Read below to find our staff picks for March 2023 and learn more about these must-reads!
Staff Picks – March 2023
Tag: Diverse Books
Celebrate Poetry Month!
We’ve put together a roundup of titles to get you excited about National Poetry Month, including new 2023 titles with an abundance of stars like Bea Wolf and We Are All So Good at Smiling! Read more about their stars below!
Plus, click these titles to request a digital review copy of Bea Wolf by Zach Weinersmith; illustrated by Boulet and Saints of the Household by Ari Tison!
Find more poetry recommendation here →Discussion Guide: Don’t Look Back
Don’t Look Back: A Memoir of War, Survival, and My Journey from Sudan to America
By Achut Deng and Keely Hutton
Ages 12-18
On Sale Now!
In this propulsive memoir from Achut Deng and Keely Hutton, inspired by a harrowing New York Times article, Don’t Look Back tells a powerful story showing both the ugliness and the beauty of humanity, and the power of not giving up.
I want life.
After a deadly attack in South Sudan left six-year-old Achut Deng without a family, she lived in refugee camps for ten years, until a refugee relocation program gave her the opportunity to move to the United States. When asked why she should be given a chance to leave the camp, Achut simply told the interviewer: I want life.
But the chance at starting a new life in a new country came with a different set of challenges. Some of them equally deadly. Taught by the strong women in her life not to look back, Achut kept moving forward, overcoming one obstacle after another, facing each day with hope and faith in her future. Yet, just as Achut began to think of the US as her home, a tie to her old life resurfaced, and for the first time, she had no choice but to remember her past.
Click below to watch a video of Achut and Keely talking about the message behind Don’t Look Back.
Celebrate Women’s History Month!
Teacher’s Guide: Promise Boys
Promise Boys
By Nick Brooks
Ages 14-18
On Sale Now!
A blockbuster mystery about three teens of color who must investigate their principal’s murder to clear their own names—this page-turning thriller is perfect for fans of Karen McManus, Jason Reynolds, Angie Thomas, and Holly Jackson..
The prestigious Urban Promise Prep school might look pristine on the outside, but deadly secrets lurk within. When the principal ends up murdered on school premises and the cops come sniffing around, a trio of students—J.B., Ramón, and Trey—emerge as the prime suspects. They had the means, they had the motive—and they may have had the murder weapon. But with all three maintaining their innocence, they must band together to track down the real killer before they are arrested. Or is the true culprit hiding among them?
Find out who killed Principal Moore in Nick Brooks’s murder mystery, Promise Boys—The Hate U Give meets One of Us Is Lying.
DOWNLOAD THE Promise Boys TEACHER’S GUIDE HERE→Staff Picks – February 2023
Read below to find our staff picks for February 2023 and learn more about these must-reads!
MacKids Spotlight: Mariama J. Lockington
Meet Mariama J. Lockington, author of Forever is Now. The newly minted Stonewall Honor author brings you her first YA in-verse novel that tells a story of a Black teen coming of age in an anxiety-inducing world.
Read our Q&A with Mariama J. Lockington here →Teacher’s Guide: Anzu the Great Listener!
Anzu the Great Listener
By Benson Shum
Ages 4-8
On Sale Now!
In this follow-up to Anzu the Great Kaiju, created by Walt Disney Studios animator Benson Shum, we follow sweet and well-intentioned Anzu as he learns a valuable lesson about patience and empathy in the face of sadness—perfect for fans of The Rabbit Listened.
Anzu the kaiju loves to tend to his bonsai.
Whenever he feels overwhelmed or unsettled, it helps him pause and reminds him to just . . . breathe.
One day, when Anzu hears crying in the distance, he’s eager to help! The flower-power that makes his bonsai bloom has a way of making others smile.
But when Anzu’s flowers seem to lose their power, hurting more than they help, he’s not sure where to turn—until he remembers some valuable lessons he learned from his bonsai tree.
In Anzu the Great Listener, creator and Walt Disney Studios animator Benson Shum illustrates the importance of patience, empathy, and above all, taking the time to listen.
DOWNLOAD THE ANZU THE GREAT LISTENER TEACHER’S GUIDE HERE→Hispanic Star Poster Giveaway
If you can see it, you can be it…
Celebrate Hispanic and Latinx heroes all year round in your classroom or library! Sign up to receive the new Hispanic Star posters featuring Sylvia Rivera and Selena Gomez, just in time for Women’s History Month.
Learn more about the Hispanic Star series →
Teacher’s Guide: Himawari House
Himawari House
By Harmony Becker
Ages 14-18
On Sale Now
A young adult graphic novel about three foreign exchange students and the pleasures, and difficulties, of adjusting to living in Japan.
Living in a new country is no walk in the park—Nao, Hyejung, and Tina can all attest to that. The three of them became fast friends through living together in the Himawari House in Tokyo and attending the same Japanese cram school. Nao came to Japan to reconnect with her Japanese heritage, while Hyejung and Tina came to find freedom and their own paths. Though each of them has her own motivations and challenges, they all deal with language barriers, being a fish out of water, self discovery, love, and family.