Grade Level: Middle School
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Stories of the Spirit of Justice
Jemar Tisby collects the true, impactful stories of figures from across history—from the well-known to those often forgotten—who resisted racism and created a legacy of hope and perseverance.
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Fire Escape: How Animals and Plants Survive Wildfires
This nonfiction book by an award-winning author/illustrator team focuses on unique angles to a current topic, including injury rehabilitation efforts, species that use wildfires to their advantage, how to help area repopulation, and the animals that help to prevent/fight wildfires.
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Lion Dancers (Graphic Novel)
Young Wei dreamed of being a legendary lion dancer just like his dad.Until his dad passes away, and he stops dancing leaving his friend and fellow dancer Hung behind. Years later, Wei is drawn into the world of lion dancing again.
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In the Tunnel
Lee’s vivid writing about the Korean war discusses war and survival as well as an intimate look at everyday life for Koreans caught up in geo-political forces over which they have no control. Few books for young readers grapple with the Korean War from this perspective. The American involvement in the conflict is portrayed from…
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Gigi Shin Is Not a Nerd
When Gigi learns about an elite art camp on the east coast, she’s determined to go. But she knows her parents won’t let her, much less pay for it. After overhearing her little brother Tommy complain about how hard math is and how his teacher goes too fast for him, Gigi has a brilliant idea:…
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The Secret Battle of Evan Pao
Although Evan quickly makes friends at his new school, one boy seems determined to make sure that as a Chinese American, Evan feels that he does not belong. Evan must decide how he is going to handle the bullying and prejudice.
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Fighting to Belong!: Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander History from the 1700s through the 1800s
Witness key events in American history through the valiant work of AANHPI Americans.
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Kareem Between
Kareem discovers the U.S. isn’t always a safe place for his family and people, and learns how to find his power and voice. This novel provides a new perspective we desperately need to find hope and empathy in our divided world.
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New From Here
Knox tries to stand up to hate, while finding his place in his new country. Can you belong if you’re feared; can you protect if you’re new? And how do you keep a family together when you’re oceans apart?
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With Twice the Love, Dessie Mei
Dessie struggles to understand who she is. When Amah is the victim of an anti-Asian hate crime, Dessie finds that the values she has learned from her adoptive family, especially her activist Granny, can help build a community where everyone belongs.
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Drawing Deena
Drawing Deena by the award-winning author of Amina’s Voice is a heartfelt middle-grade novel about a young Pakistani American artist navigating anxiety and self-expression. Deena often feels a knot of anxiety when facing her parents’ financial struggles or her own school challenges. She finds solace in art and takes on the idea of promoting her…
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Isabel in Bloom
Bloom Where You’re Planted by Mae Respicio is a beautifully crafted novel-in-verse about twelve-year-old Isabel, who moves from the Philippines to San Francisco to live with her mother for the first time in years. Struggling to adjust to a new school, city, and country, Isabel feels disconnected from her mom and her new life. But…