by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth CareyUnconditional Recommendation: A hilarious and endearing collection of stories about efficiency experts, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, and their growing household of twelve children.
Genre: Memoir, Comedy
Conditional Recommendation: Joe has always lived in New Jersey and Ravi is from India but together they must navigate fitting in, dealing with a bully, and the first week of school as 5th graders.
Genre: Contemporary
by Janette OkeUnconditional Recommendation: When Marty’s husband dies suddenly and she’s forced to marry a stranger to survive in the West, she comes to learn that love between neighbors, man and woman, and even God sometimes comes softly.
Genre: Historical Christian Romance
by Robin McKinleyUnconditional Recommendation: A retelling of Beauty and the Beast that includes more back story and Beauty’s family in the tale.
Genre: Fairytale Retelling
by Shannon HaleUnconditional Recommendation: Through education and friendship a young girl learns where she belongs in her mountain community.
Award: 2006 Newbery Honor
by L. M. MontgomeryUnconditional Recommendation: A young orphan girl with a zest for life and a big imagination gets into adventures, scrapes, and makes many hilarious mistakes as she makes Green Gables her home.
Genre: Classic
by Lori WickUnconditional Recommendation: Follow a tenderhearted woman through the everyday life of caring for a grieving family with persistent faith and love that can encourage the heart of the reader.
Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance
by Kimberly Brubaker BradleyConditional Recommendation: From a cruel mother to a good home, this is a young girl’s journey to freedom, healing, and identity through the help and care of her guardian during WWII.
Awards: Newbery Medal Nominee (2016), Schneider Family Book Award for Middle School (2016), Odyssey Award (2016), Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award Nominee (2017), Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children’s Literature (2016), Bluestem Book Award Nominee (2017), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Middle Grade & Children’s (2015), Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award Nominee (2017)
HendersonConditional Recommendation: Intriguing mystery and interesting characters combine to form this hard-to-put-down suspense/love/conversion story.
Genre: Christian Mystery, Romance, Contemporary
in Van Draanen
Unconditional Recommendation: An inspiring story about healing after accidents, learning to live with a disability, and relying on the support of family, friends and teammates through the process; this tale will place you firmly in someone else’s shoes and warm your heart all the way to the finish line.
Award: Schneider Family Book Award