SEL & Well-Being

Margie Kelly's perfect skirt was dress-coded on her very first day of middle school. Upset and embarrassed, Margie spends the whole day in oversized gym shorts, setting the tone for the whole day. Everything that could go wrong, certainly does! But when...

Stella Batts is in third-grade, she wants to be a writer, and her parents own a candy shop. Life should be sweet, right? In Needs a New Name, Stella decides to change her name after a boy from her class keeps calling her “Smella.” How...

A Schneider Family Book Award Honor book! ​In this authentic and humorous picture book, a child with a limb difference is tired of being told how amazing he is for doing normal things. Joe and his friend Simone are practicing their best playground...

Punching Bag is the compelling true story of a high school career defined by poverty and punctuated by outbreaks of domestic abuse. Rex Ogle, who brilliantly mapped his experience of hunger in Free Lunch, here describes his struggle to survive; reflects...

In Allen Zadoff's The Donut Prince of New York, a plus-sized kid finds acceptance once he joins the football team. That's more fun than getting ready for a party by having to stretch out a sweater so it won't seem so tight. And heck, the girl he likes...

An intense, beautiful debut about the power of finding your voice and sharing your story after trauma. Perfect for fans of Nina LaCour and Kathleen Glasgow. Seventeen-year-old Virginia makes bad choices. In fact, she's That Kind of Girl, according to the...

Join two bug friends as they learn about the science of the world around them and the meaning of friendship in this early graphic novel series perfect for fans of Narwhal and Jelly! Rhino-B is a brash, but sweet guy. Stag-B is a calm and scholarly...

A hilarious, timely conversation about the differences between facts and opinions, by the creator of the #1 New York Times bestseller Goodnight Goon Do you know the difference between a fact and an opinion? It can be a hard thing to understand. Some...

The uplifting true story of Minda Dentler, the first female wheelchair athlete to complete the Ironman World Championship triathlon.Minda Dentler made history when she became the first female wheelchair athlete to complete the world's toughest triathlon,...

An emotionally unaware tornado carves a path of destruction until it picks up a very empathetic cow in this quirky and sweet picture book about compassion and navigating negative emotions. Tornado is on a rampage. It tosses cars and knocks over barns...

Roll with It meets Absolutely Normal Chaos in this funny, big-hearted novel about a young girl "reminiscent of...Junie B. Jones" (School Library Connection) and her campaign for student council president, told through letters to her hero Susan B. Anthony...

Some days are Snurtch days. Ruthie is having one of those. Ruthie has a problem at school. It is not the students. It is not the classroom. It is not the reading or the writing or the math. It is something scribbly, scrunchy, grabby, burpy, and rude. It...

Growing pains, game-play adventure, and 20-sided dice abound in this new graphic novel series about a middle school Dungeons & Dragons club from an Eisner and Harvey Award-winning cartoonist. Valeria Winters has an easier time finding trouble than making...

"With colorful, appealing cartoon illustrations and a text that reads aloud well, this touching story encourages kids not only to accept people from different cultures and religions but to stand up for themselves when they're being bullied." --ALA...

Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable book in the Young Adult categoryFrom the New York Times bestselling authors of I'm Not Dying with You Tonight comes a story about friendship, privilege, sports, and protest.With a rocky start to senior year, cheerleaders...

"Sneaks up on you with its insight and poignancy." --Entertainment Weekly From New York Times bestselling author Mary H.K. Choi comes a funny and emotional story about two estranged sisters and how far they'll go to save one of their lives--even if it...

Can you be a hero...if society doesn't see you as a person? Nubia has always been a little bit...different. As a baby she showcased Amazonian-like strength by pushing over a tree to rescue her neighbor's cat. But despite her having similar abilities, the...

A Goodreads Choice Awards NomineeA Junior Library Guild Selection From Jas Hammonds, the award-winning author of We Deserve Monuments, comes an electric, heart-wrenching novel about a teen whose desperation to fit in leads to a dizzying relationship...

In this searing indictment of the juvenile justice system, one teen in detention weighs what she is willing to endure for forgiveness. Now in paperback. All it took was one night and one bad decision for fifteen-year-old Violetta Chen-Samuels' life to go...

In this searing indictment of the juvenile justice system, one teen in detention weighs what she is willing to endure for forgiveness. All it took was one night and one bad decision for fifteen-year-old Violetta Chen-Samuels' life to go off the rails...

From the author of the acclaimed Blood Water Paint, a new contemporary YA novel in prose and verse about a girl struggling with guilt and a desire for revenge after her sister's rapist escapes with no prison time. Em Morales's older sister was raped by...

Winner of The Schneider Family Book Award, for excellence in portraying the disability experience! Maya Van Wagenen, bestselling author of Popular, tells Dolores's story with humor, heartache, and an occasional bit of telenovela flair. "A striking...

A Pura Belpré Honor Book * A Schneider Family Book Award Honor Book for TeensIn this gorgeously written and authentic novel, Verónica, a Peruvian-American teen with hip dysplasia, auditions to become a mermaid at a Central Florida theme park in the...

From celebrity M.D. Dr. Drew Pinsky and his daughter Paulina Pinsky comes an entertaining and comprehensive guide to sex, relationships, and consent in today's #MeToo era. Perfect for teens, parents, and educators to facilitate open and positive...

In this heart-wrenching coming-of-age story about family, grief, and second chances, seventeen-year-old Emmy returns home for the summer to uncover the truth behind her sister Rose's disappearance--only to learn that Rose had many secrets, ones that have...

In this complex and emotionally resonant novel about a Métis girl living on the Canadian prairies, debut author Jen Ferguson serves up a powerful story about rage, secrets, and all the spectrums that make up a person--and the sweetness that can still...

In this complex and emotionally resonant novel about a Métis girl living on the Canadian prairies, debut author Jen Ferguson serves up a powerful story about rage, secrets, and all the spectrums that make up a person--and the sweetness that can still...

With five starred reviews, this is an acclaimed novel about sisterhood, family, and the pernicious legacy of racism. Perfect for fans of Tahereh Mafi, Jandy Nelson, and Emily X.R. Pan, with crossover appeal for readers of Brit Bennett's The Vanishing...

New York Times and USA Today bestseller * Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor * Walter Award Winner * Goodreads Finalist for Best Teen Book of the Year * Time Magazine Best Book of the Year * Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year * Shelf Awareness Best Book...

In this beautiful story of kindness and empathy, loneliness and love, one creature finds that the help he needs is just a song and a sigh away. Whale's beautiful song winds its way through the ocean, reaching the farthest of faraways. His song is one of...

Three unlikely friends become partners in heartbreak and hope during a middle school pottery class in this powerful, poignant novel--perfect for fans of Gordon Korman and Lynda Mullaly Hunt. At West Beacon Middle School, eighth graders Oscar Villanueva,...

One small act of kindness ripples out to connect four kids in this stirring novel by the author of the beloved The Benefits of Being an Octopus. Libby comes from a long line of bullies. She wants to be different, but sometimes that doesn't work out. To...

Henry's big sister helps to turn his worries around with brighter what-ifs in this loving sibling story Henry's birthday party is approaching, and the most exciting part is that Marty, the coolest kid in Henry's class, is coming! Everybody wants Marty at...

Best of the Year: School Library Journal - Booklist - NYPL - Social Justice Books For fans of Donna Barba Higuera's Lupe Wong Won't Dance and Aida Salazar's The Moon Within comes Mani Semilla Finds Her Quetzal Voice - a contemporary middle grade novel...

A heartwarming migration story of connection and belonging, beautifully brought to life by prolific picture book author-illustrator Britta Teckentrup. Little Bear lives happily in his cozy cave deep in the woods. He loves picking berries during the day,...

A cautionary tale using words made up of only the five letters in the title (B, E, W, A, and R). Can a bear and a bee become friends? Abe and Bree aren't supposed to get along. When they meet, they panic. Abe swats! Bree stings! Now they're both hurt...

A 2019 Batchelder Honor Book Yu'er and her grandpa live in a small neighborhood in Beijing--and it's full of big personalities. There's a story around every corner, and each day has a hint of magic. In one tale, Yu'er wants to swim in the Special...

"Jabari's emotional ups and downs will be familiar to young children, and his hard-won success feels triumphant. Jabari succeeds, and so does this book." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Jabari is making a flying machine in his backyard! "It'll be easy...

Beginning readers--and beginning riders--will be drawn to this bright, buoyant story of a determined elephant and her loyal sidekick, from the award-winning creator of Juana & Lucas. Elena wants to ride her bike. She steadies, she readies. She wobbles,...

Roll with It meets Absolutely Normal Chaos in this funny, big-hearted novel about a young girl "reminiscent of...Junie B. Jones" (School Library Connection) and her campaign for student council president, told through letters to her hero Susan B. Anthony...