Beth, there are so many unanswered questions. What is all this talk about Freedom Riders and school integration? Why can't she and Ruby become best friends? And who says school isn't for anybody who wants to learn--or teach? In a world filled with uncertainty, one very special teacher shows her young students and the adults in their lives that change invites unexpected possibilities.This tale of first love features Sofie, the 16-year-old daughter of a Cambodian immigrant and a Scottish fisherman, and a young army medic back from Afghanistan, exploring themes of intergenerational trauma and the immigrant experience.
The Terrible Two Get Worse by Jory John & Mac Barnett
Goodreads
On their own, pranksters Miles and Niles were pretty devious. Now that they’ve formed a pranking duo, they’re terrible! But their powers will be tested when their favorite nemesis, Principal Barkin, is replaced by his stern and cunning father, Former Principal Barkin. Now Miles and Niles will do just about anything to get their old antagonist back—including pranking alongside him.
Authors and friends Mac Barnett and Jory John “are in perfect comic harmony” (Publishers Weekly) in this series that celebrates inventiveness, friendship, and the power of teamwork—for good, or for terrible.
Goodreads
Saddle up for a life-defining, death-defying adventure.
Joseph Johnson has lost just about everyone he's ever loved. He lost his pa in an accident. He lost his ma and his little sister to sickness. And now, he's lost his pony--fast, fierce, beautiful Sarah, taken away by a man who had no right to take her.
Joseph can sure enough get her back, though. The odds are stacked against him, but he isn't about to give up. He will face down deadly animals, dangerous men, and the fury of nature itself on his quest to be reunited with the only family he has left.
Because Joseph Johnson may have lost just about everything; but he hasn't lost hope. And he hasn't lost the fire in his belly that says he's getting his Sarah back--no matter what.
The critically acclaimed author of The Honest Truth returns with a poignant, hopeful, and action-packed story about hearts that won't be tamed...and spirits that refuse to be broken.
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