Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan is a historical fiction book. Esperanza’s life seems perfect. She lives on a beautiful family ranch in Mexico with everything she could ever want. That is until one night her father does not return. Esperanza and her family escape to California with the hope of building a better life for themselves. The only problem is life at a Mexican farm camp during the Great Depression is nothing like Esperanza’s old life. She must
Esperanza Cordero is a young girl in a poor area in Chicago. Working towards the goal of self-empowerment and self-discovery, she finds problems with race, gender, class, and economic statuses that stand in the way of her. Short vignettes, stories, and poems provide insight into her life as she progresses towards her aspirations.
Supergifted by Gordon Korman is about Noah, who is supergifted. Finding a way out of the academy for students with high IQ’s, Noah transfers to a normal middle school that his friend Donovan attends. Soon, Noah finds a way to support his school and joins the cheerleading squad, but Hash Taggart (aka. Hashtag), an uber jock in the school, starts picking on him. Noah’s friend Donovan helps Noah and lands himself in a big fight with Hashtag. He’s told not to go anywhere near Hashtag.
Justyce McAllister is a high school senior and a passionate debater, going along with fellow student Sarah-Jane Friedman and mentor Dr. Jarius Dray. But, he is surrounded by problems in his personal life along with the major issue of racism. Along the way, He finds himself in multiple encounters with the legal system. Through it all, he reminds himself of the great Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy, attempting to follow his example in the divided world.
Ungifted by Gordon Korman is about Donovan Curtis, who is far from anything close to gifted. When a prank goes too far, instead of getting in trouble, Donovan is sent to the academy for gifted students because of a mix-up by one of the administrators. Now in the academy of scholastic distinction, Donovan has to fool all the other students with super high IQ’s in order to stay there.
An encapsulating journey that presents the dynamics of 12 men as they attempt to prove a boy “guilty” or “not guilty” for the charge of murder. All jurors must unanimously agree on whether or not the boy is responsible for the crime. Some vote based on “undeniable proof,” some on preconceived notions, and others for no certain reason. Reasonable doubt can change it all. It is captivating and intriguing to watch 12 jurors as they attempt to convince one another of the suspect’s guilt or innocence using systematic logic, or less substantial matters.
Moxie features Vivian Carter, who goes to Rockport High School in her small town. However, in her school, a recent riot of sexist dress codes and football players getting away with harrassing girls in plain sight spurs Vivian into taking action. After discovering her mother’s old box full of photos of rockstars and “Riot Grrls”, Vivian decides to create a zine full of different images and text related to going against all the misogynistic qualities that most of the guys in her school possess.
Slacker by Gordon Korman follows Cameron Boxer who created a ‘lifestyle’ where all he does is gaming. He avoids homework, doesn’t join any clubs, and no one knows him besides his two best friends (basically, he’s a slacker). Until he starts a positive action club after almost burning down his home. The club wasn’t supposed to be something anyone could join, it was just supposed to be a distraction for his parents so that they would let him keep gaming.
Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin follows Rose Howard who has Asperger’s syndrome. Rose is obsessed with homonyms, which is why she named the lost dog her dad brought home, Rain. When a storm hits Rose’s town, Rain goes missing because her father let him out. Now it is up to Rose to try and find Rain, but can she find him before his original owners do?
