By Lensey Namioka.
Fiona Cheng’s father is Chinese and her mother is Scottish. She looks more like her father and worries that her desire to dance a Highland reel with her Scottish grandfather’s folk dancing troupe will be considered strange. At Seattle's annual Folk Fest, Fiona is torn between trying to please her Chinese grandmother and making her Scottish grandparents happy.
By Joseph Bruchac.
Twelve-year-old Jake, an Iroquois boy known on the reservation for his talent at the sacred game of lacrosse, moves to Washington, D.C. with his mother and becomes a boarding student at the exclusive Weltimore Academy. Students and faculty at the lacrosse-mad Academy welcome his sports abilities—but do they welcome him?
By Linda Sue Park.
A twelfth-century Korean orphan, Tree-ear, lives under a bridge with Crane-man. The two of them eke out a living by going through rubbish heaps, gathering food where they may, and weaving shoes from straw. Their lives change dramatically when Tree-ear breaks a piece of pottery created by the greatest potter in their village.
By Katherine Going.
Gabriel, a white boy who is being bullied, and Frita, an African-American girl facing prejudice, decide to overcome their many fears together as they enter fifth grade in Georgia in 1976. This book features memorable characters and balances great humor with some serious issues.
By Grace Lin.
The Year of the Dog on the lunar calendar is considered a good time for making friends and discovering inner talents. Pacy, a young Taiwanese American girl, exuberantly sets out to fulfill those goals over the course of the year.
By Linda Johns
Amateur dog-walker Hannah West finds herself under suspicion when there is a series of local dognappings, so she turns sleuth to save herself—and the dogs of Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood, AKA “the Center of the Universe.”
By Blue Balliett.
When seemingly unrelated and strange events start to happen and a precious Vermeer painting disappears, eleven-year-olds Petra and Calder combine their talents to solve an international art scandal. Written by a former Lab teacher, and set in Hyde Park at the “University School.”
By Julia Alvarez.
When his parents divorce, ten-year-old Miguel and his little sister, Juanita, move with their mother to a small town in Vermont. They face the challenges of making new friends, trying out for a new baseball team, and other difficulties of relocating. Called from the Dominican Republic to help, Miguel’s colorful aunt, Tia Lola, descends on snowy, midwinterVermont.
By Gail Carson Levine.
Orphaned, Dave is sent to the Hebrew Home for Boys, where he is treated cruelly. He sneaks out at night and is welcomed into the music- and culture-filled world of the Harlem Renaissance.
By Polly Horvath.
Eleven-year-old Primrose Squarp lives in a small fishing village in British Columbia. Here, she recounts her experiences and all she learns about human nature and the unpredictability of life after her parents are lost at sea. Along the way, she shares her mother’s recipes for such things as “Carrots in Apricot Glaze” (the exact color of Primrose’s hair).
